40K - THE CURSE OF THE NECRON | Warhammer 40,000 Lore/History

[@Luetin09]

This video was originally titled - What do I HATE about the Necron? lol which seemed too ott. Let me know what gets under your skin on a permanent basis when it comes to the lore... ALSO - - please help me appease our lord ALGO, by Liking the vid if you enjoy

[@ragmt09]

can you please release a version without loud music for us insomniacs?

[@METALFREAK03]

Good name change I think.

[@Luetin09]

@@ragmt09 so this one basically.

[@kaidorade1317]

Two videos in one week? The Machine God surely smiles upon us this day!

[@comradedyatlov199]

Liked! :DD

[@jeremyames1342]

I've never played 40k, but rely on the lore when falling asleep. Luten is by far my favorite lore creator. He might never sleep but he helps me too.

[@napoleonfeanor]

Same

[@thegametroll6264]

Do you have any favorite factions? You can have more than one. Example, when I want a more human play through I collect models for my guardsmen army and when I want to catter to my urge for brutish thuggish inhuman violence I ADDZ SOME ORKZ TO ME WAAAAAGH! I love tyranids too.

[@godsblood85]

​@@thegametroll6264shush, Eldar are bestdar

[@thegametroll6264]

@@godsblood85 never did sit right with the Eldar. Too elegant for my taste.

[@Jalabeoth]

Ironic. He could save others from not sleeping, but not himself.

[@robertfancyman3873]

I think your gripe here is what makes Necrons so interesting for me. A small argument between Trazyn and Orikan displayed it well; the Necron don't truly know if they can transfer back, and they haven't really thought about it very much. They know that they hate having no souls, and that they fear the future with their inability to reproduce, but they don't want to think about what happens when they return to the flesh. If they think about it, they might end up realising that they don't really want it after all, and that the purgatory they live in is the best they'll get. I do have a sneaking suspicion that part of the end goal of some Necron might be to kill two birds with one stone: wipe out the Eldar, but steal their ageless bodies in doing it.

[@inthefade]

They haven't thought about it much over millions of years? Hardly plausible imo.

[@Luetin09]

oh its interesting all right, but I just want to hear a little more about it than an introductory sentence, as then at least it would feel like ok THIS is what theyre working towards

[@valkoroska2369]

just transfer some back or genetically create a few and breed for good sustainability. then upload the software so they can feel and voila

[@psymcdad8151]

@@inthefade well, most of them where not realy "aware" during those millions of years. They just kinda "skip intro" in stasis. And the few that maybe have ben awake and aware and smart enough to conjure up such thoughts might have other things going on in their twisted minds, like creating the most realistic full-scale diorama of certain events that took place every decade or so.

[@maxsmith8475]

@@Luetin09seems pretty obvious. The eldar are an enemy with basically infinite lives and an incredible “oneness” with the universe, to the point that their conscious and unconscious thought can create literal gods. The necrontyr were weak, short lived, and did not really have any form of psychic power or connection. They had to co opt the ctan and became their servants and became cold, unfeeling, unable to think machines with many losing their intelligence and all losing their “soul.” The eldar got reincarnated when they died (until slaanesh) and while living they have a psychic power that connects them to every other member of their race. The eldar have, on a basic level, everything the necron ever wanted or could want. They wouldn’t even have to fear slaanesh because they have proven they have technology that negates psyker influence or cuts it off to create “independent spaces” that could allow them to preserve their souls from being absorbed and instead force the reincarnation to occur on their terms. Granted psyker power is mental on a technical level, but if the necron steal living flesh, I imagine the genes to develop it would pass on to the next generation. It’s killing more than a few birds with one stone for the necrons. They gain flesh bodies and a new way to independently bio transfer because they’d probably be able to reincarnate freely, the eldar get killed, and they now have access to a genetic power they could not previously use in a form that benefits greatly from collective will, like say a civilization set on conquering the galaxy and eliminating a set of all powerful star eating “gods”

[@ethanlieske9678]

I don't have a hard source, but my understanding from the twice dead king was that , existence as a nercon is painful. Almost all of the higher order Necrons are pants on head crazy, but they also seem keenly aware of that and they are aware of the decay that is eating away at their society. These issue do feel like a logical motivator to de-robot themselves.

[@Luetin09]

I mean yes, that basically is it also, even the lower zombie horde necron are supposed to endure unending pain, they just dont have the mental capability to understand what pain is lol

[@krissteel4074]

I think GW should just embrace the complete insanity that is the necrons eternal existence. Sure they can't die, but they can never truly live either, so every time they wake up for whatever reason kicks them out of bed its Groundhog Day all over again. They fight, they fall, they rise again and this goes on until they either win against who they're fighting and they go back to sleep or the run out of whatever 'resources' enables them to continue fighting and they go back to sleep until its replenished a million years or so later. That would be a 'brave' task to write But I think in some ways the simplicity of the OG-necrons of being souless killing machine 1980's terminators that just will not stop until you are dead, dead dead! Kind of fits into the other, different types of crazy floating around the 40k universe. Except in their case, its endless stagnation, there is no way out and they are truly batshit crazy because there is no off-ramp, you cannot get off the MrBones wild ride you started on in desperation doing that deal with the devils all those millions of years ago. So for me, the repetition, the sameness, the never ending madness is its own special hell for the Necrons

[@clan741]

@@Luetin09some lower ranking necrons do end up with fragments of their personality despite it meant to being stripped away from them. So you have them silently suffering unable to articulate why until eventually they are wearing human skin and shoving meat in their faces despite having no mouths and must scream. I think the lower ranking necrons are like servitors. Is that twitching a glitch or a fragment of their lost humanity screaming out?

