One of the most common questions I see on Discord is: "I want to join Conquest, what should I play?" And the standard answer was: "Play what you like visually/fun". This is usually a frustrating answer that is less helpful, even though I always choose my factions for systems.
Without further information it is difficult to say what someone expects from a faction and what can be recommended. The players who say to buy what's fun are giving an honest answer, but the definition of "fun" is subjective. Killing big monsters with sticks with brave people can be fun, painting models can be fun, not taking your own figures off the table can be fun and winning can also be fun. Therefore, you should first define for yourself what form of fun you are looking for.
Important to know about Conquest: each faction has three sub-factions that allow different ways of playing. These can be mixed without restrictions and you usually always have three successful list concepts to choose from that are competitive. Furthermore, the balancing is currently on an excellent track and the tournament scenes in America and Europe agree that there is currently only a power difference of -2% to +2% between the factions. On the other hand, we currently have very few players and more of a player meta than a faction meta.
Update: 5th Anniversary Supercharged Starter Sets (September 17, 2024)
Summary: While some boxes have clear weaknesses, the purchase is generally worth it for the cost savings alone. Duplicates can be useful, especially if you’re planning to strengthen specific armies or builds. However, those looking to maintain flexibility should be cautious with certain boxes to avoid hoarding unnecessary units. More details available by faction.
The Hundred Kingdoms
Who is the army for?
For players who want a flexible and sometimes cheap army, both in terms of purchase and point costs, with which you can build many different lists and have no problem with not being really outstanding anywhere. The Hundred Kingdoms have less than great value everywhere and only swords, pikes and lances against the monsters on EA. We don't have any monsters, just a few horses (a selection of which are basically monsters) and the only high fantasy aspect is a magician. But if you love a normal medieval army or a complete cavalry army and would like to wipe out the monsters from the light of day with stoic people, this is the right choice.
Pro
- the cheapest regiments in the game, i.e. the mass army in Conquest
- Largest selection of models in the game
- playable as a pure cavalry army
Con
- no monsters
- apart from the knights, poor to mediocre profiles
- few good resticted selections
- lots of old kits
What should you buy for the Hundred Kingdoms to start with?
Personally, I would try to get twice the share of the old two player starter box, so you would have a flexible and efficient list very cheaply. Since the box is difficult to obtain, we can also recommend the current one player starter box with 12 Man at Arms, 12 Household Guards/Gilded Legion, 3 Mounted Squire, 3 Household Knights and the Noble Lord. If you want to bet heavily on horses, you can also get the box twice.
Important: with the Household Guard you have the choice to build it as the Guard or the Gilded Legion. Which one you like better is up to your own preference, but more on that later. If you get the box twice and don't feel the desire to play two Noble Lords, you can simply build it into a normal Household Knight. Bitz there are enough for that.
New 5th Anniversary Box for the Hundred Kingdoms: The Hundred Kingdoms starter box is somewhat borderline due to the three Heavy regiments, which can be problematic. Even with an RRP of €280, it's not the best starter box. Still, it makes sense to buy it twice since the Sealed Temple and Ashen Dawn alone cost €130 together, and you get the rest of the box for just €30. Ashen Dawn and Sealed Temple are currently the strongest Warband Hundred Kingdoms can field. Extra Crimson Towers are easy to sell or keep for a future update. Having a second Commander is also handy.
Spire
Who is the army for?
For players who have alien vibes, love speed and want to buff their regiments to absurd levels, the Spire are just the thing. However, the buffs usually come with a high price in the form of damage and even though the Spire has the best healing options in the game, they can hardly absorb the damage from the buffs and must be carefully considered. Most of the time you rely on quantity instead of quality and, for example, you simply have twice as many shots as the Hundred Kingdoms. Cleave's limited options are often a problem, as well-armored regiments can only be destroyed with the help of a Pheromancer or the Incarnates.
Pro
- Comparatively stable with multiple regiments with D4 and healing
- high movement values and many movement buffs
- Highest number of dice for ranged regiments per stand
- very strong in the scenario and more of an army that scores early and tries to maintain it
- predominantly cheap regiments
Con
- Few options to reduce enemy armor
- many buffs cost you more life than the damage they do to your opponent
- lots of old kits
- For many players, Incarantes are a must-have pick
- Complex army list construction and little overlap in army concepts. This results in high acquisition costs
What should you buy for the Spire to start with?
