Warhammer 40k Christmas Boxes: Are They Worth It?

Warhammer 40k Christmas Boxes for 2023 were revealed this week, showcasing 6 incredible starting points for any army.

Christmas is coming, and with it the new, yearly Battleforce boxes approach as well! There have been a lot of speculation about which armies get a big box of reinforcements, but as Games Workshop revealed them on Monday, you don’t have to speculate anymore. The Imperial Guard, World Eaters, Tyranids, Orkz, Space Marine and Leagues of Votann Battleforces look incredible. The only question is that are they worth it? Using the Games Workshop prices of the separate units in each box, we will answer that question!

Warhammer 40k Christmas Boxes – Are They Worth It?

Imperial Guard – Cadian Defence Force

The Astra Militarum got a box true to the phrase “Cadia stands!”, as the Cadian Defence Force brings some serious firepower alongside the heroes of the Imperium. The box contains two squads of foot soldiers, two tanks and a command squad to guide them through the storm of battle. That alone would be worth a letter to Santa, but how much can you save on the Defence Force?

The box contains:

• 20 Cadian Shock Troopers – $50 for 10
• A Cadian Command Squad – $45
• 2 Rogal Dorn battle tanks – $100 for 1
• Total: $245

While we don’t know the price of the boxes yet, last year, the Battleforces were sold for around $150-$200 depending on your localization. If we add up the contents of the Cadian Defence Force, it comes out to $245, which means that you save around 35-40% if you buy the Battleforce instead of the boxes separately.

But how many points is the Cadian Defence Force?

• 20 Cadian Shock Troops – 120 Points
• Cadian Command Squad – 65 Points
• 2 Rogal Dorn battle tanks – 520 Points

We know that the troops for the Astra Militarum is fairly cheap – after all, there are billions of men and women in the Imperial Guard. Thanks to the tanks, the total Points value of this box comes out to 705 points, which should provide a solid foundation for a Militarum army. Or a great addition if you’re trying to round your 2000 Points list out!

Space Marines – Spearhead Force

Of course, with the onslaught of Hive Fleet Leviathan and the Space Marine Codex dropping, the Angels of Death also had their Battleforce box revealed. This box leans heavily into the new Jump Pack Intercessors that were released with the Codex, pairing them up with some Outriders and an Invader ATV. This squad could provide a great basis for a White Scars or Blood Angels force – or grant a swift striking detachment to any Space Marine army.

The Spearhead Force contains:

• 15 Jump Pack Intercessors – $60 for 5
• A Captain with Jump Pack – $40
• A unit of Outriders – $60
• And a Primaris Invader ATV – $50
• Total: $350

If we still go off the prices of last year, this box is a steal, as the total cost of the units inside comes out to $350 which means that you could save 50% – if Games Workshop didn’t increase the box prices that much.

While the Spearhead Force is a good bang for your buck, it’s not as great in terms of points:

• 15 Jump Pack Intercessors – 255 Points
• Captain with Jump Pack – 85 Points
• Outrider Squad – 95 Points
• Invader ATV – 70 Points

This puts the new Space Marine Battleforce at 505 Points in total, which is 200 less than the Cadian Defence Force, and just gives a quarter of a full army. This box is truly meant to be a separate shock squad for a Space Marine Army, and while it’s good value, it’s better for players that already own Space Marines.

World Eaters – Exalted of the Red Angel

The latest addition to the roster of 40k armies, the World Eaters also get a Battleforce for the holiday season! Following the trend of the big boxes containing the Daemon Primarchs, this time it’s Angron who’s leading his Berzerkers and Eightbound into the fray.

The models in the Exalted of the Red Angel box are:

• Angron – $170
• 6 Exalted Eightbound – $60 for 3
• 10 Khorne Berzerkes – $65
• Total: $295

While the forces of the Daemon Primarch of Khorne is not as numerous as the previous two, they hold an incredible value. Angron himself is a huge investment, and Eightbound are hard to come by these days. The total value of the units separately is $295 which is almost double price of the box if GW keeps the prices around last year’s ones.

The points values are also great for this Christmas box:

• Angron – 415 Points
• Khorne Berzerkers – 100 Points
• 6 Exalted Eightbound – 300 Points

This puts the Exalted of the Red Angel Battleforce to 815 points, which is incredible value for any player looking to start their path to the Skull Throne. With the box including the Red Angel himself, it’s great if you want to get a centrepiece model for your World Eater if – for some reason – you didn’t have Angron already!

