Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I'm looking to start upping my looting rather than just buying more of the same Ork kits, and I was wondering what factions it made the most sense for Orks to loot from. It's easy to say that Orks only have to believe they can loot it, but I'd like to do most of my looting from the most probable sources. I know a good amount about Orks and Humans in the 40k universe, but my knowledge of the other Xenos races is pretty lacking.

Humans (including GSC) seem like the most likely choice. They're the most common source of looted vehicles IRL.

Tau also seem like a really likely source. Their tech is highly advanced, but "normal" right? Any reason why Orks wouldn't be able to loot it?

My understanding of Eldar is that they use wraithbone instead of more mundane materials and that their weapons and vehicles are psychically activated so that other species can't simply pick them up and start using them. Would Orks be able to use looted wraithbone vehicles and weaponry? My first thought about the part about being psychically activated is that the Ork's gestalt psychic abilities might overcome that as long as there are enough Orks around. On the other hand, the Eldar have been dealing with the Orks forever and maybe they do something to ensure that the Orks still have a hard time looting their stuff? I don't know much about wraithbone, does it start degrading or otherwise become useless when it's not hooked up to spirit stones?

Do Dark Eldar use wraithbone? Would there stuff be easier to loot than Craftworld Eldar or harder?

Do Necrons always phase out entirely or do they leave debris behind? The whole "living metal" thing seems like it would be hard to loot as long as it was still active.

Tyranids are biological, so any looting involving them would probably involve the skills of a Painboy. I do have a plan for Island of Doctor Moreau/Frankenstein Deathskullz running around looting dead bodies to feed into their artificial stomachs which in turn feed their Tyranid weapons.

 Dakka Flakka Flame wrote:
I'm looking to start upping my looting rather than just buying more of the same Ork kits, and I was wondering what factions it made the most sense for Orks to loot from. It's easy to say that Orks only have to believe they can loot it, but I'd like to do most of my looting from the most probable sources. I know a good amount about Orks and Humans in the 40k universe, but my knowledge of the other Xenos races is pretty lacking.

Humans (including GSC) seem like the most likely choice. They're the most common source of looted vehicles IRL.

Tau also seem like a really likely source. Their tech is highly advanced, but "normal" right? Any reason why Orks wouldn't be able to loot it?

My understanding of Eldar is that they use wraithbone instead of more mundane materials and that their weapons and vehicles are psychically activated so that other species can't simply pick them up and start using them. Would Orks be able to use looted wraithbone vehicles and weaponry? My first thought about the part about being psychically activated is that the Ork's gestalt psychic abilities might overcome that as long as there are enough Orks around. On the other hand, the Eldar have been dealing with the Orks forever and maybe they do something to ensure that the Orks still have a hard time looting their stuff? I don't know much about wraithbone, does it start degrading or otherwise become useless when it's not hooked up to spirit stones?

Do Dark Eldar use wraithbone? Would there stuff be easier to loot than Craftworld Eldar or harder?

Do Necrons always phase out entirely or do they leave debris behind? The whole "living metal" thing seems like it would be hard to loot as long as it was still active.

Tyranids are biological, so any looting involving them would probably involve the skills of a Painboy. I do have a plan for Island of Doctor Moreau/Frankenstein Deathskullz running around looting dead bodies to feed into their artificial stomachs which in turn feed their Tyranid weapons.

There is nothing an Ork won't steal if he takes a notion to do so. And don't bother bolting it down. He and his buddies will steal those too.

Necron tech would be the only thing I could see being a real issue for Orks to try and use, because of their anti-Warp nature/properties. Buuuuuut....DEY 'EADS WILL LOOK GUD ON ME POINNY STIK.

I’m not sure where it was, but I remember some codex fluff about a Warboss trading for some Necron big guns and blowing up his planet when he tried to see what they were capable of.

