Whether you’re heading to pick up your first box of miniatures or you’ve been orbiting the Warhammer community for months like a hesitant commander about to order your drop pod launch, one question looms large. How do I go about choosing a Warhammer faction? With dozens of armies across Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar, each with their own lore, aesthetic, and play style, the choice can feel overwhelming.
But don’t worry – this guide is designed to make that first big decision easier and, more importantly, fun.
Step 1: Decide What Universe You Want to Play In
Before you start choosing a Warhammer faction, you need to choose your battleground. There are quite a few settings in the Warhammer universe, but the most popular options are:
- Warhammer 40,000 – is grimdark sci-fi, filled with gothic horror, ancient aliens, genetic super-soldiers, and galaxy-shaking wars where billions of combatants fall every day and soliders lifespans are often measured in minutes.
- Warhammer Age of Sigmar – is high fantasy dialled up to eleven, full of living gods, elemental magic, and endless realms of war. Ranks of infantry clash while arrows fly and beasts and monsters tower overhead.
Ultimately there’s no wrong answer – go with what excites you. People often end up collecting multiple armies, or an army for each setting, but let’s focus on one to start with. Have a look through the different factions, read some lore books, see what units are on the rosters. Find what catches your interest; what army are you picturing leading across the battlefield? If you’re drawn to super soldiers, technologically advanced aliens and mechanical warfare then 40K is your battlefield. If you love fantasy tropes, magic-heavy armies, and ancient mythic energies then AoS might be your jam.
Step 2: Decide What Attracts You Most
Now we’ve picked a setting it’s time to start narrowing down factions. Think about what kind of Warhammer experience you’re looking for. Similar to narrowing down your setting explore the universe and explore what gets you excited about it. Ask yourself:
- Visuals: What models or art pieces immediately catch your eye?
- Lore: Do you want to fight for a “noble” cause, or embrace the power of chaos?
- Play style: Are you an aggressive player who wants to charge forward, or someone who likes to outmanoeuvre with tactics and trickery?
- Size: What sort of force do you want? A small headcount, elite army? A big horde that overwhelms your enemies?
- Hobbying: Do you want lots of customisation and conversions, or a quick route to a painted army?
Knowing answers to these kind of topics will help guide you in choosing a Warhammer faction.
Step 3: Browse the Factions by Personality and Playstyle
With a bit of an idea of what characteristics you’re looking for in your army start looking for one that fits the brief. Here’s a brief breakdown of some of the more popular factions, and how they work as a collector, to help get your gears turning:
Warhammer 40K
- Space Marines: The poster boys. Versatile, beginner-friendly, with a huge range of chapters (Blood Angels, Ultramarines, Space Wolves…). Great starting army that caters to a lot of play styles.
- Tyranids: Swarms of alien controlled by a hive mind on a perpetual hunt for biomass. If you like hordes of alien bugs and relentless overwhelming offence, they’re your pick.
- Necrons: Egyptian-themed robot undead. Slow moving but disgustingly durable with great starter models that can be quickly painted to a table top level.
- Astra Militarum (Imperial Guard): Human soldiers with tanks and artillery. Big on numbers, vehicles, and massed firepower. They’re the meat grinder that keeps the light of the Empire of Man burning, and blend hordes of infantry with powerful mechanical support.
- Aeldari: Once a powerful, galaxy-spanning empire the Aeldari have fallen, victims of their own hubris and the rise of destructive powers. Though still able to hold their own their numbers are depleted by every battle and the future looks bleak. Think the space version of high fantasy Elves, they move fast and strike with precision.
- Chaos: Corrupted versions of many factions, from Chaos Marines to Daemons. If you love metal album covers, look here. Again they have a mixed bag of play styles but as a general rule they lean a little more towards melee.
Age of Sigmar
- Stormcast Eternals: Magical space paladins – basically AoS’s Space Marines. Beginner-friendly with shiny armor and varied units.
- Orruks (Orcs): Brutal and hilarious, and represented in 40k as well. The general rule is smash first, laugh second. They’re meant to be based on English football hooligans, so imagine them going to war and you have a solid idea how they play. They’re also really fun to paint, and can be quite forgiving for new painters given their rough and ready aesthetic.
- Seraphon: A sentient, Aztec inspired race of lizards with vast amounts of magic combined with cold-blooded fury in combat. Very unique aesthetic and very fun to paint, with a blended approach to combat.
- Nighthaunt: Ghostly legions with a horror vibe. Lots of flowing sculpts and unique painting opportunities.
- Cities of Sigmar: Combined forces made up of the citizens of the Cities of Sigmar. Duardin, Aelves and humans march together to take on the threats of the realm with swords, shields and heavy firepower. A lot of opportunities for keeping your painting varied and interesting.
- Chaos Factions: Multiple factions that revel in destruction, mutation, and dark powers. Similarly to their 40k variants each faction has a different speciality, but in general they have some powerful melee and magic options.
Step 4: Get Hands-On (Virtually or Physically)
Here are some ways to test the waters before you fully commit to choosing a Warhammer faction:
- Visit a local game store or Warhammer shop and look at display models. They may even have introductory sessions for you to sample how factions play.
- Use the Warhammer 40K App / AoS App for faction rules previews.
- Read faction summaries on Warhammer Community or YouTube army breakdowns.
- Check out YouTube battle reports – there’s some great channels that offer insights into how factions can be played.
Step 5: Consider Hobby and Budget Goals
Some armies are cheaper and faster to paint, letting you get from zero to the tabletop as quick as possible. Others can become long-term hobby projects, either due to the scale of the army or the price of collecting a sizeable force. Consider what you want to get from your army before fully committing:
- Low model count, elite armies: Custodes (40K), Ogor Mawtribes (AoS) – fewer models, high individual cost, quicker to build.
- High model count, horde armies: Tyranids (40k), Skaven (AoS) – lots to paint, but visually impressive and thematic.
- Highly customisable factions: Orks (40k or AoS), Cities of Sigmar (AoS) – great for unit variety or converters and kitbashers.
- Factions with strong start boxes: Necrons, Stormcast, Tyranids, Seraphon – great value for a beginning collector allowing you to get a discount jumpstart.
Step 6: Just Choose One (You Can Always Change Later!)
Here’s a secret most veterans won’t tell you upfront: you don’t have to marry your first army.
You can:
- Start small (Combat Patrol or Vanguard box or even an underworlds warband).
- Paint a test model or two (keep an eye out for suitable free Miniature of the Month models).
- Trade or sell models later if you change your mind – eBay and Facebook Marketplace both have great second hand markets.
- Keep multiple factions as your collection grows.
Just remember; the goal is to get started — not to choose the “perfect” army.
Go with Your Gut
You could spend weeks agonising over every choice – or you could dive in commit to a small box, prime some minis and start slapping paint on.
Warhammer is a massive hobby full of depth, and no matter which faction you choose, you’ll be gaining experience that makes your next decision easier. Faction loyalty can come later – what matters most is getting those models on a tabletop and rolling dice with your friends.
Got any tips for how you go about choosing a Warhammer faction? Any advice for new players wanting to get into the game? Let us know in the comments below!
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