Leagues of Votann – Defenders of the Ancestors

Another recent addition to the grim darkness of the 41^st millennium, the Leagues of Votann get another box set! Thankfully, this one is better than the Boarding Patrol the space dwarves got with some nice units. Two vehicles, two squads of the best unit in the Index, and two characters to round it off. Games Workshop also thought about the meta, as the Grimnyr can’t join any unit as a leader, but that just leaves him as a scoring unit as many high ranked LoV players have used them!

Jokes aside, the value of this box is very good:

• Grimnyr – $45
• Einhyr Champion – $40
• 10 Einhyr Heartguard – $60 for 5
• Sagitaur – $65
• Hekaton Land Fortress – $115
• Total: $385

The Hekaton Land Fortress and the Sagitaur are some really nice vehicles and great additions to any list, but the real value is in the 10 Heartguard, which are undoubtedly the best datasheet in the whole army at the moment. The combined price of the units if bought separately comes out to $385, which is the best so far, which could mean that you save around $200 if you buy the Defenders of the Ancestors this coming holiday season.

In terms of points, the Votann Christmas box is also a standout:

• Grimnyr – 65 Points
• Einhyr Champion – 60 Points
• 10 Einhyr Heartguard – 300 Points
• Sagitaur – 100 Points
• Hekaton Land Fortress – 225 Points

This Battleforce is a great foundation for a Leagues of Votann army, as it’s exactly 750 points of great units. If you pair the Defenders of the Ancestors up with a Combat Patrol box, you almost have an army that could take on anything! If you build out from there, you can have a 2000 point of height challenged individuals in no time!

Tyranids – Onslaught Swarm

While one of the main factions of 40k’s 10^th Edition are the Space Marines, they couldn’t be the heroes of the story without the Tyranids, specifically Hive Fleet Leviathan. The Hive Mind sent some reinforcements so that the Tyranids can stay on the offensive after winning the Battle for Oghram with a new Battleforce – including the new Big Boi™ of the Nids.

The Onslaught Swarm box contains:

• Winged Hive Tyrant – $60
• Norn Emissary – $115
• 10 Genestealers – $55
• 20 Hormagaunts – $ 50for 10
• Total: $330

While not as big of a steal as the World Eaters or Leagues of Votann boxes, the Tyranid Christmas box is not bad by any margin. The full value of the box is $330thanks to the bigger bugs, while the smaller ones are great chaff to throw at objectives and your opponent’s units. On the tabletop, this box doesn’t really hold it’s own, but with a little work, you can make a great army out of the base that the Onslaught Swarm provides!

Orkz – Beast Snagga Stampede

And last, but not least, the Orkz will also stomp their way into the lineup of Christmas boxes. This year, the theme of Beast Snaggas continue – hence the name of the Battleforce – with Mozrog Skragbad leading his best Boyz into battle.

The Beast Snagga Stampede is made up of:

• Mozrog Skragbad – $60
• Nob on Smasha Squig and Squighog Boyz – $65
• Kill Rig – $140
• 10 Beast Snagga Boyz – $60
• Total $325

The Beast Snagga Stampede is another of the more laid back Battleforces, as it “only” saves you $175, as the total price of the models comes out to $325if you look at the official prices on the Games Workshop webstore. However, their points value is nice, and outside of the Kill Rig, all models see play in tournament lists – which means they are strong.

The points of the Beast Snagga Stampede are:

• Mozrog Skragbad – 195 Points
• Nob on Smasha Squig – 60 Points
• Squighog Boyz – 110 Points
• Kill Rig – 200 Points
• Beast Snagga Boyz – 105 Points

The total points of this Battleforce comes out to 670 Points, which is more than enough for a good krumpin’. Luckily, a lot more boyz fit into the remaining Points even for a 1k army, meaning that you can fill up your roster to your heart’s content.

The 2023 Christmas Battleforces look great, with the Leagues of Votann and World Eaters ones being absolutely stellar. Hopefully, Games Workshop keeps up with the trend of good releases, as they have been on a roll – follow ESTNN for the latest news of all things Warhammer 40k!