Blood Angels or Ultramarines: which should you start?
Game facts checked 29 October 2026. Prices and stock are read live.
Pick Blood Angels if red is the colour you cannot stop looking at and you want models only that chapter has. Pick Ultramarines if you want to use any Space Marine kit and keep your options open. Blood Angels have their own list of detachments (sets of army rules) and a Battleforce, a large box of several kits, announced on 19 October 2026 with no date or price yet. Ultramarines use the shared Space Marines list.
If you are still torn, the test further down settles it.
Side by side
| What you compare | Blood Angels | Ultramarines |
|---|---|---|
| Look | Red, with black and gold | Blue |
| Own detachment list (8 Jun 2026) | Yes, 8 detachments | No, they use the shared Space Marines list |
| Chapter-only kits we list | Captain, Sanguinary Guard, Sanguinary Priest, The Sanguinor | Cato Sicarius, Victrix Honour Guard |
| Announced box (19 Oct 2026) | Angelus Assault Force Battleforce | None named; the Indomitus Task Force is a general Space Marines box |
| Contrast paint | Blood Angels Red | Ultramarines Blue |
What the Blood Angels Battleforce holds
Warhammer Community, Games Workshop's news site, revealed it on 19 October 2026 with pre-order promised soon and no date or price. It lists Commander Dante, a Chaplain with Jump Pack, a Death Company Brutalis Dreadnought and three Sanguinary Guard. It also lists five Death Company Marines with Jump Packs and a Blood Angels upgrade frame.
The article says the chapter loves a thunderous flight into the melee, so the box points to how Blood Angels play: jump packs and close combat. If that is not how you want to play, think again before you commit to red.
What the chapter-only kits cost
Ultramarines need none of these to be an army, so their extras are optional. Cato Sicarius and a Victrix Honour Guard kit cost £54.91 together here, and the Victrix kit is sold out at the moment. For Blood Angels, a Captain and a Sanguinary Guard kit cost £54.12.
| Kit | Price | Stock |
|---|---|---|
| Blood Angels Captain | £22.91 | in stock |
| Blood Angels Sanguinary Guard | £31.21 | in stock |
| Blood Angels Sanguinary Priest | £21.33 | sold out at the moment |
| Blood Angels The Sanguinor | £23.70 | sold out at the moment |
| Ultramarines Cato Sicarius | £23.31 | in stock |
| Ultramarines Victrix Honour Guard | £31.60 | sold out at the moment |
A test that settles it
- Buy one box of Intercessors or a Getting Started set, which is the same plastic whichever chapter you choose.
- Paint five models blue and five red. Contrast paints named for the two chapters are in the side-by-side table.
- Stand all ten on the table. Whichever you reach for first is your chapter.
One forum thread on this exact choice suggested a blue army with red details, or one squad of each.
Common questions
Which looks better, Blood Angels or Ultramarines?
Neither wins on looks. Blood Angels are red with black and gold, and Ultramarines are blue. You will paint the colour on every model, so pick the one you will enjoy repeating.
Do Blood Angels need Death Company models?
Not to start with. Death Company is a Blood Angels group, and the new Battleforce includes five Death Company Marines with Jump Packs. You can build a core army first and add them later.
Is the Armageddon box Blood Angels or Ultramarines?
It is neither. Warhammer Community's contents article calls the new Intercessors the rank and file of the Space Marine Chapters. They come in the Armageddon box, the 11th edition launch box. The 11th edition Core Rulebook has a Blood Angel on its cover. A variant cover shows an Ultramarine (Warhammer Community, 11 May 2026).
Detachment lists: Warhammer Community, 8 June 2026. Blood Angels Battleforce: Warhammer Community, 19 October 2026. Core Rulebook covers: Warhammer Community, 11 May 2026. Armageddon Intercessors: Warhammer Community, 1 May 2026. Blood Angels colours and Death Company: Warhammer Community, 29 September 2024 and 1 June 2023. Prices and stock: this shop, read live.