Warhammer 40,000 is one of the most popular tabletop war games, and is a game with some of the most over the top lore in the history of gaming. To say that Warhammer is a game characterized by excess would be a dramatic understatement.
This is a game featuring magical psychic space orks, and technologically advanced hedonistic elves, and a cult that worships technology on Mars. Between the vast array of ludicrous factions in Warhammer, there are still many existing factions in the game's lore and smaller sub-factions that still cannot be played as full armies. So we're going to take a deep dive into the lore of Warhammer 40,000 and see ten under-appreciated factions that still need proper armies.
10 Ynnari
The Ynnari are an interesting case. Technically playable, these Eldar worship the god of death, Ynnead. To date, there are an entire three Ynnari units, all of which are HQs. While they can borrow and run both Craftword Eldar and Drukhari forces when constructing an army, many a player would recommend simply deploying the Ynnari as an allied detachment. This is quite unfortunate, as at that moment in the lore, the Ynnari are among the most important Eldar around, with many notable Eldar from other factions defecting to their cause.
9 Squats
The fact that Squats are currently not their own playable faction in Warhammer 40,000, truly boggles the mind. Though Warhammer is indeed a sci-fi game, it features the likes of fantasy staples such as elves and orks, repurposed for a futuristic flavor. While the Eldar and Orks are each staples to the game, Squats have seen no such luck.
Squats are for all intents and purposes, Dwarves in space. Despite their simplicity, they are among the most obscure races in the franchise, and can't even be run as a sub-faction in the manner of the Kroot.
8 Zoats
Warhammer lore and flavor can get pretty over the top, and some character designs can most definitely back this up. Despite this, Zoats remain with no faction to call their own. Zoats are essentially massive, green-skinned cyborg-centaurs that have massive guns for hands. As strange as they are awesome, Zoats recently received their first model in years as a part of Blackstone Fortress, yet still remain unplayable, as they function as a universal enemy to all players.
7 Exodites
A race with a great deal of history, the Eldar come in numerous distinct forms such as the tech-savvy Craftworld Eldar, the sadistic Drukhari, and the Harlequins. However, there is another notable sub-faction of Eldar that remains unplayable: the Exodites.
The Exodites are Eldar who have disavowed their kind's hedonism, and have founded colonies on remote planets... where they ride dinosaurs. Yes, that's right, there is a faction in Warhammer 40,000 that is comprised of dinosaur-riding space elves, yet it still remains unsupported.
6 The Inquisition
The Imperium of Man is one of the most central over-arching organizations in Warhammer, serving as an umbrella group that houses some of the most iconic factions in the game. Within the Imperium, no organization holds more political and military power than the Inquisition. An organization with absurd amounts of authority, the Inquisition can notoriously deem planets "unlivable" and order them to be completely destroyed. While the Inquisition encompasses the excessive nature of the game, they are designed as allies that are meant to be taken sparingly alongside another more established faction.
5 Gretchin
Like the Ynnari, Gretchin is a faction that is technically playable, but not on their own. Gretchin are Warhammer's version of Goblins, and tend to serve as cannon fodder for Orks. Despite this, in the lore, there is in fact a faction of Gretchin that stand on their own without Orks: The Gretchin Revolutionary Committee. These are Gretchin that have decided to rebel from the Orks and attempt to stand on their own two legs.
4 Dark Mechanicum
When it comes to technologically advanced factions in Warhammer, few are as iconic as the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Adeptus Mechanicus is an organization within the Imperium that worships technology with religious zeal.
However, there is a similar faction within Chaos that remains unplayable. The Dark Mechanicum are fundamentally quite similar to the Adeptus Mechanicus, but work in the name of the gods of Chaos. While they were quite prominent in the Horus Heracy, their numbers have dwindled greatly in the presence of the lore (though they are still around).
3 Rogue Traders (Elucidian Starstriders)
As the name would suggest, the Rogue Traders are incredibly powerful independent individuals that explore the outermost expanses of the universe. They have a noteworthy focus on the individual, and no two groups of traders are the same, making the faction quite distinct. While they were made playable in Warhammer's Kill Team format in the form of the Elucidian Starstriders, they remain unusable in the standard version of the game.
2 Gellerpox Infected
Like the Elucidian Starstriders, the Gellerpox Infected are a faction that was made playable in Kill Team, remaining largely absent from the core game. The Gellerpox Infected is a bizarre twist on classic Nurgle units, having a great deal of emphasis on pestilent. However, the Gellerpox Infected bring a unique flavor to the table, tying in themes of technology, as numerous units at their disposal are essentially cyborg zombies and cyborg daemons.
1 Hrud
For those looking for a deep cut, and a faction unlike anything completely playable in the game, the Hrud might be the non-faction of your dreams. Abominable subterranean horrors, these creatures can rapidly age those they come in contact with. Due to their unique aesthetic and distinct ability, the Hrud could easily serve as a new faction to provide the game with additional flavor.