STARTING A LEAGUES OF VOTANN ARMY IN 11TH EDITION: A COMPACT BUYING GUIDE
The Leagues of Votann are the hobby's rare treat, and an ideal 11th edition start: a genuinely small, modern range where a complete collection is an achievable ambition rather than a lifetime sentence. The Kin are pragmatic, durable, and grudge-bearing — an army that advances methodically, tanks a frightening amount of punishment, and repays every slight with interest. If you like the idea of owning one of everything a faction makes, start here.
Why small is beautiful
Because the range is compact, your buying order matters less than with sprawling factions — but it still pays to build from the middle out. The middle, for the Kin, is Hearthkyn Warriors: tough line infantry with a toolbox of weapon options. Whatever starter or Combat Patrol-style box is current will be built around them plus a leader such as a Kâhl, and that bundle is comfortably your first purchase.
The second wave
Two kits define the army's character beyond the line squads. Einhyr Hearthguard are the elite — massive exo-armoured bodyguards who anchor whatever they stand near. Cthonian Beserks are the opposite energy: mining-plasma brawlers who dig through enemy lines the way they dig through rock. One box of each gives your force teeth and texture, and both are superb painting projects with all that layered armour plate.
Recommended: Einhyr Hearthguard
Getting about
A Sagitaur buggy or two adds the speed the infantry lacks and breaks up the visual mass of the army nicely on the shelf.
The Land Fortress question
The Hekaton Land Fortress is the obvious centrepiece — a rolling fortress that looks like the entire faction's philosophy cast in plastic. It's a big commitment of desk time, so schedule it as a reward: core infantry painted first, then the tank.
Recommended: Hekaton Land Fortress
Easy mistakes to skip
- Buying the Land Fortress first and letting it loom, unbuilt, over everything.
- Stockpiling duplicate character sculpts a small range doesn't need yet.
Settle your grudges in ink
The Kin write everything down, and you should too: log each kit as it joins the hold and record its true condition, however unflattering. A ledger that matches reality is the difference between a collection and a cupboard. The complete range and lore are on the Leagues of Votann faction page under Data.