How to Choose a Warhammer 40K Faction (Complete 2026 Guide)

Choosing your next Warhammer 40K faction is one of the biggest decisions in the hobby.

Your army choice determines:

How much you spend
How many models you paint
Your playstyle on the tabletop
How competitive you can be
How much you enjoy the hobby long-term

With 30+ Warhammer 40K factions, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. Many players end up picking an army that looks cool, only to realize it is expensive, not their playstyle, or requires too much hobby time to fit their schedule.

This guide breaks down the 5 most important factors when choosing your next Warhammer 40K army, ranked by importance.

The 5 Most Important Factors When Choosing a Warhammer 40K Faction

Ranked by Importance:

Cost (Most Important)
Playstyle
Cool Factor
Hobby Requirements
Competitiveness

Let us break them down.

1. Cost

Warhammer 40K is an expensive hobby, and some armies cost 2 to 3 times more than others.

For example:

Elite armies like Adeptus Custodes can routinely be built for $300 to $600 for 2000 points
Horde armies like Imperial Guard, Genestealer Cults, and Adeptus Mechanicus can easily exceed $1,000 for the same army size

What impacts army cost the most? Model count.

More Models = More Money. The more models you field on the table, the bigger your budget needs to be. Understand your budget constraints before going down the rabbit hole of horde armies.

Cost Categories (General Guide)

Cheapest 40K Armies

Mid-Range Cost Armies

Most Expensive Armies

ThriftHammer Tip: Elite armies often offer the best value overall and are usually the cheapest way to get started in Warhammer 40K. Use our price comparison tool to see exactly what each faction costs before committing.

2. Playstyle (How You Actually Play the Game)

Every Warhammer 40K faction plays differently, yet many armies share similar play patterns and fall into established archetypes.

Some armies:

Are shooting focused
Are melee focused
Focus on objective control and mission play
Overwhelm with numbers
Use elite powerful units

Choosing a playstyle you enjoy is critical.

Personal anecdote: My first Warhammer 40K army was Drukhari, chosen solely because of how cool they looked and their pirate-style ships (I love the pirate theme). However, I did not research their playstyle enough. After a few games, I realized I did not enjoy the glass-cannon playstyle. Months of hobbying down the drain that could have easily been prevented with a bit of research.

Common 40K Playstyles

Shooting Focus

Melee Focus

Objective Control / Mission Play

Balanced, All-Rounders

Movement Focus / Tricksy

3. Cool Factor (Rule of Cool Still Matters)

This is often called the Rule of Cool, and for many players it is the number one rule. ThriftHammer disagrees, but it is still massively important when selecting your next army.

Selecting an army you love aesthetically and from a lore perspective is important because you are going to:

Paint and assemble these models
Play them for years
Build your collection over time

If you do not love the army, you may lose motivation over time. I cannot tell you what you will think is cool, but you will know when you see it.

4. Hobby Requirements

This is often overlooked but extremely important. Some armies require:

100+ models
Complex painting (Chaos trim is a significant challenge)
Kitbashing and conversions

Others are much easier, with classic color schemes that are achievable even for brand new painters.

Easy Hobby Armies

Why? These armies typically have low model counts, simple color schemes, and a large amount of painting tutorials online to guide you through the process.

Hard Hobby Armies

5. Competitiveness

The Warhammer 40K meta constantly changes. The best army today might be the weakest next year.

However, it is important that your faction feels competitive regardless of win rates. No one enjoys being crushed game after game. Feeling like you have no chance to win can often lead players to drop out of the hobby entirely.

The good news: Games Workshop has done an admirable job keeping factions within roughly 45% to 55% win rates during 10th Edition, making competitiveness less of a concern over time.

Historically Strong Factions Across Editions

Important: Do not choose an army only because it is strong right now. Consider the core faction rules, internal detachment balance, and your local meta. This will help determine whether the army you are choosing is viable long-term.

Best Warhammer 40K Armies for Beginners (2026)

Best Overall: Space Marines
Best Budget Army: Adeptus Custodes
Easiest to Paint: Necrons / Grey Knights
Most Fun: Orks (my personal bias)
Most Competitive: Aeldari

Once You Choose Your Army

Before buying, check:

Combat Patrol and Combo box deals (our Army Calculator tracks points and cost for every Combat Patrol box)
Starter box value: the 11th Edition Starter Box will likely be the best deal if you are interested in Space Marines or Orks
Points per dollar

Visit ThriftHammer to compare prices across all major US retailers before committing to your next army. If you want to plan your full army budget in advance, our free Army Cost Calculator lets you build a complete roster and see real retailer prices side by side.

How to Choose Your Next Warhammer 40K Faction (Complete 2026 Guide)

The 5 Most Important Factors When Choosing a Warhammer 40K Faction