The 2021 A0S and 40k Christmas Battleforces have made it to the studio, check out our unboxing of both the 40k and AoS boxes!
This week in our unboxing we take a look at the Christmas Battleforces and see what’s in them, the value, and if they are worth picking up. If you’ve been wondering what they are like this gives you a great overview.
We are going to show you everything including the sprues, bits, and of course comparisons. That way you can decide if these are worth your hard-earned hobby dollars. Let’s go!
2021 AoS & 40k Christmas Battleforces: Unboxing
Get yours for less on Amazon, Dicehead Games, or eBay
As you can see, each box is quite large, and each (for AoS and 40k) runs for $210 and saves you about $100. Let’s check out all the 2021 Christmas Battleforces from Games Workshop!
Breaking Down the Value
While a box full of simple marines might not be exciting, it’s certainly viable as you’ll need a ton of marines to fill out a full list anyways! Rob makes a good point that everything inside could be useful for new and old players alike. The other boxes are the same price and have similar value, but not as many troops. The only box not out now is the Ad Mech one, which will not be out until ‘Early 2022’, so if you’ve been waiting for that, you’ll have a little longer to go.
On another note, you need to vote with your hobby dollars, so if you can pick this up from a local store, you should! By buying it from your local store, you can sometimes get a discount, but more importantly, you keep money in the community.
If you just buy it from GW, they keep 100% of the value, if you buy it from a local store, the majority of the money stays in the local gaming community. The only way to get GW to change their ways is by voting with our hobby dollars so they give us more value. just remember, your hobby dollars are the most important voting tool you have as a hobbyist. Try to spend the money at local stores and with companies you like if it is of value to you.
Christmas 2021 Battleforces Unboxing
It starts with the box where they show you everything in the box, you get decal sheets, sprues, and instructions.
As you can see, when you open the box it’s just a ton of sprues, but there are instructions for everything included. IF you need help on building anything we’ve done tutorials on pretty much everything in the boxes!
If you want to see all the value on the boxes, for both AoS and 40k, check out the link below:
GW 2021 Christmas Battleforces: Full Pricing & Values
Four new Battleforces are here for Age of Sigmar. Let’s take a look at the details of the contents and value!
Soulblight Gravelords: Revenant Legion $210
First up are the vampires of the Soulblight Gravelords, who lead a dolorous horde of brainless thralls in a bumper box that contains 66 miniatures. Hordes of Deadwalker Zombies are particularly useful for pinning down enemy forces while the Vengorian Lord and their Blood Knights swoop in for the jugular.
All of the models in this box were part of their recently updated line, which means even if you are a vet, most of these might be brand new painting challenges you haven’t had before.
The Revenant Legion is a party in a box with 66 models including a bestial Vengorian Lord, five barded Blood Knights, 20 Deathrattle Skeleton warriors and, count ‘em, 40 Deadwalker Zombies.
AoS Christmas Battleforce Value:
- Vengorian Lord: $60
- 5x Blood Knights: $60
- 20x Deathrattle Skeletons: $60
- 40x Deadwalker Zombies: $110
Total MSRP: $290
Total Value: $80
Hedonites of Slaanesh: Sybarite Blade-Carnival $210
Add a little more finesse to your slaughter with the Sybarite Blade-Carnival, which collects a cavalcade of elite Slaanesh Mortals in one place. When these peerless warriors aren’t preening, they’re a surgical strike force comprising 30 miniatures – perfect for tearing reality in two and summoning gaggles of Daemonettes.
Nothing feels worse than getting a box with some old un-updated models in it, luckily just like a bunch of the other battleforces, this one doesn’t!
Led by a Shardspeaker, this box also nets you three Slaangor Fiendbloods, ten Blissbarb archers – plus a lowly homunculus – and five Exalted Seekers which can be built as either Slickblades or Blissbarbs. Then there are ten elite warriors you can build as Mymirdesh Painbringers or frenzied Symbraesh Twinsouls.
AoS Christmas Battleforces Value:
- Shardspeaker: $30
- 3X Slaangor Fiendbloods: $50
- 10x Blissbarb archers: $50
- Slickblade Seekers: $65
- Mymirdesh Painbringers: $60
- Symbaresh Twinsouls: $60
Total MSRP: $305
Total Value: $95
Lumineth Realm-lords: Vanari Shining Host $210
From one group of self-involved egotists to another, it’s the pointy-helmed Aelves of Hysh. This insufferably well-oiled Vanari Shining Host focuses on the Tyrionic half of the Realm-lords’ martial forces, bringing 23 models of archers, spearmen, and cavalry to bear with gleaming precision.
If you like High Elves, look no further than the Lumineth Realm-Lords, as they are essentially the spiritual evolution of what we all think of when we hear “High Elves”.
With Vanari Auralan Wardens, Bladelords, Dawnriders, and a Starshard Ballista, all led by a Vanari Bannerblade and a Lord Regent, this is the perfect Tyrionic hammer for newly arrived Realm-lords.
