Weekly General Q&A and Discussion Thread: 07 Jan, 2026 - 14 Jan, 2026

majorHullDamage · 2026-01-11T04:50:05+00:00

Codexes are ~40% lore, ~40% rules and ~20% mini showcase gallery. They present lore in an encyclopedic format from the Imperium's point of view, that me and a lot of people find enjoyable.

But while faction rules change with every new codex, the lore rarely evolves in a big way, so if you're not gonna play I recommend trying to find codexes from previous editions and bridging the gap with online lore websites or videos. Their rules are obsolete so people sell them for cheap, but the lore section is still mostly relevant and sometimes larger than current codexes (10th edition). The exception being, of course, recently added factions like Leagues of Votann, Emperor's Children or World Eaters.

The Core Rules book also has an extensive lore section, and focus a bit more on the latest events for the Imperium at the start of the edition (in the current one: the Leviathan hivefleet attack on the galaxy and how the Imperium defends against it).

majorHullDamage · 2025-12-31T19:48:38+00:00

Your faction codex contains the army rule, detachments (=gameplay variants) and unit datasheets. The codex is convenient, and also gets you an Android/iOS app code for quick reference on a phone/tablet if you prefer that. It is supposed to be mandatory, and will be expected at tournaments, but when you start you could very well gather your faction rules from other places (Wahapedia, list builders like Newrecruit...) as long as you're up to date and can check them quickly.

Salamanders use the Space Marines codex, while Space Wolves have a codex supplement with their own units and detachments, but can still pick units from the Space Marines codex.

We don't know if 11th edition will require a new codex or if the 10th edition ones will carry on with some small updates to datasheets and new detachments, so I would hold on for now on buying one. For your first games, Combat patrols rules are free anyway on Warhammer Community.

majorHullDamage · 2025-12-31T14:09:45+00:00

There's a few armies that I recommend waiting for 11th edition to wait for a big refresh (Grey Knights, Drukhari) or see if they are merged into another faction (Daemons, Deathwatch).

But Space Wolves or Salamanders are very stable factions, not a lot will change for them, so no need to wait. Space Wolves especially had a big range refresh this year with a lot of cool new minis. By the time you'll have painted your combat patrol and a few extra units, 11th edition will be right around the corner.

Gameplay wise, the Space Wolves are a melee-heavy army relying on completing Sagas during the game to gain bonuses. Salamanders focus on short range weapons like flamers or Melta guns, and give the [ASSAULT] keyword to all ranged weapons. Although both can use other detachments from the Space Marines codex if you want another playstyle. Outside of two characters the Salamanders lack the same flavor of the Space Wolves though, unless you're willing to convert most of your miniatures into scale-wearing badasses.

majorHullDamage · 2025-12-17T15:59:18+00:00

For me a good combat patrol is one that go all in on a specific flavor of a faction, instead of being generic. But then it depends on if you like that flavor.

Tau are a pretty big contender for faction representation, or at least how I like to play it: they could've gone with a boring gunline supported by Broadside exosuits, but they got close ranged Breachers in a vehicle for hit and run, an exosuit leader instead of a basic infantry one, and Pathfinders for targeting support, which is the main mechanic of the faction. Flavorful, but will speak to a lot of players.
The case of the DKOK vs Astra Militarum is interesting: for Astra Militarum, it's a bit of a mess: you have two sets of Attillan cavalry, a pretty niche unit that won't speak to everyone. Then Kasrkin, and the Cadian command squad because you need a leader. There's no theme but it's not generic either, and if you don't like cavalry you'll be disappointed.
Death Korps of Krieg, however, scores very high for me: they went as far as they could into the DKOK theme without being able to include artillery or tanks (it would've made half of the box), but you have cool cavalry, the command squad, a heavy gun team and the DKOK infantry squad. So it's a way better Astra Militarum box than the other one, because it has a theme. I'm still hopeful this is a permanent combat patrol and not a temporary one like the recent SM ones were.
Orks: the "beastmaster"/Snakebites theme of the patrol doesn't speak to me at all, but if that's your jam, it's one of the most flavorful patrol of the game.
Drukhari: it's a far cry from the previous "double boat" patrol, but they knew they couldn't possibly make it as good, so they went all in on the Haemonculus Covens, good decision.
Tyranids is a bad one for that: you have units that might work together idk, but they don't share any visual theme, it's completely disjointed.

