After all the increases, Warhammer 40k and AoS players are wondering, how much does an army cost from Games Workshop now?
With the recent large kit price increases (with Knights and new Sons of Behemat especially), hobbyists may wonder why the models seem to cost so much lately.
We’re going to compare the Sons of Behemat to other factions in both Warhammer 40k and AoS to see if the price tag is consistent, rising, or a mix of both. Who knows, maybe we will be surprised and see the price is actually dropping?
Let’s dive in and see how much Games Workshop wants you to spend on your Warhammer army, and what it may actually cost you at the register!
How Much Does a Warhammer Army Cost Now?
While Gargants seem to be pricey, they are pretty elite, so maybe fewer boxes will mean less money overall?
We can just assume you’ll play two Mega Gargants, King Brodd, and three-man crushers for your battleline. This puts you pretty close to the 2K points number.
So how much does this example list cost?
- 2 Mega Gargants $200 ea.
- 3 Mancrusher Gargants $160 ea.
- King Brodd $210
Total Monofaction cost: $770
Chaos Everchosen Army Cost
Another elite army that had some price controversy (cough, cough, Varanguard) on release was the Archaon Everchosen faction.
Looking at a basic list, you can run Archaon, 9 Varanguard (3 battlelines), 1 Gaunt Summoner
So how much does this example list cost?
- Archaon, Grandmarshal of the Apocalypse $170
- 9 Varanguard (3 boxes of 3 models) $110 ea.
- Gaunt Summoner on Disc of Tzeentch $40
- Slaves to Darkness Endless Spells $45
Total Monofaction Cost: $585
Imperial Knights 40k Army Cost
But how about the cost of an elite Warhammer 40k army?
Looking at a basic Monofaction list, how much can you expect to pay for a 2k-point Knight list?
- 4 Helverins (2 boxes) $85 ea.
- 1 Gallant $170
- 1 Crusader $170
- 1 Warden $170
Total Monofaction Cost: $680 (you can sub out any single Knight too for two boxes of Armigers and get about the same price)
Space Marine Salamanders Army Cost
How about a more standard Warhammer 40k army these days…
Pulling from a 9th edition tournament, this is a pretty good indicator for a typical space marine list, except that it’s Salamander flavored!
- 1 Adrax Agatone $42
- 1 Captain (upgraded to chapter master) $30
- 1 Primaris Lieutenant $35
- 5 Primaris Infiltrators (10 in box) $60
- 5 Primaris Intercessors (10 in box) $60
- 5 Scout Squad $34
- 5 Primaris Aggressors (boxes of 3 ea.) $55 ea.
- 3 Bladeguard Veterans $55
- 1 Invictor Tactical Warsuit $65
- 1 Attack bike $35
- 6 Primaris Inceptors (box of 3) $55 ea.
- 3 Scout Bikes $38
- 6 Eradicators $55 ea.
- 1 Impulsor $80
- 1 Land Speeder Storm $38
Total Monofaction Cost: $823.30
Are Sons of Behemat Fairly Priced?
- AoS: Sons of Behemat Monofaction cost: $770
- AoS: Chaos Everchosen Monofaction Cost: $585
- 40k: Imperial Knights Monofaction Cost: $680
- 40k: Salamanders Monofaction Cost: $823.30
In short, no, but ultimately it depends; here’s why.
Elite armies tend to be cheaper to build because large models tend to have better points-per-dollar ratios. This means the more elite units your army is made of, the cheaper it can be to make.
With this in mind, the Sons of Behemat fail that presumption. Archaon and Imperial Knight lists are both similar, and their prices also reflect that (but cheaper).
Sons of Behemat are closer to that of a spam list and are even on par with a pretty diverse Space Marine list filled with bodies.
When comparing these, it’s also important to note a few things. When Everchosen was released, they had one of the most expensive books, however, now they have been merged into Slaves to Darkness, making them broader, less elite, and potentially much less expensive.
Varanguard used to be a major complaint as they are $110 per box and get you three models totaling 280 points for that tag. Meanwhile, $100 of Warriors gets you 30 models and 540 points, almost double!
Archaon is also extremely dense in terms of points. He is one of the best cost-to-point ratio models made by Games Workshop, coming in at $170 for 800 pts (New Mega Gargants are $30 more and 300ish fewer points). If you take Archaon out of the list, his army becomes significantly more expensive.
Due to Archaon almost being worth two Mega Gargants in points, it doesn’t feel right to compare them.
However, comparing Knights to Behemat at face value seems better; both are closer to each other in terms of releases, and both contain similar size models across the respective lists.
They also have a similar amount of models. The Knights list has three large models and four slightly smaller models. Sons of Behemat have three large models and three slightly smaller models. Yet with these apparent comparisons, the Sons of Behemat come out $90 more…
The only factor that could rationalize the price of the Sons of Behemat is that you can take them with any faction in AoS, making them one of the most flexible units in the game in that sense. Perhaps they are pricier because even with that flexibility, GW feels that they won’t sell as many of those as, say, a Questoris Knight kit.
It’s also worth noting that this is just the cost of models in an army, and no additional rules books, dice, etc., which in theory will cost well over $100 more than the prices shown above.
Is it Affordable To Build a Warhammer 40k or Age of Sigmar Army?
So how much does it cost to build a Warhammer army now? Judging from these examples, it seems to average around $650. After factoring in books, dice, and other game aides you may need to play, you’re looking at around $800 as the cost of an average Warhammer Army these days.
However, there are ways to save on building a new or existing army:
What do you think about the cost of a Warhammer army now?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
