Faction Guide
Adeptus Mechanicus
Humanity's tech-priests — half-human, half-machine, and convinced that flesh is a design flaw. They worship technology as a religion, replace their bodies with cybernetics until little human remains, and guard the ancient knowledge of a golden age they're desperate to reclaim. The most unique looking army in the game.
Playstyle
Shooting + Combo
Painting
Medium
Rules
Complex
Starter Cost
~$160–$240
Who are the Adeptus Mechanicus?
Before the Imperium existed, Mars had already built a civilization. The Cult Mechanicus — the priesthood of the Machine God — had been worshipping technology as religion for thousands of years while Terra tore itself apart in nuclear war. When the Emperor unified humanity, he needed Mars's weapons factories. Mars needed Terra's armies. They signed a treaty. The arrangement has never been entirely comfortable.
The Mechanicus believe in the Omnissiah — the Machine God, the divine intelligence behind all technology. They believe the Emperor is a physical manifestation of this god (a claim the rest of the Imperium finds deeply heretical). Knowledge is sacred. Ignorance is sin. Destroying working technology, even enemy technology, is an act of almost religious offense.
Their defining obsession is the STC — Standard Template Construct — an ancient database from humanity's golden age containing blueprints for every machine ever devised. Most STCs were lost in the Age of Strife. Finding even a fragment of an STC is the greatest possible discovery. Tech-Priests have started wars over a single blueprint.
A Tech-Priest's spiritual journey is one of progressive augmentation. They replace flesh with machine — one eye for an optical mechadendrite, one arm for a servo-arm, the nervous system for hard-wired circuitry. The highest-ranking Tech-Priests are barely recognizable as human. The Fabricator-General of Mars is, effectively, a machine that remembers being a person. This is considered the highest possible honor.
"Flesh is weak. The Machine is eternal."
Choose your Forge World
Forge Worlds are the AdMech equivalent of Space Marine Chapters — industrial planets with distinct doctrines, colors, and battlefield approaches.
Mars
Red & SilverPainting: MediumThe original Forge World. Canonical red robes and silver metal — the scheme GW uses for all their official photography. Bold and striking. Medium difficulty because red requires layering to look good but it's the most supported scheme.
Lucius
Silver & WhitePainting: MediumThe Forge World of illusions — known for dimensional shielding technology and a silver/white color scheme. Elegant and clean. The cool contrast to Mars's warmth.
Graia
Blue & SilverPainting: EasyDark blue robes with silver metal — one of the easiest AdMech schemes to execute. Less common on the table than Mars, which makes it stand out. Mechanicus Standard Grey spray + wash gets you most of the way there.
Stygies VIII
Dark Brown & BronzePainting: EasySecretive, distrusted by other Forge Worlds, suspected of xenos contact. Dark, muted brown robes with bronze metal accents. Fast to paint with contrast paints and very atmospheric on the table.
How they play on the table
AdMech are a mid-range shooting armywith a uniquely combo-driven playstyle. Individual units are specialist tools — Skitarii Rangers are reliable long-range shooters, Sicarian Infiltrators are fast melee assassins, Kastelan Robots are walking fortresses when properly supported. The army rewards knowing exactly what each unit does and deploying them against the right targets.
The defining mechanic is Doctrina Imperatives — special combat protocols you cycle through each turn. In Protector Doctrina your Skitarii shoot better. In Conqueror Doctrina they fight better in melee. You can only use each a limited number of times, so you're constantly thinking several turns ahead about when to switch modes. It's the most tactical faction in the game for people who like planning.
The unit roster is strikingly varied: Skitarii infantry, walking spider-legged tanks (Dunecrawlers), bipedal strider vehicles (Ironstriders), ancient giant robots (Kastelans), tracked cannon platforms with human torsos (Kataphrons). Few armies have this much visual variety, and painting the collection feels like a genuinely diverse project rather than repetitive squads.
Honest caveat: this is not a beginner army. The synergies between units matter a lot, mistakes are punishing, and the Doctrina system adds planning overhead on top of learning the base rules. If you're drawn to the aesthetic and lore, play a few games with a friend first before committing. If you love puzzle-solving, this is your faction.
AdMech are for you if...