AoS Christmas Battleforces Value:
- Vanari Auralan Wardens: $60
- Bladelords: $60
- Dawnriders $60
- Starshard Ballista $50
- Bannerblade $35
- Lord Regent $55
Total MSRP: $320
Total Value: $110
Ossiarch Bonereapers: Mortisan Tithe-Echelon $210
Finally, the Ossiarch Bonereapers are back to collect the Bone Tithe on time, because they really want to make sure Nagash has a good Christmas. This immovable legion of 27 models consists of a core of Mortek Guard, backed up by a Mortek Crawler, and a range of grim bone constructs and heroes ready and willing to forcefully acquire each and every tibia and fibia on the docket.
Those dusting off their knucklebone abacuses ready for the tithe in the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia will be able to pre-order this Battleforce on Saturday. Everywhere else will need to wait a little longer for this set to arrive – but it’s on its way.
As the final battleforce box, the Bonereapers are a more elite variant to the standard skeletons we see inside the Soulblight Gravelords box.
Commanded by a Mortisan Boneshaper and a Soulreaper, these immortal debt collectors include 20 Mortek Guard and three Necropolis Stalkers – or three Immortis Guard, if you prefer. A Gothizzar Harvester refashions errant bones into new constructs for the army, while the Mortek Crawler hurls the gift of caskets of screaming souls at besieged enemies.
AoS Christmas Battleforces Value:
- Boneshaper: $30
- Soulreaper: $30
- Mortek Guard: $60
- Necropolis Stalkers: $50
- Gothizzar Harvester: $50
- Mortek Crawler: $80
Total MSRP: $300
Total Value: $90
Overall, these are all decent values and they did a pretty good job of keeping the total MSRP all very similar. While Lumineth has the most value in terms of dollars, it’s not by an insane amount. Whether you play the armies already or not they come with a decent chunk of units to get somebody started off on the right foot or add to your forces.
It looks like each one of these boxes allows the player to get started on a battalion.
Six new Battleforces are here for Warhammer 40k in 2021. Let’s take a look at the details of the contents and their values!
Space Marines: Shieldbreaker Strike Force $210
Overwhelm your opponent with the explosive might of the Space Marines. This is a Battleforce that hits hard and fast thanks to a Storm Speeder and 29 Primaris Space Marines, including some fairly chunky Gravis-armoured battle brothers.
While a box full of simple marines might not be exciting, it’s certainly viable as you’ll need a ton of marines to fill out a full list anyways!
In this box, a Captain and his entourage of Bladeguard Veterans lead a balanced heavy infantry force of 10 Intercessors, 10 Assault Intercessors, and five Heavy Intercessors. Meanwhile, a fast and agile Storm Speeder Hailstrike is perfect for flanking enemy forces, or taking down hard targets when built either as the Hammerstrike or Thunderstrike variant.
40k Christmas Battleforces Value:
- 10 Intercessors: $60
- 10 Assualt Intercessors: $60
- 5 Heavy Intercessors: $60
- Bladeguard Veterans: $50
- Storm Speeder: $65
- Primaris Captain: $35
Total MSRP: $330
Total Value: $120
Death Guard: Plaguefester Warband $210
This box includes a host of Plague Marines and Deathshroud Bodyguard, accompanied by daemon-touched war machines – three Myphitic Blight-haulers and a Plagueburst Crawler – all able to withstand a huge amount of punishment before crashing into the enemy lines in an inexorable wave of stench and decay.
For Death Guard adherents in the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, this Battleforce is available to pre-order on Saturday. Nurgle devotees in other regions will have a short wait before marching into battle – chalk it up to rusted joints.
With a great selection of characters, vehicles, and troops, it’s hard to go wrong with this box.
The Plaguefester Warband is the definitive image of an unstoppable Death Guard army, with a Champion and Icon Bearer leading seven Plague Marines and three Deathshroud Terminators. Three Myphitic Blight-haulers and a Plagueburst Crawler cover their march.
40k Christmas Battleforces Value:
- Deathshroud Terminators: $60
- Plague Marines: $50
- Blight-haulers: $75
- Plagueburst Crawler: $65
- Plague Marine Champion: $30
- Icon Bearer: $30
Total MSRP: $310
Total Value: $100
Necrons: Worldscour Legion $210
There’s nothing worse than being woken up from your nap aeons earlier than planned, which is a fact of (synthetic) life for Necrons across the galaxy. This Battleforce is especially cranky about it, and wants to put its opponents to bed with esoteric guns wielded by Lokhust Heavy Destroyers and Canoptek Doomstalkers, and the razor-sharp claws of the Ophydian Destroyers and Flayed Ones.
Get HeroQuest Now For the Holidays!
If the skeletal-robot theme of Necrons is more our speed, then this box also comes with a great selection of different types of models to give you a sense of what a full army might be like.
