Choosing a Warhammer 40,000 army: your questions answered

The questions in this section

• Is the Astra Militarum a good first army?
  Who suits Imperial Guard, what to buy first and what catches new Guard players out.
• Are Adepta Sororitas a good first army?
  The five worries new Sisters of Battle players raise, and a cheap way to test the army before you commit.
• Which armies have a small range?
  Grey Knights, Imperial Agents, Deathwatch and others: how much each army has to buy here and what that means for you.
• How to pick an army with no favourite
  A short routine for choosing when no faction grabs you: models first, one squad, one game, then decide.
• Should I start a second army?
  When a second army makes sense, how to pick one and what two armies cost here.
• Which armies need the fewest models?
  Imperial Knights, Adeptus Custodes and Space Marines: what Games Workshop says about model counts, and what a small army costs.
• Which army suits the colour I like?
  Blue, red, gold, silver, green, black or yellow: which armies wear each colour, with dated Games Workshop sources.
• Is Adeptus Mechanicus a good first army?
  Why players warn that Mechanicus infantry are fiddly to paint, and three ways to test the army before you commit.
• Adeptus Custodes Combat Patrol: what is in it
  Which Custodes box we list, how it differs from the new one announced in September 2026, and whether Custodes suit a first army.
• Which Chaos Space Marines Combat Patrol to buy
  Night Lords, Iron Warriors, Red Corsairs, Emperor's Children or the standard box: what each one holds and who it suits.
• Night Lords Combat Patrol: what you get and what to add
  What is in the Night Lords Combat Patrol, how it links to the Nemesis Claw kill team and what to add to field a Night Lords army.
• How to choose a Space Marine chapter
  How to pick a Space Marine chapter by colour, by chapter-only models and by how much work you want to do.
• Which Space Marine Combat Patrol to buy
  Sets the four chapter Combat Patrols we list beside Getting Started with Space Marines, so you can pick the box that fits how you want to play.
• Blood Angels or Ultramarines for a first army
  Red or blue: how Blood Angels and Ultramarines differ in kits, rules and cost, and how to settle it.
• Are Space Marines a good first army?
  Straight pros and cons of Space Marines as a first army, with the cost of a starting force and the alternatives.
• Death Guard or World Eaters as a first Chaos army
  The Death Guard and World Eaters Combat Patrols side by side: models, play style, painting and what to buy first.
• Are Orks a good first army?
  Who should start Orks, what the Ork starter boxes hold and the order to buy in.
• How many Ork Boyz do I need?
  How many Boyz each Ork box holds, what players say they run, and a buying rule.
• Are Necrons a good first army?
  What the Necron Combat Patrol holds, the worries new Necron collectors raise, and what to add.
• Tyranids: is 'they look cool' enough?
  Why liking the look of Tyranids is a good reason, and three ways to start them.
• T'au Empire or Kroot Combat Patrol?
  Whether Kroot are a separate army, what each box holds, and which one to buy first.
• Leagues of Votann: what to buy first
  What the Votann Combat Patrol holds, where Hearthkyn Salvagers fit, and what to add.
• Aeldari or Aeldari Corsairs Combat Patrol?
  What each Aeldari Combat Patrol holds, how Corsairs fit the Aeldari army, and which to start with.