Thank you for clicking on this guide! Please take a look at the Table of Contents below, the guide is structured in a way that caters to every level of experience with the game, so just start where it seems right and read on down the line, since each section has useful info even for folks completely unfamiliar with tabletop war games.

As a brief disclaimer, this guide was not sponsored by any party aside from those who have supported this site via Patreon, so the few times I link to direct brands (when it comes to hobby items specifically) it’s just because I recommend it.

START HERE if you’ve never played a tabletop miniature war game

Star Wars: Legion is the only officially licensed tabletop miniature war game set in the Star Wars universe. In this game, two players battle each other with miniatures they assemble and paint to score points based on a variety of objectives on a 6-foot by 3-foot battlefield. To do so, they can play as either a core faction (for example, the Rebels or the Empire) or one of a few specific “Battle Forces” that contain a specific mix of either specialized or mercenary units. The game is in a 1:48 scale, meaning that a stormtrooper is around an inch and a half tall, and a typical game takes 2.5 hours to play. A new player can be “ready to go” with a starter set and some glue (the painting can come later if you’re new to that), which after tax is going to be less than $120 USD most of the time. In the context of miniatures games, this is an incredible value.

Legion is a game that supports at-home casual play, in-store casual play, and in-store competitive play equally well. For those who do decide to venture into the store, I am glad to say with confidence that the community around this game is likely the most welcoming one for any miniatures game that supports competitive play, people will be elbowing each other out of the way in an attempt to make new players feel at home. That alone has been the reason many players have stuck with it over its now 7-year lifetime.

START HERE if you’ve played Warhammer 40K or other war games

Let me start with what might be the best part up front: Legion is significantly cheaper than 40K. As we’ll get into below, the starter sets releasing this August and September are a ridiculous value, this is something every Legion player on the planet will tell you. Ever since the $95 USD cost was announced at Adepticon I continue to be in disbelief about it to be honest. It’s maybe not quite a loss leader but the product you get would be three times as expensive if sold separately. Each starter gives you enough minis to field a 600 point army, which is a complete one in the game’s smaller “Recon” format. The standard format is 1000 points so you’ll be starting most of the way there! From there, some players could make the very legitimate choice of buying another starter set to help fill out their army or get into the various other expansions, but suffice to say you’ll be able to run a tournament legal standard format list at less than $200 MSRP, and run something with a little more variety and competitive viability at less than $300.

A sick photo by our patron SweetCardBro of his Black Templar Mandalorian compared to a 40K Templar Neophyte, as you can see if you took the style difference of the armors away, the people under them would be about the same size

Legion is close to the same scale as 40K. A space marine is larger than a stormtrooper but then again, they’re supposed to be within their respective fictions anyway. From a hobby standpoint, building and painting Legion models is a similar experience to 40K and most other minis, games, especially now that the game has fully transitioned to hard plastic models from its initial run of minis which were in a softer resin. Instead of D6 and tape measures/rulers Legion uses proprietary symbol-ed versions of a d8 and a d6 for attacking and defending, while also using standardized movement templates and range rulers. Troopers are 360° in terms of gameplay, while vehicles have a defined front/back/sides, which can matter for movement, attacking, and “weak points.”

From a gameplay perspective, Legion’s biggest difference (and draw in my opinion) from 40K is that it features alternating activations. You will not be sitting around checking your watch while your opponent moves their entire army in Legion. Activations are partially under your control: via a mix of unit effects and more importantly the “command card” you use that round (many of which are unique to certain characters) you will have some units you have control over activating while the rest go in a random bag or stack. The core rules are also slightly simpler than 40K, though it adds some complexity on the backend with a robust keyword system. From an objective standpoint, 40K players will now (in Legion’s newest format, which was refreshed in Summer 2024) find Legion fairly familiar: one primary objective (which determines deployment), one secondary objective, and one “advantage” card that each player gets, all of which is determined with a very brief pre-game banning system.

You’ll be starting with a Starter Set and filling out your army with various expansions. Various rules can squeeze a few extras, but the main thing to be aware of when planning your purchases is that there are limits on the number of units of each “Rank” you can play: 1-2 Commander, 0-2 Operatives, 3-6 Corps, 0-3 Special Forces, 0-3 Support, and 0-2 Heavy. TableTopAdmiral.com is a wonderful free squad builder you can use to plan out your army before buying it, I heartily recommend doing so. If you’re curious about other rules click here.

START HERE if you’ve played Legion before but have been away for a while

Assuming you decide to dive back in, welcome to “New Legion!”