A Psychomancer cryptek leads the force, with a unit of 10 Necron Warriors and three Scarab Swarms making up the durable centre. The real killing work falls to a Lokhust Heavy Destroyer, three Ophydian Destroyers, five Flayed Ones, and two huge Canoptek Doomstalkers.
40k Christmas Battleforces Value:
- Psychomancer Cryptek: $35
- Necron Warriors: $45
- Lokhust Heavy Destroyer: $35
- 3 Ophydian Destroyers: $55
- 5 Flayed Ones: $50
- 2 Canoptek Doomstalkers: $80
Total MSRP: $300
Total Value: $90
Orks: Killdakka Warband $210
Killdakka, what a wonderful word to say out loud… Ork speech is poetry when you think about it. This box includes 20 Boyz, plus a Deffkilla Wartrike, your choice of Orky aeroplane, and a Big Mek. That’s lots of kill, and indeed dakka.
Orks have been dominating at tournaments lately, and conveniently enough, this box seems to come with an assortment of models that slot right into those meta lists if you wanted to try them.
While five Nobz, 20 Boyz, and 10 unfortunate Gretchin (with their long-suffering Runtherd handler) storm across the battlefield in search of heads to split, Da Boss speeds into combat aboard his Deffkilla Wartrike. A Big Mek with Shokk Attack Gun has a jolly old time teleporting Snotlings into people from behind the front line, while a Dakkajet screams overhead to strike enemy forces.
40k Christmas Battleforces Value:
- 5 Nobz: $34
- 20 Boyz: $100 (New ETB From the Combat Patrol)
- Gretchin: $18
- Deffkilla Wartrike: $50
- Big Mek with Shokk Attack Gun: $37
- Dakkajet: $75
Total MSRP: $314
Total Value: $104
Adepta Sororitas: Purgatos Mission $210
What’s better than a tank with a stained glass window on it? Nothing, but a tank with a rocket-launching church organ is just as cool. This Battleforce comes with both – an Immolator, an Exorcist, and 16 Adepta Sororitas on foot, ready to toast a lot of heretics and marshmallows.
Sisters are a fan favorite faction, and their newest update helped reinvigorate a lot of their model lineup. That being said this might be a decent place to start as all of the models inside are the recently updated ones!
The fierce eyes of a Sister Dogmata command this force, which is composed of five Celestian Sacrosancts, 10 Battle Sisters, an Immolator armed transport, and a mighty Exorcist tank.
40k Christmas Battleforces Value
- Sister Dogmata: $35
- Celestian Sacresants: $55
- 10 Battle Sisters: $60
- Immolator: $75
- Exorcist: $80
Total MSRP: $305
Total Value: $95
Adeptus Mechanicus: Omnissiah’s Talon $210
If you like eccentric mechanical limbs, gosh does the Adeptus Mechanicus have a treat for you with not one or two, but 15 weird and wonderful modes of ambulation or flight! There’s also a unit of Skitarii and a powerful Tech-priest to lead this gaggle of whirring, clunking, zapping warriors.
For those in the United States and Canada, Forge World Memphis** has had its requisitions delayed by solar interference, so the Omnissiah’s Talon box won’t arrive until early next year.
Ad Mech is another great faction if you like shooty lists, but unfortunately for the US and Canada, we won’t be able to pick this one up until after the new year.
Five speedy Pteraxii, five stealthy Ruststalkers, and three Serberys Raiders make up the core of this battleforce, supported by the Ironstrider Ballistarii’s powerful cognis lascannons. Behind them marches a unit of 10 Skitarii Rangers and their Tech-priest Manipulus commander.
40k Christmas Battleforces Value:
- 5x Pteraxii: $60
- Ruststalkers: $49
- Serberys Raiders: $60
- Ironstrider: $55
- Skitarii Rangers: $44
- Tech-priest Manipulus: $35
Total MSRP: $303
Total Value: $93Final Thoughts
Overall, the 2021 Warhammer Battleforces are decent values and Games Workshop did a pretty good job of keeping the total MSRP all very similar. While the Space Marines have the most value in terms of dollars, it’s not by an insane amount. Whether you play the armies already or not they come with a decent chunk of units to get somebody started off on the right foot or add to your forces.
It looks like each one of these boxes allows the player to make a Combat Patrol Detachment at the very least.
However, if you can find any of the 2020 battleforces this year that are not coming back in 2021 they all are solid values still, and definitely worth the money!
Check Amazon or eBay For Previous GW Christmas Battleforces Deals!
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Joined: 2019
Socials: @paschbass
Bio: Dark Eldar Dracon and Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the third edition in 1998. He also loves camping because you can only paint so much! He joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the main daily writer since 2020.
Maybe one day, he’ll finish converting all his Ad Mech models and turn into a true tech enjoyer, complete with sad and happy robot noises!