[@UGNAvalon]

@clan741 necrontyranity*

[@nocomment3294]

Others like Orikan the Divine and Illuminor Szeras also have different views on changing their form. Orikan wants the Necrons to evolve into beings of radiant energy, maybe taken inspiration from the C'tan, while Szeras certainly wants a biological body, as he searches for the secrets of creation, he certainly wants an elevated form like a Primarch. I think Luetin misread their goal. It is not reverting to their frail and cancer ridden existence, but to achieve their original goal of biological immortality as the minimum baseline. As you pointed out, some slowly decay, feeling urges like eating they can no longer satisfy, having retained instincts and feelings that clash with their current existence driving them into Madness, something they all greatly fear. Not to speak of the bugs and glitches some got from the long sleep, and it is mentioned that many crypteks are not as brilliant as they once were, pointing to mental decay that might exist or is another side effect of the great sleep. While they can repair their broken bodies with great effectiveness, as a whole they are not indestructible. When their tomb cities get destroyed or lose their repair infrastructure, they're dead and as far as I know they cannot reproduce anymore, making their numbers finite. Operating on large timescales, even trillions will wither in war attrition, while their decay makes sure they would all become insane eventually even without conflict. If they don't find a way to reproduce or cure their ailments, their society will collapse, even if it takes billions of years. Evolving or gaining new biological bodies might also be a cure for their mental decay. Seeing as their society is stagnant and based on strict castes, they look for rejuvenation. Something their current existence inhibits and would lead to their downfall long term.

[@psychetitan3529]

I think one part that keeps the necrons as an entire race not needing in singular end goal is because they are so long lived. Because of their immortality they see everything with how it will play out in the long run. They can see that eventually either the flayer curse or destroyer curse will take each and every one of them. A fate many wish to not endure. Their entire civilization is, in its current state, destined to fall into madness and disorder even after every other faction has turned to dust. Reversing biotransferance could be their best shot at becoming a truly thriving empire again. It’s also important to not that since they are so powerful that most other factions are annoyances to them, they’re often plagued with political infighting to the extreme, restricting the necrons from having a singular goal as a species. A few examples are Orikan and Trazyn. Orikan doesn’t want to reverse biotransferance. In fact he wants to use the stars to ascend past his form. Trazyn on the other hand says he would return to flesh the moment he has the chance. Another example would be during the fall of damnos where the necron courts infighting leads to the destruction of their artillery and air defense, letting the Ultramarines gain a foothold at Kellenport. Their faction wide infighting often leads to their goals becoming disorganized and unfocused. It’s also important to not for those who want to return to flesh could simply no longer remember many of the downsides, Trazyn incorrectly recalls the day of biotransferance and Oltyx notes in Twice Dead King how their engrams write over themselves leading to memories of memories of memories of a memory. That’s just my two cents though Edit: it’s my idea that every necron still has their minds somewhere in their engrams. Even warriors. But they are simply in either some dormant state or acting like a hard drive you have everything stored on and it’s plugged into the computer just not powered on. This is because even warriors are afflicted by the flayer virus. Which affects the necrons by making them crave the both covering themselves back in flesh and gaining a hunger to feast on it. It doesn’t make sense that a mindless automaton could somehow gain a need for personal goals from the equivalent of a space virus. We know warriors are afflicted by the virus from twice dead king saying how the ranks on the Akrops are thinning day by day and more flayed are being ejected into the void. Falls of damnos also nots how the warriors move very machine like. Simple moving as objects fulfilling pass functions while the flayed move like animals. Moving like a creature with a hunger and desire when leaping from rock to rock.

[@UGNAvalon]

“From the equivalent of a space virus” - This is 40k we’re talking about, which has literal gods sending demons to curse humans with literal portals to hell, and some of those demons can possess machines (sentient & non). Pretty sure “space virus” is merely the closest our puny mortal minds can get to describing the metaphysical curse that is the Flaying.

[@Tiramizur]

I semi agree with your idea that necron still has their minds somewhere in their engrams. In the book of "Ruin" of TDK, Cryptek Mentep implied that flayer curse didn't originate from a virus but necron's remembering and longing for days when they were in flesh bodies. However, i think biotransference process cleared all memories of any ordinarily person of necrontry and left only basic instincts of such a person there. Therefore, they crave the flesh only because of need to feel basic instincts, not memories. Animalistic instincts of every living being replace lost memories and individuality of their mind. Even necrontry nobles might start to fall victim to the curse when they start to forget their past lives and try to escape unconsciously to a basic mind state instead of accepting their nightmarish truth of cold metallic bodies. For example, Oltyx was longing flesh after his battle with ork warboss; he had burned one of memories of his past life recently and his main mind unconsciously wanted to escape from his depression about his immortal life.

[@Bodwaizer]

I dont like that "their minds somewhere in their engrams" idea, but flayed ones have their language and they not just trying to eat any flesh, they do that to killed sentients, aka that bambi in the woods probably not in any danger from them.

[@theodorehodbor5080]

An interesting tidbit from Twice Dead King about warriors also is I get the feeling a lot of Necron nobility don't even *know* if a warrior's mind is completely gone or still there but just trapped within their own bodies. At one point Oltyx realizes he was only ever told by other nobles that warriors are no longer sentient but never actually decided to verify the fact himself by simply just asking a warrior if it was still "there," so to speak. The only thing about that though is if that's actually the case it'd probably wouldn't mean much better for reversing biotransference because almost certainly every warrior would've been driven insane from being trapped in their own bodies for literally millions of years.

[@Tiramizur]

@@theodorehodbor5080 In book named "Severed" (it is spoiler below); There was a machine which transferred the minds of every necron from their bodies into limbo to rebirth in new flesh bodies without past memories in an unknown place and time. It its final pages, the characters in the book discussed if the existence of such a device is a blessing or curse for necron civilization. Nevertheless, they destroyed the machine because it could be used as a weapon against dynasties. So even though that machine offered them some form of salvation from their trapped reality, they chose the safety of dynasties. On the other hand, i wonder if necrons really want to reverse biotransference despite threat of insanity because they must have largely forgotten how living bodies basically work. For example, even Oltyx needed to remember "how something smells", by one of his submind.

[@NornQueenKya]

I don't care how mean it sounds, I'm happy what happened to the Necrons. It gave us Trazyn. All their suffering was worth giving us the 40k's #1 pokemon master

[@InquisitorThomas]

Honestly I genuinely like all the Necron named characters, they have a good mix of personalities, motives, and stories.

[@rogerbrownreacts8528]

He might collect his fan club. Keep yourself looking pretty. Hate to be in stasis with no make up.

