Best Starter Warhammer 40K Armies: 2026 Edition
New to Warhammer 40K in 2026, or just here to tell us we're wrong? We break down the 5 best starter armies for beginners in our opinion, covering ease of play, army variability and diversity, model count, and most importantly cost.
With Warhammer 40K 11th Edition on the horizon, there is no better time to research the best starter armies to invest your hard-earned money and time. But before you spiral into analysis paralysis staring at the Games Workshop website, let's talk about which armies actually make sense for a beginner in 2026.
The best starter army isn't just about what looks coolest (though that is ultimately what matters). It's about the lowest barrier to entry, which includes but is not limited to total cost, ease of painting, rules complexity, and models on the table. At ThriftHammer, we aim to solve the cost issue by helping you avoid paying full retail prices when cheaper options exist.
Here are five armies we recommend for new players:
1. Adeptus Custodes: The “Few But Elite” Starter Army
Cost: Low | Rules Difficulty: Easy | Model Count: Low | Painting Complexity: Easy-Medium
If you hate painting mass quantities of miniatures, Adeptus Custodes is your solution. The Emperor's personal bodyguards are superhuman even by Space Marine standards and their army reflects that. You bring fewer models, but every single one hits like a freight train and has the durability to absorb counterattacks from your opponent.
A competitive or casual 2,000-point Custodes list can often be fielded with somewhere in the range of 20-40 models. For a new painter, that is extremely reasonable. If you copy the Golden Boy box paint scheme, your army should be completed in no time.
Why they're great for beginners:
- Low model count means less time assembling and painting, and more time playing
- Forgiving stat lines, elite units are harder to kill, so small mistakes hurt less
- Historically (and currently) has amazing combo boxes that let you field competitive armies at a fraction of the cost of other factions
Be warned:
- Current 10th Edition rules (and likely the start of 11th) are considered dull by a majority of the community
- Fewer models on the table can make it tougher to play objectives and mission play
- Custodes are a melee focused army, so if you enjoy shooting hard, you may be disappointed
Best starting kit: Adeptus Custodes Combat Patrol, gives you a solid 700-point foundation to build from. Buy two and then augment your army with whatever models call to you.
Tips/Tricks: At the start of a new edition, most unit points are typically increased across the board, so the Combat Patrol box may be closer to 800 points making it an even better deal at launch.
2. Space Marines: The “Vanilla Ice Cream” of Warhammer 40K
Cost: Low | Rules Difficulty: Varies | Model Count: Varies | Painting Complexity: Easy
Yes, Space Marines are the default recommendation for every blog and list like this. No, this blog is no different. There's a reason Games Workshop has built an entire game ecosystem and multi-million dollar business around these guys, they are the best-supported, most flexible, and most beginner-friendly faction in the game.
“Space Marines” isn't just one army; it's an ecosystem of codex-compliant and non-codex-compliant chapters that all share many of the same models. It's essentially a family of related factions:
- Ultramarines, lovingly known as the “Blueberries,” the safest choice, and the most represented in starter sets
- Blood Angels, melee-focused, arguably the coolest color scheme, and great lore for players getting into the fiction
- Dark Angels, brooding and secretive, with three sub-wings to play with
- Space Wolves, Viking marines, melee-focused, with unique units other Space Marines wish they had
- Black Templars, crusading zealots, more horde-based than other Marine chapters
- Deathwatch, flexible kill teams; not recommended for newer players
Every flavor of Space Marine shares a core rules framework, which means if you start Ultramarines and decide Blood Angels speak to you a few months into the hobby, a significant chunk of your collection crosses over.
Why they're great for beginners:
- Enormous community, top support from Games Workshop, tutorials, and YouTube content for every sub-faction
- Every edition launches with a starter box, so you'll always have access to good entry level deals regardless when you decide to join the hobby
- Wide variety of playstyles, you will never get bored with the options available to you
Be warned:
- Space Marines do not play like the lore, Marine armies typically have more models on the table than you'd expect
- Space Marines are the “subscription model” army. Expect constant product launches; FOMO is a real problem here
- The bloated model range means too many options can sometimes be a bad thing. Figuring out what's good, building a coherent list, and keeping up with releases can be a hassle and cause burnout
Best starting kit: 11th Edition Launch Box, not yet released as of writing, but expect this to be an excellent entry point. Find a friend to split the opposing Ork half to maximize savings.
Tips/Tricks: ThriftHammer can save you 15-20% on most Space Marine kits. But before you invest in new, check r/miniswap or your local Warhammer community. Small Space Marine army lots go cheaply on the second-hand market.
3. Imperial Knights & Chaos Knights: The “Keep It Simple” Army
Cost: Medium | Rules Difficulty: Very Easy | Model Count: Very Low | Painting Complexity: Medium
If Custodes have a low model count, Knights have almost no model count. An Imperial or Chaos Knights list can be built around three to five giant walker-mechs, or fewer than a dozen smaller Armigers. That's it. This is the army for you if you don't want to worry about dozens of individual unit rules.
Imperial Knights are loyal to the Imperium and can be allied with other Imperium factions, making them cost-effective if you plan to collect multiple Imperium armies down the line. Chaos Knights serve the dark gods with a more corrupted, grotesque aesthetic, but function similarly and are also great allies if you plan to collect additional Chaos armies.
