# How Big is the Warp?



## SoL Berzerker (May 5, 2009)

So I tried searching for a thread like this and found nothing, seems unlikely to me that this would be the first time this question is asked though, so I am sorry if this is a repeat. 


How big is the warp? What I mean by that, is how far can the ships of the Imperium travel using warp travel? For example, it is known that the Tyranids come from another galaxy, would it be impossible to use warp travel to go to another galaxy? 

Do the Chaos Gods get power from species in other galaxies? 

If the warp is only the size of this one galaxy, could it be safe to assume that there are warp equivalents in other galaxies?


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

It has no physical restrictions so it's essentially infinite.

And yes it would be possible to utilize the warp to visit other galaxies.

The Astrominican projected by the Emperor however is the only anchor point humanity has so to go beyond its range would result in death.

The Macharian Crusade for example was ended because none of the soldiers wanted to go beyond the Emperor's guiding light.

And yes the Chaos pantheon do feed off of the emotions of all sentient/mortal creatures in all the galaxies as the Warp exists everywhere. There is no other variant of the Warp. It's one unified ocean.


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## SoL Berzerker (May 5, 2009)

Wow... Much more definite answers than I was expecting, thanks!


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## ckcrawford (Feb 4, 2009)

Bigger than an XXL New York Style Pizza.


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## neferhet (Oct 24, 2012)

ALso remember that Tyranids cast the "shadow in the warp" so basically, where they are present in big numbers the warp is nullified. The same can be said for every galaxy they consumed: there is no life form there, hence, i think, no energy for the chaos gods to feed upon.


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## Moriouce (Oct 20, 2009)

neferhet said:


> ALso remember that Tyranids cast the "shadow in the warp" so basically, where they are present in big numbers the warp is nullified. The same can be said for every galaxy they consumed: there is no life form there, hence, i think, no energy for the chaos gods to feed upon.



But when they have consumed, they move on. Leaving evolution to start all over.


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## neferhet (Oct 24, 2012)

Moriouce said:


> Leaving evolution to start all over.


True, if you are a chaos god, you can wait those billion of years to make inorganic unto organic matter again :biggrin:


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

There is a thread (Beyond the Milky Way) which covers some of the issues raised in this one so may be of interest. 



SoL Berzerker said:


> How big is the warp?


The warp is without physical dimensions, therefore it cannot be physically limited to a particular amount of space. It is neither big nor small, it is not infinite, finite or infinitesimal. It just is. 



SoL Berzerker said:


> What I mean by that, is how far can the ships of the Imperium travel using warp travel? For example, it is known that the Tyranids come from another galaxy, would it be impossible to use warp travel to go to another galaxy?


There is no evidence to suggest that the Imperium couldn't utilise the warp to travel to other galaxies. The primary issue would be that the range of the Astronomican (the only method by which Imperials can successfully navigate the warp) doesn't even stretch to the edge of this galaxy. 

In fact, the Dark Age of Technology humans were able to successfully send probes to other galaxies, which returned data suggesting that the Greenskins had spread to other galaxies. How did the Greenskins spread themselves to other galaxies? Either the Old Ones created them there or gave them the means to travel there or they have themselves somehow reached those distances. The only known method of faster-than-light travel utilised by the Greenskins which could have reached these distances is warp travel (unless their spores were able to survive the great distances in the galactic gulf), which perhaps suggests that it is possible to use the warp to get to other galaxies. 

Aside from warp travel, there are other methods by which mortal races could reach other galaxies. The primary example being the Tyranid method of travel by utilising gravity. But, perhaps also (previous edition, perhaps also current edition) Necron technology? Maybe even the Webway or Eldar technology pre-Fall? 

Regardless, other galaxies are far from Imperial reach and influence.



SoL Berzerker said:


> Do the Chaos Gods get power from species in other galaxies?


It is unknown, we don't know the extent to which life in other galaxies exists. But, as the warp can't be restricted to any physical space there is no reason to believe the Chaos Gods don't draw sustenance from other galaxies/dimensions as well. 

On the other hand, as the rise of the Chaos Gods can be directly attributed to the War in Heaven (with the Old Ones' careless creation of psychic species and the devastation caused in that conflict) perhaps the Chaos Gods have a particular affinity for our galaxy and the spawn of the Old Ones? Perhaps life in other galaxies wasn't brought forth or tampered with by creatures like the Old Ones and thus don't have the connection to the warp that the races of our galaxy do? If that is the case perhaps they are not of much interest to the Chaos Gods. Just a thought.