Here I don't think the 1 player starter box is effective. It's all useful in some way, but you want to have it with different army concepts. If you do decide to do so, build the Vanguard Infiltrators and the Bound Clones. Expand the whole thing with two boxes of Force Grown Drones, a Pheromancer and whether you play a box of Force Grown Drones with Biomancer and Incarnates or Highborn with Avatara and Incarnates for the remaining points is a matter of taste.
If you like a mass army, it would be better to go to The Underspire, but you should look for the contents of the old two-player starter box. It's best to do it twice. A year ago you could get the Spire share for a case of beer or up to 35 euros, but this has now become more difficult. There are 6 Stands Force Grown Drones, 3 Stands Brute Drones, a Pheromancer and an Abomination included. You can upgrade this with two boxes of Stryx and possibly a Biomancer with Incartes and the nightmare is perfect.
New 5th Anniversary Box for the Spire: Valued at €270, the Spire box provides a solid start for a Highborne Warband. The main issue is the inclusion of two Avatara boxes—most players don’t need four of them. While there are some niche builds that could make use of this, two are usually enough. Extra Avatara won’t hurt, but they aren’t much of an asset either. It’s also difficult to resell the extras since most Spire players already have two Avatara to even field a Highborne Warband.
Dweghom
Who is the army for?
For players who want a straightforward, forgiving, stable army that can be played very directly, the Dweghom are exactly the right thing. In addition to fearsome drakes and elite troops that are chosen as normal mainstays, the Dweghom have the strongest magicians in the game and can easily wipe out entire enemy regiments with one activation every round. But you should never ignore the scenario, as the Dweghom only have a few opportunities to score early there.
Pro
- very beginner-friendly, forgives many mistakes
- the best attack and defense stats in the game, more wounds than average
- very strong magicians and shelling
- fewer special rules/tricks than other factions
Con
- slow, most of it only has Movement 5
- fewer special rules/tricks than other factions
- lots of old kits
What should you buy for the Dweghom to start with?
The Dweghom one player starter box is "okay", but the Initiates/Wardens are very rarely seen. But you want to have the rest twice and the question is whether you shouldn't just get four boxes of Dragonslayer/Thanes, one box of Fireforged, two boxes of Hold Ballistae, a Raegh and a Sorcerer? That's 320 euros list (usually 20% goes down in German online shops) and you have the nastiest thing the Dweghom have to offer from a single source and 1500+ points that are really good.
New 5th Anniversary Box for the Dweghom: With a value of €275, this box is a good deal, especially with models like the Drakes, Fireforged, and six Wardens. However, the Raegh is currently out of favor because his Supremacy ability is weak, and Thanes are too slow. The dragon is impressive, and many lists feature two Hellbringers alongside one or two Ironclads. Unfortunately, the Tempered models and the Ardent are so strong that this box isn’t often the best choice. The Initiates are debatable, though I personally like a large block with a Raegh and Draghbud. Overall, you could consider buying the box twice, as the three infantry regiments alone cost €120, meaning you'd essentially get a dragon and Raegh for just €30.
Nords
Who is the army for?
For players who want an elite, fragile army with a lot of oomph, virtually safe reinforcement rolls and variations of Nordic creatures such as Jotnars, trolls and wolves, the Nords are just the thing. Thanks to their skills, they can march very well planned and far up the pitch and score quickly. Except for the Jontnars and Huscarls, everything is made of leather and skin, and even the sturdier selections of the Nords are very fragile. The army has to choose very carefully where to start a melee and wins most games with hardly any figures left on the field.
Pro
- a lot of armor ignoring
- Impacts, spells and/or bombardments can be countered well with equipment
- almost perfect control for the reinforcements
- with the option of a 2 player start, cheap to purchase
- you can score almost all missions from round 2 onwards
Con
- very fragile with the exception of a few builds
- best duelists in the game, but duels are rather rare
- In order to use the faction rules, you always have to do some preliminary work
What should you buy for the Nords to start with?
