What Is the Webway? — The Ancient Eldar Network

The Webway is an ancient network of tunnels through a dimension that exists between realspace and the Warp, originally created by the Old Ones and later expanded by the Aeldari. It allows near-instantaneous travel across the galaxy without entering the dangerous Warp. Think of it as a system of motorways built through a calmer layer of reality — travellers can move vast distances without exposing themselves to the daemons, storms, and madness that make conventional Warp travel so dangerous. The Webway is one of the most important pieces of infrastructure in the entire Warhammer 40,000 setting, and its existence shapes the strategies, cultures, and survival of multiple factions.

Understanding the Webway is essential for anyone studying the Aeldari, the Drukhari, the Harlequins, or even the Emperor’s secret project beneath the Imperial Palace. It connects ancient history to the present-day conflicts of the 41st Millennium, and its slow decay mirrors the decline of the civilisations that once relied upon it.

Who Created the Webway?

The Webway was originally created by the Old Ones, one of the first sentient species in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The Old Ones were a highly advanced race who existed billions of years before the current timeline. They possessed an intuitive understanding of the Warp and were able to shape it to their will, constructing the earliest Webway tunnels as a means of rapid galactic travel and communication.

When the Old Ones went to war against the Necrontyr (later the Necrons) and their C’tan allies in the War in Heaven, the Webway served as a critical strategic asset. It allowed the Old Ones and their created servant races — including the Aeldari and possibly the Krork (proto-Orks) — to move forces rapidly across the galaxy, outmanoeuvring the slower Necron fleets.

After the Old Ones were destroyed or disappeared during the War in Heaven, the Aeldari inherited the Webway. Over millions of years, the Aeldari expanded it dramatically, connecting it to virtually every inhabited world in the galaxy and building vast cities, ports, and transit hubs within its extradimensional spaces. At its peak, the Aeldari Webway was the most sophisticated transportation network the galaxy had ever seen — a galaxy-spanning civilisation built inside the walls between dimensions.

The Aeldari did not merely use the Webway as roads. They reshaped it, reinforced it, and grew it. They built pocket dimensions within it that housed entire cities. They created junctions and crossroads that allowed travellers to reach any corner of the galaxy in hours rather than months. The Webway became so integral to Aeldari civilisation that their entire empire was built around it.

How Does the Webway Work?

The Webway exists in a dimension that lies between realspace (the material universe) and the Immaterium (the Warp). This intermediate space is sometimes called the “labyrinth dimension” or simply the space between. The tunnels of the Webway are protected by psychic wards and structural reinforcements that keep the Warp’s energies at bay, creating calm, stable corridors through which travellers can move safely.

Entry to the Webway is gained through Webway gates — physical portals that exist at fixed points in realspace. These gates can range from small doorways that admit a single person to massive portals large enough for entire fleets. Some gates are hidden in remote locations, others are built into the hearts of Craftworlds or cities. The Drukhari city of Commorragh is itself located entirely within the Webway.

Travel through the Webway is significantly faster than conventional Warp travel. Journeys that would take weeks or months through the Warp can be completed in hours or days through the Webway. The tunnels also provide complete protection from the hazards of the Warp — no Gellar fields are needed, no Navigators are required, and there is no risk of daemonic incursion during transit.

However, the Webway is not infinite, and its routes are fixed. You cannot simply enter the Webway and travel anywhere — you must follow established tunnels and pass through existing gates. If a tunnel is collapsed, corrupted, or sealed, that route becomes impassable. This means the Webway’s usefulness depends entirely on which gates and tunnels remain intact and accessible.

The protective wards that keep the Warp at bay are not indestructible. Damage to the Webway’s structure can allow Warp energy to seep in, corrupting sections of the network. In some cases, entire regions of the Webway have been overrun by daemons, making them impassable death traps. The Fall of the Aeldari and the birth of Slaanesh caused catastrophic damage to the Webway, tearing open vast breaches and flooding entire sections with Warp energy.

What Happened to the Webway After the Fall?

The Fall of the Aeldari — the moment of Slaanesh’s birth — was the single most destructive event in the Webway’s history. The psychic shockwave of a new Chaos God being born tore through the Webway like an earthquake through a tunnel system. Millions of gates were destroyed, vast sections collapsed, and Warp breaches opened throughout the network. The carefully maintained wards that had kept the Webway safe for millions of years were shattered in an instant.