[@Abominable_Intelligences]

Transient the Incontinent is ❤

[@soundsnatural1057]

Isn't like the emperor of mankind kind of the true Pokémon master dude? Let that one sink in homie and get back at me duder.

[@Blakobness]

What do you think Trazyn's starter Pokemon was? Obviously he's from gen1 because he's that old, but Pikachu feels a little too on the nose with the foreshadowing; the future robot man having an electricity starter Pokemon.

[@mattyjaxx9215]

I picture the Necrons reversing biotransference as being like the end of Pirates of the Caribbean when Barbossa says “I Feel! … Cold.” Then they keel over

[@QuestionableObject]

And then they come back at the end of the next movie because THE FRANCHISE MUST CONTINUE

[@Littlebeth5657]

I always thought he said "old" might be wrong tho!

[@zerrodefex]

​​@@Littlebeth5657 he said "cold" as he was going into shock from being shot in the chest moments after becoming mortal again.

[@rickkcir2151]

The Necrons are the good guys of the 40K verse. They’re the best equipped to deal with Chaos. Blackstone is their specialty, and killing gods is their hobby. They’re also the best at dealing with the Tyranids. They’re metal, have no fear, and their weaponry disintegrates whatever it shoots. Basically, no biomass at all, the Nids can’t even recycle their dead. Plus, Necrons give zero fucks about the shadow in the warp. They’re also the best at governing/ruling over the galaxy. They are by far the most technologically advanced. Plus, since they’re immortal there’s no worry of good leaders dying and being replaced by incompetent ones.

[@Troupe_Master]

Exactly 💯

[@felipeguidolin1055]

They tried to destroy the galaxy once because they got pissy that Old One's didn't cure their space cancer, than their leaders condemned their entire civilization to live a cursed existence as metal automatons. Not exactly "nice guys" material...

[@ryancollyard3851]

Or you have a tyrant that won't die of old age and is hard to kill and all necrons are a little crazy from being so old. They are not God like entities they where once mortal and not meant to live 60 million plus years I do however agree that they are the best equipped to deal with the tyranid threat

[@ASNS117Zero]

@@ryancollyard3851 "A tyrant that won't die of old age and is hard to kill." and "a little crazy." So, same as Big E as your worst case?

[@KentMansley_Noticer]

One problem. They cannot make more of themselves. Twice dead kings talks about how one of the MCs basically realizes that even orks will slowly attrition them since their recal protocols aren’t 100% perfect. So every “dead” necron is a permanent loss. Basically if the Necrons can’t exterminate literally all opposition they WILL eventually lose by attrition. That’s why a lot of them want to return to flesh since currently, while immortal and nearly indestructible they are a doomed race.

[@morvennvahl7304]

Luetin dying before he figures out who the emperor is might be the saddest thing in the 40k universe 😢

[@DirtyFilthyParadise]

What if he is the Emperor? Prophet indroducing us to the future?

[@cjthebeesknees]

@@DirtyFilthyParadise Some Inevitably will confuse the prophet for the emperor himself, down the line. Like a certain religion.

[@anon2427]

Cope cj

[@drTERRRORRR]

Just imagine the logistic nightmare delivering all those psychers to keep Lutein "alive".

[@Xizax41325]

How trazyn and orakin are portrayed in the infinite and the divine was perfect to me. An all powerful race that squabbles like children is exactly what I needed in the 40k universe. Such as how trazyn pulls the thing from his museum to attack orakin and bring about the big problem at the end they needed to solve, genius. As for the necron end game. I always see it as they are hunting for a way to return to their mortal forms so they can enjoy the pleasures of the flesh while also finding a way to avoid death once the lesser races are subjugated. They wanted immortality and power, but it was a monkey's paw deal that they are now trying to reverse.

[@lilyeves892]

I think the twice dead series did a great job of showing the living nightmare that is being a necron with good enough hardware to understand what was done to them. Like I'm pretty certain most necrons would willingly undo biotransference for that alone

[@cosmictreason2242]

Your personal metaphysics will significantly impact what you think about biotransference. Namely the existence and nature of both soul and consciousness.

[@wanderhillen2435]

​@@cosmictreason2242 Maybe in our universe. In the 40k setting the existence of souls is pretty well established, as is the fact that the Necrons somehow lost their souls during biotransference. In-universe there is not really room for personal philosophies about whether or not souls exist, anymore than there is room is ours for whether airplanes exist or not.

[@montypython5521]

@@wanderhillen2435 It's less "somehow lost" and more the person died and their soul went away into the warp or the ctan or whatever. Current necrons are just copies of people long since dead. The fact that they have no souls proves there was no (bio)transference, just a copying of their mind.

[@rossgadsby9663]

​@wanderhillen2435 Depends which planet you live on. Most people in the 40k verse probably never ever see a real psyker or inquisitor, or space marine, or chaos. Its a big Galaxy

[@DarkFiber23]

I literally just started reading "The Infinite and the Divine" an hour ago! I'm really loving it so far. What timing!

[@artsofthewood5748]

I have that on my list, I just finished Priests of Mars and started Lords of Mars

[@marisolmontoya6123]

Should I get the infinite and the divine

[@rowdsterrex7845]

I just finished it today, you'll really like it.

[@soundsnatural1057]

Let me tell you about bad timing Brother... Last night I walked in on my girl taking a dump dude bro.

[@Mixu.]

​@@marisolmontoya6123yes, definitely. Almost regardless of which faction you like. It's almost like a fun celebration of 40k in a way, lead by one/two of the most unique characters in the setting. I just got a physical copy of it after reading it as an ebook *and* listening to the audiobook (which is also good btw).

[@stevew1131]

What if the Necron, having tasted immortality and the horror of it's reality, simply desire death. Death on their own terms, and to bring everyone else with them. Such is their spite for having been played such a cruel hand. Just a thought. I absolutely love your speculations!

[@MLaak86]

Yeah that’d actually be fitting, especially in 40k context, discovering that the immortality they desired is more curse than blessing and wanting out of it but being unable to

[@MrSaywutnow]

I think the final lesson of the story of the Necrons is "be careful what you wish for." They were so obsessed with prolonging their short, fragile lives they (unsurprisingly) didn't stop to think of the consequences, and that made them perfect targets for the C'tan.

