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As we all know, orks grow bigger as they fight an' loot an' stomp stuff. So what i was wondering is, is there a limit to how big an ork can get? I know that the biggest ork is either thraka or supposedly the arch arsonist and that there still growing but how much can an ork grow by before his mushroomy body simply cant take it anymore and not all the mekboyz and painboyz in the galaxy can help him.

nope they just keep growing, presumably they go to a certain size until they plop out of the ground, then they just slowly grow and get darker over time :3

i dont mean when there growing, i mean when there out of the ground and killing stuff

I don't think that any information has been given on the extent to which orks can grow

There is mention in the codex of some Nobs of over 12feet in height.

Basic physics would preclude truely massive sizes, due to gravity, bone density, muscle support etc.

As far as I know Nid Biotitans are likely impossible due to their inflexible exoskeltons limiting size, similar to insects (however its obviously 40k fluff which rule of cool overides ).

Basic physics would preclude truely massive sizes, due to gravity, bone density, muscle support etc.

As far as I know Nid Biotitans are likely impossible due to their inflexible exoskeltons limiting size, similar to insects (however its obviously 40k fluff which rule of cool overides ).

Every day is a school day, I thought insects size was limited because of their lack of lungs.

I remember hearing of one near titan height though. Likely only a warhound.

Every day is a school day, I thought insects size was limited because of their lack of lungs.

Could very well be too!

@not_u, an Ork at Warhound size?
Absolutely awesome

On the flip side, what are the small ones like? If you sprouted an ork spore and grew it in a life support system so it never got to fight, how big would it grow? Just grot-sized?

I suspect the Ork would die if denied aggression, just as a plant would die without sunlight.

Ratius wrote:Basic physics would preclude truely massive sizes, due to gravity, bone density, muscle support etc.

As far as I know Nid Biotitans are likely impossible due to their inflexible exoskeltons limiting size, similar to insects (however its obviously 40k fluff which rule of cool overides ).

That is what the WAAGH! field is for. It isn't as magical as some people like to say, but a big thing it does is smooth over problems with physics.

I know Ghazghkull Thrakka is 6 meters tall (~20ft). 3rd edition referenced land raider sized orks.

The store owner at my college FLGS was a real old grongard and had been involved in 40k since Rogue Trader used to mention some old fluff about planet sized orks out on the rim. I've heard other people mention it since then, but never seen a source, so I'm guessing it was just mentioned in an issue of White Dwarf. I don't think it is currently considered true, but the sentiment has appeared.

Theoretically, there would be no limit.

Practically speaking, no ork is going to get to truly monsterous sizes because then he is just going to be a target for enemies of the orks and they will ensure he dies. Assuming he isn't killed by other orks first.

Ghaz will eventually be killed by someone, weather its an ork or a non-ork really doesn't make a difference.

Troo dat LordRex

I think grots/snotlings/gretchin are meant to be a different species, a subspecies. Orks seem to come from their spore growths full grown, a little weedy, but fighting soon sorts them out...

Grey Templar wrote:Theoretically, there would be no limit.

Practically speaking, no ork is going to get to truly monsterous sizes because then he is just going to be a target for enemies of the orks and they will ensure he dies. Assuming he isn't killed by other orks first.

Ghaz will eventually be killed by someone, weather its an ork or a non-ork really doesn't make a difference.

And I truly pity the 40k Universe when someone manages to kill Da Prophet of da Waaagh! Cause just like Ghaz has attracted countless orks to Armagedon with promises of good fighting so too would orks flood from around the universe to fight whoever managed to kill ol' Ghazghul Urk Thraka. Lol yeah you'd honestly be doing the Ork s a favor to have an outside race kill ghaz but if another ork did it this just means someone stronger and wiser than Ghaz beat him in a good fight and that makes him EVEN WORSE than Ghaz. It's a no win siutation there

As far as size, I would say honestly most orks don't get much bigger than the stated 20-30 feet style mostly cause I imagine most Warbosses would kill orks who were growing at such an alarming rate but logic suspended I've wanted something like an MC for orks be it Squiggoth or something like "Ork Behemoth" ya know? I could see one roughly the size of a carny but being some primal idiot like the trolls of fantasy but planet sized?.... Come on... at this point we'd have the galaxy taken over by then...at the very least give Galactus a great run for his money

s.j.mccartney wrote:I think grots/snotlings/gretchin are meant to be a different species

Grots and Gretchin are the same thing...