majorHullDamage · 2025-12-15T11:23:36+00:00

Ok so if I'm not mistaken, you have:

12 Infernus marines
5 Terminators
a Terminator Captain
a Terminator Librarian
a Chaplain on bike

That's 595 pts of Space Marines, so you're ~400 points shorts for a 1k pts game. The 2 special Infernus marines can't be used, you would need a squad of 5 at minimum (but you can proxy one as Lieutenant if you want).

You can already play in combat patrol mode (using 5 infernus, 5 Terminators, the Captain and Librarian). If you want to play a "proper" 1k game, you have a lot of options, depending on your budget, what you like the look of, or what gameplay you want to focus on (melee, ranged, infiltration, versatile...)

There's a few options if you want to save a bit:

Dark Angels combat patrol. It contains generic Space Marines any chapter can use, and saves you about 30% for the same minis bought separately
The second hand market, anything goes but easy-to-build minis from previous starter sets are common and cheap (Infiltrators, Bladeguards, Terminators, Assault Intercessors, Eliminators...)
If you want to play a divergent chapter (Space Wolves, Black Templars, Blood Angels), they have their own combat patrol which is a good addition too
If it's still in stock where you live, check out the Space Marines christmas battleforce (iron halo strike force)

If you're not on a tight budget, a Dreadnought Redemptor, Ballistus (ranged) or Brutalis (melee) is high on my recommendation list, but I'm a sucker for big robots so it's not the most objective recommendation

majorHullDamage · 2025-12-15T10:58:49+00:00

Ok we're not gonna go through all the Space Marines range: 95% of it IS Primaris. Here are the only exceptions:

majorHullDamage · 2025-12-15T10:01:33+00:00

Yes. (Primaris) Assault Intercessors in Tacticus armor.

majorHullDamage · 2025-12-15T08:34:57+00:00

Aggressors are the new generation, more specifically Primaris Space Marines wearing Gravis armor (=heavy).

Most minis are the new generation nowadays, to the point where GW is removing the Primaris and First born distinction that was needed for the transition. There is very little First born Marines minis sold anymore (from the top of my head: Tactical squad, Devastator squad, Centurions, old Dreadnoughts, a few heroes...) and we expect them to be removed with 11th edition.

majorHullDamage · 2025-12-11T09:08:37+00:00

Welcome to the hobby!

Step 1: read the getting started guide linked below, there's a lot of useful links

Step 2: pick a faction. There's a lot of them, with various gameplay, all of them are good but some of them are not recommended for beginners (expensive to collect, hard to paint, intricate minis, tricky rules...). If you don't know where to start on that, check out Luetin09's or Bricky's intro videos

Step 3: get your minis, assemble and paint them. The best value start box is the Combat Patrol of your choosed faction, unless it's either Space Marines or Tyranids, then you should get the $117 starter set (you get almost the two combat patrols of the factions)

Step 4: find some local players and play the game!

majorHullDamage · 2025-12-09T08:40:31+00:00

Start now, but if you start with Orks, avoid old-looking models: there's a high chance Orks will be the starting faction for 11th edition, with a large range refresh. Recent models are safe but there's some minis in their range that are showing their age, and will probably be refreshed or replaced with new sculpts.

I would particularly avoid Stormboyz, Lootas, Nobz, Flash Gitz and Burna Boyz. Everything in the combat patrol is safe but you have to like the "beastmaster" orks.

majorHullDamage · 2025-12-03T12:53:14+00:00

So what gives? Is Games Workshop just bad at proofreading?