[@tardmonkey7319]

My thought exactly, i think they should be treated more like we view the vampire curse. At some point you just wish to die

[@OMalleyTheMaggot]

The Necrons don't have one unified goal as it stands and giving them all the goal of "let's kill ourselves and everyone else" clashes heavily with established Necron characters

[@amh9494]

They can die easily they just need to turn off the teleportation and repair protocols.

[@InquisitorXarius]

We need a fan comic about Trazyn teaching The Emperor about the 40k galaxy after helping him incapacitate and imprison Magladroth called Trazyn’s Guide to the Galaxy.

[@MrPiccolop]

Yes!!🎉

[@theotv5522]

I mean when someone trust another from a different race, it either ends with them being turned into horrid monsters used as blood sport (T'au and Dark Eldar), had their souls ripped apart (Necrons and the Deceiver), or just outright killed due to misunderstanding (Lord General Militant Pyrrhus and Colonel Taktikus of the Orks).

[@112steinway]

"The important thing to remember human, is that you should always bring a towel. Granted, being a perfect being of metal and programming that has no need for a cloth to wipe away sweat and waste product, but I read it in some ancient tome somewhere and I find it comforting."

[@EsquireNapalm]

major gripe: how did the emperor not see horus’ betrayal coming when his name was “Horus Heresy”

[@NN-ye1gv]

Yes, Inquisitor this one. He speaks heresy.

[@felipeguidolin1055]

He trully was the Warhammer 40k

[@ryancollyard3851]

Is there a mechanics priest or domino's that needs another servitor or arco-flagulator

[@ryancollyard3851]

Dominus

[@thejahfox]

Heresy!

[@bogarasakura]

So what about Orikan? He isn't trying to reverse the bio-transferrence but the opposite. He is trying to achieve the next step on their "evolution". To turn into pure energy beings. He managed to do so many times and even turned into a quasi-C'tan and obliterated 5-6 deceiver shards like they were nothing. It was fascinating to see a C'tan genuinely terrified of something. I really wish they will follow up on this storyline!

[@Ironknuckle100]

This is awesome! Luetin is just cranking out quality videos this month.

[@philsanders9625]

What do you expect of 40ks true lore master. And if you browse the comments you get even more (and almost never trolls). Blessed me are brother

[@theotv5522]

@@philsanders9625 Luetin has the most civilised fanbse I've ever seen. It's almost unbelievable.

[@TypeCOrbitalFrame]

This man has mastered the art of the Outro

[@Solkard]

I would propose the ultimate end goal of the Necrons is not to reverse bio-transference back into their original sickly bodies, but to obtain new biological bodies that could be the equal of their artificial selves. I imagine that would be done through some sort of combination of the Eldar’s wraith stone tech and the flesh crafting of the Dark Eldar or Tyrannids. The end goal being some incarnation of strong biological bodies that they could interface with and download into.

[@Makiyura]

So instead of just Ultron, get a evil Vision? 🤔

[@Bratbaticus]

@@Makiyura The golden body that Settra was promised.

[@cjthebeesknees]

@@Bratbaticus Who’s gonna be the one to tell Settra The Imperishable no..? Sure as hell not you, or me.

[@bardic_bumblebee]

The Necron are my absolute *favourite* faction. Their novels are wonderful and they look so damn cool.

[@CoHigh]

I've been into 40k for 20yrs, and its hilarious to think I may die before knowing the fate of the Emperor.

[@stax6092]

IF I recall correctly, even though the ILLuminor played a major part in the Bio-transference his end goal isn't returning the Necron to flesh but to attain Ascension in a way that makes him equivalent or greater than that of the C'tan and his flesh experiments are just an ends to figuring that out. I find the Necron better now than just being some space metal zombie slaves on all fronts because the characters with personality I think have really been a boon to defining the Necrons. As for their overall end goal, I think the reason most wish to go back to before Bio-transference is because most of them didn't actually choose to become machines and it was the machinations of a few that doomed the rest. Which is weird because as I understand it The StormLord is in opposition to The Silent King and yet is happy with Being a Space Robot? Not sure. Anyways, I think their end goal is fine because Bio-Transference doesn't have to be All Necrons All at once, it can be done experimentally and I think if it does happen it would not only create a Great Debate and Quandary for the Necrons and their Flesh Brethren, but also opens up the possibility of a Flesh Necron Faction that is separate from the metal one to be a playable thing. Anyways, this is just my two cents, great video.

[@smptown29]

Bonus points for "middle, middle, middle" to get through the 60-some million years between The Silent King's departure and return. 'Infinite and the Divine' is so far one of my favorite 40k books (though to be fair, I've mostly been working through the Heresy so far), and for soulless living metal creatures, those two are pretty damn funny at times.

[@BGeezy4sheezy]

Blessing us with these long videos so close together. Mechanicus and the Necrons are my favorite lore(aside from Emperor content of course). This stuff is gold and I hope you’re richly rewarded for such excellent content

[@Scutumdeorum]

I see the Necrons as wanting their cake and eat it, they want back what they lost in exchange for their immortality. Which is quite a mortal trait, always wanting more, never satisfied. The time and madness made them forget what it was to be flesh. Also Eldar being alive used to be immortals so they could look toward that.

[@Catjacked]

I don’t think they would just immediately biotransfer. It feels like they are kind of trying to prep the galaxy for their biotransference at the same time as trying to figure out how to even do it. That’s just how it feels to me.

[@dudelikesWoW]

I love that this video is just a literary critique. Legit, it's a great lesson for writers: watch your lore, don't write yourself into a boring corner!

[@jaypac1811]

My favorite faction in wh40k. Necron lore has so many rabbit holes regarding where and how they can evolve into the future.

[@Vpkoivisto]

The Necron are basically a grumpy old man who took a long nap and woke up to a bunch of kids fighting on his yard, breaking or stealing his lawn ornaments in the process.

