The Short Answer: Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon is the 11th Edition launch box, released June 20, 2026. The box includes 61 push-fit miniatures split between Space Marines and Orks, plus the new Core Rules, an exclusive Operation Imperator lore book, mission decks, datasheet cards, and transfers. It's one of the most loaded and exciting edition launch boxes Games Workshop has released to date.
The 11th Edition of Warhammer 40,000 is here, and Games Workshop chose one of the most iconic battlegrounds in the setting to kick it off. Armageddon is a war-torn hive world that has seen three major conflicts between the Imperium and the Orks, producing legendary figures like Commissar Yarrick and the Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Thraka. The new launch box picks up where the story left off, dropping players into Operation Imperator as Space Marine reinforcements surge toward the beleaguered planet.
What’s in the Armageddon Box
The Armageddon box is packed with 61 brand-new push-fit miniatures, meaning you can assemble them without glue. You get 23 Space Marines and 38 Orks, giving both players a solid starting force right out of the box.
Beyond the miniatures, the box includes everything you need to play:
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Armageddon: Operation Imperator (114-page hardcover): An exclusive lore book covering the latest phase of the war on Armageddon. This book is only available in the launch box.
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Core Rules Booklet (88 pages): The complete rules for playing Warhammer 40,000 11th Edition in a compact, easy-to-reference format.
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Chapter Approved 2026-27 Mission Deck (88 cards): Mission cards, deployment cards, and gameplay tools for setting up balanced matched play games.
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Dominatus Narrative Campaign Deck (89 cards): A new system for running multi-game campaigns where your units level up and gain upgrades between battles.
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Armageddon Datasheet Cards (17 cards): Quick-reference cards for every unit in the box.
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Transfer Sheet: 728 waterslide transfers for decorating your Space Marines and Orks with chapter and clan iconography.
Few launch boxes have carried this much. Two full armies of push-fit miniatures, two card decks, the Core Rules booklet, and a 114-page hardcover lore book that won't be sold separately, all in a single set.
The Space Marine Side
The Armageddon box includes 23 Space Marines, giving you a well-rounded force with characters, troops, elite infantry, and vehicle support.
Characters (4 models):
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1 Captain with Relic Shield
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1 Librarian
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1 Chaplain with Jump Pack
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1 Ancient
Troops (10 models):
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10 Intercessors
Elites (8 models):
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5 Vanguard Veterans with Jump Packs
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3 Eradicators with Heavy Bolters
Fast Attack (1 model):
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1 Land Speeder
The Ork Side
The Armageddon box includes 38 Orks, giving you a horde-style army with characters, infantry, and vehicle support.
Characters (6 models):
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1 Warboss
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1 Bannernob
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1 Bigboss
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1 Painboy with 1 Grot Orderly
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1 Weirdboy
Troops (30 models):
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20 Ork Boyz
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10 Gretchin
Vehicles (2 models):
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1 Wartrakk
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1 Big Mek Dakkarig
The Ork side leans into what makes greenskins fun to play: lots of bodies and loud, ridiculous machines. Twenty Boyz gives you a solid core of choppa-swinging infantry, while the Gretchin can hold backfield objectives or screen for your bigger threats.
The Big Mek Dakkarig is the standout new model on the Ork side. This walking gun platform is armed with a blitzcannon, rokkit launcha, and stompy feet, delivering the kind of over-the-top Mekboy engineering that Ork players love. It lumbers forward unleashing hails of dakka while crushing anything that gets too close.
The Wartrakk adds fast, lightly armored firepower with its kustom shoota, rokkit launcha, and choppas. It fills the speed role that Orks need to close gaps and pressure enemy positions.
Your character options cover the major Ork archetypes. The Warboss leads from the front with brute strength. The Weirdboy brings unpredictable psychic power. The Painboy keeps your Boyz fighting longer, and the Bannernob and Bigboss provide leadership and combat support. It's a complete package for starting a Waaagh! or expanding an existing collection.
Why Armageddon?
Armageddon is one of the most iconic battlegrounds in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. This industrial hive world and its sprawling hive cities have been the site of three massive wars, each one shaping the lore and producing legendary characters that define the setting.
The Wars for Armageddon
Angron and the First War
The First War for Armageddon was actually a daemonic incursion led by the Daemon Primarch Angron and his World Eaters. This conflict was largely covered up by the Inquisition, but it set the stage for the planet's bloody future.
Ghazghkull Arrives
The Second War for Armageddon in 941.M41 brought the Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka to the planet with a massive Waaagh!. The planet is home to the Armageddon Steel Legion, one of the most renowned Imperial Guard regiments in the Imperium, and their defense of the hive cities has been the stuff of legend.