The Aeldari civilisation that had maintained the Webway was simultaneously destroyed. The craftworlds that survived did so by fleeing into deep space, and the Aeldari who remained in the Webway — the ancestors of the Drukhari — retreated to the sub-realm of Commorragh, sealing its gates against the encroaching Warp corruption.

In the millennia since the Fall, the Webway has continued to decay. Without the vast population of psychically gifted Aeldari who once maintained it, the network’s wards have weakened, tunnels have collapsed, and Warp incursions have claimed more territory. The modern Webway is a shadow of its former self — a decaying labyrinth where safe routes must be carefully mapped and jealously guarded.

The Craftworld Aeldari still use the Webway extensively, but they lack the numbers and the knowledge to repair the damage. The Harlequins, servants of the Laughing God Cegorach, are the most skilled Webway travellers, using secret paths and hidden gates that others have forgotten. The Drukhari use the Webway constantly for their raids into realspace, emerging from hidden gates to strike and then retreating before their victims can respond.

What Was the Emperor’s Webway Project?

The Emperor of Mankind had His own plans for the Webway. Beneath the Imperial Palace on Terra, the Emperor constructed a gateway into the Webway — a human-made portal that would have allowed humanity to use the Aeldari’s network for interstellar travel. This would have made Navigators, the Astronomican, and Warp travel itself obsolete, freeing humanity from its dangerous dependence on the Immaterium.

The Emperor’s Webway Project was arguably the most important undertaking in human history. If successful, it would have revolutionised the Imperium — safe, fast, reliable interstellar travel without the risks of Warp exposure. Human psykers would have been less of a liability, Chaos would have had fewer vectors of corruption, and the Imperium could have expanded and administered its territory far more efficiently.

However, the project required the Emperor’s constant psychic attention to maintain the gate’s integrity and protect it from Warp intrusion. When Magnus the Red, Primarch of the Thousand Sons, used a powerful psychic spell to warn the Emperor about Horus’s betrayal, the spell inadvertently shattered the wards protecting the Emperor’s Webway gate. Daemons poured through the breach, and the Emperor was forced to sit upon what would become the Golden Throne to hold the gate closed with His psychic power.

This single act — Magnus’s well-intentioned but catastrophic warning — effectively ended the Webway Project, chained the Emperor to the Golden Throne for eternity, and crippled humanity’s best hope for a Warp-free future. It is one of the most tragic turning points in all of Warhammer 40,000 lore.

Who Uses the Webway in the 41st Millennium?

Several factions use the Webway in the current era, though none command it as completely as the ancient Aeldari once did.

Not sure which army to collect? Answer 7 quick questions and get matched to your faction.

Take the army quiz →

Craftworld Aeldari use the Webway for travel between craftworlds, for trade, and for military deployments. Their access is limited by the damage the network has sustained, and they must often use circuitous routes to reach destinations that were once directly connected. The Aeldari guard their Webway gates fiercely, as losing a gate can cut off entire regions of the galaxy from safe travel.

Drukhari are perhaps the most prolific users of the Webway. Their entire civilisation is based within it, centred on the dark city of Commorragh. The Drukhari use the Webway to launch lightning raids into realspace, emerging from hidden gates to capture slaves and plunder before retreating to safety. Their mastery of the Webway’s geography gives them an enormous tactical advantage — they can strike anywhere a gate exists and vanish before a response can be organised.

Harlequins are the Webway’s most skilled navigators. As servants of Cegorach, the Laughing God, the Harlequins know paths through the Webway that no other faction has discovered. They can traverse sections of the network that are considered impassable, using secret routes and hidden gates to appear where they are least expected. The Harlequins also serve as guardians of the Webway’s most dangerous region — the Black Library, a vast repository of knowledge about Chaos hidden somewhere in the Webway’s depths.

Chaos forces do not use the Webway in any organised fashion, but they are constantly trying to breach it. Daemons infest many sections of the damaged network, and Chaos warbands have occasionally fought their way into the Webway to attack Aeldari positions or seek passage to distant parts of the galaxy. The Thousand Sons, in particular, have some knowledge of the Webway gained from Magnus’s inadvertent breach.

