Whether you’re just getting into Warhammer or you’ve been in the hobby for years, there’s always room to improve your approach to painting, gaming, and collecting. The best hobbyists aren’t necessarily the most talented — they’re the ones with smart habits, practical skills, and a healthy relationship with the hobby.
Here are ten practical tips that will genuinely improve your Warhammer experience in 2026. No gatekeeping, no elitism — just honest advice from years of hobby experience.
1. Thin Your Paints
This is the most repeated piece of advice in the hobby for good reason: it works. Thinning your paints with a small amount of water (or a medium like Lahmian Medium) before applying them to your miniatures produces dramatically better results than painting straight from the pot.
Why it matters:
- Thick paint obscures detail, filling in the recesses and textures that sculptors carefully designed
- Thin coats create smoother, more professional-looking surfaces
- Multiple thin coats build up color gradually while maintaining crisp detail
- You have more control over where the paint goes
How to do it: Add a small drop of water to your paint on a palette (a wet palette makes this even easier — see tip #4). Mix it until the consistency is roughly that of melted ice cream or whole milk. Apply in smooth, even strokes. Two thin coats will always look better than one thick coat.
For a complete primer on painting techniques, visit our painting for beginners guide.
2. Play Smaller Games First
If you’re new to Warhammer or trying a new army, resist the urge to jump straight into 2000-point games. Start with 500 or 1000 points and work your way up.
Benefits of smaller games:
- Games are shorter (1-2 hours instead of 3-4), making them easier to schedule
- Fewer units means fewer rules to remember, reducing mistakes and lookups
- You can focus on learning core mechanics without being overwhelmed
- You only need a few units painted to start playing — no need to wait until your entire army is finished
- Smaller games make it easier to identify what each unit actually does on the table
Combat Patrol is an excellent format for this — a pre-built 500-point army in a box that’s designed to be balanced against other Combat Patrols. It’s the perfect entry point for new players and new armies alike. Learn the fundamentals with our how to play guide.
3. Magnetize Expensive Kits
Warhammer kits aren’t cheap, and many multi-option kits force you to choose between weapon loadouts during assembly. Magnetizing — using small rare-earth magnets to create swappable weapon options — saves you money and gives you flexibility when points change or the meta shifts.
Best kits to magnetize:
- Vehicle weapons (Dreadnought arms, tank turrets, flyer loadouts)
- Character weapon options
- Heavy weapon team options
- Any kit where the weapon choice significantly impacts the unit’s role
What you need: Small neodymium magnets (2mm x 1mm are the most versatile), a pin vise drill, and super glue. There are countless YouTube tutorials for magnetizing specific kits — search “[kit name] magnetize tutorial” and you’ll find step-by-step guides.
Check our hobby tools guide for recommendations on pin vises and other magnetizing supplies.
4. Use a Wet Palette
A wet palette is a simple tool that keeps your paints wet and workable for hours (or even days) instead of drying out on a traditional dry palette within minutes. It’s one of the cheapest and most impactful upgrades you can make to your painting setup.
How it works: A wet palette consists of a shallow container, a layer of absorbent material (sponge or paper towels) soaked in water, and a sheet of parchment paper on top. Paint goes on the parchment. The moisture from below keeps the paint hydrated, extending its working time dramatically.
Benefits:
- Paints stay wet for hours, reducing waste
- Easier to thin paints to the perfect consistency
- Better for mixing colors and creating custom shades
- Makes glazing and layering techniques much easier
- Can store overnight with a lid for multi-session painting projects
You can buy a purpose-built wet palette (Redgrass Games makes popular ones) or make your own from a food container, paper towels, and baking parchment for almost nothing.
5. Batch Paint
Batch painting means painting multiple models simultaneously — doing the same step on each model before moving to the next step, assembly-line style. Instead of fully painting one model at a time, you paint the same color on 5-10 models before switching colors.
Why batch paint:
- Massively more efficient — you spend less time switching brushes, cleaning, and getting paint ready
- Creates visual consistency across your army (all models get the exact same treatment)
- Gets your army on the table faster, since you’re finishing entire squads at once
- Takes advantage of paint drying time — while models 1-5 dry, paint models 6-10
Ideal batch size: 5-10 models is the sweet spot for most painters. Fewer than 5 and you lose the efficiency gains; more than 10 and the process can feel tedious. For large hordes (Tyranids, Orks, Skaven), you might push to 15-20 for basic troops.
6. Set Hobby Goals
The “pile of shame” — the stack of unbuilt, unpainted models — is a universal hobbyist experience. The best way to combat it is to set concrete, achievable hobby goals.
Good hobby goals:
- “Paint one unit per week” rather than “paint my entire army”
- “Finish my Combat Patrol before buying anything new”
- “Play at least two games per month”
- “Learn one new painting technique each quarter”
- “Attend one tournament this year”
Bad hobby goals:
- “Paint all 3000 points by next month” (unrealistic and demoralizing)
- “Only buy things when the pile is done” (too restrictive — you’ll break this immediately)
- “Win every game” (outside your control and leads to frustration)
Track your progress — many hobbyists use spreadsheets, hobby journals, or social media (posting #HobbyStreak on Instagram/Twitter) to stay accountable. The satisfaction of checking off a completed unit is genuinely motivating.
7. Join a Community
Warhammer is infinitely more enjoyable as a social hobby. Joining a community — whether online or in person — gives you opponents to play against, painters to learn from, and friends who share your passion.
