STARTING A NECRON ARMY IN 11TH EDITION: FROM FIRST BOX TO CENTREPIECE
If you've ever worried your painting isn't good enough to field an army you're proud of, the Necrons are 11th edition's answer. Silver armour, a dark wash, and a couple of glowing green accents produce a tabletop-ready legion faster than any other faction — and the models still look superb. On the battlefield they match that forgiveness: an unhurried, implacable force that shrugs off damage and simply reassembles, marching forward while other armies fall apart.
The first box
Start with the current Combat Patrol-style set. Necron starters are reliably built around Necron Warriors — the skeletal rank and file that define the faction's look — usually with a character and some Canoptek Scarab swarms in support. Warriors in numbers are the image of the army, and Scarabs are the cheapest, quickest painting win in the entire game.
The second layer
Immortals are the upgrade pick: sturdier, better-armed phalanxes that give your force a spine. After them, a unit of Skorpekh Destroyers brings the murderous close-combat edge and some of the most dynamic sculpts in the range. Those two boxes, on top of the starter, already read as a proper dynasty.
Recommended: Skorpekh Destroyers
Choosing your centrepiece
Necrons are spoilt here. The Monolith is the classic — a floating tomb-fortress that has terrified opponents for decades — while the Silent King's court diorama is the prestige painting project. Take the one that excites you and save the other for the army's first anniversary. Either will anchor every photograph you ever take of the collection.
Purchases to defer
- More Warriors beyond the starter before anything is painted; grey legions awaken no dread.
- Niche Cryptek variants — collect one leader, learn the army, then specialise.
- Any vehicle bought purely because it looked clever in someone else's list.
An audit fit for a tomb world
The dynasties slept for sixty million years because somebody kept meticulous records, and your collection deserves the same care: enter each kit when it arrives and state plainly whether it's boxed, built, or finished. Watching the finished column grow is what turns buyers into painters. For the complete catalogue of units and their history, see the Necrons faction page under Data.