[@BradyHansen81]

God this Luetin video dropped at the perfect time. I’m eating 1 meal a day so my wife and kids don’t go without and this is a beautiful surprise; well a grim dark surprise 🤣

[@Stormhawk777]

Dude I love how you used all the early necron codex pictures during 11:00 I had to take my old copy down and have a look through after

[@shnobz_kotik]

Exciting mortal life is probably more pleasant than eternity of boredom. I think this alone is a pretty good motivation for necrons. They lost the thrill of survival and this thrill is exactly what makes all other factions existence interesting.

[@MrPiccolop]

Correct. Cold embodiment would kill organic consciousness

[@theotv5522]

Not really. They realise they can't make more Necrons, which means any loss is a permanent loss, and eventually they'll lose the attrition war with races like Orks. I think people need to remember just because you're immortal doesn't make you invincible. Even some Necron Lords realise their reanimation protocol isn't perfect so as long as they stay as they are, they're a doomed race. Nothing can beat the passage of time.

[@KosmicKatz]

It would be cool if the Necron were trying to fully understand Bio-transference in order to transfer the minds of the C’tan into mortal bodies and fully destroy them as a final revenge. Great vid as always :D

[@theslothgod6519]

Praise Luetin and the emperor!!

[@jonathanjackgoodman2764]

I'll raise a blade to that. Huzzah!

[@Marksnus]

Pretty sure it's one and the same at this point ;>

[@thegametroll6264]

Huzzah! * fires baneblade cannon * huzzah!

[@TiberiusS182]

i was just browsing for one of your old videos to rewatch, love you Luetin

[@Imad_Oofus]

The funny thing is that if you actually managed to get through all the death traps, Trazyn would probably be glad to give you a tour of his collection. If you lived long enough to see it all, that is

[@Talic518]

I love the idea of "the less important memories" being on a floppy disk. Such a good video, I love me my necrons

[@DavidHyman031]

Can I request a lore video dedicated to techmarines? I've tried to find stuff about them but everything is relatively limited and it seems like a relatively deep story that could be told about them

[@Moschaboy89]

I am so happy every time I see a new luetin upload

[@devinmelvig8732]

Thank you lore master for this video. I will enjoy it greatly

[@anthonywilliams5093]

This is the best video I've seen this year. Thank you for really taking pride in your work.

[@yunume]

Anyone else just hit the like button before "In the grim darkness..." even appears?

[@Full_Moon_Studios]

Well that was fast. I hadn't even finished the last video yet. Truly the Emperor smiles upon us this day.

[@Moschaboy89]

I think the biggest missed opportunity for the necron lore was that the necron war against the ctan was Written as something far in the past. I would have enjoyed it much more if the silent king led an active campaign in the current lore to free his people from the ctan. This would solve the endgame problem and would give so many options for different necron subfactions.

[@michaeldavis8250]

The only times i see c'tan in most 40k fiction is when a shard of the deciever shows up to get smited in the Epic Final Battle(tm). I want to see some obscure new c'tan shard, like what cherubael is to chaos.

[@GameSetPatch]

The best possible solution for the Necrons would be for Trazyn and Orikan to work together under the Silent King, to identify a sizable population (perhaps even a Dynasty) of Necrontyr that went "missing" or became extinct in a sudden cataclysmic event. Then, using Chronomancy, a specialized tesseract maze, and Warp manipulation (might have to co-opt some assistance on that front), snatch those Necrontyr up or seal them away for later retrieval. Then the Necrons could adapt their society to having both Flesh and Necrodermis options. For example, let's say all the Necrons that were burned out in transference, become analogs for Servitors and Shock Troops. The Fleshy Necrontyr then fill the roll of basic citizenry, with tiers and professions. Then the personality sound Necrons being recast as members of a "divine" pantheon of God Kings/Queens. If the Necrons then mastered Biotransference, they could create new Warrior Class Necrons as punishment or as a "reward", while elevating select Necrontyr to the upper levels of society with transference more sophisticated Necrodermis shells. In this way, the Necrons can expand like a living species, while also collecting the Souls of the growing Necron Upper Class to power Orikan's efforts to reach the next step of power, by becoming Energy Beings. Quite literally, it would be a cosmic pyramid scheme, where Necrontyr are born, live their life, choose to lose their soul for physical immortality, while the most elite in their society, ascend themselves beyond the need for a physical body. I hate everything about this structure, but it would definitely fit the Necron way of thinking.

[@demonic477]

I turned 62 last April and I really hope they get around to resurrecting the emperor soon . I know I not the only older fan who wishes they would just get on with it .

[@chrischris1315]

Love this, I started with necrons back in 3rd edition when they returned to the galaxy. Now 11 years later I'm back painting and battling with them.

[@Grim-Crusader]

Necrons...the god slayers

[@juliusmalcovsky4092]

Amazing work again, as always. Didnt even think about the Necron "end game" like this and its the perfect "40k" flavor of grimdark irony. Loved the vid, thanks ❤

[@Illier1]

I just love how the Necrons to anyone else are these Eldrich demon machines that have unfathomable motives but in reality they're simply so advanced no one can tell they are just a bunch of geriatrics who have often hilariously mundane goals.

[@ravagex8725]

Considering the Dynasty key players : -ONLY Szarekh truly wants to reverse to project because he feels responsible for whole drone stuff or just plain butthurt for trusting C'tan. And most likely every Drone in Necron cycle. But as Luetin stated, god knows whats gonna happen to them. Even the godlike Necron bodies gave them enough trouble after awakening, returning to flesh would devastate them. -Stormlord Imotekh, Anrakyr The Traveller, Trazyn The Infinite and Nemesor Zahndrekh couldnt give any less damn as long as they are powerful and immortal. -Illuminor Szeras is like a wild mercenary, he just works on this thing because its his greatest puzzle and Silent King Szarekh supports him. -Orikan The Diviner also has a special agenda of ascending into a whole new godlike being.

