The points system in Age of Sigmar is how players build balanced armies for matched play — assigning a numerical value to every unit so that both sides field forces of roughly equal power. Understanding how points work is essential for building a legal army list, preparing for games at your local club, and competing in tournaments.
If you are new to Age of Sigmar, the points system can seem confusing at first glance. Terms like regiments, battleline requirements, and point limits can be intimidating. But the core concept is simple: every unit has a points cost, you have a points budget, and you build your army by selecting units whose combined points do not exceed your budget. Everything else is refinement of this basic idea.
This guide explains the complete Age of Sigmar points system — from what points are and how they are assigned, through the regiment system and army composition rules, to the different game sizes and where to find the most current points values.
What Are Points in Age of Sigmar?
Points are numerical values assigned to every unit in Age of Sigmar. They represent a unit’s approximate power level — more powerful units cost more points, less powerful units cost fewer. A mighty dragon might cost 400 points, while a basic infantry unit might cost 120 points. By giving both players the same points budget, the game ensures roughly balanced matches regardless of which factions are playing.
Points are not arbitrary numbers. Games Workshop’s design team sets points based on a combination of a unit’s combat effectiveness, survivability, special abilities, and synergies with other units. Points are regularly updated through General’s Handbook publications and online balance updates to reflect the evolving state of the game — if a unit proves too strong in competitive play, its points may increase. If it is underperforming, its points may decrease.
The points system is specifically a matched play feature. Open play uses no points restrictions (players agree on whatever forces they want), and narrative play uses its own balancing mechanisms. However, matched play is the most commonly used format at clubs and tournaments, making points literacy essential for most players.
Points values change periodically. Games Workshop publishes updated points through the General’s Handbook (an annual publication), seasonal balance updates, and online FAQs. Staying current with points changes is important for competitive play, as your carefully crafted army list may need adjustment when new points are released.
How Does the Regiment System Work?
Age of Sigmar 4th Edition introduced the regiment system — a structured way of organising your army that replaces the older warscroll battalion and ally systems. The regiment system is the framework within which you spend your points, and understanding it is essential for building a legal army.
An army is composed of one or more regiments. Each regiment is led by a Hero — a named character, a generic hero, or a hero on a mount. That Hero is the regiment’s commander, and the other units in the regiment are that hero’s followers. The relationship between a hero and their regiment is not just organisational — some rules and abilities specifically reference a unit’s regiment, granting bonuses to units that share a regiment with their hero.
Each hero can lead a regiment of a specific size, determined by their warscroll. Most heroes can lead a regiment of up to three non-hero units, or up to four if that hero is your general. More powerful heroes may lead larger regiments. Some units can only be taken as part of a specific hero’s regiment, reflecting lore relationships between leaders and their followers.
The regiment system creates natural army structures. Instead of a flat list of units, your army has clear organisational divisions with defined leadership. This mirrors how real military forces are structured — companies led by officers, each commanding a specific number of troops — and it adds a layer of strategic decision-making to list building: which heroes lead which units, and how do you distribute your forces across regiments for maximum effectiveness?
What Are Battleline Units and Why Do They Matter?
Battleline units are the core troops of your army — the basic infantry, cavalry, or war machines that form the backbone of your force. Every legal army list must include a minimum number of Battleline units, ensuring that armies consist of more than just powerful heroes and elite units.
The Battleline requirement serves both a gameplay and a thematic purpose. From a gameplay perspective, it prevents players from building armies composed entirely of the most powerful units — you cannot field five dragons and nothing else. From a thematic perspective, it ensures that armies look like armies — with rank-and-file troops forming the core and heroes and monsters serving as highlights.
Which units count as Battleline depends on your faction. Each faction’s battletome designates specific units as Battleline — these are typically the faction’s basic infantry or core units. For Stormcast Eternals, Liberators and Vindictors are Battleline. For Orruk Warclans, Gutrippaz and Brutes might fill the role. Some units become Battleline conditionally — they are only Battleline when your army meets specific conditions, such as using a particular subfaction or including a specific hero as your general.
