Warhammer 40,000 · Necrons

Sautekh Dynasty (Necrons) Paint List for Warhammer 40,000

beginner Necrons

Classic silver metal with bright green Gauss energy, the iconic Necron look. Metal is fast to paint, and the green glow pulls the eye.

Necrons reward a simple workflow: metallic body, dark wash, then bright green energy. Spend your precision on the weapon coils and eyes because that is where the scheme comes alive.

Recommended undercoat black — Several priority paints in this army converge on black.

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Paint list

Sorted by priority

🔴 Must-Have

The core Necron recipe in four paints

Leadbelcher (Citadel) — Whole body · 2 full coats
Nuln Oil (Citadel) — Whole body · Generous wash
Caliban Green (Citadel) — Weapons and eyes (base) · 2 opaque coats
Moot Green (Citadel) — Weapons and eyes (layer) · Layer on Caliban Green

🟠 Core

Highlights and metallic finishing

Runefang Steel (Citadel) — Body (highlight) · Drybrush on metal
Warboss Green (Citadel) — Weapons and eyes (mid-tone) · Mid-tone layer

🟡 Recommended

Details and basing

Retributor Armour (Citadel) — Royal ornaments · Fine brushwork
Dryad Bark (Citadel) — Base (ground) · 1 coat
Biel-Tan Green (Citadel) — Weapons (shade) · Wash into the green recesses

🟢 Optional

Advanced glow effects

Moot Green (Citadel) — Eyes (optional OSL) · A few light touches around the eye

Painting order

Recommended steps

1 Step 1: Prime with Leadbelcher spray, or prime white and basecoat with Leadbelcher

2 Step 2: Apply a generous Nuln Oil wash over the metallic body

3 Step 3: Drybrush Runefang Steel across the raised details

4 Step 4: Paint the weapons and eyes with Caliban Green

5 Step 5: Shade the green recesses with Biel-Tan Green

6 Step 6: Layer Warboss Green over the brighter energy sections

7 Step 7: Finish with Moot Green highlights

8 Step 8: Add gold trim with Retributor Armour where needed

Tips

Hints for this army

1 Leadbelcher spray is excellent for Necrons because it gives you a strong metallic base in one pass and speeds the whole army up.

2 For Gauss energy, keep the greens opaque enough to stay bright: Caliban Green first, then Warboss Green, then a sharp Moot Green finish.

3 Paint the glowing green effects last. If you slip onto the metal, the correction is easy; fixing metallic paint over finished glow is usually slower.