Yarrick Holds Hades Hive
When the incompetent Planetary Governor Herman von Strab failed to mount an effective defense, Yarrick took command at Hades Hive and held the line against overwhelming Ork numbers. He lost his right hand in combat with an Ork Warboss and replaced it with the dead Ork's own power klaw. The Blood Angels, led by Commander Dante, arrived as reinforcements and helped turn the tide, routing the Ork forces and saving the planet.
The Third War and the Great Waaagh!
Fifty-seven years later, Ghazghkull returned for the Third War for Armageddon launching a conflict of massive scale with even larger force. He opened the invasion by destroying Hades Hive, the site of his earlier defeat, with an asteroid. The war ground into a brutal stalemate before Ghazghkull grew bored and left to start his Great Waaagh! elsewhere.
Golgotha and the Best Enemy
Yarrick pursued him across the stars, and the two clashed again at the Battle of Golgotha, where Ghazghkull captured his rival. Rather than kill him, the Warlord released Yarrick, calling him "my best enemy" and sending him back to Armageddon.
Operation Imperator
The new Armageddon box picks up the story with Operation Imperator. After the events of Armageddon: The Return of Yarrick, the Imperial forces are in dire straits. The Ork vanguard led by Wazdakka Gutsmek has landed, and Ghazghkull's main force is not far behind. Commissar Yarrick sends a desperate plea for aid, and a coalition of Space Marines from multiple Chapters surges toward the planet.
The Blood Angels have a long history of defending Armageddon, and they return alongside strike forces from other Chapters. The exclusive Operation Imperator book in the launch box covers this next phase of the war, continuing one of the richest narrative threads in Warhammer 40,000.
What's New for 11th Edition?
The Armageddon box launches the 11th Edition of Warhammer 40,000, and the included rules and accessories reflect several updates to how the game plays.
Core Rules
The 88-page Core Rules booklet has been redesigned with a new referencing system that makes it easier to find rules quickly during play. The compact format is built for portability, so you can bring it to games without hauling a massive hardcover. The rules themselves continue to streamline gameplay while adding depth where it matters.
Chapter Approved 2026-27 Mission Deck
The updated Mission Deck contains 88 cards for setting up balanced games. You get mission cards, deployment cards, and other tools that make game setup faster and more varied. The deck accommodates both narrative play and competitive matched play, with built-in balancing tweaks that Games Workshop has refined based on tournament feedback.
Dominatus Narrative Campaign Deck
The Dominatus deck is new for 11th Edition. This system adds a randomized campaign layer to your games. You and your opponents form alliances, complete Agendas, and capture locations across connected battles. Between games, your units level up and gain powerful upgrades, creating a sense of progression that makes each battle matter beyond the immediate win or loss.
The deck includes 27 agenda cards, 9 briefing cards, 9 location cards, 35 upgrade cards, 9 agenda achieved cards, to add up to 89, and a 12-page reference booklet. While the Armageddon box includes one Dominatus deck, Games Workshop recommends each player in a campaign have their own for convenience.
Datasheet Cards
The box includes 17 Armageddon datasheet cards covering every unit in the set. These quick-reference cards keep your unit stats and abilities at hand without flipping through books, speeding up gameplay and reducing rules lookup time.
Is the Armageddon Box Worth It?
What You're Getting
The box contains 61 miniatures, two rulebooks, two card decks, 17 datasheet cards, and a 728-piece transfer sheet. If you were to buy the miniatures individually after Games Workshop releases them as separate kits, the combined retail price would almost certainly exceed the box price. Launch boxes historically offer 30-40% savings over buying components separately.
The exclusive Operation Imperator lore book adds value for collectors and narrative players. This 114-page hardcover won't be sold outside the launch box, so if you want the complete Armageddon storyline, this is your only chance to get it.
Who Should Buy It
The Armageddon box makes the most sense if you fit one of these categories:
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New players starting Warhammer 40,000 who want a complete package with two armies, rules, and campaign tools
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Space Marine players looking to add new characters, Intercessors, Vanguard Veterans, Eradicators, and the returning Land Speeder
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Ork players who want Boyz, Gretchin, characters, and the new Big Mek Dakkarig
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Collectors who buy every edition launch box
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Narrative players interested in the Dominatus campaign system and Armageddon lore
Splitting the Box
If you only want one army, consider splitting the box with a friend. One player takes the Space Marines, the other takes the Orks, and you divide the cost. The rulebooks and card decks can go to whoever needs them, or you can factor them into how you split the price. This brings your effective cost down significantly and gives both players a solid starting force.