The minimum number of Battleline units required depends on the game size. Smaller games may require fewer Battleline units, while larger games require more. Meeting the Battleline requirement is non-negotiable for matched play — if your army does not include enough Battleline units, it is not a legal list.
What Are the Different Game Sizes?
Age of Sigmar supports multiple game sizes, each with its own points limit, Battleline requirements, and typical playing time. Choosing the right game size depends on your collection, available time, and preference for game length.
Spearhead (approximately 600 points equivalent): Spearhead is Age of Sigmar’s introductory format, using pre-built forces from Spearhead boxes. Each Spearhead box contains a balanced force designed to play against other Spearhead forces. Games are fast — typically 45-60 minutes — and require no list building. Spearhead is the ideal starting point for new players learning the game.
1,000 points (Path to Glory / small games): A popular format for casual play and narrative campaigns, 1,000-point games use smaller armies and take approximately 1-1.5 hours. They require fewer models, making them accessible for players still building their collection. The smaller army size means individual units have a proportionally larger impact on the game, creating dramatic swings and memorable moments.
2,000 points (standard matched play): The standard game size for competitive play and the format used at most tournaments. 2,000-point armies provide enough space for a varied force with multiple regiments, heroes, monsters, and Battleline units. Games take approximately 2-3 hours. This is the format that Age of Sigmar rules are primarily balanced around.
2,500+ points (grand battles): Larger games for experienced players with extensive collections. These games use more models, take longer (3-5 hours), and allow for more elaborate army compositions. Grand battles are less common at tournaments but popular for narrative events and friendly games where both players want to field everything they have painted.
How Do You Build a Legal Army List?
Building a legal army list in Age of Sigmar requires meeting several criteria simultaneously. Here is the step-by-step process:
Step 1 — Choose your faction. Every unit in your army must share the same faction keyword. You cannot mix Stormcast Eternals with Sylvaneth units (unless specific rules allow allied units). Your faction choice determines which battletome you use for rules, which units are available, and which units count as Battleline.
Step 2 — Choose your game size and points limit. Agree with your opponent on the game size. This determines your maximum points budget, Battleline minimums, and other composition requirements.
Step 3 — Select your general. Choose one Hero to be your army’s general. The general gains additional abilities and is often the centrepiece of your army’s strategy. Some armies gain additional benefits based on which hero is the general — certain subfaction rules or command abilities may only be available to specific general choices.
Step 4 — Build your regiments. Assign heroes to lead regiments and fill those regiments with appropriate units. Ensure each regiment does not exceed the hero’s maximum regiment size. Assign units strategically — keep units that benefit from a hero’s aura abilities in the same regiment as that hero.
Step 5 — Meet Battleline requirements. Count your Battleline units and ensure you meet the minimum for your chosen game size. If you are short on Battleline, you will need to swap out some elite or specialist units for additional core troops.
Step 6 — Check total points. Add up the points cost of every unit in your army. The total must not exceed the points limit for your chosen game size. If you are over, remove or swap units until you are at or under the limit. Most players try to use as many of their allocated points as possible — leaving 50 unused points is fine, but leaving 200 means you are at a disadvantage.
Step 7 — Record your list. Write down your complete army list including each unit, its regiment assignment, its points cost, and any upgrades or options selected. Many players use army builder apps to automate this process and ensure list legality.
Where Do You Find the Current Points Values?
Finding accurate, up-to-date points values is crucial for building legal army lists. Points change regularly, and using outdated points can result in illegal lists at tournaments or unfair casual games. Here are the official sources:
The General’s Handbook: Games Workshop’s annual publication that contains the most comprehensive points listings, battleplans, and matched play rules. The General’s Handbook is the definitive reference for competitive play and is updated annually. It is available as a physical book and as a digital download.
Battletomes: Each faction’s battletome contains points values for that faction’s units at the time of publication. However, these points may be superseded by later General’s Handbook publications or balance updates. Always cross-reference battletome points with the most recent General’s Handbook.