[@RawbDawggin]

A Mechanicus overview and a scolding of the Necrons? Praise to the Omnessiah and Machine God my Vox viewer’s machine spirit is truly blessed this week 🥲

[@Absynnian]

I think the biggest issue, is the necron race CANT reproduce in any way, shape, or form. And their population is decreasing with every battle, they can only repair/respawn units so many times before the data degradation is too severe to be viable. Beyond having no culture, it's literally a matter of time until they go completely extinct. Regaining mortality in some form is basically their only chance to have their civilization continue indefinitely. Also they seem to some extent suffering a similar fate to Cyberpsychos in Cyberpunk or the proto-exos in Destiny. The exo case in particular, because the early attempts to upload human consciousness lead to the Exos basically self destructing due to the lack of ability to be/feel human still. And Cyberpsychos go insane due to effectively losing their connection to humanity/reality. Imo the Necrons really don't have a choice, it's either find a way back or they're doomed to slow but inevitable extinction while they steadily lose any semblance of sanity.

[@bluebowser3347]

The Tau and Necron should form an alliance and merge their factions. The Tau can benefit greatly from the Necron technology, but the Necron can also benefit from having living organisms inside their faction and bodies to clone and eventually transfer their minds into (if they ever wanted to). The Necron lack any real goals, the Tau's greater good would probably be compelling for them.

[@YoruUesugi]

My absolute favourite faction on 40k BY FAR. It would be great if you could put out more Necron content! This was absolutely amazing!

[@tobiworldwide]

I feel like The Silent King's "guilt" and self imposed exile will be retconned at some point to be a lie and rewritten with him scheming a lot earlier than we suspected in 30k / 40k lore

[@Rosaslav]

“Extraordinarily glacial pace of narrative” 😂😂😂 You got me there

[@lupooflunarorigin120]

Was literally finger poised to rewatch one of your old vids and the notification tab intercepted me 😂

[@Burn_pits]

Oh btw, that’s the best analogy I’ve ever heard about story or setting argument. It is a story now because GW decided to make something besides circular campaign novels to sell models, but it’s also very much a setting because it’s not focused solely on mankind. The multiple points of view makes it more of a setting than storyline. Broadly speaking it’s a collections of stories from multiple races in the setting of 30k-40k plus.

[@GabBlackxox]

What a coincidence. Just started to paint my first army this week and of course they are Necrons. Great timing.

[@BeigeFrequency]

I like how in The Infinite and the Devine, Orikan is interested in the rest of his species desire to reverse biotransference and would rather ascend to the energy form(until the end of the book that is).

[@kloassie]

7:23 the knowledge of the answer to that question is part of 'all knowledge'

[@paulkielty8385]

They were in 40k before 2002. I was 19 in 2002 and I still have not only memories but a miniature from the Necron faction and I stopped playing in 1998.

[@jakeofalltrades111]

I play luetin videos very quietly while I’m putting my kids down to sleep, I’m entertained and my kids join the luetin sleep club.

[@apex1615]

My wish came true! Thank you Luetin for making a video about the Necrons, I always found them very interesting. Keep up the amazing work!

[@puffsniffy6425]

"I wish there was more for you, but it's really as simple as that" 31 minutes later... I love you luetin

[@Bigboy_smooth]

I love your videos on the necrons. Your the main reason why I love the necrons so much

[@nyrukdaerog3973]

People always mention Infinite and Divine and the Twice Dead King. However, not enough mention Severed, the novella, which I say is must read for any necron fan.

[@Luetin09]

True true, novellas are great usually, its a good one to mention.

[@heymetwaly9235]

thank you for putting out an additional video i really love this faction, the aestethics look very cool

[@PersimmonHurmo]

My phaeron, wake up, luetin just dropped necron lore!

[@roberthowe3377]

thanks for this Luetin, I know a little about the Necron even though I don't play 40 K I love the different factions in the game.

[@greenfogguni9001]

Time really flies by, already a new video out, love your work and dedication!

[@Dovakhin94]

Really love the necrons. My first army. Hope you make a video about the Genestealer Cults as they are quite an interesting but overlooked faction

[@theotv5522]

The Necron goals can be summed as: “Who are you people? Why are you in my house?”

[@phillipshearer3229]

Come home after a long day and what do I see in my feed, a Luetin09 video. Yes fucking yes... thank you for the content sir!

[@jimdoe9827]

Some thoughts regarding the issues Luetin put concerning the reversing of the biotransference. I think it boils down to the concept of the Necrontyr original souls destroyed (eaten) by the C'tan. The plan is: 1. Create organic machine templates capable of housing the hierarchy's mental processes. Essentially create Necron Primarchs. 2. Upload said mental processes for the high-level Necrons, plebs may remain mindless robots like rubric marines for all we care, L0L. 3. Stuff enough warp stuff into sentient organic robots to simulate a soul. Kind of like Daemon Apotheosis. 4. ??? 5. Now you have Necron Primarch Daemon Princes. Profit. Necrodermis is not exclusive to Necrons. Think Ferrus Manus. Now think Magnus level knowledge/awareness beings, inside of Leman Russ physiques, covered by Necrodermis like Ferrus Manus' hands but all over, and combine it with existing Necron technology. Keep in mind all this is highly speculative.

[@saltyowl3229]

You should include books for deeper understanding in most videos honestly. I know occasionally you’ll mention the book that was the source of some quote or lore, but often the source material behind videos is rarely easy to find. I understand this is usually because the videos compile details as small as a single sentence from 20 different books, but the bulk material of most videos does have a single book or series at its core, and mentioning those specifically at the start would be a cool addition!

