You've built your first squad, the glue has dried, and now you're standing in front of the paint wall looking at hundreds of pots. Which ones does your army actually need? Get it wrong and you end up with three near-identical reds and no idea how to make them look good together.
That's the problem our faction paint sets solve. There's one for each of 32 Warhammer 40,000 armies, and each holds ten Warhammer Colour pots chosen for that army's classic scheme. This guide covers what goes into a set, why it's ten paints and not five or twenty, and how to turn the box into a painted army. Every set is listed on our Warhammer 40k paint sets page if you'd rather jump straight to yours.
Why ten paints?
Ten is roughly what it takes to paint a model properly without guessing. Fewer, and something gets left grey. More, and you're paying for pots you'll barely open. Nearly every Warhammer 40k scheme splits into the same few jobs, and each set gives every job its own pot:
- Main armour colour: a Base paint for solid coverage, usually with a matching Layer to highlight it.
- Second colour: robes, trim, tabards or skin, depending on the army.
- Metals: usually Leadbelcher for weapons and something warmer, like gold, brass or bronze, for trim.
- Detail colour: bone for purity seals and skulls, or a red or green for lenses and gems.
- Shades: usually two, and almost always Nuln Oil plus a warmer or tinted wash to suit the scheme.
- A Technical paint: a texture like Astrogranite or Stirland Mud for the bases, or a special effect such as rust or glowing gauss.
Why there's no Contrast in the box
We left Contrast out on purpose. It's brilliant for getting a horde on the table fast, but it only works over a light undercoat and doesn't behave like anything else on the shelf. Base, Shade and Layer paints work over any primer, black included. They also teach you the routine every other technique builds on. Once you've painted a squad this way you'll know exactly where Contrast, drybrushing or the new Tone Pro paints fit in, and the pots in your set will still be useful when you get there.
Not sure what a Shade does compared with a Layer? Our guide to every Warhammer Colour paint type covers it in five minutes.
Find your army's set
Here's every set, grouped the way you'd find the armies in a codex. Each link goes straight to the full set, with all ten paints listed.
Space Marines and chapters
- Space Marines: every chapter's details — add your armour colour.
- Ultramarines: covers blue armour, gold, seals, lenses and bases.
- Blood Angels: covers layered red armour, gold, black trim and bases.
- Dark Angels: covers green armour, bone robes, seals and bases.
- Space Wolves: covers storm-grey armour, pelts, gold and bases.
- Black Templars: covers black armour, white tabards, red crosses and bases.
- White Scars: covers white armour, red stripes, black trim and bases.
- Salamanders: covers forged green armour, flame orange, gold and bases.
- Raven Guard: covers soft-black armour, white icons, lenses and bases.
- Deathwatch: covers black armour, silver pad, markings and bases.
- Grey Knights: covers silver armour, gold trim, red cloth and bases.
The rest of the Imperium
- Adepta Sororitas: covers black armour, red robes, gold, faces and bases.
- Adeptus Custodes: covers gold armour, red plumes, metals and bases.
- Adeptus Mechanicus: covers red robes, brass, bionics, grime and Mars bases.
- Astra Militarum: covers armour, fatigues, webbing, faces and muddy bases.
- Imperial Knights: covers red and white heraldry, grey frame, gold and bases.
- Imperial Agents: covers coats, robes, faces, gold and bases.
Chaos
- Chaos Space Marines: covers black armour, gold trim, reds, grime and bases.
- Death Guard: covers green armour, pallid flesh, bronze, rust and bases.
- Thousand Sons: covers blue armour, heavy gold, bone robes and bases.
- World Eaters: covers red armour, brass trim, metals and bases.
- Emperor's Children: covers purple armour, pink highlights, gold and bases.
- Chaos Daemons: covers Khorne, Slaanesh, Tzeentch and Nurgle daemons.
- Chaos Knights: covers red panels, black trim, bronze, rust and bases.
Xenos
- Aeldari: covers green armour, pale helms, gems and bases.
