Orks – Warhammer 40k Guide

We’z da Orks, da toughest and most brutal race in da galaxy! Born from spores and fueled by fightin’, we thrive on chaos and war.

We’z a big, green, and brutal bunch, always lookin’ for a scrap or a good brawl. Our war machines are loud and proud, cobbled together from whatever we can find, and we love to make ’em go BOOM!

We fight for da sheer joy of it, led by da biggest and baddest among us. Whether in a massive WAAAGH! or a small skirmish, we’re always ready for a good ol’ fight and don’t care who. The Imperium of Humies, the Chaos ‘fings, bring it all on!

Who Are the Orks?

The Orks are a brutish and resilient faction in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, known for their green skin, immense size, and love for violence.

They are a race of genetically engineered warriors born from spores, thriving in the chaos of battle. Orks live for war, often forming massive WAAAGHs! led by the strongest among them, the Warboss.

Their culture is built around fighting, boasting, and crude humor, with an emphasis on strength and cunning.

Ork technology, though seemingly primitive, is surprisingly effective, relying on the collective belief of Orks to function. They are a chaotic force, reveling in destruction and mayhem across the galaxy.

What Are the Orks Army Strengths?

The Ork army is characterized by its overwhelming numbers, resilience, and unique blend of brute force and unpredictability, making it a formidable force on the battlefield.

Their ability to field large hordes of infantry, such as Boyz and Grots, allows them to overwhelm opponents through sheer volume.

Ork vehicles and war machines, like Trukks and Battlewagons, provide mobile firepower and support, while their quirky technology often surprises foes with its effectiveness.

However, the army also has weaknesses; many Ork units are relatively fragile and can be easily outmaneuvered or outgunned if caught in the open. Their reliance on close combat means that they can struggle against highly mobile or shooty armies.

Additionally, Ork units often lack advanced tactics, relying instead on brute force, which can lead to vulnerabilities if their initial assault falters.

Where Should Beginners Start?

If you’re starting your collection of Orks as a beginner, consider these key models:

Ork Boyz: These are the backbone of any Ork army. Purchase a box of Ork Boyz to create a large squad, as their numbers can overwhelm opponents.

Warboss: A Warboss serves as a powerful leader, providing buffs to your units and enhancing your army’s effectiveness in battle.

Gretchin (Grots): These smaller models can help hold objectives and provide additional bodies in your army, making them useful for filling out your forces.

Deff Dread or Killa Kanz: Adding a unit of these walkers gives you some heavy support and melee power, perfect for taking on tougher opponents.

How To Paint Orks

Here are some creative paint ideas for new Ork players:

Color Scheme Ideas

Classic Green Skins

Base Coating: Start with a base coat of bright green for the skin, such as Waaagh! Flesh.

Highlighting: Highlight with a lighter green, like Goblin Green, to emphasize muscles and features.

Armor: For armor and weapons, use a dark metallic color like leadbelcher, highlighting with silver.

Details: Paint details like straps and pouches in browns or tans.

Wash: Finish with a wash of Agrax Earthshade to enhance shadows and add depth, giving your Orks a classic and vibrant look.

Bad Moons Clan

Base Coating: For a striking appearance, use a base coat of bright yellow for armor and clothing, such as Averland Sunset.

Highlighting: Highlight with a lighter yellow or white to create a vibrant effect.

Skin: For skin, stick with a darker green, emphasizing the contrast with the yellow.

Details: Paint weapons and metallic details in black or dark gray, adding highlights as needed.

Washing: Use a brown wash to deepen shadows, making the colors pop and giving your Orks a distinctive Bad Moons flair.

Deathskulls Clan

Base Coating: Start with a base coat of blue for armor and clothing, using a color like Kantor Blue.

Highlighting: Highlight with lighter blues or whites to add depth.

Skin: For skin, use a classic green, similar to the first idea.

Details: Incorporate metallics for weapons, using a dark silver or gunmetal, and highlight with brighter silver. Add yellow or white markings on armor to reflect the Deathskulls’ looting culture.

Washing: Finish with a wash to enhance details and give your models a rugged, battle-worn appearance.

Painting Techniques for Orks

Base Coating: Begin with bold, vibrant colors that capture the essence of Orks. Use bright greens for skin, dark metallics for armor, and earthy tones for clothing. A solid base coat provides a strong foundation for further detailing, ensuring that the colors are vivid and true to the Ork aesthetic.

Drybrushing: This technique is excellent for highlighting textures, particularly on armor and weapons. Use a lighter color, such as silver or bright green, to drybrush over raised surfaces and edges. This creates a weathered, battle-worn appearance, accentuating the rugged nature of Ork gear and giving depth to their features.

Washes: Applying washes is crucial for adding depth and shadow. Use dark washes like Agrax Earthshade or Nuln Oil to emphasize the recesses in armor, skin, and clothing. This technique helps create a three-dimensional look, bringing out details and adding to the overall gritty aesthetic of the Orks.