The Bottom Line
The Armageddon box delivers a lot of content for the price. It's the most loaded edition launch box Games Workshop has released to date. If you play Space Marines, Orks, or both, or if you're starting the hobby fresh, it offers strong value. If you only play a different faction and have no interest in the lore book, you can focus on those instead.
Start Your War for Armageddon
On-Board Gaming in Escondido has the Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon box in stock, along with the Dominatus Narrative Campaign Deck for players who want their own copy for campaign play. Browse our full Warhammer 40,000 collection for Combat Patrols, individual kits, paints, and hobby supplies to expand your army.
Looking for opponents? Check out our events calendar for regular Warhammer nights and organized play. Stop by the store to see the new models in person, talk strategy with our staff, or find someone to split the box with. The war for Armageddon is just getting started.
The Armageddon box launches the 11th Edition of Warhammer 40,000, and the included rules and accessories reflect several updates to how the game plays.
Core Rules
The 88-page Core Rules booklet has been redesigned with a new referencing system that makes it easier to find rules quickly during play. The compact format is built for portability, so you can bring it to games without hauling a massive hardcover. The rules themselves continue to streamline gameplay while adding depth where it matters.
Chapter Approved 2026-27 Mission Deck
The updated Mission Deck contains 88 cards for setting up balanced games. You get mission cards, deployment cards, and other tools that make game setup faster and more varied. The deck accommodates both narrative play and competitive matched play, with built-in balancing tweaks that Games Workshop has refined based on tournament feedback.
Dominatus Narrative Campaign Deck
The Dominatus deck is new for 11th Edition. This system adds a randomized campaign layer to your games. You and your opponents form alliances, complete Agendas, and capture locations across connected battles. Between games, your units level up and gain powerful upgrades, creating a sense of progression that makes each battle matter beyond the immediate win or loss.
The deck includes 27 agenda cards, 9 briefing cards, 9 location cards, 35 upgrade cards, 9 agenda achieved cards, to add up to 89, and a 12-page reference booklet. While the Armageddon box includes one Dominatus deck, Games Workshop recommends each player in a campaign have their own for convenience.
Datasheet Cards
The box includes 17 Armageddon datasheet cards covering every unit in the set. These quick-reference cards keep your unit stats and abilities at hand without flipping through books, speeding up gameplay and reducing rules lookup time.
Is the Armageddon Box Worth It?
What You're Getting
The box contains 61 miniatures, two rulebooks, two card decks, 17 datasheet cards, and a 728-piece transfer sheet. If you were to buy the miniatures individually after Games Workshop releases them as separate kits, the combined retail price would almost certainly exceed the box price. Launch boxes historically offer 30-40% savings over buying components separately.
The exclusive Operation Imperator lore book adds value for collectors and narrative players. This 114-page hardcover won't be sold outside the launch box, so if you want the complete Armageddon storyline, this is your only chance to get it.
Who Should Buy It
The Armageddon box makes the most sense if you fit one of these categories:
-
New players starting Warhammer 40,000 who want a complete package with two armies, rules, and campaign tools
-
Space Marine players looking to add new characters, Intercessors, Vanguard Veterans, Eradicators, and the returning Land Speeder
-
Ork players who want Boyz, Gretchin, characters, and the new Big Mek Dakkarig
-
Collectors who buy every edition launch box
-
Narrative players interested in the Dominatus campaign system and Armageddon lore
Splitting the Box
If you only want one army, consider splitting the box with a friend. One player takes the Space Marines, the other takes the Orks, and you divide the cost. The rulebooks and card decks can go to whoever needs them, or you can factor them into how you split the price. This brings your effective cost down significantly and gives both players a solid starting force.
The Bottom Line
The Armageddon box delivers a lot of content for the price. It's the most loaded edition launch box Games Workshop has released to date. If you play Space Marines, Orks, or both, or if you're starting the hobby fresh, it offers strong value. If you only play a different faction and have no interest in the lore book, you can focus on those instead.
Start Your War for Armageddon
On-Board Gaming in Escondido has the Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon box in stock, along with the Dominatus Narrative Campaign Deck for players who want their own copy for campaign play. Browse our full Warhammer 40,000 collection for Combat Patrols, individual kits, paints, and hobby supplies to expand your army.
Looking for opponents? Check out our events calendar for regular Warhammer nights and organized play. Stop by the store to see the new models in person, talk strategy with our staff, or find someone to split the box with. The war for Armageddon is just getting started.
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