Where to find community:
- Local game stores: Attend gaming nights and painting events. Even if you’re shy, just showing up regularly builds familiarity.
- Reddit: r/Warhammer40k, r/Warhammer, r/minipainting, and faction-specific subreddits are welcoming communities.
- Discord: Thousands of Warhammer Discord servers exist for every faction, play style, and region. Search Discord server listings or ask on Reddit for recommendations.
- Social media: Instagram and Twitter/X have thriving hobby communities. Share your work, comment on others’, and build connections.
The Warhammer community is overwhelmingly positive and supportive. Don’t let imposter syndrome stop you from engaging — everyone started as a beginner, and most hobbyists love helping newcomers.
8. Try New Techniques
It’s easy to fall into a comfort zone — painting every model the same way with the same techniques you learned when you started. Challenge yourself to learn something new regularly:
- Dry brushing: If you’ve never tried it, it’s the fastest way to highlight textured surfaces like fur, rocks, and chainmail.
- Washing/shade paints: A single wash can transform a flat paintjob into something with depth and shadow.
- Edge highlighting: The technique that makes GW’s ‘Eavy Metal-painted models look so crisp. It takes practice but dramatically improves your models.
- Wet blending: Mixing paints directly on the model for smooth transitions. Advanced, but achievable with practice.
- Contrast/Speed paints: These one-coat paints can produce impressive results quickly, especially on organic textures and cloth.
- Basing: Good bases elevate even simple paint jobs. Experiment with texture paints, tufts, rocks, and water effects.
YouTube is your best friend here — channels like Duncan Rhodes, Squidmar, and Goobertown Hobbies have tutorials for every technique imaginable. Pick one technique per month and practice it. See our painting guide for foundational techniques.
9. Play Narrative Games
Matched play (competitive, balanced games) gets most of the attention, but narrative play is where Warhammer truly shines as a storytelling medium. Crusade campaigns, narrative missions, and homebrew scenarios add depth and emotional investment that competitive games can’t match.
Why try narrative play:
- Your models develop stories and personalities over a campaign
- Units gain experience, upgrades, and battle scars that make them unique
- Losses feel less frustrating when they’re part of a larger narrative
- You can use “non-competitive” units without worrying about optimization
- It encourages thematic army building and creative modeling
Start a simple Crusade campaign with a friend. Begin at 500 points and grow your armies over multiple games. The Crusade rules in each codex provide a framework, but don’t be afraid to add your own house rules and story beats. Understanding what makes 40k unique will help you appreciate the narrative possibilities.
10. Don’t Chase the Meta
This is perhaps the most important tip, especially for newer players: don’t buy or build your army based solely on what’s currently winning tournaments. The meta changes every few months with balance dataslates and points updates. The unit that’s dominating today might be nerfed tomorrow.
Why chasing the meta is a trap:
- You’ll spend money on models that become “bad” after the next update, leading to buyer’s remorse
- You’ll never finish painting an army because you keep switching to whatever’s strongest
- You won’t develop deep knowledge of any one army, since you’re constantly changing
- You’ll burnout from the constant churn of buying, building, and painting new units
What to do instead:
- Choose an army you love: Pick a faction based on aesthetics, lore, and play style — not win rates. You’ll be spending hundreds of hours building, painting, and looking at these models. Make sure you love them.
- Build a complete army: Focus on owning and painting a full, flexible collection for one faction before branching out.
- Learn your army deeply: A player who knows their faction inside and out will consistently outperform someone who netdecked a meta list but doesn’t understand how to pilot it.
- Trust the cycle: Every army has its moment. If your faction is weak now, it will get buffed eventually. Patience is rewarded in this hobby.
Bonus: Take Care of Yourself
One last tip that often goes unsaid: take care of your physical health while hobbying. Long painting sessions can strain your eyes, back, and wrists. Use good lighting (a daylight lamp is essential), take breaks every 30-45 minutes, stretch your hands and wrists, and sit in an ergonomic position. Your hobby should be relaxing, not painful.
Final Thoughts
The Warhammer hobby is a marathon, not a sprint. The players who enjoy it most are the ones who build sustainable habits, set realistic goals, and focus on the aspects that bring them genuine joy — whether that’s painting, gaming, collecting, or lore. These ten tips aren’t revolutionary, but implementing even a few of them will meaningfully improve your experience in 2026 and beyond.
Ready to dive deeper? Explore our painting for beginners guide, learn what Warhammer 40k is all about, or check out our hobby tools recommendations to level up your workspace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to prime miniatures before painting?
Yes. Primer gives paint something to grip, so later coats go on smoothly and don’t rub off with handling. A spray primer is quickest; brush-on primer works if you can’t spray. Wash the models first, then spray thin, even coats from about 20 to 30cm away, ideally in dry, mild weather.
Should I varnish my painted miniatures?
Yes, if you play games with them. A coat of varnish protects your paint from handling, transport and knocks. Matt varnish keeps a natural finish, while gloss is tougher but shiny, so some painters apply gloss first for protection and matt on top. Spray in dry, mild conditions to avoid a cloudy or frosted finish.
Do I need an airbrush to paint Warhammer?
No. Brushes, spray primer, washes and drybrushing are enough to paint a good-looking army, and Contrast or speed paints make it quicker still. An airbrush is a useful later upgrade for smooth blends, zenithal priming and large vehicles, but it adds cost, a compressor and cleaning time, so it isn’t a beginner essential.