With the Nords I would always choose the contents of the 2 player starter twice and buy a character of my choice (Blooded or Jarl). This is simply rock solid and for 90 euros (half of the starter according to the list, although you can often get half for 70 euros) per box, it's simply a great bargain. Unfortunately you can only play the characters from the box once, but the low purchase costs are a great argument. There is also a popular Ice Jotnar Proxy that can be found at every German tournament if people don't want to play two of the same Ice Jotnars or just don't like resin. From Steamforged there is "Epic Encounters: Caverns of the Frost Giant" which fits 1:1 in scale.
New 5th Anniversary Box for the Nords: Apart from the Fenr, the Nord box is filled with units that generally need buffs. The Vargyr Lord is good, but you don’t really need two of him. This box is better suited for players looking to expand an existing army rather than for beginners, unless those beginners are prepared to lose often. Nevertheless, the box is financially worthwhile since the contents would normally cost €265.
W'adrhŭn
Who is the army for?
For players who plan far ahead, love dinosaurs, have no problem with every mistake in the game simply wiping out part of their army, love movement games above all else and want maximum flexibility on the field, the W'adrhun are just the thing. Army lists without dinosaurs are also possible and playful. With the Warchants you can want more range for the charge, better hitting, higher armor, evasion or movement and sometimes a combination of several. To do this, you have to plan your moves well and really know what's happening on the field.
Pro
- best hit rate in the game
- pure dinosaur armies are playable
- the fastest army on the field
- very flexible and tricky thanks to the Warchants
- only new kits
Con
- Learning curve is a steep cliff with an overhang
- Most of it is fragile, although ignoring armor is hardly interesting against Wadrhun
- no offensive magic, little fire
- You have to constantly explain to your opponent what range options you currently have with the chants, which can take a long time because there are often a lot of options
- Regiments without chants are often weaker than those of other races.
What should you buy for the W'adrhŭn to start with?
This is where the one-player starter box comes in handy again, whereby you definitely build Slingers instead of Hunters. Whether Blooded or Braves is a matter of taste, but I only find Braves interesting in large blocks of 6+ stands with Warchief. The box contains around 700 points and you can do this, as Wadrhun almost never plays characters twice. However, you would like to have most of the box twice and the Hunting Pack is often played twice. The problem with two starters is that you have a very light squad that is the epitome of the glass cannon. If you want to get to 1500 points, Chosen of Conquest, an Apex, etc may be a wiser choice for more diversity. Both can be played successfully, although the latter has less potential for frustration.
New 5th Anniversary Box for the W'adrhŭn: At €225, this is the worst deal, especially since no monster is included. The Veterans don't have the Chosen upgrade frame, and the only units you might want more of—infantry—only cost €40. Raptors and Thunder Riders are unpopular at the moment, but that could change with an update. If you love dinosaurs, this box is fun to buy twice, but for those who want the most cost-efficient start, it's not ideal. That said, keep in mind that Para Bellum regularly releases updates to rebalance and make underused models more viable.
Old Dominion
Who is the army for?
For players who would like to bring an old Roman legion onto the field and slowly but surely crush the opponent in the grind. The Old Dominion receives support from their fallen Pantheon, which animates walking mausoleums and graves to unlife. Slow is the key word, as the Old Dominion starts the game with very mixed values and gains more special rules and strength with each loss or waits for the superior heavy regiments to enter the battlefield. The moral immunity allows you to get through the first rounds well, but you have to be able to agree with yourself that you will be significantly behind your opponent in points for 2/3 of the game and that you won't win many games until round 9 or 10.
Pro
- most stable faction in close combat because there is no resolve
- become stronger with losses
- Best Heavy selections in the game
- only new kits
Con
- very vulnerable to fire
- few light selections
What should you buy for the Old Dominion to start with?
The one player starter box is a dream and should best be expanded with the two player starter box from First Blood or simply bought twice pls an Xhiliarch. Legionnaires want to have at least 9 stands anyway. Don't build Athanatoi at the moment, but rather Varangians, they are among the best regiments in the Old Dominion, although I strongly assume that the Athanatoi will get a buff in the near future.
