Warhammer 40,000: Indomitus introduced a number of brand-new units for the Necrons, two of which belonged to the Destroyer Cult – the Skorpekh Lord and Skorpekh Destroyers. With more Destroyers on their way soon with the new codex, we thought it was the perfect time to investigate more about the nature of the Destroyer Cult, and why some Necrons fear it to be a curse that will ultimately doom them all. Oh, go on, then – we’ll show you some new rules too!
Rise of the Destroyer Cult
The Necrons of the Destroyer Cult are hate-fuelled harvesters of the living, obsessed with the eradication of all sentient beings. The murderous insanity of the Destroyers drives their every thought. They task the Crypteks with modifying their bodies to turn themselves into optimised killing machines.
Quite what first caused some Necrons to show the defining degradation of psyche upon reawakening from their slumber, none can truly say. However, considering that Destroyer Cults have emerged on seemingly every Tomb World, it appears to be a common flaw – and disturbingly so. Worse still, its touch is spreading faster through Necron society than ever before, and some who never previously showed any signs are now succumbing to the affliction.
Destroyers stand apart from the Necron phalanxes who are so unquestioningly obedient to the Necron nobility, for their madness is such that they answer to no-one. On the battlefield, Destroyers are utilised as brutal shock troops, not so much commanded by the noble in charge as unleashed upon their prey. Yet even this act is not done so lightly, for once all their organic victims lie slain, who then will the Destroyers turn their insatiable murder-lust upon?
Destroyer Sub-cults
In the new codex, the Destroyer Cult has branched out into four distinct types – the blade-wielding Skorpekhs, the subterranean, segmented Ophydians, the gunfighting Hexmarks, and the floating weapons platforms that are the Lokhust. As you’d expect from a mass-murder machine, each form of Destroyer is brutally effective in its chosen form of death-dealing, though they also share a common ability that gives them an additional edge when making attacks.
What’s more, the damage output of Destroyer units is even more consistent when in range of their alphas – the fallen nobles that are Skorpekh Lords and Lokhust Lords – thanks to the United in Destruction aura ability.
If you picked up a copy of Indomitus, or the Elite or Command Edition Starter Sets, you’ll no doubt be very familiar with the devastating killing power of Skorpekh Destroyers. And if you saw our mega preview, The Codex Show, you’ll also have seen the datasheet for the Ophydian Destroyers. BUT, you’ve yet to see the grievously powerful weaponry with which the souped-up Lokhust Heavy Destroyer will be decimating its hapless prey!
Well, here you go – these things kick out some serious firepower!
Destroyers in Crusade
The faction-specific Crusade rules in the upcoming edition of Codex: Necrons include some fantastic examples of the impact that the Destroyer Cult is having on the dynasties. It’s even possible for a Necron Lord or Overlord to permanently succumb to the Destroyer curse with this unique Requisition.
Another wonderfully thematic addition is the Mindless Reaper Battle Scar, which sees a Destroyer Cult unit descend even further into ultra-violent psychosis, which is both a blessing and a curse.
We’ll be looking into the Necron faction more over the coming weeks as we draw nearer to the launch of their new codex. Check in with us regularly on warhammer-community.com and sign up to our newsletter to keep your finger on the (energy)pulse of all the latest news. In the meantime, if you haven’t reinforced your android phalanxes with the devastating Skorpekh Destroyers, grab yourself a Warhammer 40,000 Elite or Command Starter Set today!