STARTING AN ADEPTA SORORITAS ARMY IN 11TH EDITION: THE SISTERS OF BATTLE KEEP THE FAITH
Faith, fire and gothic splendour: the Adepta Sororitas are the most characterful army you can start in 11th edition, and one of the most beautiful. The Sisters of Battle bring everything the setting does best onto one shelf — power-armoured warrior nuns, candle-crowned war engines, penitents in chains, and living saints descending on wings of light. As a painting project they are a feast: black or bone armour, rich reds, parchment, brass and candle-glow, every technique in the hobby on one squad. And as a collection they have a clear spine to build along, which is exactly what a first army needs.
The first hymn
Start with the current Combat Patrol-style set — starter boxes rotate with the edition, so buy whatever is current rather than chasing an old printing. The core you want early is unambiguous: Battle Sisters Squads, the bolter-armed heart of the Order, plus a Canoness to lead them. Battle Sisters are one of the great modern kits — endlessly customisable, dripping with fleur-de-lys and purity seals — and painting two squads of them will teach you the entire army's palette. A Rhino or Immolator gives them wheels and gives you your first vehicle lesson.
Zeal, in bulk
The second wave is where the Sisters show their range. Seraphim or Zephyrim add jump-pack drama in the skies. Sister Repentia bring the tragic fury of the penitent — magnificent models, all straps and eviscerators — and Arco-flagellants or a Penitent Engine push that theme to its gloriously grim conclusion. This is also the moment for a practical aside: points and datasheets were refreshed for 11th edition and starter contents change over time, so check current points before list-building. The good news is that faith, like a well-painted Battle Sister, never rotates out.
Saints and war engines
Few factions offer three centrepieces this good. The Exorcist — a missile-launching pipe organ on tracks — is the most Sororitas vehicle imaginable and a joy to paint. Morvenn Vahl, Abbess Sanctorum in her towering Paragon warsuit, is the modern face of the Order's leadership. And Saint Celestine, the Living Saint aloft with her Geminae bodyguard, remains one of the most breathtaking kits in the entire game. Collect toward whichever one makes you want to clear the painting desk tonight.
Purchases to defer
- A third Exorcist before the first has its organ pipes gilded; the Emperor appreciates restraint too, occasionally.
- Every flavour of penitent at once — one unit of Repentia conveys the message; a shelf of them is a cry for help.
- Named saints as your first models; earn the miracle, paint the Battle Sisters first.
Keep the convent's records
Every Order keeps its rolls: every relic catalogued, every Sister accounted for. Give your collection the same devotion. Log each kit the day it arrives and mark it honestly — boxed, built, or finished — and let no shameful pile of grey plastic accumulate unconfessed. Watching the finished column grow is its own small act of faith, and it is what turns a drawer of shrink-wrap into an army worthy of the God-Emperor. For the complete catalogue of everything the Sisters of Battle can field, from novitiate to living saint, see the Adepta Sororitas faction page under Data.