Regarding orks nicking Eldar kit, I'm sure they'd do it if it's the only stuff available, however I get the feeling that the weapons are too small and/or quiet to interest an ork

Psychically activated gravitically impelled near silent cutty star things are no match for a rocket that is shot out of a barely adequate barrel by an oversized priming charge

 Flinty wrote:
Regarding orks nicking Eldar kit, I'm sure they'd do it if it's the only stuff available, however I get the feeling that the weapons are too small and/or quiet to interest an ork

Psychically activated gravitically impelled near silent cutty star things are no match for a rocket that is shot out of a barely adequate barrel by an oversized priming charge

Yeah, a lot of Eldar stuff does seem pretty weedy.

I do have some extra gun platform bits and was thinking that a Bright Lances and Missile Launchers might make for good Zzap Gunz and Kannons if properly Orkified.

 Flinty wrote:
Regarding orks nicking Eldar kit, I'm sure they'd do it if it's the only stuff available, however I get the feeling that the weapons are too small and/or quiet to interest an ork

Psychically activated gravitically impelled near silent cutty star things are no match for a rocket that is shot out of a barely adequate barrel by an oversized priming charge

I remember a long time converting an ork looted grav tank, put propellers on it like a deff copter.... so it's anti grav right?

Okra with attached Tyranid weapons fed by artificial stomachs into which they pop half digested gruel is an amazing idea!

The closest actual fluff I can think of to that is an old piece from second (maybe third?) edition with an Inquisitor and some Magos Biologis inspecting dead Tyranids after a Tyranid boarding action. They slice off a Devourer for study and it compels one of the adepts to pick it up. Few moments later it’s shoves some tendrils into the adept’s arms and is compelling him to turn the weapon on the other humans before he’s gunned down.

I’d imagine Orks might have some innate resistance to that sort of thing... maybe some chance for a bit of comedy with Orks talking to their pet bioweapons?

 Formosa wrote:

 Flinty wrote:
Regarding orks nicking Eldar kit, I'm sure they'd do it if it's the only stuff available, however I get the feeling that the weapons are too small and/or quiet to interest an ork

Psychically activated gravitically impelled near silent cutty star things are no match for a rocket that is shot out of a barely adequate barrel by an oversized priming charge

I remember a long time converting an ork looted grav tank, put propellers on it like a deff copter.... so it's anti grav right?

Haha, makes sense to me.

I picked up a busted Ravager for cheap and it looks like it would be about perfect as a Warcopta, but I have to get my actual Warcopta put together to see what the size comparison is like.

I think you can reasonably claim that orks can loot from any other faction. Human and Tau stuff is easy.

Eldar tech might be more challenging, but not every inch of Eldar gear is wraithbone. They use psychoplatics and more mundane materials too. A starcannon doesn't work because you wraith wraith energy into the wraith bone and wraithblast people with the wraith trigger. It's basically just a gun that happens to be mounted on wraithbone most of the time. And even when wraithbone is involved, it might just be used as mundane metal rather than psychically activating it. And even if psychic activation is a concern, the innate "Orks believe it works, so it does" thing probably has some leverage.

'Cron stuff doesn't phase out when it's sufficiently damage, iirc. So the meks might have a little extra work to do when looting 'cron tech, but it's still possible.

Dark eldar tech is mostly non-psychic, so no problems there. Just find a powersource to replace the pain energy engines, and you're golden.

As for fleshy daemon and 'nid weapons, so long as the weapon has the durability to not be destroyed by whatever the mek does to it, it can probably be repurposed. Imagine, if you will, a barbed strangler wedged onto an ammo feed so that mortar shells are shoved up its launch tube. Pull the trigger to give the strangler a little impulse, and whatever gross combination of muscle spasms normally launch strangler seeds can probably launch the mortar round instead. Though the strangler might not like it much.

there are some amazing looted tyrannic conversions out there, thats the fun with Orks if they believe they can do it then it'll probably work

 curran12 wrote:
I’m not sure where it was, but I remember some codex fluff about a Warboss trading for some Necron big guns and blowing up his planet when he tried to see what they were capable of.

