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The Imperials obviously use the warp, guided by the astronomicon as their sole means of travelling interstellar distances, but what about the other races? How do they navigate?

I would assume the traitor legions still use the warp, do they still navigate by use of the astronomican?

Chaos daemons don't really have a problem obviously, they appear wherever, whenever an opportunity presents itself.

Do you think the Tau (although not entering the warp completely with their ships) use the astronomican, thinking it purely a 'natural feature' due to the youth and ignorance of their race?

Do the tyranids even enter the warp at all or just pedal really, really quickly?

The eldar have their damaged webway gate system, but I'm assuming you can't stuff a wholecraftworld through a gate to get it elsewhere, so do they enter the warp to move interstellar distances?

I haven't got the necron codex so I'm not sure about them, don't they just do a 'rentaghost' and disappear and reappear elsewhere or do they use the warp for long distance travel too?

According to the Night Lords series by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Chaos Marines use navigators just like loyalist ones. Their navigators, however, do not use the Astronomican. (In point of fact, according to Blood Reaver, the ship itself rebels against the light of the Astronomican. Instead, they instinctively 'feel' their way through the warp currents.

I don't think the Tau use the Astronomican. I don't think they are in the Warp long enough to. I think some people view their ships as submarines that make short hops, when they are actually more like rocks, skipping along the surface of the water without actually going under.

I don't know what the craftworlds do. I kind of thought they were stuck at sub-light speeds.

Necrons, at least as I understand it according to the new Codex, use the Webway. Not the whole thing, mind, but sections that have been "condemned" for want of a better word, they have appropriated for their use. Although not explicitly stated in the previous Codex, this is one of the new additions/clarifications that I really liked in the new Codex.

If I didn't reference a book, then I am not a hundred percent postitive, and might be in error. I hope this helps anyway.

I'm pretty sure Chaos Forces use sorcery to navigate instead of the Astronomican. AFAIK, Tyranids use some sort of bio-construct to create a grav-tunnel between themselves and their target systems, although once they're in-system, then have to go sub-light. Eldar and Dark Eldar DO NOT enter the Warp. EVER. They have to use the Webway, although the novel Path of the Warrior mentions temporary Webway portals that link between the main network and the final destination if an original Webway Gate is unavailable. Craftworlds and Fleets are limited to the primary tunnels - secondary tunnels can't accommodate ships. Orks, I have no idea, but knowing Orks, most likely their gestalt psychic powers just forces the Warp currents to take them where they want to go or where the good fights are. I don't know about Tau navigation but they don't really enter the Warp - they only skim the outer edge. It's slower, but safer. As for Necrons, they used to use 'Inertia-less' Drives, but the newcrons have limited access to the Webway. Apart from that, they're limited to sub-light; not that big a problem, as their superior tech usually allows them to pound enemy fleets who lack numbers with ease.

Dark Eldar have cities in the warp, Eldar can move through the warp (although entire craftworlds do not)

Tau/Orks/nids, as far as Im aware do not use it to travel.

Dark Eldar do not have cities in the warp, quite the opposite actually. They cower in the webway as it shields them from Slaanesh's soul sapping effect on them, were they to enter the warp Slaanesh would claim them. Webway portals can be huge, easily enough to take ships through. Commoragh was originally built as a webway starport before the fall and it is where the Dark Eldar dock their fleets between raids. Craftworlds have endured for so long because they dont use the warp and therefor do not leave a warp signature when they translate into a system, thats why Imperial ships arent usually able to pursue their vessels after an attack.

Every one who isn't Tyranids use the Warp in one way or another.

AlmightyWalrus wrote:Every one who isn't Tyranids use the Warp in one way or another.

Tyranids and Necrons, good sir!

Iranna.

I wasn't aware tau could warp travel in the first place.

I have seen it mentioned that Eldar craftworlds are capable of warp travel, they certainly can go through the thicker passages in the webway, especially since it's significantly faster and safer. Smaller crafts are more than capable of going through the warp, but Eldar aren't ignorant of the dangers the way humans are, so they rarely do.

Then you've got the black library, which is essentially a craftworld filled with unusually dour Eldar.

Tau: Use warp 'skimming', like pushing a rubber ball under water and letting it shoot back up. It's very slow compared to deep warp travel, but doesn't require navigators.

Chaos: has been covered.

Necrons: have lots of options and use a combination of wormhole transporter tech (think stargates), dimensional hopping, slow realspace FTL (slow meaning 100x lightspeed or less), and the webway via dolman gates. They likely have a slew of other methods at their disposal as well, though those I mentioned are the most dominant. They don't use 'condemned' portions according to their codex. It just mentions lots of it has been 'condemned'.

Orks: Some of their ships have proper warp drives, often scavenged. I might guess their wierdboys do the navigation. More interestingly often they just get up into space in massive numbers, hopping onto rocks and space hulks, and wait until they are inevitably swallowed up by the warp, most likely due to their desires being manifest via the WAAAGH! field. They don't really care where they come out, they WAAAGH! field makes sure it is somewhere with something to krump, plus they get to fight daemons during the journey.

Eldar do not enter the warp proper for fear of their souls being devoured. They use the webway, which does have gates big enough for their craftworld, while other gates may only be large enough for a single individual.

Dark Eldar: same as Eldar, but they actually live in the Webway.

Tyranids: we're not sure. Gravity or reality warping has been mentioned, but we know they are much slower than even the Tau. They have some form of FTL, but it doesn't appear to be warp based.