Online balance updates: Games Workshop publishes periodic balance updates through the Warhammer Community website and the official Warhammer app. These updates may adjust points for specific units between General’s Handbook releases. Tournament players should check for these updates before every event.
The Warhammer app: Games Workshop’s official app includes an army builder that automatically uses the most current points values. While the app has received mixed reviews for its interface, it is reliably up to date with points changes and validates army legality automatically.
Third-party tools: Community-created tools like Warscroll Builder, AoS Reminders, and various army building apps pull from official data and provide user-friendly interfaces for list building. These tools are generally accurate but may occasionally lag behind official updates by a few days. Always verify critical points values against official sources before a tournament.
How Often Do Points Change?
Points in Age of Sigmar change more frequently than many new players expect. Understanding the update cycle helps you plan your collection and list building:
Annual General’s Handbook updates provide the most comprehensive points revisions. Nearly every unit in the game may receive a points adjustment, and structural changes to army composition rules may also occur. These annual updates are the most impactful changes and can significantly shift the competitive meta.
Quarterly or seasonal balance updates target specific outlier units or factions that are overperforming or underperforming between General’s Handbook releases. These updates typically affect a smaller number of units but can make dramatic changes to specific faction viability.
New battletome releases introduce new units with their own points values and may adjust existing units to accommodate new models or rules. When your faction receives a new battletome, expect significant points changes across your entire army.
The frequency of points changes is a double-edged sword. On one hand, regular updates keep the game fresh and address balance problems relatively quickly. On the other hand, they can invalidate carefully planned army lists and force players to buy or paint new models to remain competitive. Casual players who are not concerned with tournament optimisation can largely ignore points changes and play with whatever points their group agrees on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use units from previous editions?
Most units that have current warscrolls and points values can be used regardless of when the models were purchased. However, some older units have been discontinued and no longer have official rules. Check whether your specific models have current warscrolls before including them in a list. Games Workshop maintains a Legends section with rules for discontinued models that can be used in casual play but are not permitted at official tournaments.
What happens if I go over the points limit?
Your army list is not legal and cannot be used in matched play or tournaments. In casual games, your opponent may agree to play against a slightly over-limit list, but this is their choice. Most army builder apps will flag over-limit lists automatically.
Do I have to use all my points?
No. You can use fewer points than the limit allows. However, unused points are wasted — you are voluntarily fielding a weaker army. Most players aim to use as many points as possible, ideally within 20-50 points of the limit. Some competitive players deliberately leave small point gaps to avoid taking suboptimal units just to fill the last few points.
Are points the same for all game modes?
Points are specifically a matched play mechanic. Open play does not use points, and narrative play (Path to Glory) uses its own progression and balancing system. However, many casual players use points even in non-matched-play games as a convenient balancing tool.
How do reinforced units work with points?
Some units can be reinforced — taken at double their normal model count for double their points cost. Reinforcing a unit makes it larger and more resilient, but takes a larger share of your points budget. The number of reinforced units allowed in your army is limited by game size. Reinforcing is a strategic choice — a reinforced battleline unit holds objectives better but costs points that could be spent on additional units or heroes.
How many command points do you get in Age of Sigmar?
In Age of Sigmar 4th Edition, each player receives 4 command points at the start of every battle round. The underdog, the player with fewer victory points, gets one extra. Command points pay for commands such as All-out Attack, All-out Defence and Redeploy, so managing them carefully matters as much as list building.
Does Age of Sigmar use Power Level?
No. Age of Sigmar balances armies with points only. Power Level (also called Power Rating) was a simplified balancing system used in some editions of Warhammer 40k. AoS has never used it for matched play. For a quick casual game, players usually just agree on a points limit such as 1,000 or 2,000.
What are Regiments of Renown?
Regiments of Renown are pre-set groups of units, introduced in Age of Sigmar 4th Edition, that can join armies other than their own. They largely replace the old allies system. Each has its own points cost and the list of factions it can join. They let you add flavour from another army, such as a famous mercenary band, without breaking the regiment rules.