As you’ve likely heard, multiple elements of the game got updated in July 2024, if you want a fairly complete summary, you can click here. Either way, as you know, this community is wonderful and will be around to help you adjust. If you ever see “Legion 2.6” referenced this was a moniker the community landed on to describe the game while it was in transition from a rules point of view, that transition is now over so I am hopeful we will all just settle on “New Legion” as the way to describe it, in a couple years it will just be “Legion” anyway.,

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT FACT TO BE AWARE OF: With the exception of Emperor Palpatine and the Imperial Royal Guards, which have been removed from the current format, all of your miniatures are still tournament legal. It’s true that every unit in the game is getting re-released over the course of the next year (with brand new models in the case of those that had originally been in “soft plastic”) but it is not a requirement to buy these expansions in order to use your old minis.

It is also true that all those units have new cards and (sometimes) new rules but these new cards can be acquired either through card packs that will be sold in stores or for the cost of printing at home via print and play. Long story short, players who have been taking a break can get back into this game for the cost of home-printed cards if they so chose, with the small caveat that they’d need to borrow or be gifted a “half range” ruler and a “POI” set which are the only new physical items required for play…luckily, in the last year a metric ton of these were 3D printed by many kind souls so they would be easy to come by at your store’s next league night. If you want to be “official” with the new edition and wish to use factory-printed cards and official tools, take a look at the “Cards and Tools” section below.

Also, a brief aside for old Rebel and Clone players: Pathfinders is no longer a unit but those models can be used as Rebel Troopers while Phase 1 Clone Troopers and Phase 2 Clone Troopers have been combined into “Clone Infantry” though you can use either of the old models to represent those Clone Infantry, so don’t worry that you can’t use your stuff in those contexts.

Choose Your Faction and Starter Set

While all the new rules are out, t,he new starter sets are not yet as of the time of this writing (April 2025). They are to be released in Q3 (Rebels and Empire) and early Q4 (Republic and Separatists) which is basically anticipated to be August and September of 2025. So, to be completely honest, I would recommend that truly brand new players wait for the starter sets. I’ll just keep saying it: the deal you get for these is incredible in minis game standards at $95 USD MSRP. I know many players, including myself, who will be buying a couple just for the models and the half range tool we don’t yet have yet.

If you are brand new though, a part of the awesome value of these sets is truly that they are complete sets for a single faction for the first time in the game’s history if you can believe it. Each set has:

• Enough minis and rules cards (anywhere between 36 and 42 minis depending on faction) to run a 600 point army, the smaller of the game’s two official increments of play, which can be played on a 3-foot by 3-foot area
• A full set of the game’s missions/objectives
• All the tokens you’ll need for various game effects, including the orders you give your units
• 4 of each of the game’s dice (3 colors for attack and 2 for defense)
• A full set of range and movement templates
• Rules inserts

Again, it’s just insane how much you get. To play the game, it’s everything you’ll ever need. In order to build and glue the miniatures you’ll need a couple more things if you don’t have them already but we’ll get to that in the “Peripherals and Miscellany” below. For now, let’s show you the various factions you can choose from! I’ll also give my personal take on the concept of buying two as a cost-saving choice to complete your army down the line, of course if you’re unsure you’ll like it you can buy the first starter to try it then have the second by your next purchase if you want to build your collection.

Galactic Empire Starter (Anticipated for August 2025 Release)

The “efficiency” faction. I don’t think I need to explain what the Empire is made up of, if you’ve seen it in a movie or the Mandalorian it’s probably in this game already. The faction is primarily made up of shooters who can be commanded either by a “normal dude/lady” such as Veers or Krennic or the big bad himself, Vader.

Thoughts on buying two of them: If you want a board full of stormtroopers then yeah just do it, you will obviously have a spare Vader model but you’ll also have a spare set of Scout Troopers…UNLESS of course you think you may run the Endor Battle Force (aka Tempest aka the dudes that fought the Ewoks) some day because if that’s the case you’ll actually be glad you have all those scouts. If neither of those appeals to you then skip it and start buying expansions instead.

Rebel Alliance Starter (Anticipated for August 2025 Release)

The “win by cunning” faction. Similar to the Empire, if the unit or character you can think of was in the original films it’s almost certainly in the game, as well as a couple from the Rebels cartoon like Ahsoka, Sabine, and Mandalorian resistance fighters. This faction by far as the most “trick plays” that can enable you to win games even when most of your army is dead.

Ewoks can be played in Rebel lists or as their own unique force that is basically made up of all the characters and units that showed up in the Endor scene of Return of the Jedi, but you have to start with a faction starter to have key ingredients anyway.

Thoughts on buying two of them: I probably wouldn’t unless you already know you’re going to want to be a completionist for the faction in which case sure (because again the deal is insane), my hesitation is mostly that there’s no current way to run all those minis together in one army, you’d have to leave either a Wookiee squad or a Commando squad out of it.

