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I think the neuron book implies that there are hundreds of billions of warriors, not trillions or more.

But that is more than enough, if all awake, to wipe out pretty much anything else in the galaxy.

 Psienesis wrote:

 Ashiraya wrote:
Fifty Ork worlds per 100 LY in some areas?

...Does GW understand how much that is?

...Or wait a moment, do they mean square or cubic lightyears?

Yes. They've also stated that Orks are the most-populous race in the galaxy (by which I assume they mean native, so the Nids don't count).

Remember, the Orks have been here since the beginning. They fought the Necrons in the War In Heaven and, unlike the Necrons, they didn't go for a Big Sleep, just kept right on krumpin'. They had more opportunities to expand and consolidate than any other race in the galaxy. We will never know how many Xeno empires fell under the might of the WAAAGH!s of the years prior to Humanity discovering fire.

Just as importantly, Orks are the only race that are too busy fighting each other to organize... it's been stated more than once in fluff that if the Orks organized, they'd sweep every other race from the galaxy. Not even the combined might of the IoM could destroy them.

On the other hand, the single faction in 40k that is still inventing and coming up with new ideas may save the galaxy by finishing the Old One's work and giving the Orks a control mechanism. I'm not really sure how else the forces of the galaxy can turn back the Tyranids. Considering how long the IoM has held Chaos off, and as dangerous as splinters of fleets are to the IoM, both Chaos and the IoM will be unable to hold the Tyranids off, to say nothing of the Eldar, Dark Eldar, and Necrons.

There's a quote somewhere that no matter where the imperium goes, they find orks. orks travel for the sake of krumpin', not settling. so they'll go to a planet, find nuffin', then go to the next one ,inevitably leaving some orks behind, that essentially have to rebuild their own race to get to a stage where they can make ships and get krumping again. everything the orks are involves getting from place to place and killin' stuff, so it's no wonder that they're probably well past the galaxy by now.

It would be awesome if GW made a background story game system for the tyranids in another galaxy, where they're the main power and there's a backstory that they sent out ships to find new places, as they're being beat up by the local technologically advanced races, then they have an influx of orks like the current galaxy has an influx of tyranids, but as there's no communications they just find themselves attacked by a mindless swarm, which then turns out to have some sort of sentience, and it's all just the reverse of the tyranids here.

so many possibilities!

ete wrote:

Dark Eldar don't seem to control planets in the traditional sense, so zero?

 welshhoppo wrote:
Dark Eldar have one massive city which is apparently bigger than a planet.

significantly bigger

 Kain wrote:
Commorragh is the size of a solar system I believe.

There are 4 dwarf stars hanging in the ceiling, and below(tough to think about up/down left/right in extra dimensional curvature) there is a huge, never ending city. It's a city like no other, it makes hive worlds look like small podunk towns or as described in the fluff "comparing Commorragh to a hive world is like a human city compared to an ant hill"
It is also hinted that Dark Eldar are the most populace form of Eldar, more than quins, exodities, and CWE combined
but not all of them live in Commorragh, there are other junctions of the webway that have DE living in them.

42

Orks: billions, trillions?
Imperium: ~1,000,000
Chaos (all types): ~5,000
Eldar (Exodite/Maiden Worlds): ~2,500
Newcrons (active Necron communities): ~1,000
Tau Empire: ~300

Should be noted that the vast majority of the galaxy is unexplored and uninhabited by all races save Orks, who seem to be everywhere. The Milky Way has 300 billion stars alone, nevermind worlds which are well into the tens of trillions bare minimum. The Imperium and its million worlds is just a drop in the bucket, a web of planets held together by Warp routes and the Astronomican. There are likely undiscovered alien empires inside Segmentum Solar.

 Psienesis wrote:
... there are a *lot* of Ork Worlds.

Unsurprising given the terraforming abilities of Orks.

Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Orks were capable of settling any planet with an active magnetic field given that they could probably create their own habbitable atmosphere with little issue thanks to Orks carrying an entire ecosystem with them wherever they go. Orks are like reverse tyranids- Tyranids demolish planets down to the crust, Orks seed the planets they land on with entire fungus-based ecosystems.

 EmpNortonII wrote:

 Psienesis wrote:

 Ashiraya wrote:
Fifty Ork worlds per 100 LY in some areas?

