Are Adepta Sororitas (Sisters of Battle) a good first Warhammer 40,000 army?
They suit a patient painter. Buy one Sisters squad box first, such as the Battle Sisters Squad, and paint it. If you enjoy that box, carry on. If not, pick something else before you spend more.
Combat Patrol: Adepta Sororitas is £86.11 (RRP £109.00) and is in stock.
The worries new Sisters players raise
| Worry | What is known | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Do the models wear helmets?" | Box art often shows bare heads. Players said most Sisters kits come with helmeted heads too. | Check the instructions or ask us before you buy. |
| "Can I mix them with Space Marines?" | Games Workshop says the eleventh edition keeps you choosing an army from one Codex, and that mixed-Codex "soup" armies are not back. | Plan Sisters as an army of their own. |
| "Are they hard to paint?" | Players disagree. One called them slightly tricky but doable for a patient newcomer; another called them harder and dearer than Orks. | Paint one squad as a test. |
| "Is there enough to buy?" | We list 15 Sororitas products. The June 2026 Faction Pack, Games Workshop's downloadable rules for the army, also gives it eight detachments (rules options, not things to buy), three of them new. | Start with one box and add as you go. |
| "Do I need the Armageddon box?" | No. The Armageddon launch box (see what it holds) has Space Marines and Orks, not Sisters. | Start from a Combat Patrol or a squad box. |
A cheap way to test the army
- Buy one squad box. One Reddit reply suggested the Battle Sisters Squad as the test: if you do not enjoy painting that box, you will not enjoy the army. It is £32.79 here and sold out at the moment. If you cannot get that box, start with a squad from step 3.
- Paint it fully. Armour, faces, hair or helmets, bolters. Time yourself, and write down which part you enjoyed least.
- Then pick the second box. The Retributor Squad is £32.79 and the Sisters Novitiate Squad is £31.60. Add a character such as the Palatine at £19.75 (sold out at the moment) when you want a leader.
If you would rather buy the pre-set force, the Combat Patrol is the shortcut. If it sells out, the squad boxes build a similar start.
What the eleventh edition added
The three new detachments are Chorus of Condemnation, Sacred Champions and Sanctified Orators. The Armageddon release also brought a new Sororitas character, Intranzia Fraye, a Dogmata Superior who fights from a walking machine called the Throne of Blame. She and the Armageddon Battalion: Adepta Sororitas set are sold separately from the Armageddon launch box.
If Sisters do not suit you
Sisters may not suit you if you want to finish an army in a month, want a first game against a friend soon, or have no patience for armour trim. For a first game, the Starter Set holds two ready armies, Space Marines and Orks, for £126.40. If painting time is the worry, pick an army with simpler surfaces, or test one squad first as above.
Common questions
Can Sisters of Battle use the Space Marine rules?
Sororitas have their own Codex. Games Workshop's April 2026 army-building article says you still choose your army from one Codex, so a Sisters army and a Marine army are separate collections.
Are Adepta Sororitas models expensive compared with other armies?
A Battle Sisters Squad is £32.79 here and a Cadian Shock Troops box is £26.47, so a Sisters squad costs a little more. Some players say Sisters are the dearer army to collect.
I like both Sisters and Orks. Which should I start with?
The Armageddon launch box and the Starter Set both hold Orks, so that is the easier route to a first game, and our Orks page covers that army. If you cannot stop thinking about Sisters, start them with one squad.
Faction Pack detachments: Warhammer Community (Games Workshop's news site), 11 June 2026. Intranzia Fraye: Warhammer Community, 17 April 2026. Army building: Warhammer Community, 2 April 2026. Armageddon and Starter Set contents: Warhammer Community, 26 March, 15 May and 5 July 2026. Player views: Reddit r/Warhammer40k, November 2025 to September 2026. Prices and stock: this shop, read live.