Should I start a second Warhammer 40,000 army, and which one?
Start a second army once the first is mostly painted, and make it a different faction rather than another colour of the same one. Buy it one box at a time. If you want two armies from the first day, the Starter Set holds two.
Four checks before you buy
- Is the first army mostly painted? In one r/Warhammer40k thread, players gave answers from about 1,500 to 2,000 points of painted models (points are the game's way of costing each model). Games Workshop's eleventh edition battle sizes are 1,000 points (Incursion) and 2,000 points (Strike Force), so a painted force that fills a 1,000-point game is a sensible minimum.
- Is it a different faction? Two green Space Marine Chapters are the same army in two colours, as replies told one player who asked. They suggested a different faction, or painting the one army half in each Chapter's colours.
- Can you buy one box at a time? A second army bought in a lump becomes a pile of grey plastic. One box, painted, before the next.
- What do you want it to do? Name the reason before you buy. The table below sets out the usual ones.
What to buy for each reason
| Your reason | Buy | Cost here |
|---|---|---|
| I want a game against a friend | The Starter Set: you take one army and your friend takes the other | £126.40 |
| I want a different painting challenge | A Combat Patrol of an army that looks nothing like your first | £82.95 to £86.11 |
| I am bored of painting my first army | One squad or one character of the new army, not a whole box of everything | Varies by kit |
| I am a painter more than a player | Whatever you most want to paint, one unit at a time | Varies by kit |
Painters who rarely play often collect several armies, one unit at a time, and are happy with that.
What a second army costs
Two Combat Patrols, for example the Night Lords and T'au Empire boxes below, come to £169.06. The Starter Set is £126.40 for two armies at once, with terrain, rulebook and handbook as well.
Two more traps
- Letting a sale or a new release decide it. Wait a week; if you still want the army, buy one box.
- Treating a Combat Patrol as the whole army. It is a start, with a low model count. A second Combat Patrol gives you a second start.
Not sure what to add to the army you already have instead? See what to buy after your first box.
Common questions
How much of my first army should be painted before I start another?
Enough to fill a 1,000-point game, Games Workshop's Incursion size, is a sensible minimum. In one thread, players quoted 1,500 to 2,000 points of painted models.
Can the Starter Set be my second army?
It can be. It holds two Combat Patrol armies, Space Marines and Orks. If you already collect Marines, the Orks are your new army and the Marines can go to a friend. It is £126.40 here and in stock.
Will a second army feel like starting over?
The learning curve starts again, as one r/Warhammer40k poster put it when comparing a second army to levelling a second character in a game. There is a new look to learn and a new shopping list. You keep the painting skills from the first army.
Battle sizes: Warhammer Community (Games Workshop's news site), 2 April 2026. Starter Set contents: Warhammer Community, 5 July 2026. Player views: Reddit r/Warhammer40k threads on second armies, 2026. Prices and stock: this shop, read live.