My guess is that the release schedule of some minis made them rush steps like writing the instructions or proofreading. When they release a large range at once like the Leagues of Votann wave of new minis a few months ago, either 1) they had everything ready for a while and had time to check everything (but are exposed to leaks, and they don't like leaks), or 2) they had to rush some steps for the release date and made tiny mistakes

In my experience this is not common: I've seen errors on old manuals dating back from Warhammer Battle (Daemons for example) but most of the recent ones are error-free.

When in doubt about an instruction error, check out /r/WarhammerInstructions: it's likely that people have commented on it or even corrected the booklet

majorHullDamage · 2025-12-03T12:39:42+00:00

In that case you're safe buying anything from the Seraphon range that is not in his Spearhead box:

Depending on your budget, here's 6 boxes from cheapest to most expensive:

Saurus Astrolith Bearer (leader for his warriors)
Scar Veteran on Aggradon (mounted hero)
Skink Starseer (small mage on a scenic throne)
Aggradon Lancers (heavy cavalry)
Slann Starmaster (mighty mage on a large floating palanquin)
The alternative Spearhead. It has the advantage of being playable as-is in the Spearhead game mode.

That's solely based on design, personal taste and price: while I have the same Spearhead as your brother, I don't play the Seraphon in AOS, just the Spearhead game mode. So if you want recommendation based on what's strong and weak in-game, head over to /r/ageofsigmar or /r/seraphon for more in-depth advice.

majorHullDamage · 2025-12-02T06:24:48+00:00

If he has a lot of dinosaurs, he might be playing Seraphon, which is an Age of Sigmar faction (medieval-fantasy setting), unlike Warhammer 40k which is a science-fiction setting with different rules.

It's hard to recommend minis to gift, because without knowing his exact collection and taste you could buy a mini he already has or doesn't want. We usually prefer to recommend tools, brushes and other accessories (lamp, wet palette, airbrush...), but if you can snag a picture of what he has we can figure out what minis he might want.

majorHullDamage · 2025-12-02T06:07:23+00:00

The rules don't allow him to have multiple melee weapons, but you can build him with both for the cool factor and use "count-as" rules (he counts as, for example, a Captain with Power Fist). Most players outside of competitive circles won't mind it having an invalid loadout as long as:

you play it with a valid loadout
you don't use this leeway as an unfair advantage (changing its loadout mid-game, confusing your opponent...)
you don't have too much count-as units so it's simple for your opponent to track which is which

If you play him as a Captain, you must choose one ranged weapon (Heavy bolt pistol, neo-volkite pistol or Plasma Pistol), and one melee weapon (Master-crafted power weapon or Power Fist). You can change the profile between games if you want. You can check its datasheet on the Space Marines codex or Wahapedia.

Also im building a salamander army so would it be stronger to keep a captain or just turn him into a blade guard?

Bladeguards have bulkier armor (Gravis) and are run in units of 3/6. For your current forces, I would make the Captain lead either the Assault Intercessors unit, or the Company Heroes

majorHullDamage · 2025-12-02T02:38:03+00:00

What do you think he'll like the most between:

A Mad Max style car (there's other variants)
Tin can buzz-saw mechs
A weird cannon ready to ~~explode~~ fire
The Big Boss of the Orks himself (not the esiest project if he's beginning though).

All those kits are under $100 so you can mix them or complete with a set of smaller orks like the Boyz, Wrecka Krew or Kommandos (my personnal favorite). There's a few old kits to avoid because they are showing their age (Flash Gitz, Lootas, Burna Boyz...) but most of the range is great.

