
Five tips for getting started with Warhammer in 2025
Have you recently caught the Warhammer bug? Perhaps you're fresh from a run on Space Marine 2, finally caved to the pressure of a friend who already plays the game, or accidentally fell down an hours-long YouTube lore black hole into the madness of the 41st millennium..
Either way - welcome! It's definitely not a cult. Honest.
Warhammer can, however, feel like a weird and slightly overwhelming hobby when you're first setting out. Figuring out what to buy first and how to get started with building, painting and playing with your new miniatures can be quite a lot to get your head around.
Don't fret! As a long term Warhammer enthusiast and expensive plastic addict, I'm here to help. Here's a few tips for getting started with the wonderful world of little plastic soldiers.

Step 1: Visit your local GW store
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If you're considering diving into the worlds of Warhammer, the best place to begin is usually with your local (or, at least, hopefully local) Warhammer shop.
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Every store will let you build and paint a free Space Marine or Stormcast Eternal (they’re like fantasy Space Marines, basically…) as an introduction with the guidance of the hobby expertise of the store manager. You can also play an introductory game at most stores, of either 40k or Age of Sigmar, to get a feel for how the game works, if the gaming side of the hobby is something you want to explore. To follow on from this, most stores will also run a course of learner games once you have a small force of your own to improve your knowledge of the game.
Stores also give out a free "mini of the month" each month, usually related to upcoming releases. So if you're interested in giving painting miniatures a go but don't want to pay up for a whole box just yet, they can be a great place to start.
Lastly, stores are just a great place to meet other - usually newer - hobbyists. My local store runs painting and gaming evenings on Thursdays; not all of them will offer this but if they do it can be a great way to start playing some pick up games or painting socially in a more casual environment.
A lot of third-party stores will also run similar introductory nights or events for newbies, as well as potentially having beginner leagues or social games so you can get started with some pick-up games against fellow greenhorns. Plus, they're often a great way to get hold of minis at a reduced cost (more on that in a bit...).
Step 2: What to collect? And what to buy first..?
Maybe you've already gotten an idea of an army you're already drawn towards having seen it on the shelf, or in a game online, or in a beautiful art piece on Instagram. Fantastic!

If you don't then having a mooch around your Warhammer store, or third party local game shop can be a fun way to decide on a model to paint, or a faction to play. Each of the two major games - 40k and Age of Sigmar - feature a huge range of factions, each with their own unique aesthetic. Gothic and stoic Space Marines, otherworldly demonic entities of Chaos, blind sea elves that steal people's souls... the choice is yours.
"Gothic and stoic Space Marines, otherworldly demonic entities of Chaos, blind sea elves that steal people's souls... the choice is yours."
When you've got a faction or a particular miniature in mind to dip your toe with, it's time to buy some plastic. Yay! For ease of access, buying direct from Warhammer stores itself is a straightforward option (and you get the toys straight away. Result). But there are significant savings to be made by going to online retailers instead - usually around 15-20% off RRP. Some of the best sites to try include: Wayland Games, Element Games and Goblin Gaming.
To go alongside your very first miniatures, you're going to need to grab some primer, some brushes and a few paints to get you started on your never-ending battle against grey plastic. These can all be bought direct from a Warhammer store, but savings can be made if you look for other paint brands online - the likes of Vallejo, Army Painter of Colour-forge can be a nice alternative for the acrylic paints you'll need to get some colour on your grey plastic.
In fact, I have a whole guide with some cost saving tips for Warhammer in 2025 coming next week. You're welcome :).
Step 3: Find guides online
You've likely already stumbled upon this but, just in case, I should recommend that Youtube is an incredible source of Warhammer game streams, lore, chat shows, painting guides and podcasts.
If you're looking for tips before applying brush to plastic for the first time, there are painting guides for just about every model and style of painting on the site. The Warhammer official channel has guides of its own, which are great, but they aren't the be-all and end-all of hobby Youtube: Duncan Rhodes is probably the pre-eminent, beginner-friendly painting guide channel, but there are plenty of others covering painting techniques and guides, whatever your level of painting.
Youtube is also an incredible way to immerse yourself in the lore and stories of Warhammer. If you haven't already, and you need some background to your first painting sessions, the likes of Leutin, Baldermort, Adeptus Ridiculous and Arbitor Ian can help keep you company - and get you up to speed with the ins and outs of 40 years of Warhammer history - at the painting desk.
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Step 4: Find hobby groups online
Reddit does have a plethora of subreddits for almost every Warhammer sub-faction, as well as dedicated subreddits for the hobby as a whole and for competitive Warhammer. If you have a faction in mind that has taken your particular fancy, the corresponding subreddit can be a useful source of tips, feedback and (hopefully) friendly conversation as you start to build up to your first force of wardollies. Instagram is also a great resource for sourcing hobby inspiration and to meet fellow wardollies-enthusiasts online.
If you've already encountered YouTube channels devoted to warhammer games or lore, you might already be aware of associated communities, usually hosted on Discord, for many channels. Some of these are paywalled behind membershops, but a lot are free to access and can offer an alternative to the perceived perils of Reddit. If you have a particular channel that you resonate with, joining their online community can be a great way to "find your tribe" within the wider hobby.
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Or, even better…
Step 5: find a local gaming group
If you've got a few models painted (or at least stuck to their bases), then you might well be looking for some fellow generals to duke it out with in miniature combat. Great! Unless you're lucky enough to have some IRL friends to play with, you might find it tricky sourcing opponents to game with when just starting out, but there are loads of gaming groups in the UK and further afield nowadays. Trying to find like-minded hobbyists in your local GW or third-party store is a great first step. If that proves tricky, then google can be your friend - in my experience, most gaming groups tend to at least have a Facebook presence, so a quick search should help you track a group local to you.
It can be daunting to throw yourself into pick-up games at first, but most of the best gaming groups will be open to newcomers and can (hopefully) help find you some intro games to learn with similarly experienced players. Equally - and I cannot stress this enough - please don't be put off if you have a negative experience when first playing strangers in a new club. There can be a stigma around "that guy" gamers or those taking it too hard on newbies but that is a really rare occurence. Find some like-minded players and ask for a game - even if they're tournament pros, a lot of players will be happy to show you the ropes.
"Equally - and I cannot stress this enough - please don't be put off if you have a negative experience when first playing strangers in a new club."
Even if you're more of a painter and collector than a player, a lot of groups will run painting evenings and hobby hangouts over the likes of discord or in person, to give you some folks to natter with while putting paint to plastic. I'm a particularly big fan of this as its how I got started with my own little gang of hobby friends, in a local GW three years ago. How time flies.
And that's it! Hopefully this guide gives you some good pointers as to where to begin your own journey.
And if you do end up taking your first steps into Warhammer and this article helps in anyway - tell me about it on socials, @deathbyd6!
Until next time,
Alex
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