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Starting Age of Sigmar: Spearhead Boxes Explained
Spearhead boxes are the natural entry point into Age of Sigmar: one box, one playable force, its own game mode. What they are, how to choose one, and how to buy it cheaper.
Written by the Miniheist team · Published 11.07.2026
If Combat Patrol is the on-ramp into Warhammer 40,000, Spearhead is its Age of Sigmar counterpart — and in some ways an even friendlier one, because the box ties into a dedicated small-scale game mode of the same name. For a newcomer to fantasy wargaming, one Spearhead box is the shortest honest path from "curious" to "playing games with a painted force". Here's what you're actually buying, and how to buy it well.
What is a Spearhead box?
A Spearhead is a faction-specific boxed set containing a curated, ready-to-field force: typically a hero, a few units of troops and something bigger or more specialised to anchor the group. The selection isn't random — each box is designed to be played as-is in the Spearhead game mode, a compact format with smaller armies and shorter games than a full battle of Age of Sigmar.
That last part matters more than it sounds. With many starter products, "playable" is a stretch until you've bought two or three more kits. A Spearhead box is genuinely complete for its format: box, rules for the mode, and an opponent with their own box are enough for real games.
Why it's the sensible first purchase
- Bundle value. As with most curated boxes, the combined recommended price of the individual kits inside typically exceeds the price of the box itself — often comfortably. You're effectively getting a bulk discount for buying a sensible selection.
- No list-building anxiety. New players agonise over what to buy. A Spearhead removes the decision: the force is pre-designed and legal for its format out of the box.
- A manageable painting project. A Spearhead's worth of models is a realistic first goal — big enough to feel like an army, small enough to actually finish. A fully painted small force beats a grey legion every time.
- A core that grows. Everything in the box remains useful if you later expand toward full-sized games of Age of Sigmar.
How to choose your faction
The standard advice holds: pick with your eyes, not with a tier list. You will spend far more hours building and painting these models than playing tournament games with them, so choose the faction whose look you love. If you want a practical tiebreaker, consider model count — some Spearheads are a few large models (faster to paint, more forgiving), others are many smaller ones (more painting hours, more board presence). Both are valid; know which kind of project you're signing up for.
Contents are refreshed from time to time as ranges evolve, so before buying, double-check what the current box for your faction actually contains rather than relying on an older review.
What else you'll need
Not much, and most of it is shared hobby basics: clippers, plastic glue, primer and a starter selection of paints (see our paints-and-tools guide for the minimal kit). Rules for the Spearhead format are bundled in relevant starter products or otherwise easy to get hold of — check what's included in the box you're buying before paying separately for anything. Dice and a tape measure round it out, and a kitchen table is a perfectly good battlefield to begin with. If you're unsure whether the game is for you at all, many local game stores run demo nights where you can try the format with borrowed models before spending anything — well worth asking about.
Getting your Spearhead cheaper
Spearhead boxes are regular trade products, which means the network of independent retailers sells them — usually below the recommended retail price, and at prices that vary noticeably between shops. The routine before buying: look the box up here, compare what our tracked retailers charge, and open the price history chart to see whether today's price is genuinely low for that specific box. The Heist Score summarises that judgement in a single 0–100 number, so a strong deal is visible at a glance.
Here are the Spearhead boxes we're currently tracking, cheapest first:
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![[Pre-order] Warhammer AOS - Spearhead: City of Ash Gaming Pack](/img/172/eyJ1IjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9jZG4uc2hvcGlmeS5jb20vcy9maWxlcy8xLzA3NjMvMTE0Ni8yMTY3L2ZpbGVzL2h0dHBzX19fdHJhZGUuZ2FtZXMtd29ya3Nob3AuY29tX2Fzc2V0c18yMDI2XzA2XzYwMTIwMjk5MDA5X0VOR0NpdHlPZkFzaEdhbWluZ1BhY2swOC5qcGc_dj0xNzgyNTMxNjQ4IiwicyI6MTcyfQ--0ef5c3555f62581c9e89a57cbbab9debb349850342285e734813e3adb985c164)
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The short version
One Spearhead box is a complete, playable, paintable entry into Age of Sigmar with a genuine bundle discount built in. Choose the faction you want to paint, verify the current contents, and let price comparison pick the retailer. Few purchases in this hobby are this easy to get right.