Warhammer Age of Sigmar Starter Sets 2026: Which Edition to Buy

Let me give you the honest version, because the Mortal Realms don't need another breathless sales pitch. Your decision comes down to one question: are you playing alone, or with someone?

If you're testing the waters solo, the $35 Introductory Set is the gentlest on-ramp in the entire hobby. Twenty-five push-fit minis (5 Stormcast Liberators, 20 Skaven Clanrats), six pots of Citadel paint, a brush, and a 48-page handbook that teaches you the game in small, digestible battleplans. The genuinely clever part most people miss: those minis are on push-off frames, so you don't even need clippers to start. It's designed to be a hug, not a contract.

If you've got a friend in this with you, the math changes completely. The $170 Extremis Starter Set hands you 32 models, the complete printed rules (an 80-page Extremis Edition book plus a softback Core Rules book that carries all the core-game rules), terrain, and a double-sided board — a complete table experience. Split that cost two ways and you're each paying $85 for half an army plus a shared rulebook. That's the move the community keeps coming back to, edition after edition.

One thing I'll always tell a nervous newcomer: you do not need the Painting Table of Holding, a light-up display case, or a $90 airbrush to begin. The hobby meets you exactly where you are. Buy the box that matches how you actually intend to play this month — not the fantasy army you'll have in two years.

Here's the breakdown retailers bury, and it's the single most useful thing to know before you spend a cent. The boxes are not interchangeable — they differ in models, books, and intent.

• Introductory Set ($35): 25 minis — 5 Stormcast Liberators + 20 Skaven Clanrats. Six paints (Kantor Blue, Retributor Armour, Leadbelcher, Rakarth Flesh, Khorne Red, Steel Legion Drab), brush, dice, mini handbook. No full rulebook.
• Starter Set ($114): ~35 push-fit minis, double-sided board, 10 dice, two rulers, reference sheets, handbook. The Goldilocks middle.
• Extremis Starter Set ($170): 32 minis — 10 Stormcast (Lord-Imperatant, 3 Praetors, 5 Vindictors) + 22 Kruleboyz (Swampcalla Shaman, 10 Gutrippaz, 10 Hobgrot Slittaz). The complete core-game rules in printed form (an 80-page Extremis Edition book plus a softback Core Rules book), 5 terrain pieces, board.
• Spearhead: Stormcast Eternals ($150): 16 specialised models, headlined by Yndrasta the Celestial Spear, plus a Knight-Vexillor, a Stormstrike Chariot, 3 Annihilators, 10 Vanquishers.
• Skaventide ($275): 74 minis — 50 Skaven + 24 Stormcast — AND two hardback books (272-page core + 144-page Spearhead: Fire & Jade).

The thing that genuinely surprises people: the cheap-vs-expensive gap is mostly books and board, not just models. Extremis costs more than the Starter Set largely because it carries the complete core rules in print (where the Starter Set ships only a slimmer handbook). One nuance worth knowing: the lavish 272-page hardback Core Book is exclusive to Skaventide — Extremis gives you the same rules content in softback form. Factor the rules in and the value story rearranges itself.

Every starter box pairs the golden Stormcast Eternals — the narrative heart of Age of Sigmar, and the faction on nearly every box for over a decade — against a foil. Which foil you get changes the whole feel of your first games.

The Introductory and Starter Sets pit Stormcast against the skittering Skaven. This is the gentlest learning matchup, and there's a real reason beginners thrive here: Clanrats are a horde of cheap, forgiving little ratmen with simple profiles, so a new player gets to move a lot of models and learn the rhythm without drowning in special rules. Stormcast, by contrast, are a small elite force — you learn both ends of the army-design spectrum in one box.

The Extremis Set swaps in the tusked Kruleboyz (Orruk Warclans) — sneaky, swampy greenskins who fight with poison, ambushes, and trickery. Mechanically it's a touch spicier than Clanrats, but it's a genuinely fun, characterful matchup and the units are balanced for teaching.

And here's the insider note worth tucking away: when Games Workshop launched 4th Edition, the whole edition was themed around the Skaven, which is why Skaventide is wall-to-wall ratmen. So if those gnawing, conniving, gloriously evil little creatures are speaking to you — Skaven is the most-supported army in the game right now, with the freshest sculpts. Picking your faction isn't just aesthetics; it's choosing your tactical personality for the next year.

If you've only heard of the big starter boxes, Spearhead is the format that's been quietly reshaping how people get into Age of Sigmar — and it's the single best-kept secret for new players. Spearhead is a fast, fixed-force version of the game.

Here's the part that matters: there is no list-building. Each faction has one Spearhead box containing a fixed set of models, and that box is your army — exactly as it comes. No agonising over points, no "did I bring the optimal loadout," no spreadsheet. You open the box, you have a legal force. For anyone intimidated by traditional wargaming's homework, this removes the scariest barrier entirely.

Games play on a small 22" x 30" board in roughly 45–60 minutes — a fraction of full Age of Sigmar's footprint and time. And the rules are genuinely free: after launch, the Spearhead rules for every box go up on Warhammer Community as a free PDF download, so you can read the whole format before spending anything.