[@loganflint2558]

Thank the God Emperor for Luetin's content. Praise be the Omnissiah, and let the algorithm be pleased

[@MrDangerouscheese]

**Spoilers for Twice Dead King and Severed** I think its a bit reductive to refer to the Necron's goals as if they were one organisation with a united ethos like the Imperium. There are large power blocs like Szarekh's forces and Imotekh's growing empire, but largely every dynasty has it's own agenda and long term goals. And while many of them want to be rid of the curse of biotransference (because being undead is constant suffering), that does not necessarily mean going back to flesh and blood bodies. Orikan and the Nephrekh dynasty want to transcend into becoming beings of pure energy for example, Am-Het is slowly becoming a sentient planet, another member of Mentep's conclave attempted to shift their tomb world's collective minds into some kind of better afterlife (although it's not clear whether he succeeded or not). As for Szeras being the architect of biotransference yet unable to reverse it - think about baking a cake - you crack the eggs, mix them with flour, butter etc, put it in the oven.... Now try and put the egg back in its original form. Some things are much harder to do the other way around, and while no official source goes into detail about the metaphysics of souls/minds and how they interact with Necron technology, it's probably safe to assume that putting a mind back into an organic body is a lot harder than ripping it out through a soul furnace. Regarding the stagnation of their culture, again, referencing the Twice Dead King series, both Oltyx and his brother show that they are capable of change, becoming more compassionate and willing to break the traditions of Necron society. So I definitely think change is possible for the Necrons, whether or not enough of them are capable or willing to do it is another matter. Like so many of the open ended questions in the 40k universe, I think all these things make the Necrons more interesting as a faction, certainly more so than the dead end of their old lore.

[@qkez3526]

I know this one was on the shorter end but absolutely amazing never the less. Also, that ending would be perfect. Suitably grimdark

[@seaofenergy2765]

Waaayyyyy Necrons! Finally! Thank you Loremaster. I hope there will maybe be a longer Necron one at some point too. Admech got 2hrs so it seems only fair !

[@greenlantern7959]

12:10 man, the shading on that model is delightful.

[@Awakeandalive1]

I think you're selling the Squats short! No pun intended. They have their own ultimate goals, including restoring or repairing their Elder Brains. XD Also, the TRUE origin of the Necron is the "Chaos Androids"...one of the weirdest retcons ever.

[@maddoxtalker9844]

Ahhh the one true curator of mankind’s history good to see you again

[@lazarus8472]

Absolutely love the video on the Necrons and totally agree with the gripe of their actual endgame. For me I try to justify the idea of undoing biotransferrence with 2 immediate goals. 1: Undo the damage to protocol pathways that endless time as machines seems to be causing. 2: using the current species in existence, unlock immortality in a mortal shell the 1st issue explains the Necrons immediate need to return to a more mortal form. The flayer virus, destroyer virus, and general non response to awakening protocols are becoming more and more widespread throughout the Necron dynasties and threatens to wipe the Necons from the galaxy faster(in their eyes) than any exterior threat. The second issue is more of a long term goal after solving the short term issues (again in their eyes) of defeating the warp, the tyrannids, and re-conquering the galaxy for themselves. The Necrons are just so much fun to follow lore wise because they really are just the angry grandfather complaining about the kids on their lawn. the problems they have stretch multiple millennia so it isn't a particular surprise that they aren't truly considering the dangers of returning to a mortal form could truly present. Because the lore has recently been retconned, we feel like ending biotransferrence is a recent highly important goal, when in reality, it's more of an afterthought to the nobles of the Dynasties. Realistically there's nothing of their general populace to save. If Szeras emerged tomorrow (figuritively) with a way to reinforce the decaying protocols and end the derangements afflicting the Necrons, the conversation concerning returning to mortal shells would instantly disappear. I mean the Necrons are more concerned with 60 million year old vendettas between dynasties than they are any current threat: pre Szarekh returning with his warnings concerning the Tyrannids. Even the looming threat of the warp in many cases is less a concern than who pissed a certain lord off 60 million years ago. Priorities amirite!

[@JWhite-Fishing]

I struggle with the Necrons. They were my first played faction, back in 3rd edition. Back then they were terrifying, mindless automotons. They were a "cosmic horror". The old art really used to capture this. They felt like a mechanical counterpart to Tyranids. Now they have far too much personality for me. Its much more terrifying having an enemy so ancient they are unknowable, incomprehensible. Slaves to cosmic beings of untold power.

[@ulfgard4734]

I tend to agree. To my own tastes, humanizing the Necrons really stripped away what made them so menacing and turned them into another goofy hi-tech faction. The amount of times I hear people talking about their antics now, I expect it to be framed as a scene from a sitcom where one of the Necrons puts its hands on its hips, turns to the camera, and says, "Oh, you!" with a laugh track behind him. On the other hand, it would seem that the majority of folks seem to really enjoy Newcrons, so who am I to tell them they're wrong? I don't like the changes at all, but I'm glad Necron fans have something they can enjoy.

[@Ripcookiethief]

They are cursed to be really really really ridiculously good looking.

[@HexTableTop]

As a Necron obsessive, I COMPLETELY AGREE with your views on their ultimate destiny. It is perfectly fitting, and extremely "40k" for the Necron to end up with the immortality they craved, albeit an empty, pointless one. Brilliantly said!

[@bizbe4465]

What i think would be a great addition to the Necron lore would be a book following a necron lord upon being woken up. They were one of the first to be woken up alongside people like Trazyn. At the beginning of the story, they highlight their resentment of the old ones. "Eterinity is not a blessing..." 'bah what do they know! They wanted to keep it to themselves. Well whos laughing now!' They cackled to themselves. Only for them to go on and survive for the next 10 thousand years. At the end of the book to finish the Old Ones quote. "Eternity is not a blessing, its a curse, it is hell." 'They were right...' they mutter to themselves in their silent tomb surrounded by mindless and souless drones.

[@adzebear]

The way I see it, if they do manage to reverse biotransference it would be a difficult process, I can see a few high ranking members of society doing it first and being revered/protected by a basically unchanged necron society. Then an easy plot direction would be for the necrons to see those necrontir as frail, see their mistake and slowly turn on their own people, maybe with a civil war plot. That way their ultimate goal is achieved, but also their society doesn’t have to crumble and their tech doesn’t have to change etc

[@ekscalybur]

The more I learn about Necrons, the more hellish their existence becomes in my opinion.

[@johansonsox823]

I used to be a Necron player back in 3rd edition loved the lore with the C'tan ruling over them, and that's why I despise the retcon. How are gods going to enslave an entire race and turn them into basically machines, but allow their leader to still feel feelings and be able to tell all the other necrons to betray and destroy them. It's the death star exhaust hole without the "well the designer purposely made a weak point" scenario. Also just one thing you said at the end about why not just leave to another planet to avoid dying, it was stated in the 3rd edition that the cancer was engrained into their DNA so there was no escape from their morbidly short lives.

