It looks like the rumors were true, as GW says there isn’t going to be a Warhammer: The Old World starter box set, at least not yet.
There have been multiple announcements since 2019, so let’s recap everything we know about Warhammer: The Old World! This is the biggest reveal we’ve seen yet for Warhammer The Old World will be released on January 20th, 2024. However, as they said before, not everything will be new (or even in plastic), and some models previously released in pewter will now be in resin from Forge World. So now we will truly see plastic, resin, and metal minis on the same tabletop when the game is finally released!
There Will be NO Warhammer The Old World Starter Set
We heard rumors that there would be no dedicated Warhammer the Old World Starter sets early on, and after the preview stream at Warhammer Fest, it looks like they may be true. While there are army launch boxes, we won’t see anything like the old starter sets for the previous editions of Warhammer Fantasy.
Updated December 26th, 2023:
Warhammer The Old World Launch Box Sets
Warhammer Community ‘gifted’ the details of the official launch products, rules, box sets, and more for Warhammer: The Old World on December 26th, 2023.
There is no single launch box for Warhammer: The Old World. Instead, there are two separate – and massive – core army boxes, each containing a full 1,250-point army with dozens of all-plastic miniatures each. On top of that, you get a complete 352-page hardback Warhammer: The Old World rulebook, a four-page reference sheet, 20 D6 dice, one six-sided scatter dice, three weapon templates, two classic red plastic measuring sticks, and transfer sheets.
We knew for a while that these were the two launch factions. It’s great to see they’ll split up the Tomb Kings and Brettonians into separate Warhammer the Old World launch boxes. Now, you’ll get a full core rulebook, along with templates, dice, and other necessities to get started playing!
In their Bretonnia army construction article, Games Workshop said that armies would be 2,000 points. So, both the Bretonnian and Tomb Kings army boxes may be a good step towards collecting a whole army.
Raise your banners to the Lady with the Kingdom of Bretonnia box, which contains 76 miniatures. The resplendent new Lord on Royal Pegasus can be built as a Duke or a Baron. They’re backed up by a lance formation of 12 Bretonnian Knights of the Realm, 36 Bretonnian Men-at-Arms, 24 Peasant Bowmen with two defence stakes, three Pegasus Knights, and a Kingdom of Bretonnian Transfer sheet with 176 transfers.
We got Bretonnia reveals drip-fed for a while. So we’ve seen all of these models already. However, seeing the Bretonnian army box in full view looks spectacular!
Bretonnian Army Launch Box Set Pricing & Value
Don’t miss the wild pricing, value, and savings we may see with the new Bretonnian Army Launch Box for Warhammer the Old World. We priced out the value potential savings here in another article.
Warhammer The Old World Tomg King Army Launch Box
The Liche Priests have exhumed a horde of 93 Tomb Kings miniatures, including the magnificent new Liche Priest on Necrolith Bone Dragon (which can additionally build a Tomb King on foot, or be built instead as a Tomb King on Bone Dragon). The rest is made up of enough classic kits to create an army fit for Settra himself – 40 Skeleton Warriors, 32 Skeleton archers, 16 Skeleton Horsemen, and three Skeleton Chariots.
As with the Bretonnians, officially seeing the new Tomb Kings Army box for the first time is also spectacular!
Tomb Kings Army Launch Box Value is Pretty Shocking
There Isn’t Going to be a Warhammer: The Old World Starter Set
When asked about the starter set in the Warhammer Fest Old World Q&A session following the streamed preview at Warhammer Fest 2023, Games Workshop presenter Eddie Eccles said there will be products that “make it easy” for people to jump into the game.
Eccles went on to mention that every faction in the new game will get some new plastic kits, and old plastic kits will return to production, along with some Forge World resin kits and even some metal models.
For now, it looks more like a hodgepodge of models and not huge starter releases. Considering he never once mentioned a starter set and some “intro” kits, we expect every faction will get something similar to a Vanguard box.
They also revealed Tomb Kings and Bretonnians will get books and models first, but again, it appears there will not be a big starter set for the two factions.
Eccles also mentioned that just like 10th Edition of Warhammer 40k, rules would be available online for every army that was present in the eighth edition of Warhammer Fantasy that debuted back in 2010.
While the lack of a new starter set isn’t great news, it does dovetail with the recent rumors we’ve seen, but they did, however, mention a “launch box.”
So, let’s look at what has been rumored so far.
RUMORS: Warhammer Old World Release Date Details & Kits
These come from Faeit 212.
Warhammer The Old World will be just (like Epic) a small release. We get the Launch Box, Rulebook, the Compendium, and an Accessories Pack for returnee Players.
First up, a launch box is not the same as a starter; this could easily be a box for each faction (like the army starters with the rules), and with Eddie’s reluctance to say starter, it’s hard to think this will be a big release. This timeframe actually makes sense (with the 40k/AoS cycle), as they are trying to keep the 40 years of Warhammer going, with 10th, and possibly Epic (according to these rumors), and finally, Old World.
Early 2024 really is the only place the game could fit into the release cycle unless they push AoS far back into 2024, and that doesn’t seem likely. As Warhammer 40k 10th Edition is taking up the summer slot, and even if the Epic rumors are true (and it is revealed at Warhammer Fest), that only covers a small amount of time and leaves a big slot without a huge game release.
RUMORS: Warhammer Old World Bretonnia Bits
We know the three-year cycle GW likes to do with AoS and 40k, and Sigmar is next in line for a new edition. If they follow the cycle they have since its release, 2024 will be all about AoS.
Plus, in theory, Games Workshop has been hinting at a smaller release for the Old World as they have really only talked about a few factions, most notably, Bretonnians, Tomb Kings, Empire, Cathay, and Kislev. There has been some talk about the Orks and Dwarves, but not nearly as much as the other armies.
Tomb Kings & Bretonnia the First Armies
The only real armies we’ve seen get models (or previews of models so far) have been Bretonnia and Tomb Kings; GW has also basically confirmed they will be the first armies getting reworked. There’s a chance they will be fighting against each other in a launch box, but it is also possible that the launch box will be Bretonnians, with Tomb Kings getting a separate and smaller box.
We’ve only seen a fraction of the models for the Tomb Kings compared to Bretonnia, which means they might not get nearly as reworked, or GW just hasn’t got them all ready quite yet. Again, this gives some more credence to the fact that we might see a launch box with mainly Bretonnians. Either way, don’t get your hopes too high for a giant starter box for the game; think more of Legions Imperialis.
- Warhammer The Old World: New Rules Changes & Models
- There Will be NO Warhammer The Old World Starter Set
- The Shocking Reason Behind GW’s Choice of Armies for Warhammer Old World!
While the lack of a dedicated Warhammer: The Old World Starter set may disappoint some fans, there are still plenty of exciting new products and releases to look forward to. The two massive core army boxes, each containing a full 1,250-point army with dozens of all-plastic miniatures, along with a complete 352-page hardback rulebook, templates, dice, and other necessities, provide excellent value and opportunities for players to build their armies.
Are you excited about Warhammer the Old World returning with no starter set or launch box?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
