Adeptus Custodes Combat Patrol: what is in the box, and is it a good first army?
Game facts checked 29 October 2026. Price and stock are read live.
The Adeptus Custodes Combat Patrol in our shop holds 14 miniatures. They are five Custodian Guard, a Blade Champion, five Custodian Wardens and three Allarus Terminators. The box is £82.95 (RRP £105.00) and is sold out at the moment. As a first army, Custodes suit you if you want fewer models to build and paint. They do not suit you if you want a big tabletop horde.
Games Workshop announced a different Custodes Combat Patrol on 18 September 2026. It goes with the new Codex: Adeptus Custodes, the army's rules book. It has a Shield Captain, six Sentinel Guard, three Venatari and a Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnought.
What is in the box we list
Warhammer Community, Games Workshop's news site, described this Combat Patrol in April 2024. It has five Custodian Guard led by a Blade Champion. They are joined by either three Custodian Wardens (from a set of five) or two Allarus Terminators (from a set of three). That adds up to the 14 miniatures in the box: 5 + 1 + 5 + 3.
You pick Wardens or Allarus for your Combat Patrol roster. The models you do not use can join a bigger army later.
What changed in September 2026
Warhammer Community's first look at the new Codex (24 September 2026) says Custodian Guard are now tougher. They have Toughness 7 and 5 Wounds each. No Custodian squad can have more than three models before leaders are added, and some have fewer.
Five Custodian Guard is more than one three-model squad, so the older box no longer splits neatly. Read the datasheets (the rules page for each unit) for the build you want before you glue weapons on.
The listed box against the new one
| Part of the army | Box we list | New box (announced 18 Sep 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Leader | Blade Champion | Shield Captain |
| Core infantry | Five Custodian Guard | Six Sentinel Guard and three Venatari |
| Elite or heavy | Three of the five Wardens, or two of the three Allarus Terminators | Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnought |
| Models in the box | 14 (5 + 1 + 5 + 3) | 11 (1 + 6 + 3 + 1) |
That article gave no release date for the new box, and we have no separate listing for it. Our Custodes collection shows what we have today.
Which box to buy
Our advice:
- Starting from nothing and in no hurry: the new box was designed alongside the new Codex, and it brings a Dreadnought. The 18 September article gave no release date, so waiting only makes sense if you have no deadline.
- Wanting Wardens or Allarus Terminators as your first models: the listed box holds both, and it is sold out at the moment. The Custodian Wardens kit on its own is in stock. The new box does not include either.
- Already owning the listed box: keep building it. Add a Shield Captain or Blade Champion kit if you want a second leader.
Is Custodes a good first army?
The case for it is a reduced model count: Warhammer Community describes one across Custodes armies, and every squad is small. The case against is that you cannot field a big tabletop horde, and that every model is painted the same gold.
The 18 September article jokes that you will want to have stocked up on Retributor Armour paint. That gold is one of the 13 paints in our Paints & Tools (11th Edition) set, which is sold out at the moment. Paint one model before you commit to a whole army of gold.
Players asking the same first-army question after the reveal gave two answers: save up for the new box, or take either box and pick the models you like better.
Kits that work in both games
Kits getting new packaging include Custodian Guard, Sentinel Guard, Venatari Sodality, the Shield Captain and the Custodian Dreadnought. They can be used in Warhammer 40,000 and in Warhammer: The Horus Heresy (Warhammer Community, 18 September 2026). We list the Legio Custodes versions of these kits. Check the box before you buy.
Common questions
How much is the Adeptus Custodes Combat Patrol in the UK?
Our price is £82.95 against an RRP of £105.00, a saving of 21%. The box is sold out at the moment. UK delivery is free on orders of £20 or more.
How many models can a Custodes squad have now?
Three at most before leaders are added, and some squads have fewer (Warhammer Community, 24 September 2026). That is a change from the older five-model Custodian Guard squads.
Do I need the Custodes codex to play Combat Patrol?
You do not need the Codex. The Combat Patrol rules in the Warhammer 40,000 app are free and need no rulebook, codex or subscription (Warhammer Community, 23 July 2026). Support at launch covered the core boxes, with older ones to follow, so check the app for this box. Our page on the app has the detail.
Should I buy the old Custodes Combat Patrol or wait for the new one?
In our view, wait if you have no deadline, because the new box was built with the new Codex. Buy the listed box if you want Wardens or Allarus Terminators, which the new box leaves out.
Box contents (April 2024): Warhammer Community, 13 April 2024, and the box photo on our listing. New Codex facts: Warhammer Community, 24 September 2026. New Combat Patrol and kits for both games: Warhammer Community, 18 September 2026. Combat Patrol in the app: Warhammer Community, 23 July 2026. Prices and stock: this shop, read live.