New 5th Anniversary Box for the Old Dominion: The Old Dominion box is arguably the best option, and buying two is a great start for any new player. At €265, you get two Bone Golem units, which are highly resilient for their points. The box also includes Legionnaires/Praetorians. Only the most devoted players, who want to run 12-16 Bone Golems, would need more than two of these boxes. For most, two are a perfect entry point, as the contents are exceptional.
City States
Who is the army for?
For players who love Magicpunk Greeks with Minotaurs, the movie 300 and love impressive, effective shield walls, the City States are the right choice. The City States are comparatively slow and thrive on clever counterattacks and the correct positioning of their own troops, as flank attacks against almost every City States regiment result in certain annihilation. Worth mentioning are the hoplites, which are one of the most stable mainstay selections in the game in terms of price/performance ratio and are usually the linchpin of every city states list. However, you always need a cow and a hero for the damage, which sometimes leads to very one-sided lists and the still small selection of figures only helps to a limited extent, but with the new four boxes that will change significantly.
Pro
- with the option of a 2 player start, cheap to purchase
- Regiments have clearly defined tasks/strengths and weaknesses
- a unique tactic option with the strategy deck
- War Chariots!
- only new kits
Con
- very vulnerable to flank attacks, incorrect positioning will quickly cost you the game
- Characters buff the regiments and army a lot, their loss often means 50% power loss
- limited access to magic
- comparatively slow
- War Chariots are one of the best units in the game, but very expensive (Cash)
What should you buy for the City States to start with?
There is nothing wrong with simply getting the contents of the two player starter box twice and then upgrading the whole thing with a box of Thyreans / Haspits as well as two boxes of Selinoi, an Aristarchus and a box of Agema. You can get the portion of the 2 player starter box for 70-90 euros and of course you can also expand it with the 1 player starter box. An 8+ standing hoplite block with a polemarch as a warlord is a force of nature and shelling gives you enough flexibility to apply some pressure from behind and you have a rock solid 1500 points for the first few games.
New 5th Anniversary Box for the City States: The City States box pairs perfectly with the old two-player starter. At €270, it's a solid deal, even if you don't want to field the giant or duplicate the character. Six Thorakites Stands are useful, and each regiment will want a Minotaur. Agema are one of the best units in the faction, and nine of them is a good choice. The Shield Minotaurs are also strong. Overall, you’ll want this box twice, even if it’s for different builds. The giants are okay but not overwhelming, although they appear regularly in lists.
Sorcerer Kings
Who is the army for?
The Sorcerer Kings offer players who are fascinated by Hindu themes and
mystical elements a rich and captivating gaming world. Their army rules
require only a modest amount of tactical skill and understanding to
fully unleash their effect, as the mechanics become intuitive after a
few plays. With a variety of units and spells that heavily depend on
each other, players who enjoy adapting their strategy and surprising
their opponents will have a lot of fun with the Sorcerer Kings.
Pro
- Warbands are highly flexible and can contain up to 5 regiments.
- Rituals allow Elementals to perform three actions.
- a lot small healings
- only new kits
Con
- Many regiments are not useful without synergies with characters, and vice versa.
- No truly stable selection. Everything has D3 R3.
- Very slow in the first three rounds of the game; momentum builds up with rituals.
- No options for Flank or other rules that positively influence reinforcement rolls.
What should one buy for the Sorcerer Kings to start with?
A good starting point would be the 5-year box. This allows for some
practice games, and then you can expand with another character (Sorcerer
or Maharajah) and two Brute boxes. In this case, the melee variants of
the Brutes are much preferable to the ranged ones. If you're venturing
into more ambitious territory, it's hard to avoid getting three monsters
unless you can cope with Bloodlust.
New 5th Anniversary Box for the Sorcerer Kings: With a value of €245, this is one of the weaker deals. €80 for Ghols and €25 for a character you typically won’t field twice isn’t ideal. Having four Rajakur could be useful in specific situations, but you rarely see more than three of the same regiment in most games. As a result, this box doesn't provide much benefit, especially if you're considering combining it with another five-year box or part of the two-player starter set.
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