Yup, it was in the 5th ed fluff. The necron traded some doomday cannons to a big mek, and told him not to fiddle with it, and as they flew away the mek's ship blew up.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
But orks can/will/should loot everything. I'm not a big fan of the 'looted tyranid' aesthetic, but it's a fun idea, I suppose.

 Kap'n Krump wrote:

 curran12 wrote:
I’m not sure where it was, but I remember some codex fluff about a Warboss trading for some Necron big guns and blowing up his planet when he tried to see what they were capable of.

Yup, it was in the 5th ed fluff. The necron traded some doomday cannons to a big mek, and told him not to fiddle with it, and as they flew away the mek's ship blew up.

It's a shame. A real dyed in the wool, born killer would have asked what the little red button was for

 Kap'n Krump wrote:

 curran12 wrote:
I’m not sure where it was, but I remember some codex fluff about a Warboss trading for some Necron big guns and blowing up his planet when he tried to see what they were capable of.

Yup, it was in the 5th ed fluff. The necron traded some doomday cannons to a big mek, and told him not to fiddle with it, and as they flew away the mek's ship blew up.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
But orks can/will/should loot everything. I'm not a big fan of the 'looted tyranid' aesthetic, but it's a fun idea, I suppose.

And for years afterward, Orkz probably laughed their asses off when hearing that story.

Orks getting blown up in a spectacular manner is funny to other Orks. You gotta love those green skinned holes.

 oldravenman3025 wrote:
And for years afterward, Orkz probably laughed their asses off when hearing that story.

Orks getting blown up in a spectacular manner is funny to other Orks. You gotta love those green skinned holes.

That's one of my favorite things about Orks.

It is surprising, though, how many people see the comedy in Orks and don't realize we're laughing with them, not just at them. There's nothing funny about Orks to those on the receiving end of their antics.

One of my "if i had a million dollars" conversion ideas is to build an ork looted drukhari army. An ork pirate would look pretty sweet in those raiders.

The best race for the Orks to loot from is THEMSELVES. All the loots are created for Ork use in the first place.

Anyway, daemon engines and anything too psychic like Eldar stuff are probably impossible to make use of. Imperial stuff can backfire if their Machine Spirit dislikes the Ork (as seen how a looted Shadow Sword stops in the middle of a fight and roasting the Orks inside). Dark Eldar and Necron technologies are dangerous to use, but the Orks probably wouldn't care.

In the end, Tau is the faction most susceptible for Ork looting, aside from the Orks themselves.

Orks would have a hard time running Eldar vehicles, and firing their weapons. But they could very well take the vehicle's hull, put it on a wheelbase of their own design, and add ork weapons on top. And you can always rivet stuff into wraithbone! That's how I imagine orks looting vehicles they can operate directly.

 Dakka Flakka Flame wrote:
I was wondering what factions it made the most sense for Orks to loot from.

Yes.

While it makes absolutely no sense, it would be neat to see looted Tyranids.

Orks driving hollowed out xenomorph carcasses would be hilarious.

 Marmatag wrote:
While it makes absolutely no sense, it would be neat to see looted Tyranids.

Orks driving hollowed out xenomorph carcasses would be hilarious.

Theres an army here on dakkadakka thats exactly that. And its awesome:

https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/52756-Looted%20Carnifex.html

 Galas wrote:

 Marmatag wrote:
While it makes absolutely no sense, it would be neat to see looted Tyranids.

Orks driving hollowed out xenomorph carcasses would be hilarious.

Theres an army here on dakkadakka thats exactly that. And its awesome:

https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/52756-Looted%20Carnifex.html

Hahaha, brilliant!

Eldar have best compatiability.

They are both Old One creations.

Their technology, though visually disparate actually operates on similar principles.

Craftworld Eldar technology is psionically activated, which basically means Eldar have to think it works to make it work.

Furthermore, they just take old scrap and rocks and vocally subdue it and it magically turns into new tehcnology, making bonesingers basically the same as a big mek.

Still not noisy enough!