- Drukhari: covers dark green armour, pale skin, blades and bases.
- Necrons: covers steel, brass, glowing gauss and bases.
- Orks: covers green skin, gear, red glyphs, rust and bases.
- T'au Empire: covers ochre armour, undersuits, lenses and bases.
- Tyranids: covers bone skin, purple carapace, sinew and bases.
- Genestealer Cults: covers workwear, hybrid skin, purple chitin and hazard yellow.
- Leagues of Votann: covers grey armour, teal accents, gold and bases.
Painting a homebrew chapter? Grab the Space Marines set. It covers the metals, leather, bone, lenses and bases every chapter shares, so you only need to add one pot in your own armour colour.
How to use your set: five steps
Every set is built around the same routine, and it works on any army:
Step 1: Undercoat
- Spray the model so the paint has something to grip. Black or grey both work with these sets. Our spray primers cover the basics.
Step 2: Base coat
- Block in the main colours with the Base pots. Thin them slightly with water and use two thin coats rather than one thick one.
Step 3: Shade
- Wash the Shades over the model. They run into every recess and add depth in one go. This is the step that makes a tidy model look properly painted.
Step 4: Layer
- Once the Shade is dry, use the Layer paints on raised edges and panels. Leave the shaded recesses alone.
Step 5: Base and finish
- Use the Technical paint on the base, pick out lenses and gems, and varnish if the models are going to see a lot of games.
Want to see it done move by move? How to Paint Your First Warhammer Miniature covers it one step at a time.
What it costs, and what you save
Every set is £27.99, whichever army you play. Bought one pot at a time at RRP, the same ten paints cost between £34.50 and £39.55, so you save £6.51 on the cheapest set and £11.56 on Necrons, the priciest, thanks to the metallics and Tesseract Glow. That works out cheaper than picking the same ten pots off the shelf even with our standing 10% off ten Warhammer paints.
What else you'll need
The set covers the paint. To get started you'll also want:
- A spray undercoat: one can does a lot of models.
- Two brushes: a medium one for base coats and shades and a fine one for details. Have a look at our brush range.
- Plastic glue and clippers: only if your models are still on the sprue.
- A pot of water and some kitchen roll: not glamorous, but you'll use both every session.
When you're ready for more
Your set will paint a whole army to a good tabletop standard. When you want to push further, a second highlight colour or a dedicated edge-highlight Layer is the natural next pot. If you'd like smooth shading without guessing which colours go together, the numbered tones in the Warhammer Tone Pro range are worth a look. Everything else lives in the full Warhammer Colour range.
Common questions
What paints do I need to start Warhammer 40k?
For a solid tabletop finish you need around ten: Base paints for your army's main colours, a Layer or two to highlight them, a metal, a bone or skin tone, a couple of Shades for depth, and a Technical paint for the bases. Add a spray undercoat and a brush and you're set.
Are Warhammer Colour paints the same as Citadel paints?
Yes. Warhammer Colour is Games Workshop's new name for the Citadel range. The paints, colours and pot names are the same; only the label has changed.
Why don't the paint sets include Contrast paints?
Contrast is brilliant for speed, but it needs a light undercoat and behaves differently from everything else. Base, Shade and Layer work over any primer and teach the method every other technique builds on, so they make a better first kit.
How much does a faction paint set save?
Each set is £27.99. The same ten pots cost £34.50 to £39.55 at RRP, a saving of £6.51 to £11.56 depending on the faction.
Which set should I buy for a homebrew Space Marine chapter?
The Space Marines set. It covers the metals, leather, bone, lenses and bases every chapter shares, so you only need to add one pot in your own armour colour.
The hardest part of painting an army is starting. Pick your faction, open the box and paint one model. By the end of the squad you'll know exactly what to try next.
Further reading: browse every set on the Warhammer 40k paint sets page, compare Jack's pick of the best value paint sets, or start from scratch with our Warhammer 40k 11th Edition beginner's guide.
