Hardly any other species is as big a threat to the world of Warhammer 40,000 as the orcs – at least that’s what the scholars say. MeinMMO explains where these strange creatures actually come from and why they are so dangerous.
There are tons of dangers in Warhammer 40,000 that threaten to destroy the world or at least wipe out humanity. The voracious Tyranids simply want to consume everything and the destructive chaos strives to destroy all order.
The fact that the world still exists is thanks, among other things, to the fact that the powers are fighting among themselves. However, scholars of the Empire of Mankind agree on one species: if they were to unite, they would have large parts of the galaxy under control.
The Orcs pose a tremendous threat to humans, Aeldari, and pretty much everything else in the universe. The only reason they haven’t spread war across the world yet is because they’re too busy beating each other up.
There is much more to these brutal greenskins than just bloodthirsty monsters who want to chop up everything and everyone. Orcs have a pretty interesting history.
Orks even have some games of their own, such as the racing game Speed Freeks:
In Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks, orcs fight each other with armed vehicles
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Half animal, half mushroom, full pound on the mouth
The biggest difference from all other species in Warhammer 40,000 is that orcs (or more precisely, orcoids) are not actual individuals. Orcs consist of an animal part and a fungus, both of which exist in symbiosis with each other:
In any case, the fungus takes on many important tasks that would be carried out by organs in a human and exists in parts as a sponge or liquid in the orc. This ensures that orcs can survive even serious injuries – for example, you can cut off their head and place it on another body quite easily.
As fungi, orcs spread through spores that an adult orc emits and which sometimes wait on the ground for a long time until they grow into an orc. A world that was once home to orcs remains infested with them for centuries. And yes: Orcs can photosynthesize.
Grow mushrooms to kill bots
It is not clear where exactly orcs come from. However, there is a very reliable theory that the “Old Ones” species bred a warrior race in order to be able to fight the aggressive Necrons (or at that time Necrontyr).
They are essentially genetically modified, bred creatures – which explains why orcs don’t have to learn anything. Depending on which animal part the fungi combine with, a different “type” of orkoid is created – such as a grot, snotling or an orc.
Everything an orc needs to be able to do is already anchored in its genes. A mechanic (or “Mekboy”) does not have to undergo training first. The older he gets, the more he understands technology thanks to his genetic knowledge.
In the belief of the orcs themselves, they evolved from the “Brainboyz”, a proto-species of orcs consisting of super-intelligent people. They are said to have bred warriors and servants from which the orcs ultimately emerged.
Can you actually eat orcs? There has long been a disturbingly extensive discussion in the community about whether orcs are fit for human consumption. After all, they are essentially mushrooms. As is often the case with Warhammer, there is no clear answer. But the general consensus among fans is: it’s probably possible if you cook the orc long enough to kill potentially dangerous spores.
WHY why are orcs so dangerous?
There is a simple rule among the orcs: the stronger one is in charge. Accordingly, orcs follow the one boy who is bigger and stronger or smarter than everyone else. As a rule, however, this is only enough to gather together in clans and occasionally wage smaller wars.
Orcs, however, are inherently psychic beings who constantly emit psionic power: the “Gestalt” field, or simply the “Waaagh!” Now there is an orc who is strong enough (a “warboss”) to kill enough other orcs to rally, he can do a Waaagh! lead.
This gigantic war is basically a continuous battle that attracts more and more orcs with their psionic energy until the warboss dies, there are no more enemies or – which is rather unlikely – the orcs have been destroyed.
The more battles an orc wins and the more orcs join him, the bigger he becomes. Consequently, he attracts even more orcs. The largest known warboss was “The Beast”, who was estimated to be 10 meters tall, almost the size of an Imperial Knight.
That’s exactly what makes the orcs such dangerous fighters: they live to fight, and the more they fight, the stronger they become. If a warboss were able to unite all the orcs, he could potentially destroy the galaxy.
By the way, Games Workshop never tires of emphasizing how absurd the orcs are:
If you believe in it hard enough, then it will work – and really
However, the Waaagh! energy is not just a loose concept that acts like a lure for orcs. It can be used specifically by the orc wizards, the “Weirdboyz,” to cast destructive spells.
This energy is said to have the power to make orcish technology possible at all. In concrete terms, this means: the more orcs believe that something works, the more likely it is to work. If you stick two bolt guns together, they’re obviously twice as powerful, right?
However, this theory is controversial and has already been partially refuted. However, what is repeatedly observed is that the orcs’ belief in the power of certain colors actually works:
The last point in particular is unconfirmed, but would definitely fit into the absurd psychology of the orcs.
Since orcs do not reproduce in the traditional way, there are neither men nor women among them, even though they are often portrayed as male and like to call themselves “boyz”. It’s very similar with the poster guys from Warhammer: In Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 you only see big, strong guys – are there actually women in the Space Marines?