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Greetings,
Trying to start the year off with finally getting back into 40k, just a heads up I haven't seen the battlefield in about 3-4yrs so way behind in 40k's current state.
I wanted to give necrons a go as it will be a quick paint job (something I always struggle with) and Egyptian themed is always kick ass to me.
Just trying to get a running start on what makes the necrons tick, what's currently effective and what's not. Anything I should watch out for vs other armies.
Will post more as more questions coke to mind.

Thanks

So Necrons have changed a lot rules-wise since 5th edition. Here's the rundown on how they work.

Necrons in 7th edition are a short-mid ranged army whose primary strength is their sheer durability (since Reanimation Protocols now functions like Feel No pain). They rely on Gauss, fast moving assault units, and some select fire support units, to slowly wear down their foes in a war of attrition. You can field the toughest infantry, per point, of anyone in the game.

Our dedicated transports, particularly the Ghost Ark, are some of the best in the game at what they do. Our Decurion formation, which is a more restrictive detachment with more minimum requirements, can buff up our survivability substantially. We also have some great CC units (Wraiths, Praetorians, and Lychguard are all at least good). We have very few "bad" units (Annihilation Barges and C'tan are pretty mediocre, but that's about it).

Our primary disadvantage is that our low initiative and lack of fearless means groups of warriors or immortals (and potentially other more expensive units) can be easily killed via sweeping advance. We have trouble touching targets outside 24" unless we field a few particular units. We aren't particularly fast (with a few units being notable exceptions), and have no psychic support or meaningful psychic defense. We also have little access to template weaponry, and no barrage, so clearing out hordes at range isn't easy. We have no easy access to special weapons to fit a given situation as most of our units do not have upgrades and are taken "bare bones."

On the whole, Necrons are a great "all around" army that can go up against basically anything and do at least relatively well, but we don't have quite the same killing power as an army like Eldar, Tau, or Space Marines.