It goes Snotlings, Gretchin, orks......

Ratius wrote:Basic physics would preclude truely massive sizes, due to gravity, bone density, muscle support etc.

Pretty much. I imagine at some point Orks stop getting bigger either because they are biologically designed to stop where evolution has dictated that further growth is harmful, or because they get so big that they can't support themselves and are killed off by other Orks for being weak, bitchy gitz.

Veteran Sergeant wrote:

Ratius wrote:Basic physics would preclude truely massive sizes, due to gravity, bone density, muscle support etc.

Pretty much. I imagine at some point Orks stop getting bigger either because they are biologically designed to stop where evolution has dictated that further growth is harmful, or because they get so big that they can't support themselves and are killed off by other Orks for being weak, bitchy gitz.

Orks didn't evolve, they are an engineered species, a biological weapon made for war. Their psychic field (the WAAGH!!! field) was built in to them by the old ones to help augment their biology and technology beyond what physics would normally allow. That is one of the primary differences between the Necrontyr and the Old Ones, and why they couldn't beat them without the C'Tan: the Necrontyr had the best tech you could develop within the laws of physics. The Old Ones could use tech and mingle it with 'magic', e.g. psychic effects.

Long story short, things like physics only apply to orks up to a certain point. They can cheat.

I'd say Ghaz is as big as they get.

Actually they get bigger. In the horus heresy there was a WarLord how almost killed the emperor, and he _towered_ over the primarch sized nobz/warbosses under him. I think that's the Warhound sized ork previously mentioned.

Any sort of image around for that, to me its just awesome sauce.

Well, have a look at Octavius system. The normal boyz there, are the size of the average warboss in other places, so imagine the size of the warbosses.

Orks just grow and get darker as they fight more
If nothing kills them, they just keep getting bigger stronger, angrier, and darker
Yes Orks will never stop growing as long as the have a good fight
But remember, they are Orks... They charge tanks
How long do you think a huge Ork is going to last?
Ghaz is lucky (or a coward) to live as long as he has

From what I heard once Orks grow larger darker and more stupid as they age, eventually becoming squiggoths. So big and strong but so stupid they fall into this animalistic state and are unable to think like a normal ork.

I believe that Orks grow big enough to be targeted directly by tanks, air and even orbital strikes, and after they reach a certain size, they probably woulden't last long. I'm pretty sure that Squiggoths are an Ork sub species in their own respect. They are AFAIK related to the smaller Squgs.

I have also heard the rumours of the massive orks outside the system who are at war with the tyranids, so a constant battle there. If either of the races win there, the rest of the galaxy is fethed!

people are forgetting about that ork warboss that smashed cadias line of defence and when straight into the eye of terror to fight dem daymons! all he found was an empty planet after searching it got pissed off shot the floor and now hes the happiest ork in the universe because every time he dies he gets resurrected fighting the same battle for eternity! :3 , slightly offtopic, but surely he would be potentially the most dangerous ork forever growing in enternal (and mistakenly as a punishment) warfare by a planet sized daemon :3

jelrik wrote:From what I heard once Orks grow larger darker and more stupid as they age, eventually becoming squiggoths. So big and strong but so stupid they fall into this animalistic state and are unable to think like a normal ork.

Orks do not grow into squiggoths, this is talked about in our Codex as they mentioned the sporenoid DNA has various offshoots (Orcs, goblins, snotlings, squigs, squiggoths, ect) Squiggoths are just massive squigs that are tormented to the point of aggression on contact which is why most have "blinders" on their heads when they fight to see less orks than the enemy. Basically if the planet is rich enough to suppose a mammoth a squiggoth will emerge out of the soil just like an orc, albeit probably smaller till it grows in size from 'survival'

Thraka is listed (and drawn) as being around 7m tall. He's the biggest ork that's currently known of. And he's still growing 'cos nobody's beaten him yet.

Veteran Sergeant wrote: I imagine at some point Orks stop getting bigger either because they are biologically designed to stop where evolution has dictated that further growth is harmful, or because they get so big that they can't support themselves and are killed off by other Orks for being weak, bitchy gitz.

Orks already violate the laws of physics on a regular basis, why should their growth be any different?

I suspect the Ork would die if denied aggression, just as a plant would die without sunlight.

Orks grow fat and lazy without combat. They suffer severe depression with out other boyz to fight.