Why they're great for beginners:
- Three to five models for a full army, easy to build, manage on the table, and store at home
- Each model is a centerpiece that feels impactful every time it activates
- Straightforward rules, fewer units means fewer rules interactions to track
Be warned:
- The design space for this army is limited, so don't expect crazy combos, big-brain plays, or deep layered strategy
- Games with Knights tend to go one of two ways: your mechs rampage and crush everything, or your opponent brings enough anti-tank to board-wipe you mid-game. There isn't always a lot of middle ground.
- Knights are the worst army to use for learning Warhammer fundamentals since you interact with fewer mechanics than a standard army
Best starting kit: Armiger Kit, the smaller mechs may not be as visually stunning as the big Knights, but you'll use Armigers in almost every list you build, and they tend to be in a solid place across most dataslate updates.
Tips/Tricks: Magnetize your models. This is not a recommendation, this is a plea for your own sanity. Magnetizing different weapon options will save you real money by eliminating the need to buy duplicate kits for different loadouts. Check out Magnet Baron (not sponsored or affiliated) who sells magnetizing kits specifically designed for Knights.
4. Chaos Space Marines: The “Space Marine (With Spikes)” Army
Cost: Medium | Rules Difficulty: Medium | Model Count: Varies | Painting Complexity: Medium-Hard
Everything we said about Space Marines being beginner friendly? Chaos Space Marines inherit most of that goodwill but with spikes, mutations, and teenager-grade edginess. Like their Imperium counterpart, Chaos Space Marines offer a wide variety of models, playstyles, and archetypes, so you can field exactly the army you want.
Why they're great for beginners:
- Extremely versatile, various playstyles and sub-factions mean you'll never get bored causing chaos
- Access to different Chaos Gods provides different units, boons, and variability, allowing for better customization and flavor than most other armies
- Great mix of centerpiece models (Daemon Engines, Greater Daemons, and epic characters) alongside mission-play units, giving you the best of both worlds
Be warned:
- Chaos Space Marines are not treated as generously as classic Space Marines, a portion of the range is overdue for a model refresh
- Painting can be a chore depending on the models (Chaos trim is a thing, people)
- If you focus on a particular Chaos God, your unit choices become considerably more limited
Best starting kit: A combo box of your choice. Depending on which part of the range calls to you, don't stress about finding the “perfect” starting point, focus on getting what you want at the best possible price.
Tips/Tricks: If you want Demons in your army, wait until 11th Edition officially launches. Chaos Demons are in a strange state right now, many outdated models, no codex in 10th Edition, and generally neglected by GW. Don't invest heavily in Daemons yet, or you risk buyer's remorse in a few months.
5. Grey Knights: The “Please Give Me a Refresh” Army
Cost: Low | Rules Difficulty: Medium-Hard | Model Count: Low | Painting Complexity: Low
Grey Knights are the Imperium's secret weapon against demonic incursion, an entire Space Marine chapter composed exclusively of psychic warriors who fire “mind bullets” to destroy their enemies. From a beginner's perspective, Grey Knights share the same low model count appeal as Custodes. The difference is you get badass psykers who use their psychic abilities to manipulate the battlefield, while being less durable and less melee oriented.
As one of the armies I personally collect, Grey Knights hold a soft spot in my heart, however, they rank #5 due to how outdated their model range currently is.
Why they're great for beginners:
- Low model count, more time playing, less time building
- Silver power armor is extremely beginner-friendly to paint: prime black or grey, drybrush silver, pick out details, done
- High skill expression, the army rewards deep strategy and understanding board state to achieve victory, all without requiring 60+ models on the table
Be warned:
- Grey Knights have an outdated range that will likely be refreshed within the next few years, buying new retail feels like a waste
- 10th Edition was not kind to the army; psychic abilities lacked flavor and interesting mechanics
- Limited model range makes army list building repetitive compared to most other factions
Best starting kit: None. As a collector of the army, I'd recommend buying Grey Knights strictly second-hand or waiting for the model refresh. The discount doesn't justify buying into an aging range at full price.
Tips/Tricks: If you want to kitbash your Grey Knights to be Primaris-sized, check out this YouTube guide on Grey Knight Primaris conversion. The result looks significantly better on the modern table.
How to Actually Save Money on Your Starter Army
Whichever faction calls to you, a few universal principles keep costs reasonable:
- Start with a Combo Box. Research the best combo boxes Games Workshop currently offers for your chosen faction. Combo boxes almost always represent better value than buying units individually, and they're widely discounted at third-party retailers.
- Compare prices before every purchase. GW direct pricing is rarely the best price. Online retailers and your local FLGS regularly offer 15-25% off. Use ThriftHammer to compare prices across retailers in one place before you click “add to cart.”
- Buy second-hand strategically. Sealed or lightly assembled second-hand kits can offer massive savings. eBay lots are worth watching, especially for high-model count armies like Orks.
- Don't buy a full army on day one. Start with a Combat Patrol or combo box, learn the game, then expand. Tastes change, metas shift, and you may find you dislike a faction after a few games. Don't go too deep too early.
Final Thoughts
The best starter army is always the one that makes you excited. But excitement runs out when the hobby gets expensive, and that's exactly the problem ThriftHammer was built to solve.
Keep checking prices. Never stop searching for the best deal. Save the money and spend it on more models.
Want to compare prices on any of the kits mentioned above? Use the ThriftHammer price comparison tool to find the best deals across retailers, updated daily so you never overpay. You can also use our Army Cost Calculator to plan your entire army budget before spending a penny.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!
Log in to leave a comment.