Edge Highlighting: Use edge highlighting to define the sharp edges of armor and weapons. Apply a lighter color along these edges to create stark contrasts that enhance the definition of the models. This technique adds a polished look, making the Ork’s armor and gear stand out against their vibrant skin tones.

Contrast Paints: These paints are great for achieving quick, impactful results. Use contrast paints on larger areas like skin or clothing to take advantage of their self-shading properties. This allows for depth without extensive layering, making it easier for beginners to create striking results that capture the chaotic and vibrant nature of Orks.

Orks Lore and History

The Orks are the most widespread and arguably the most dangerous alien threat in the galaxy — a belligerent, green-skinned fungoid species whose entire culture, biology, and psychology is oriented around one thing: war. Created by the ancient Old Ones during the War in Heaven as a warrior race to fight the Necrons and C’tan, the Orks have long since outlived their creators and spread to every corner of the galaxy, waging an eternal and joyous WAAAGH! against anything and everything they encounter.

Ork biology is extraordinarily robust. They are a symbiotic organism, part animal and part fungus, that reproduces through spores released throughout their lives and upon death. This means that an Ork infestation can never be truly eradicated — even if every Ork on a world is killed, their spores will eventually grow into new fungal ecosystems that spawn new Orks. Their genetic knowledge, implanted by the Old Ones, gives them an instinctive understanding of mechanics and warfare, allowing even the most primitive Ork tribe to construct crude but effective weapons and vehicles.

Ork society is governed by one simple principle: might makes right. The biggest, meanest Ork in any group becomes the Warboss, ruling through brute force and low cunning. When a sufficiently powerful Warboss emerges, he can unite multiple tribes into a WAAAGH! — a crusade of conquest that sweeps across star systems like a green tide. The most devastating WAAAGH!s in Imperial history include Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka’s invasions of Armageddon, which required enormous Imperial resources to contain.

Ork ‘technology’ operates on a principle that baffles Imperial scientists: the WAAAGH! field. This latent psychic energy, generated by large groups of Orks, causes their ramshackle technology to function far better than it should by any rational engineering standard. A gun that is essentially welded-together scrap will fire reliably in Ork hands because the Orks believe it will work. The major Ork clans — Goffs (melee specialists), Evil Sunz (speed freaks), Bad Moons (wealthy shooters), Deathskulls (looters), Blood Axes (tacticians), and Snakebites (traditionalists) — each bring their own flavour to the endless green tide.

Orks in the Current Meta

Orks are a high-aggression army that overwhelms opponents through sheer volume of attacks, both in shooting and melee. The army’s WAAAGH! ability — a once-per-game surge that dramatically enhances the entire army’s combat capability — creates a critical swing turn that can decide games on its own [VERIFY].

Competitive Ork lists vary wildly in composition. Green Tide builds flood the board with massive mobs of Boyz, while Speed Freeks builds use fast vehicles and buggies for mobile firepower. Dread Mob builds feature multiple Deff Dreads and Killa Kans for armoured aggression. Ghazghkull Thraka remains a centrepiece option, his personal resilience and force multiplication making him a tournament staple [VERIFY].

The Orks’ competitive strengths lie in their volume of attacks, board presence, and the devastating impact of a well-timed WAAAGH! Their challenges include low individual model quality and vulnerability to armies with efficient mass removal tools. Ork players who master timing — knowing when to call the WAAAGH! and when to hold it — gain a significant competitive edge. See the faction tier list for current competitive standings.

Collecting Orks

Collecting Orks is pure hobby joy. The Ork range is enormous, characterful, and packed with personality — every model tells a story of ramshackle ingenuity and gleeful violence. From the mob of Boyz to the towering Gorkanaut, Ork models are designed to make you smile while painting them.

Start with the Orks Combat Patrol for the best entry point. Key early purchases include Boyz (you’ll want lots), Nobz (elite infantry), and a Warboss character. For vehicle enthusiasts, the Trukk and various Buggy kits offer fantastic hobby projects. The Deff Dread is a fan favourite that’s both fun to build and effective on the tabletop.

Orks are supremely beginner-friendly to paint. The green skin is achieved easily with a basecoat and wash, and the ramshackle equipment positively benefits from messy, rough painting — rust effects, chipped paint, and grimy washes all enhance the Orky aesthetic. Orks are also the king of conversions; the Ork philosophy of ‘loot it and make it Orky’ applies to the hobby too. Spare parts from any kit can be glued onto Ork vehicles and equipment for a characterful look. See our Ork painting guide for speed-painting tips.

Painting Orks

Difficulty: Beginner-Friendly

Orks are the most forgiving army to paint in the entire Warhammer range. The rough, scrappy aesthetic means that messy painting, visible brushstrokes, and uneven coverage all contribute to the characterful Orky look. Rust, grime, battle damage, and general filth are not just acceptable — they’re desirable. If you’re new to painting miniatures, Orks are arguably the best army to learn with.