Various human factions: obviously warp based, but not always with a navigator. Navigators are only necessary for long trips. Established routes can be followed with no navigator, and unknown areas can be explored with micro jumps.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Mahtamori wrote:I wasn't aware tau could warp travel in the first place.

I have seen it mentioned that Eldar craftworlds are capable of warp travel, they certainly can go through the thicker passages in the webway, especially since it's significantly faster and safer. Smaller crafts are more than capable of going through the warp, but Eldar aren't ignorant of the dangers the way humans are, so they rarely do.

Then you've got the black library, which is essentially a craftworld filled with unusually dour Eldar.

Webway travel isn't the same as warp travel. It exists as an intersection between the materium and immaterium. The Eldar don't enter the warp proper, as a rule. There are exceptions, but typically their ships use the webway, which is both safer and faster than regular warp travel.

The tau can use naturally occuring (or artifiically made) warp gates and portals like anyone else can. They do so in the Last Chancers novel 'Kill Team'.

They also have some alternate means of long distance travel as per Deathwatch they uncovered (and is unique to them because of their grav drives) but it is limited to point to point transits.

You can also navigate the warp without navigators or the astronomicon . You have to use short hops and most chartiest IoM captains do just that. Without those two long voyages are not gonna happen, but short hops are very doable.

Orks use the Warp, Wierdboyz use their powers to steer the ships. although they arn't picky about where the pop out as long as there's a good fight at the other end.

Tyranids use a special organisim called the Narval. It locks onto a target planet and bends space between the Nid fleet and the planet to allow the planet's gravitational field to pull the Nids towards it. This can cause massive disturbances on the planet in question. Its slower then Warp Travel but more reliable.

The Eldar use the webway, even Craftworlds can go through it. Cormorrugh, the DE city, is inside the Webyway. They even have a few Stars inside it.

Never thought about it before but can Tau enter the warp? Yes they have no ability like navigators do so would not be able to travel but its still a technological system that gets human ships into the warp as well as a gellar field that protects them and Tau know their tech.

I remember in the book Farseer some Eldar are on a human ship traveling through the warp and daemons are scratching all over the ship trying to get in.

Dark Eldar are not in the warp or in real space. Rich Eldar set up pocket dimentions before the fall where they were not destroyed when slannesh was born

obsidianaura wrote:Never thought about it before but can Tau enter the warp? Yes they have no ability like navigators do so would not be able to travel but its still a technological system that gets human ships into the warp as well as a gellar field that protects them and Tau know their tech.

They could, but they'd have to stick to very short jumps or to charted routes. Without Navigators or any alternative, there's really no point.

I remember in the book Farseer some Eldar are on a human ship traveling through the warp and daemons are scratching all over the ship trying to get in.

Human ships are specifically designed to keep the Warp at bay while travelling through it - Eldar onboard wouldn't be at risk, but it would still be a terrifying experience for them. Just outside the relatively fragile bubble of the Geller Field the Daemons of the Warp not to mention her are waiting.

Dark Eldar are not in the warp or in real space. Rich Eldar set up pocket dimentions before the fall where they were not destroyed when slannesh was born

To be specific, the live in the corners and pits of the Webway, the inter-dimensional tunnel network that is the pinnacle of FTL. Not just the Old Ones and the Eldar, but even the Imperials and the Necrons consider the Webway the safest, fastest, and most efficient means of FTL.

The Tau way of traveling is kinda like this.

Their ships go halfway between the warp and real space. This is a safer, but far slower, way of traveling. It also has a limited range.

Because of the limited range, the Tau are stuck where they are. Their area of space's stars are very close together which has allowed their method to work till now.

The Daemocles Gulf is the farthest limit their ships have been able to jump and all the worlds from that expansion are very far apart.

It takes many months for a Tau ship to travel between systems, complicated by the fact that the Tau age limit is around 40 for anyone who isn't an etherial.

Necrons:
Old Fluff- FTL travel after they studied the Ctan (STL tombships beforehand). We don’t need no steenkin warp. In fact we’re going to close it off forever heh heh heh
New Fluff: We suck. Emo what the hell happened? We used to be somebody, we used to be a contender, now we’re just broken down bums who have to use the elder webway…

Tau:
As mentioned they “approach” the warp and skip along in the exact method already described. It is indeed slower than warp travel, however it is eminently safer, and still multiple faster than the speed of light. Good enough for government work.

Chaos: As noted. They also have Geller fields and bad things happen when those go down.

Eldar: Webway. It was noted in older fluff for BFG they can use real space travel at high non light speeds, but could also run the warp for short distances, but they almost never did it and never needed to.

Dark Eldar: See their stuffed shirt cousins.

Tyranid:
Old Fluff: warp travel in almost a living storm sort of way.
New Fluff: gravitic motivation via narwhal ships (spelling). I assume its FTL at a certain point(not sure how) or else it’s a moot point to anyone.
“Tyranid hive fleet approaching sir!”
“Get me my brown pants! When do they get here”
“Er Logic engines estimate 25,362.75 years, give or take a century.”
“Belay the pants. Get me a shrubbery!”

Orks:
Orks can indeed use the warp. Their ships can travel in it in a directed manner. Alternatively they have a habit of hollowing out asteroids (“Roks”) and punching into the warp in an apparently random fashion. Orks, natures hitchhikers. Additionally there is at least one instance of Orks teleporting between systems, a technology beyond anyone else. SURPRISE! We just teleported 800 light years and now I’m going to bash you with this axe!