The best Age of Sigmar army for beginners (2026)
Stormcast Eternals are the ideal Age of Sigmar starter — durable, forgiving, well-supported. Here are the friendliest armies and how to choose.
SprueSentry strategy commentary, not official rules. Games Workshop updates points and rules regularly — always confirm against the current official rules and your latest dataslate before a game.
Age of Sigmar is a fantastic first wargame, and a few armies make the learning curve especially gentle. This guide ranks the most beginner-friendly factions and helps you pick the one you'll stick with.
Every army has a full how-to-play guide and a live-priced Spearhead box on SprueSentry.
The short answer
- [Stormcast Eternals](/age-of-sigmar/armies/stormcast-eternals/guide) — the flagship starter: durable, flexible, forgiving, with the most support and the cleanest 'learn the game' experience. Top pick.
- [Soulblight Gravelords](/age-of-sigmar/armies/soulblight-gravelords/guide) — undead hordes that return models; forgiving and characterful.
- [Stormcast vs a horde army] — if you prefer numbers, a resilient horde (Gravelords, Orruks, Skaven) forgives mistakes through bodies.
Start with the Spearhead box for whichever faction's models you love.
What makes an AoS army beginner-friendly
- Durability or numbers — Stormcast are tough; horde armies absorb losses.
- A clear plan — armies with a straightforward gameplan (hold objectives, hit hard) are easier than combo-reliant ones.
- Paintable scheme — a look you can achieve quickly keeps momentum.
Glass-cannon or heavily combo-dependent armies (some aelf and Chaos factions) are more rewarding later but steeper to learn.
Best picks, ranked
1. [Stormcast Eternals](/age-of-sigmar/armies/stormcast-eternals/guide) — the definitive beginner army; the 4th-edition starter set is built around them. 2. [Soulblight Gravelords](/age-of-sigmar/armies/soulblight-gravelords/guide) — forgiving undead with model return. 3. [Orruk Warclans](/age-of-sigmar/armies/orruk-warclans/guide) — straightforward, hard-hitting greenskins. 4. [Skaven](/age-of-sigmar/armies/skaven/guide) — a characterful horde with lots of models to paint but forgiving numbers.
How to choose (and start cheaply)
Pick the faction whose models you love from the Age of Sigmar armies page, read its how-to-play guide, then buy its Spearhead box (the AoS equivalent of a Combat Patrol). See Combat Patrol vs Spearhead vs Battleforce for the value breakdown, and consider a sealed secondhand box to save.
Common questions
What is the best Age of Sigmar army for beginners?
Stormcast Eternals — durable, flexible, forgiving, and the best-supported army, with the current starter set built around them. Soulblight Gravelords and Orruk Warclans are strong runners-up. Pick the faction whose models you most enjoy.
How do you start an Age of Sigmar army cheaply?
Buy your faction's Spearhead box — the curated, discounted starter force — ideally sealed on the secondhand market. It's the AoS equivalent of a 40K Combat Patrol.
Is Age of Sigmar good for beginners?
Yes — it uses a clean modern ruleset, starts the same way as 40K (one faction's starter box), and has several forgiving beginner armies led by Stormcast Eternals.
Written by SprueSentry with SprueSentry editorial (hand-authored, research-grounded), grounded in the cited sources — original commentary, not Games Workshop rules text.