Loading...
Loading...
Power Matrix
September 16, 2026 at 04:21 AM
Initial version (2026-09-15)
The Power Matrix is the Necrons faction’s answer to an economy in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV. Instead of capturing points the way the other armies do, the Necrons spread an energy field across the map, and that field is simultaneously their income, their build space and a combat buff.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV has not released yet. Everything on this page reflects information published before launch and may change.
The Matrix radiates from the Tomb Citadel, the faction’s immensely powerful and upgradeable headquarters, which also serves as its unit production engine. Most Necron buildings must be constructed on top of the Matrix, and every new building pushes the field further outward. The larger the Matrix grows, the more Dominion the faction earns.
That collapses two decisions into one. For the Necrons, expanding and earning are the same action, which is why the developers describe the army as a slow but steady threat that snowballs: a Necron player who is left alone does not merely hold ground, they compound. See Base Building and Resources for how the other factions handle the same problem.
The Matrix is not purely economic. Necron units standing inside it fight better. They already benefit from out-of-combat healing, and imbuing themselves with the energy of the Matrix makes them heal more quickly, grow tougher and become harder to kill. Catching a Necron force away from its own field is a meaningfully different fight from engaging it at home.
The official play guidance follows directly from that. Necron players are told to advance the Matrix methodically and fight inside it wherever possible; opponents are told to pull them out of it and to focus fire so that units die outright rather than being wounded and healed back.
Tool | What It Does |
|---|---|
Tomb Citadel | The headquarters the Matrix radiates from, and the faction’s production engine |
Necron buildings | Must be built on the Matrix, and push the field outward as they go up |
Canoptek Spyders | Support constructs that can build Tomb Pylons anywhere on the map |
Tomb Pylons | Spawn a fresh patch of Power Matrix away from the main base, and act as a translocation target for units entering the Tomb Citadel |
Tomb Pylons are the reason the system is not simply a slow-growing blob. A Canoptek Spyder can seed a patch of Matrix on the far side of the map, which both extends the economy and creates a teleport destination, and that is how a deliberately slow army keeps up when late-game hotspots move quickly.
The Power Matrix is being adjusted during development. In September 2026 the studio said it had made changes to the Necron Power Matrix based on community feedback, disclosed alongside an official 1v1 match that also showed previously unseen Necron late-game capabilities. The specific changes were not itemised, so no before-and-after values are stated here.
Necrons: the faction the system belongs to.
Base Building and Resources: the shared economy layer.
Thothmek the Chronomancer: the Necron Commander who fights inside it.
Multiplayer: where Necron economy decisions are tested against other players.
