Guide

Best starter paints for Warhammer

The best starter paints for Warhammer aren't a giant box — they're a focused set of about ten colours that cover undercoating, metal, skin and your army's main colours. Here's what to buy first, why each earns its place, and how to find cheaper equivalents in other brands.

The essential beginner set

Each colour below links to its conversion page so you can price-compare the Vallejo and Army Painter equivalents before buying.

Abaddon Black
Undercoat, lining and shading — you will use it constantly.
White Scar
Highlights, mixing and brightening other colours.
Leadbelcher
Base metal for weapons, armour trim and guns.
Retributor Armour
Gold for trim, jewellery and ornate details.
Mephiston Red
A strong base red — cloaks, accents, Khorne everything.
Macragge Blue
Classic base blue for armour and robes.
Caliban Green
Deep base green for bases, cloaks and Orks.
Averland Sunset
Bright yellow — hard to get from other colours, worth owning.
Bugman's Glow
Base skin tone for most human and elf faces.
Zandri Dust
Bone/sand for cloth, parchment and desert bases.

Black and white do the heavy lifting

Before any colour, you need black (undercoat, shading, lining) and white (highlights, mixing). These two shape almost every model, so buy them first and in larger pots if you can.

Two metallics cover most trim

A silver and a gold handle weapons, armour edging and ornamentation across nearly every faction. They're high-impact for very little spend.

You don't have to buy Citadel

Tutorials default to Citadel, but it's among the most expensive ranges. Vallejo and The Army Painter offer close, cheaper equivalents for almost every colour. Run any paint through the paint converter to find the match in a brand you prefer, and read the conversion guide for how far to trust each match.

Track what you buy

Log your starter set so you never buy a duplicate as your collection grows.

Open the Paint Stash →

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