[@julien7386]

You are slightly missing the point Luetin. Yes Necrons are doomed to stay alone in a dead Galaxy. They are very well aware of that very 40k fact, so they have this fantasy about reverse biotransfer. Which they will never achieve. This pointless quest is the supreme irony of their lore, and it is very well written. Let's pray that GW never develops this biotransfer reverse !

[@sharker49]

Pulling from the Twice Dead King :ruin, there is also the issue of the necrons being against any kind of biological functions, such as the crude incident. Going off of that one it be better for the necrons to stay as metal. Or is that a new issue that came up on with the transfer. Also it's glad that the necrons are getting more love. Necron supremacy

[@epicwaba6424]

I believe that the disgust of biological functions is meant to be particularly strong within the Ithakas dynasty, as they're implied to have had a hand in the destruction of the Flayer C'tan and are particularly affected by his curse.

[@micha5112]

Good morning Lut I just woke up and I found your new video. It's nice to wake up to your Voice. Like an old friend telling you to not worry. We both march for macragge. And we shall know no fear.

[@neondemon8373]

While I may not be most versed in WH40k lore, there is some stuff that came to mind regarding things you mentioned in the video such as Zeras inability to reverse bio-transference even though he worked on it himself. However... explaining the countless thoughts running through my mind is pain in the ass so I'll try my best to explain a bit different perspective on the matter. Silent King: The entire self exile to the sudden return with new focus could be rather simple. Xeras during his exile due to guilt for what he has done would realize something that was greatly overlooked when necrons entered their stasis. Entropy. Or more specifically they were shortsighted and forgot to properly take into account the effects of entropy. Which results in preemptive awakening, damaged systems etc. Xeras realized that due to entropy necron have 2 options: either go with the plan and essentially gamble their chances but risk never re-awakening due to damage caused by entropy(which evidently shows that its really not in their favor). OR try to awaken as much as possible, asses the situation and deal with threats before considering going into stasis again. But to achieve that they need to be unified under one rule. And since necron nobles like humanity ones, cares only for self interest and gains, only Xeras would have a chance at achieving that without resulting in unnecessary conflicts due to conflicting interests. Hence the king returns from self exile to try to do whats right for his people. Luminor Zeras: Think of Zeras same way as a techpriest. A techpriest knows how to maintain and repair machinery, but they sure as hell have not even the slightest clue regarding its inner workings. Let alone reverse engineer it. Zeras was probably tasked by Catan to perform necessary alterations to their bodies in order to achieve bio-transference. He knows what will happen to the bodies during it. But reversing it could be entirely different ordeal with complications that could not be anticipated before. Or in other words: cool, you know how a car engine works, then by that logic you could break it down and then re-build a new different one with the parts gathered. Suddenly things get very different doesn't it? You can understand its workings but not how to build new engine from old one. Xeras understands how to convert necrontyr to a necron but not necron to necrontyr or some other body for that matter. Their long term goal: This is rather somewhat a oversight you did regarding the long term goal or perhaps I'm just using old info, so please correct me if I'm wrong. This dates to a pretty old video but the main question is: what did necrontyr wanted from the old ones but were never granted? Immortality. Reversing bio-transference wouldn't instantly mean back to old, frail flesh and blood. Whats exactly preventing them using all gathered knowledge to create perfect bodies for themselves? Once they figure out how to undo all damage caused, there isn't really much that would stop them from their initial wish made so long long ago. A perfect body of flesh and bone capable of same if not even greater feats than their metallic ones. They could develop a entirely new culture. After all, everything that is necron comes from their forsaken past. A world irradiated to hell, where a civilization build massive tombs and simply wait to die. Simply because of how little time they have due to their hostile homeworld. Well, thats just my perspective of it anyways.

[@KINGTHORZ]

Best way to end a Friday a new vid

[@mirrorimage2866]

i think what you hate about necron lore is actually that is the entire point of the necron lore, remembering it is 40k. The end goal is always something futile. They want to reverse the tranference, but their souls are long gone. its not posible. the mechanicus wants to regain and retain all knowlage, but in the center of mars, there is the eater of knowladge. humanity/the emperor wants to keep living, yet he has been burning a thousand souls a day for a thousand years now, and he doesn't seem to get better, instead he becomes more and more a warp entity, that which he fought to keep away from humanity so much. horus might have been sucessful after all. the tau have the goal of the greater good, but then there is the entire story with farsight. desperatly trying something that is ultimately not posible is just the 40k thing to do. a never ending futile strugle. i am almost suprised tbh that you have this point of view. it is the standart in 40k i feel, no?

[@the_mad_fool]

I look at Necrons very differently. You're looking for a singular long-term plan for the entire faction, but I don't think there is such a thing in the first place, nor should there be. The Necrons are about hubris and tragedy, and part of that is how they pretty much never can get their act together and agree on anything. Szarekh wants to undo Transference, sure, but that's *his* thing, and every Necron has their own thing. Imotekh probably doesn't give two shits about Szarekh's guilt-driven quest for redemption, and while Trazyn certainly wouldn't say no to being freed of the dysphorakh, good luck dragging him away from the next museum piece he's trying to collect. And every Phaeron believes *their* thing is the one that matters, that they are the ones who have the right vision for their species, and everyone who disagrees with them is wrong. Szarekh's plan to fix his people is probably a doomed venture from the start, a goal driven by guilt and fueled by hubris, no different in character from the plan by which he damned his people.

[@joshuaboyle3389]

Have been waiting for another necron vid for a long time so thanks so much!

[@clan741]

I think the necrons don’t want to literally transform to their old crappy cancer bodies, but are doing something similar to the avatar project in xcom 2. They are searching for a race worthy for them to transfer their consciousness into, one that can live long, super strong, exedra. Its why they are experimenting on so many captured races; and with how the silent king regards some imperial factions like the blood angels, he might see humans as the right flesh meat to take. Imagine it, necron armies harvesting entire imperial worlds for bodies like the tyranids do biomass. Would be a fun little thing to base a campaign or edition off of.