Warhammer Academy launched a couple of weeks after being revealed as part of The Big Summer Preview. 

Its premise is simple. To help newcomers to Warhammer 40,000 understand the game, the factions and to help them field their armies on the battlefield.

Now, this is aimed at the likes of myself, Matt and Jay, but I wanted to take some time out to check it out and see just how the website works and if it is in fact great for newbies.

Let’s delve in.

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What is Warhammer Academy and is it Free?

As mentioned in the introduction to this article, Warhammer Academy is a one stop shop for anyone new that is interested in Warhammer 40,000. It doesn’t require any models, it only requires two things.

The first is a MyWarhammer account. This is free to obtain and can be used as a single login across the portfolio of Warhammer websites, from the webstore, to Warhammer+ and, of course, Warhammer Academy.

The second is simple, an interest in learning all about the game without the outlay of buying books and models. 

How Does Warhammer Academy Work?

Once logged in, the website provides a variety of ‘Pathways’ for you to explore. In each Pathway you’ll find a number of videos which will explain or show you different elements of how to play or paint your models.

In simple terms, the Pathways are grouped in the sidebar into three key sections, although to be honest the first two are combined.

• Collecting and Lore
• Building and Painting
• Gaming

The first and second section breaks down every faction (bar one, which we will come to) as well as a Pathway which focuses on the Starter Set, which is probably where most new players will find themselves thanks to the models and scenery in the box.

What is in the Collecting and Lore / Building and Painting Pathways?

Taking the Starter Set Pathway as the first example, it has a number of high quality videos which explains exactly what Warhammer 40,000 is, as well as videos on the two factions included.

The best bit of this Pathway however, are the videos which follow. These hobby videos go into a high level of detail, explaining the fundamentals of building, spraying and painting your Warhammer models.

As mentioned, you’ll also find Pathways for the factions within the game. Within each Pathway you’ll find videos explaining the faction as well as detailed individual videos of how to paint each of the units within the Faction’s Combat Patrol box. Combat Patrol is a fantastic way to start playing a faction, as every faction has one, and they contain multiple units for you to build and paint. 

What is in the Gaming Pathways?

This is where the Academy REALLY shines. It’s a step by step section to learn exactly how to play Warhammer 40k.

Again, you’ll find a series of high quality videos which explain how to play Warhammer 40k. Each video focuses on one element, such as the Command Phase, Using Stratagems and how Leaders work. 

Official Warhammer Presenters do a fantastic job of explaining each asset of the gameplay in a clear and concise manner. 

Image pop-ups also appear throughout the videos to help with the explanation. 

You can easily jump between each video using the sidebar. 

Does it Link to Battle Honours?

If you have a local official Warhammer store, you may have noticed that they run something called Battle Honours. This is a fantastic way of starting out in the hobby, granting you rewards as you complete achievements and show off your progression with the in-store team. 

Whilst Warhammer Academy asks during site registration if you are, or have taken part within the Battle Honours program it does not sadly contain any further link.

It would have been really cool to have your Battle Honours achievements somehow marked within the Academy. 

Can you earn Achievements?

In short, yes, yes you can!

As you progress through the Pathways you’ll unlock Achievements, which will be proudly displayed in the Achievements section of the website.

Which Factions have Pathways?

All of them! Well, all of them bar one.

The Deathwatch, a sort of but not really Chapter of the Space Marines, are one of my favourite factions. They are, however, absent from Warhammer Academy. 

Sadly they did not get a 10th Edition Codex (although they did get a downloaded Faction Pack following customer feedback) and from that point the writing was a little on the wall for the Faction. They do have a couple of units within the Imperial Agents Codex, but it’s my honest opinion that they are being phased out as a standalone force, which is a massive shame and would explain why they are absent as a Faction on the Academy.

Does Warhammer Age of Sigmar have a section on Warhammer Academy?

Currently, the Academy only supports Warhammer 40k at the moment, however you do not have to look far to see an option for Age of Sigmar (under User Preferences). Who knows how soon it’ll arrive, but it is on the way. 

Summary

It feels like such a long time ago when I first ventured into the hobby. 

My first foray into Warhammer 40k was cutting out the little legend icons from the old White Dwarf Battle Reports, and then using them on carpet against Jay, as we randomly rolled dice. 

How times have changed.

I would have loved a free resource like Warhammer Academy, to help me choose my faction and get into the hobby. 

As you would expect from Games Workshop, the videos which range from gameplay explanations to how to paint your units from the Starter Box/Combat Patrols are outstanding. They are absolutely perfect for anyone who wouldn’t immediately know the difference between an Ork or a Tyranid. 

If you are torn over which faction to start collecting and playing with first, then the Lore videos are a great place to start.

The Achievements are nice, but offer only a sense of pride. It would have been great if they could somehow bring in Battle Honours, using the Academy almost like a hub for your program. Perhaps this is something they will delve into further in the future. 

It’s great to see Age of Sigmar getting the Academy treatment. What would be really cool is if they further expanded this to some of the other game systems, such as Necromunda and Kill Team. I have limited knowledge of some of the other systems, say for example Legions Imperialis, so would love to see and watch videos explaining how to play. 

So there we go, if you are reading this and haven’t played 40k before, or you are returning to the game…or heck…you are just nosey, then why not swing by and check it out.