The competitive crowd loves it because the fixed forces make it a pure skill game — you and your opponent are testing decisions, not wallets. The newcomer crowd loves it because you can learn the entire game in one lunch break. Pair a $150 Spearhead box with the $35 Introductory Set to learn the basics first, and you've built a complete, self-contained ecosystem for under $200.

Short answer: if you find it near $275 or below, and you know you're committing, grab it. The value is genuinely difficult to beat.

Skaventide was the launch box for 4th Edition, so it's purpose-built to be a statement of value. Seventy-four models is roughly double what Extremis gives you, and the model split — 50 Skaven (Clawlord on Gnaw-Beast, Grey Seer, Warlock Engineer, Rat Ogors, Warplock Jezzails, 40 Clanrats) versus 24 Stormcast — leans hard into that ratmen launch theme. But the real sleeper feature is the books: this is the box that carries the full 272-page hardback core rulebook AND the 144-page Spearhead: Fire & Jade book — the only starter where you get that lavish hardback core book rather than the softback rules. That's two complete game modes in one purchase.

The honest caveat — and I won't soften it — is that 74 models is genuinely a lot to face on day one. So many unit types, so many warscrolls. For an absolute first-timer who just wants a clean, friendly first game, that density can be overwhelming, and Extremis or the Introductory Set will be a calmer landing.

One availability reality: Skaventide is a launch product, and launch boxes get discontinued once the edition matures. As of mid-2026 it's still turning up on retailer shelves, but stock varies wildly by region and shop. If your local store has it priced fairly, that window may not stay open. This is a "buy it when you see it" box, not a "wait for a sale" box.

This is the piece most older guides haven't caught up on yet, so consider it your edge. In April 2026, Games Workshop launched Spearhead: City of Ash (pre-orders opened mid-April, with the box releasing in early May) — and it quietly changes the starter-set conversation.

City of Ash brings back the classic two-player starter set format, but built natively around the faster Spearhead game mode. Inside: two complete Spearhead forces — Cities of Sigmar versus the Skaven of Clan Eshin — plus a battlepack of missions, a city-themed double-sided board, ruined-manor terrain, and a 72-page handbook with the core rules. In other words, it's the welcoming "both armies in one box, split it with a friend" experience of Extremis, married to the no-homework simplicity of Spearhead.

Why this matters for your decision: if you're choosing today and you love the idea of fast, fixed-force games with a friend, City of Ash may be the most newcomer-friendly two-player box currently on shelves — a genuine alternative to Extremis rather than a niche add-on. It also signals where the line is heading: Spearhead is increasingly the front door to the hobby, not a side format.

My honest steer — and I'm hedging because availability and your local pricing will decide it — is this: if you and a friend want the absolute gentlest two-player on-ramp, price-check City of Ash against Extremis before you buy. If you want the deepest single-army experience and the full printed rules, the older boxes still win. Both are real, both are good; the "best" one is the one stocked near you at a fair price.

Less than the internet will try to sell you. Here's the truth about gearing up.

To play: every starter set is complete in the box. Push-fit minis (they clip together, genuinely no glue required to start), dice, ruler, and rules. You can play your first game with bare grey plastic that very night — unpainted models are 100% game-legal. Don't let anyone tell you you need to paint first.

For durability: push-fit joints can pop loose over time, especially on minis you'll transport. A $5 pot of plastic cement (Citadel Plastic Glue or Tamiya Extra Thin) permanently welds the plastic and is worth grabbing early. One pro habit that costs nothing: before painting, run a hobby knife along the faint mould lines on flat surfaces and faces — that single step is the difference between a good paint job and a great one.

For painting: here's the genuinely useful shortcut. New painters should lean on Citadel Contrast paints — one thick coat over a primed model does the shading and base in a single pass, which is borderline magic on a horde army. Wyldwood is a beloved one-coat for Skaven fur. For Stormcast, whose armour is gold metallic, the usual move is a metallic base shaded with a brown wash (Reikland Fleshshade or Cygor Brown) to deepen the recesses — though a grey shade like Basilicanum Grey can give it a cooler, polished look if that's the vibe you're after. If your box doesn't include paints (only the Introductory Set does), the Citadel Starter Paint + Tools Set at $30–$40 saves you the "which primer, which brush, which colours?" paralysis entirely.

Let me make this dead simple, because you've earned a straight answer.

Solo, just curious, or buying a gift? → The Introductory Set ($35). Zero friction, includes paints, and if the hobby doesn't stick you're out $35, not $175. It's the side door into the Mortal Realms, and nobody regrets walking through it.

Two players, want the full traditional experience? → The Extremis Starter Set ($170), split with a friend. It's the consensus two-player pick across multiple editions for a reason: the faction pairing works, the model count satisfies, and it carries the complete core-game rules in print so you're not buying a rulebook separately.

Two players, want the fastest, lowest-homework on-ramp? → Price-check the new City of Ash ($150-ish) against Extremis. Fixed forces, 45-minute games, both armies in one box.

Already know your faction and want to specialise immediately? → A Spearhead box ($150). You skip the split army and go deep on one tactical identity from game one.

Committed, hunting maximum value, and not scared of complexity? → Skaventide ($275) if you can find it fairly priced — 74 models and two full hardback books is legendary bang-for-buck.

None of these are duds. That's not me being nice; it's genuinely the state of the line right now. Pick the one that fits the life you actually live, grab a brush, and come find the community. You're going to have fun. I promise.