The Ynnari, the Aeldari faction devoted to the god of the dead Ynnead, have also made use of the Webway in their quest to unite the Aeldari factions. Their leader, Yvraine, has travelled extensively through the Webway, including to Commorragh itself, in pursuit of the Croneswords needed to fully awaken Ynnead.

What Is the Black Library?

The Black Library is a legendary repository of knowledge hidden somewhere within the Webway. It contains the most comprehensive collection of lore about Chaos in existence — knowledge so dangerous that even reading it can corrupt the unprepared mind. The Black Library is guarded by the Harlequins and is virtually impossible to find for anyone without their guidance.

The Black Library’s location shifts within the Webway, making it even harder to locate. It contains books, scrolls, artefacts, and records spanning millions of years, including detailed accounts of the War in Heaven, the Fall of the Aeldari, the nature of the Chaos Gods, and the true names of daemons. Access to the Black Library is extremely restricted — even among the Harlequins, only the most senior members know its current location.

In the lore, several characters have visited or attempted to visit the Black Library, including Ahriman of the Thousand Sons, who has spent ten thousand years trying to gain access. The Black Library represents the Aeldari’s most jealously guarded asset — proof that knowledge can be both the most powerful weapon and the most dangerous threat in a galaxy haunted by Chaos.

Why Does the Webway Matter for the Future of Warhammer 40k?

The Webway remains one of the most strategically important features of the Warhammer 40,000 setting. Its continued decay threatens the survival of the Aeldari factions who depend on it, while the Emperor’s failed Webway Project represents the single greatest “what if” in Imperial history.

Several ongoing storylines involve the Webway directly. The Ynnari’s quest to awaken Ynnead may require access to deep Webway locations. The Necrons, who possess technology capable of sealing Webway gates, have occasionally interfered with the network. And the ever-present threat of Chaos breaching the Webway’s remaining defences hangs over every faction that relies on it.

For the Imperium, the Webway represents both a lost opportunity and a potential salvation. If the Emperor’s project could ever be completed — or if humanity could gain access to the Aeldari’s gates — it would transform the Imperium’s ability to govern, defend, and expand. But with the Emperor bound to the Golden Throne holding closed the very breach that doomed the project, that possibility seems impossibly remote.

The Webway also serves as a powerful narrative device. It explains how the Aeldari and Drukhari can appear anywhere in the galaxy, provides a setting for claustrophobic tunnel-fighting narratives, and creates a physical space where the boundaries between reality and the Warp are dangerously thin. It is, in many ways, the connective tissue of the Warhammer 40,000 universe — a network that once held a galactic civilisation together and now serves as a crumbling reminder of what was lost.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Space Marines use the Webway?

Space Marines cannot freely access the Webway because they do not control Webway gates. However, Imperial forces have fought inside the Webway, most notably during the War Within the Webway when the Custodes and Sisters of Silence battled daemons pouring through the Emperor’s breached gate beneath the Imperial Palace.

Is the Webway the same as the Warp?

No. The Webway exists in a dimension between realspace and the Warp. It uses protected tunnels that keep the Warp’s energy at bay, allowing safe passage. Think of the Warp as a dangerous ocean and the Webway as a system of sealed underwater tunnels — you pass through the ocean’s space without being exposed to the water.

Could the Emperor’s Webway Project be restarted?

In theory, yes, but in practice the obstacles are nearly insurmountable. The Emperor is bound to the Golden Throne holding the breach closed, and the knowledge needed to repair and expand the human gate may have died with Him. Cawl or other Tech-Priests might have the technical skill, but the psychic power required is beyond any living human.

How big is Commorragh compared to the Webway?

Commorragh is the largest single structure within the Webway, but it is still only a small fraction of the total network. The Webway spans the entire galaxy, while Commorragh, though enormous (it dwarfs most planets in terms of population), occupies a specific sub-realm within the network’s vastness.

Do the Necrons have anything to do with the Webway?

The Necrons did not build the Webway, but they possess technology — specifically Dolmen Gates — that allows them to force entry into the Webway. These gates are crude compared to the Aeldari’s natural portals, and their use damages the Webway’s structure. The Aeldari deeply resent the Necrons’ use of Dolmen Gates, viewing it as vandalism of their most sacred network.