...Does GW understand how much that is?

...Or wait a moment, do they mean square or cubic lightyears?

Yes. They've also stated that Orks are the most-populous race in the galaxy (by which I assume they mean native, so the Nids don't count).

Remember, the Orks have been here since the beginning. They fought the Necrons in the War In Heaven and, unlike the Necrons, they didn't go for a Big Sleep, just kept right on krumpin'. They had more opportunities to expand and consolidate than any other race in the galaxy. We will never know how many Xeno empires fell under the might of the WAAAGH!s of the years prior to Humanity discovering fire.

Just as importantly, Orks are the only race that are too busy fighting each other to organize... it's been stated more than once in fluff that if the Orks organized, they'd sweep every other race from the galaxy. Not even the combined might of the IoM could destroy them.

On the other hand, the single faction in 40k that is still inventing and coming up with new ideas may save the galaxy by finishing the Old One's work and giving the Orks a control mechanism. I'm not really sure how else the forces of the galaxy can turn back the Tyranids. Considering how long the IoM has held Chaos off, and as dangerous as splinters of fleets are to the IoM, both Chaos and the IoM will be unable to hold the Tyranids off, to say nothing of the Eldar, Dark Eldar, and Necrons.

Nids largely seem to be all bark and no bite. Plus the Eldar shouldn't have too many problems with them unless they're jumped while refueling their Craftworlds with the radiation of a dying star, although they can always just call Maugan Ra over to solo another Hive Fleet.


Also, I forgot too that Orks control what's likely a greater portion of the local universe. The Local Group is almost certainly entirely inhabited with Orks.

The problem with gauging Tyranid worlds is, we've only seen the tips of their tendril fleets reaching in. We have NO IDEA 1: If there are such things as Tyranid worlds, which I would bet there are and they are actually living, moving planet fortresses and 2: How big the universe is outside of the Imperium, from which the Tyranids come from.

Best answer though is still going to be 42. >>

 TheRedWingArmada wrote:
The problem with gauging Tyranid worlds is, we've only seen the tips of their tendril fleets reaching in. We have NO IDEA 1: If there are such things as Tyranid worlds, which I would bet there are and they are actually living, moving planet fortresses and 2: How big the universe is outside of the Imperium, from which the Tyranids come from.

Best answer though is still going to be 42. >>

At the heart of each major tendril is a norn-ship the size of a planet that has more biomass in it than most galaxies would have in their entirety.

Of course in 40k there's a thing called a void whale that's a planet sized organism that exist in fairly plentiful numbers, so presumably the Tyranids have eaten a great number of those or their equivalents.

Otherwise the Tyranids are entirely voidspawned.

 Kain wrote:

 TheRedWingArmada wrote:
The problem with gauging Tyranid worlds is, we've only seen the tips of their tendril fleets reaching in. We have NO IDEA 1: If there are such things as Tyranid worlds, which I would bet there are and they are actually living, moving planet fortresses and 2: How big the universe is outside of the Imperium, from which the Tyranids come from.

Best answer though is still going to be 42. >>

At the heart of each major tendril is a norn-ship the size of a planet that has more biomass in it than most galaxies would have in their entirety.

Of course in 40k there's a thing called a void whale that's a planet sized organism that exist in fairly plentiful numbers, so presumably the Tyranids have eaten a great number of those or their equivalents.

Otherwise the Tyranids are entirely voidspawned.

So then this means the Tyranid are completely nomadic? As in they are destined to depopulate themselves? Because having a "biomass world" that could be self-sufficient, would end that problem, but the perhaps thats what these norn-ships are. But this all has to do with scale, which brings me to point 2: How big is the Universe outside of the Imperium, and how much of that have the Tyranids eaten?

It's not extremely important to pin down to a T, however it definitely exaggerates the threat of the Tyranids, and not unrealistically on top of that.

Ugh...my brain just fried. ><! TOO MANY RESPONSES!!! XD>

Tyranids are made out of Grimdark.

 Ashiraya wrote:
Fifty Ork worlds per 100 LY in some areas?

...Does GW understand how much that is?

...Or wait a moment, do they mean square or cubic lightyears?

They probably mean square, or even 1 dimensional.
Even though cubic is the only correct way to interpret that due to the galaxy being 3d.