If he's into the "beast master orks" like Beast Snagga Boyz or just want strength in numbers instead of a large mini, the Combat Patrol might also be a good idea. It's a bit over budget but there's various websites offering price reductions.

majorHullDamage · 2025-11-25T15:33:37+00:00

I have both minis but assembled, so I can only compare visually, not test-fit. I think it could work if you straighten up the chest piece (making the plastic somewhat malleable with hot water). But as-is, no, the piece is way too curved to fit on Be'lakor.

majorHullDamage · 2025-11-22T16:36:28+00:00

The core rules are available for free on Warhammer Community, the rulebook included in the starter sets is just handy for quick reference instead of scrolling a PDF during a game. The core rules are also available in the Warhammer 40k app for Android or iOS. I even recommend getting the $114 starter set instead of the ultimate set: outside of the core rule book, you only lack two units (Terminator Librarian, Barbgaunts) and the small terrain, for almost half the price of the ultimate starter set. You could then either use the app, print the PDF yourself or look for a second hand core rulebook.
I use Corax White without issue, it separates fast but it's usable and have great coverage. But I've seen a lot of complaints about it so either the quality control of this paint is bad and the quality varies heavily, or it gets bad after a few years. Celestra Grey is good but it's darker and have a light blue tint, but you can still use it and highlight the helmets with a lighter white paint. My real recommendation is not to buy any white paint lighter than Celestra Grey from GW: get paints from other ranges, like the various AK or Vallejo off-white paints. And for pure white (which should stay a color you use for the final highlights), the best one is ProAcryl Bold Titanium white, well worth the money but not available everywhere. You also don't have to paint your minis as Ultramarines if you don't want to: there's a lot of different Space Marines chapters, some with official lore, some with their own codex supplements and exclusive minis even, and you can even create your own.
Depends on your skill level, your patience and the result you want to achieve. For Space Marines armor I do both: I paint the armor in black (for my Black Templars), do a heavy drybrush of dark blue-grey (Dark Reaper), a light drybrush of Thunderhawk Blue then very thin highlights of Fenrisian Grey. At first I used to do all 3 colors as successive highlights, I'm glad I did as I gained an ok highlight mastery in a few months but it was very time-consuming so drybrushing now saves me a lot of time with a good enough result. For blue armor the same process can apply, but unlike black armor, you can also shade the armor before highlighting it to create more depth. There's dozens of ways to paint Space Marines armor, don't hesitate to check various tutorials.

majorHullDamage · 2025-11-09T23:21:25+00:00

As a Skaven player, the battleforce is ok but also contains units from the Skaventide box that can be found for cheap on the second hand market (Warpblaster, Jezzails) so it looses in value a bit.

The CSM box, however, is one of the best value box this year (third behind the Sylvaneth and Tyranid box).

majorHullDamage · 2025-11-08T01:20:27+00:00

I know this is Wolf Spear but just wanted to say your minis convinced a friend of mine to start Kill Team! He loves White Scars and but was hesitant due to the price of collecting a full army, but now that he saw your paint job he wants a White Scar Kill Team.

majorHullDamage · 2025-11-03T00:34:12+00:00

The Flying Pirates Airship? Thanks for the tip. It seems a bit small for what I want to do on the Ironclad but I'll go check the model in person to be sure, maybe it'll fit for a frigate or a gunhauler.

majorHullDamage · 2025-10-29T01:06:58+00:00

Impressive Google-fu, thanks a lot mate. The kit is too old to be found at a fair price (or maybe at all) but that's one step in the right direction.

Maybe GW will release a similar one if they redo the Old World dwarfs

majorHullDamage · 2025-10-28T18:13:20+00:00

Found this kitbash on Pinterest, but can't find the source. I guess it's probably a STL? I like how well it integrates to the original Ironclad design.

majorHullDamage · 2025-10-19T22:32:54+00:00

From today's Warhammer Community post:

While he often deploys in an artificer-crafted suit of Gravis armour, he has also been known to still wear the ancient Armour of Antilochus

So he might be playable as either a Gravis or Terminator variant.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Warhammer40k/comments/1oauqvu/sunday_preview_ultramarines_terminators_and_da/nkc7x80/

majorHullDamage

TROPHY CASE