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## Moriouce (Oct 20, 2009)

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> It is unknown, we don't know the extent to which life in other galaxies exists. But, as the warp can't be restricted to any physical space there is no reason to believe the Chaos Gods don't draw sustenance from other galaxies/dimensions as well.
> 
> On the other hand, as the rise of the Chaos Gods can be directly attributed to the War in Heaven (with the Old Ones' careless creation of psychic species and the devastation caused in that conflict) perhaps the Chaos Gods have a particular affinity for our galaxy and the spawn of the Old Ones? Perhaps life in other galaxies wasn't brought forth or tampered with by creatures like the Old Ones and thus don't have the connection to the warp that the races of our galaxy does? If that is the case perhaps they are not of much interest to the Chaos Gods. Just a thought.



This is interesting and I think it is somewhat overlooked. The universe is like minimum 14 billions years old. To believe that only in recent time and only in one galaxy alone there has been creatures of such psychic power that their emotion has manifested as gods are quite narrowminded.


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## Kreuger (Aug 30, 2010)

Do we know that the chaos gods are only operating in one galaxy? I presume that the statistical likelihood of life evolving in one galaxy suggests that many other galaxies would have similar populations.

We know within the warhammer universe that the tyranids are extra-galactic and obviously they had to evolve somewhere.

So that's 2 galaxies. . . 

So do we assume the tyranids consumed everything in their galaxy and then had to leave to find more food/biodiversity to assimilate? Or can we assume they attempted that and were driven out by other advanced civilizations?

And how does the warp tie into those places and peoples? 

We do know that our galaxy is primarily responsible for creating Slaanesh. And as I recall from the fluff, largely responsible for Khorne, though that includes a lot more assumption based on things like all the known daemon princes ascended in our galaxy, presumably from humans. 

I suppose one could argue that daemon princes would want to remain connected to the places they lived and fought upon. Provided the chaos gods didn't require their services in other realms or galaxies at other times.


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## theurge33 (Apr 4, 2012)

Since the Emp was a master of the warp, would he perhaps know of life in other galaxies or any other details of other galaxies?


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## Over Two Meters Tall! (Nov 1, 2010)

Well, we do know that at least two of the major races currently (40K) operating in the Milky Way are either void (Necrons) or anathma (Tyranids) to the Warp. I don't consider it a stretch that the Warp Gods are a relatively localized phenomena, nor does it preclude IMHO other Warp Gods from existing with connections to other galaxies, but not the Milky Way. What about other galaxies that were populated wholly by machine races, or the home galaxy of the Tyranids? Would travel in the Warp relative to those Material locations be becalmed or even possible since the great Warp beasties aren't present.

While I appreciate on one hand the whole argument that, "the Warp isn't tied to location or linear time like the Materium," I also think there are enough Warp conditions that are entirely contingent on place and time that the rules for extra-galactic Warp travel would bear little resemblance to within the Milky Way.

Hmmmmm... enough navel gazing.


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## Over Two Meters Tall! (Nov 1, 2010)

theurge33 said:


> Since the Emp was a master of the warp, would he perhaps know of life in other galaxies or any other details of other galaxies?


Well, considering the advanced state of astro-physics and astronomy while we're still tied here to the blue marble, it's entirely likely that DAOT humanity had some idea about neighboring galaxies.


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## Moriouce (Oct 20, 2009)

When I think about it there could be other chaos gods in other galaxies but that they are unable to interact. 

If we think of it like this. Picture three sheets the space between sheet a and b is the materium and it's volume is decided of the matter within it. But the space between sheet b and c is the immaterium and it's volume is decided of the concentration of sentient creatures in the materium. So where there are galaxies the immaterium could be large and house creatures that feed on emotions but in the intergalactic Void there is no sentient creatures and therefor no space in the immaterium for warp beasts or goda to pass.


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## Kreuger (Aug 30, 2010)

Interesting theory. According to your theory, the relative density of life in a given galactic region creates empyrean depth. Or stated another way, the number of living entities in a galactic region creates and adjusts the level of psychic through-put.

Based on what I know of the background, I don't think I agree, but it's definitely thought provoking


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## Hellsbain (Dec 2, 2021)

Malus Darkblade said:


> And yes the Chaos pantheon do feed off of the emotions of all sentient/mortal creatures in all the galaxies as the Warp exists everywhere. There is no other variant of the Warp. It's one unified ocean.


 While the warp is one infinite plane the warp gods themselves are not. they only came into being (or took on there present forms) as a result of psykers (created by the old ones) using there powers and imprinting on the warp. Most likely other galaxies would have there own warp gods or have a rather tranquil warp if there aren't psykers residing in that galaxy. Also as a side note if I remember correctly the warp in a galaxy that had no psykers and therefor a peacfull warp would require much stronger warp drives as the psykers weaken the border between planes


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