Best Xenos Models In Warhammer 40,000, Ranked

Summary

• Warhammer 40,000’s Xenos models are iconic & crucial to the universe.
• Not all Xenos models have been updated recently, but many still stand out.
• Strong Xenos models include Ork Warboss in Mega Armor, Mandrakes, & Trygon.

Perhaps the most underrated part of Warhammer 40,000, the myriad aliens and human offshoots that make up the wider galaxy, are just as important as the most iconic Space Marine chapters. Orks, Tyranids, Necrons, and Eldar are so iconic to the universe that to take one out would leave the rest of the setting feeling hollow.

An entire list could be made out of each faction individually, but many haven’t had fully updated ranges in years. While some models do hold up and have even made it on to this list, some could certainly do with a facelift. Regardless, here are some of the best Xenos models that Warhammer 40,000 has to offer.

10

Warboss In Mega Armor

And His Grot Too

The Warboss in Mega armor speaks to those who grew up with Gorgutz and the excellent Dawn Of War series. The blocky, ramshackle look of the Warboss’ suit is so perfectly Orky, he could be the poster child for the entire faction.

The model not only looks cool, but speaks volumes about who the Orks are. It depicts a rampaging lunatic swinging a buzzsaw axe, while his smaller companions rattles bullets out of a shoota attached to his back. Not to mention, the gun looks like it’ll explode any second. It’s a perfect tribute to the faction.

9

Mandrakes

The Shadows Of Commorragh

Twisted forms of the Drukhari, now part shadow, the Mandrakes are one of the few things in commorragh that even a Dark Eldar fears. They’re feral, broken reflections of their sadistic former kin, and move among shadows like diving into water.

This sculpture of the Mandrakes really portrays what they are: sinister, feral monsters. The hint of magic in the green flame that leaps from their hands and the almost monk-like attire hints at their elemental origin. But the disheveled hair and savage weapons give away their animalistic nature.

8

Trygon

Death From Below

An old kit but also among the greatest kits of its era, the Trygon is one kit that probably could get away with never being updated. These colossal monsters are used by the Tyranid hive mind to burrow beneath fortifications and eat the defenders from below, followed by a horde of smaller creatures.

The Trygon is monstrous on the tabletop, towering over all but the biggest models available. Its monstrous appearance is complimented by a gaping maw that is sure to consume the nearest unit with ease, and a barbed tail that is moments away from plunging into a commander’s chest.

7

Biophagus

He’s Even Got A Lab Coat

The mad scientist behind a mass Genestealer infection, the Biophagus is instrumental in a cult’s rise to power, contaminating food, water and sometimes even air in order to corrupt an entire city. They also create the Aberrants that follow them into battle.

The model itself is perfect for anyone who wants to field a mad scientist, but wishes Fabius Bile had more of that traditional look. It’s almost cartoonish, but it works so well for the conniving, underhanded genestealer cults. He’s even got his own little lab assistant, an Alchemicus Familiar.

6

Hearthkyn Yaegirs

Trenchcoats Included

Warhammer 40,000’s newest faction, the Leagues Of Votann, are an interesting addition. So new that they’ve yet to really get any media attention, the Votann are an offshoot of humans from the Dark Age Of Technology. Ruled by and including AI among their number, the kin are a mix of robots and humans obsessed with their own profit, and little else.

The Yaegirs are essentially the scouts and prospectors of the Leagues, finding worlds ripe for plunder and profit. The sculpts fit the narrative for the minis, feeling like a mix of World War-era commandos (thanks to their trench coats and demeanor) and arctic explorers.

5

Commander Farsight

Renegade, Rebel, Warrior

The leader of one of the most underrated factions in Warhammer 40,000, Commander Farsight was once a hero of the Tau Empire, but eventually struck out on his own after becoming disillusioned with the ruling Ethereal Caste. Now he leads his own splinter faction of the Tau, The Farsight Enclaves.

The model for Farsight is a mix of the traditional Gundam-esque Tau Battlesuit with samurai-style layered plating and a hefty sword for good measure. Farsight feels like his own thing, not entirely Tau or any other faction for that matter. Whether it’s on the small screen or in a video game, Commander Farsight deserves some more love.

4

Avatar Of Khaine

A Primarch’s Favourite Punching Bag

Despite their regular pounding by even the weakest Primarchs to show how strong they are, the Avatars Of Khaine are some of the strongest creatures in the setting. Eldar that have surrendered their souls to a shard of the war god Khaine, the avatars are instruments of death deployed in the direst of circumstances.

As a model, the Avatar Of Khaine is a hellish reminder of the once-great power of the Eldar. Flames leap from its molten body as it cuts down the Craftworld’s enemies. The model oozes character, and its expression, pose, and armored body really sell the model as war incarnate.

3

Ghazghkull

The Beast Returned

The undisputed most powerful Ork in the setting, Ghazghkull is one of the most powerful characters in the setting. Mustering colossal hordes of his smaller kin, Ghazghkull has laid waste to entire sectors of the Imperium and threatens to rise to equal the beast, an Ork so powerful he almost took the Imperium down.

Ghazghkull’s model is colossal, tanky, and full of Orky goodness. He is a titan on the battlefield, towering over everything smaller than a Primarch or Greater Daemon. Posed ready to unleash Dakka into his hapless foes, the model truly lives up to his fearsome lore.

2

Jain Zar

Pheonix Lord Of Khaine

A Pheonix Lord, Jain Zar is the chosen of the late Eldar War God Khaine. Jain Zar is the leader of the Howling Banshees, elite Eldar Warrior Women dedicated to their violent (and very dead) god. She’s one of the most powerful Eldar in the lore.

As for her model, Jain is alien, and aloof as most Eldar are, but she is still clearly a symbol of war incarnate. Thrusting forward with the polearm Zhai Morenn, and readying her throwing star Jainas Mor, Jain Zar readies herself to claim another victim in the memory of her god.

1

Shard Of The Void Dragon

A Shattered God

While the Necrons have some room for comedy, this model isn’t a part of it. In the aptly titled War In Heaven, the godlike C’tan and their new Necron slaves battled the Old Ones, who created the Orks and Eldar (and possibly Humans) to aid them. Apocalyptic, reality-bending weapons were deployed on both sides and the C’tan gorged on the souls of the dead. But they would not win, as the Necrons would rebel and shatter the C’tan into shards, enslaving the enslavers.

The Shard Of The Void Dragon is just one shard of one of the C’tan, but the model captures the eldritch horror of these star gods perfectly. Lightning arcs suspend its body of living metal, exuding the power of this broken god.