- ✓ The half-human, half-machine aesthetic is exactly what you want
- ✓ You like puzzle-solving and planning multiple turns ahead
- ✓ You want the most unique looking army in the game
- ✓ You enjoy painting a huge variety of model types
- ✓ You're interested in the tech-religion lore angle
Maybe look elsewhere if...
- ✗ You're new to 40k — too many synergies to manage early
- ✗ You want a simple, forgiving playstyle
- ✗ You prefer organic, living aesthetics
- ✗ You want a horde army with lots of bodies
How to paint Adeptus Mechanicus
Mars scheme (red + silver). The canonical look, and the one with the most tutorials.
AdMech models have two distinct surfaces: flowing fabric robes and intricate mechanical parts. Each requires a different approach. The good news is that both are relatively straightforward — red robes with a wash look immediately striking, and metallic washes do most of the work on the mechanical components. The challenge is the sheer density of tiny detail per model.
The robes
Spray Mephiston Red
The base coat over everything. Full coverage is important — red over black primer looks muddy and is harder to fix than starting light.
Agrax Earthshade wash over all fabric
A generous wash into all the robe folds. It darkens the recesses and gives the fabric genuine depth — takes the red from flat to rich.
Evil Sunz Scarlet layer on raised folds
Restore the brighter red on the raised areas of the robes, avoiding the recesses. This creates the classic shaded fabric look without advanced techniques.
The mechanical parts
Leadbelcher on all metal surfaces
Cybernetic limbs, exposed pistons, weapon casings, tubes, cables. AdMech models have a lot of metal — drybrush it liberally.
Nuln Oil wash over all metal
Gets into every cable groove, every rivet, every gear tooth. The single most effective step on mechanical models — the metal goes from flat to industrial instantly.
Drybrush Ironbreaker on raised metal edges
Brings the metallic sheen back on corners and raised surfaces. Makes the machinery look like it's actually used — worn edges, maintained metal.
The finishing details
Corax White on skull faces and bone details
Many Tech-Priests have exposed or augmetic skulls. A clean white over these — then a thin wash of Agrax Earthshade to age them — creates the perfect bleached bone look.
Tesseract Glow or Moot Green on optical lenses
Every AdMech model has optical sensors, augmetic eyes, or weapon targeting lenses. A tiny dab of glowing green makes them read as powered up and alive. This one detail sells the whole model.
Patience over speed
AdMech models have more detail per model than almost anything else in the game. Don't rush. Work in good light with magnification if you have it. A single well-painted Tech-Priest Dominus is a showpiece. The army is smaller than most (fewer models overall), so you can afford to spend more time on each one — and it shows.
What to buy first
One box. It will take longer to assemble than you expect. That's the AdMech experience — and it's worth it.
Combat Patrol: Adeptus Mechanicus
Includes a Tech-Priest Manipulus (your commander), 10 Skitarii Vanguard or Rangers (core infantry), 5 Pteraxii Sterylizors or Skystalkers (fast flying assault troops), and 3 Serberys Sulphurhounds or Raiders (fast cavalry). A surprisingly mobile force with huge build variety — every kit builds two different units.
See price on Amazon →Kastelan Robots
Two enormous ancient robots controlled by a Datasmith Tech-Priest. Pre-Imperial machines that the Mechanicus maintains but cannot fully understand — which delights them. Extremely durable and powerful when buffed correctly, they're one of the faction's most unique tactical elements and absolutely spectacular models to paint.
Search Amazon →Paints you need (Mars scheme)
~$45 for the full set. More paints than most factions — the detail count demands it.
Honest cost breakdown
Combat Patrol: Adeptus Mechanicus
Manipulus, Vanguard/Rangers, Pteraxii, Serberys
Essential paints (7)
Spray + layer + 2 washes + 2 metals + glow
Basing supplies
Industrial/urban texture + rust tufts
Clippers + hobby knife
One-time purchase
Superglue
Fine multi-part models with small mechanical pieces
All-in starter total
~$242Slightly higher paint cost than other factions due to the model complexity. The Kastelan Robots (~$75) are the recommended second purchase — they look spectacular and define the army's heaviest firepower.
Knowledge is power. Guard it well.
Grab the Combat Patrol. Build slowly, paint carefully, and let yourself enjoy the detail. These aren't models you rush — they're models you finish and display.