Warhammer 40K: Ranking The Holiday Battleforce Boxes
There’s six new Battleforce boxes coming this Holiday Season from Games Workshop. How do they stack up?
We’re going to throw down the gauntlet today and rank the upcoming Battleforce Boxes. While we could just list them 1-6 (with #1 being best and #6 being worst) and be done we’re going to go over why we are listing them in our power ranking order.
What are we using to measure them against each other? We’re taking a look at two big factors – usefulness and repeat purchasing. We’ve graded each box on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being the high and 5 being low). We’re then applying those two scores together to determine the final power ranking. So let’s get into it.
Defenders of the Ancestors
Usefulness: 3
Repeat Purchase: 4
This box set is a good for anyone starting a Leagues of Votann army. If you get a single box you’re pretty much set on Einhyr and the Hekaton models you’ll need. Unless you’re really leaning super hard into Einhyr and a Hekaton Land Fortress build… Otherwise, we can’t really recommend purchasing this more than once. The model’s are useful but it needs a lot more other stuff to work. It’s a good core but not a lot of repeat value.
Beast Snagga Stampede
Usefulness: 2
Repeat Purchase: 2
This is a great pick-up for anyone looking to start a Beast Snagga Ork army. It’s got a ton of useful models in there and all the big stuff can be built different ways so buying a second copy is a great idea. But not more than copies. Unlike some other options, a high repeat purchase rank helps this box out more than it hurts.
Cadian Defence Force
Usefulness: 2
Repeat Purchase: 4
This box is just Infantry and Tanks. It’s two BIG tanks for the Astra Militarum with the two Rogal Dorns. You’ll likely find a use for all of these models which is why it’s so high on the useful scale.
The problem with this box we have is that you just need so much more stuff. While you could get more than one copy you really need to ask if you want to run more than two Rogal Dorn tanks or not. We didn’t think it was a good call but you might have a different opinion. This is a good box. But you probably don’t need more than one copy.
Space Marine Spearhead Force
Usefulness: 4
Repeat Purchase: 2
While we ranked this one kind of low on the Usefulness scale, if you’re wanting to go hard into an Assault Intercessor playstyle, then this box is worth it. You’ll probably want to snag two copies if you are going to get this. That’s a LOT of Assault Marines supported by the ATV and Outriders. That’s certainly a list. And this boxed set will help you hit build that army very quickly.
Onslaught Swarm
Usefulness: 2
Repeat Purchase: 3
Like the Beast Snagga Box this box has a ton of useful models and the two big models can be built in various ways. It score high on usefulness and average on repeat purchase value. That’s mainly because the Norn only has two options and while you could get two copies, you don’t want MORE than two copies. It’s a nice plus that basically everything in this box is new except for the Tyrant.
Exalted of the Red Angel
Useful: 1
Repeat: 5
If you’re going to play World Eaters then you want this box. But you only want one of this box. You’ll use everything in this box because that’s basically the entire core of World Eaters army in one step. However, you can’t run more than one Angron so the repeat purchase value drops off a cliff hard with this one. Depending on your point of view, that’s not an entirely bad thing however…
Power Ranking The Battleforces
Based on the scores here’s our final Power Ranking list for these Holiday Battleforces:
#1 – Beast Snagga Stampede
#2 – Onslaught Swarm
#3 – Exalted of the Red Angel
#4 – Cadian Defense Force
#5 – Space Marine Spearhead
#6 – Defenders of the Ancestors
Again, ALL of these boxes are good collections of miniatures for their respective army. If you’re interested in playing any of these armies and are looking to get started each of these is a good purchase.
Personally, I think the Exalted of the Red Angel is the best of the batch because it’s a fantastic “One-and-done” box. But it scored pretty low on repeat value so it dropped in the overall power rankings. I also think the Leagues of Votann box is the most interesting of the lot because it’s a lot of heavy hitters but it also feels like a “one-and-done” option. But maybe there’s some crazy Einhyr double Hekaton build out there…
What do you think? Do you agree with the overall ranking or would you put more value on utility over repeat purchase value?