Key paints: Orruk Flesh or Warpstone Glow (skin), Biel-Tan Green (skin wash), Leadbelcher (metal), Agrax Earthshade (everything wash), Mournfang Brown (leather), Abaddon Black (cloth), Mephiston Red (accent details), Typhus Corrosion (rust), Ryza Rust (rust highlight). A clan-specific spot colour — yellow for Bad Moons, red for Evil Sunz, black for Goffs — ties the army together.

The speed-painting method for Orks: spray Leadbelcher for all metal areas or Orruk Flesh for the skin, apply a heavy Agrax Earthshade wash over everything, then pick out skin, cloth, and leather details. The all-over wash creates instant depth and grime. For vehicles, sponge on Leadbelcher for paint chips, apply rust effects, and add transfer or freehand glyphs. Checkerboard patterns (a classic Ork design) are easier than they look — use a fine brush and embrace imperfection. For a comprehensive step-by-step process, visit our Orks painting guide.

How to Play Orks

Orks are the quintessential aggressive army — your entire gameplan revolves around getting into melee combat as fast as possible and overwhelming the enemy with sheer numbers and brutality. The key to playing Orks well is understanding that your shooting is unreliable (BS 5+ on most units), but your melee is devastating.

The WAAAGH! ability is your most powerful tool — when you call the WAAAGH!, your entire army gets +1 to charge rolls and +1 Attack in melee for a turn [VERIFY]. Timing the WAAAGH! correctly is the difference between a crushing victory and a failed charge that leaves your Boyz stranded in the open.

Key Tactics

Flood the board — Use cheap Boyz squads to overwhelm objectives and force your opponent to split their fire.
Time the WAAAGH! — Call it on the turn you’re most likely to make critical charges, usually Turn 2 or 3.
Use Trukks and Battlewagons — Transports protect your Boyz from shooting on the approach. A Trukk full of Boyz crashing into enemy lines is devastating.
Da Jump — Weirdboy psychic power that teleports a Boyz unit across the battlefield [VERIFY]. Use it to grab distant objectives or threaten enemy backlines.

Best Ork Units

Beast Snagga Boyz

Upgraded Boyz with better weapon skill and the ability to wound monsters and vehicles more easily. They are the best general-purpose infantry in the Ork range, equally effective against elite infantry and light vehicles. Slightly more expensive than regular Boyz but significantly more reliable.

Meganobz

Heavy-armoured Ork elites with a 2+ save, power klaws, and devastating melee output. Put them in a Trukk or Battlewagon for a brutal delivery system. They can go toe-to-toe with Terminators and win, making them your premier anti-elite unit.

Squighog Boyz

Fast cavalry riding massive squigs, providing Orks with rare speed and hitting power. They are excellent for flanking, grabbing objectives, and charging into enemy flanks. Their beastsnagga bolt-on gives them bonus wound rolls against monsters.

Deff Dreads

Orky Dreadnoughts that are cheap, tough, and hit hard in melee. They provide a durable anchor for your line and can absorb fire that would otherwise shred your Boyz. Running multiple Deff Dreads is a popular and effective strategy.

Warboss

Your essential HQ choice. A Warboss provides a WAAAGH! aura that buffs nearby Ork units and is a formidable melee combatant in their own right. The Mega Armoured Warboss variant adds durability at the cost of mobility.

Related Armies

If you enjoy Orks, you might also like these armies:

Tyranids — Both factions bring overwhelming hordes to the tabletop with aggressive, in-your-face playstyles.
Astra Militarum — Classic rivals on the battlefield, representing two very different approaches to massed warfare.
Orruk Warclans — The Orruk Warclans are the Age of Sigmar equivalent, bringing the same green-skinned brutality to the Mortal Realms.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the Orks?

The Orks are the most numerous and warlike alien race in Warhammer 40k. They are brutal, green-skinned fungoid creatures who live only for fighting. Their technology shouldn’t work but does through a collective psychic field called the WAAAGH! that makes them believe it will.

Are Orks good for beginners?

Orks are a fun beginner army with a forgiving, aggressive playstyle — just charge forward and krump things. Their random elements (like inaccurate shooting) are entertaining rather than frustrating, and their models are characterful and fun to paint.

What are the strengths of Orks?

Orks excel at overwhelming the enemy with sheer numbers and brutal melee combat. They have some of the cheapest infantry in the game, powerful vehicles like Battlewagons and Deff Dreads, and their WAAAGH! ability provides devastating army-wide charge bonuses.

What are the weaknesses of Orks?

Orks have poor ballistic skill, making their shooting unreliable. Their armour saves are weak, and while they have numbers, individual Ork models are fragile. They need to close to melee range quickly or risk being shot apart.

How much does an Ork army cost?

An Ork army requires many models, making it moderately expensive. A 2,000-point army costs £350-£600 ($450-$780) depending on whether you go infantry-heavy or vehicle-heavy. Starting with a Combat Patrol box and adding Boyz is the most economical approach.

What is the WAAAGH!?

The WAAAGH! is both a psychic phenomenon and a massive Ork invasion. Collectively, Orks generate a psychic field that makes their technology work and grows stronger as more Orks gather. When enough Orks unite under a powerful Warboss, they launch a WAAAGH! — a crusade of destruction.