Separatist Alliance Starter (Anticipated for September 2025 release)

Lots and lots of droids. The “strength in numbers” faction. It often allows you total control of “who goes when” (which is usually partially random), and also features Geonosians and a smattering of Dark Jedi. Some compare this to “undead” factions in other games…it can be that, but it can also just be a “regular” army that happens to be mostly droids and a variety of bad people.

Thoughts on buying two of them: Just do it, I promise you won’t regret it. Not only will it open the doors for running the true undead army (Separatist Invasion Battle Force) of this game but more importantly it will just give you the best possible foundation for running a real, tournament competitive army (if that’s your thing) and there’s no unfortunate overlap when it comes to slotting these units into their appropriate ranks in one army.

Grand Army of the Republic aka “Republic” aka “Clones” (Anticipated for September 2025 release)

Clones! The high-five teamwork faction. They are the best individual “troops” and help each other out, but have fewer numbers. They’re paired with Jedi Masters, and also Anakin (har har)! Wookiees also are technically in this faction and can be used with any Republic list but they can also be used on their own in a Battle Force which we’ll make recommendations for later, you’ll still need to start with something though.

Thoughts on buying two of them: I would, in fact by doing so and buying the “501st Legion” box you’d literally have a very solid competitive list where you got to use everything you got in those two starters except (ironically) Obi-Wan.

A Note About the Shadow Collective (a mercenary-only army)

The Shadow Collective is a group of mercenaries that were gathered together by the former Sith Lord turned-criminal Maul, and it is represented in this game as the only fully mercenary army that is allowed in standard play. I would recommend that most brand new players start with a core faction starter set instead for two reasons

1. The rules for running a mercenary army are different enough from standard armies that it may make things harder on you if you decide to start one of THOSE later
2. It will be more expensive to start with one of these armies, UNLESS you can somehow find at least two of the now mostly-out-of-stock “Shadow Collective” box which was also an insane deal when you can find it, you would need to get an Essentials Kit as well as a brand new player…it’s possible you can get lucky and find it but I think most newer players that get into Shadow Collective will be doing it via buying the required expansions one-by-one.

It’s worth noting that if you want to have some scum and villainy in your army, you’ll still be able to run a few mercenaries in every standard army (some more than others, as you may guess the “bad guy” factions hire more bounty hunters and such) so you’ll be able to get your fill if that’s your thing…the Shadow Collective is very cool but it’s very specific, it’s not an out-and-out “Mercenary” faction in this game because that wouldn’t align with the established fiction of the universe.

Peripherals, Cards, Tools, and Other Miscellany

I’ll start by saying that if you’re a new player the only one of these I may consider would be the “Upgrade” Card Pack, though you can print and play any upgrade you want if you want to save money. The rest you’ll get in starter sets and also (in the case of unit and command cards) in the various expansions you’ll buy after your Starter.

Here are the various peripheral boxes, all of which are anticipated to be released in August 2025. If you can use print and play as a completely legal alternative then I will highlight it in blue:

• Upgrade Card Pack: A complete set of generic upgrades for the game with multiple copies of non-unique ones
• Battle Deck Card Pack: Includes a score tracking board and all the appropriate tokens for objectives, this is good for folks who already own Legion but want to use official versions. This is all included in the starters though so if you’re getting that I wouldn’t bother with this.
• Unit Card Packs: Released per faction (and a separate one for Mercenaries) these contain all the updated unit cards for New Legion with multiple copies for non-uniques (3 each for corps and 2 each for the other ranks)
• Command Card Packs: Same as above except it’s command cards instead of unit cards, and obviously only one copy of each because that’s all you can take anyway
• Essentials Kit: Includes a full set of range and movement templates as well as multiple generic order tokens, which are good if you’ve lost one and need a replacement etc. Everything in here (aside from the generic order tokens, which aren’t necessary for play) is included in the starter sets so new players should only get this if they want more templates (which is often the case, stuff gets lost and so on).
• Dice Packs: There is one each for attack and defense dice, if you want to do a tournament it’s probably a good idea to either ask a veteran for spare dice (they will have many) they no longer need or (if you were going to anyway) just use the extra dice you get from the second starter. These dice packs will be most useful for players who only bought one starter or who need spares to replace lost dice.

Hobby things you’ll need

A lot of new players will assemble and glue the models then learn to play before painting, this is totally OK for anything below the level of big organized tournaments so don’t stress about rushing yourself into painting. All of these (except for painting stuff, which is a whole animal) can be found for around $10 USD.

• Model clippers: They have a flat side which makes it perfect for getting a piece off a sprue, regular scissors won’t typically cut it the way you want. There are a million brands as you can see and I promise they all uh…clip plastic. This one ain’t brain surgery…also, please don’t use them for brain surgery.
• Plastic glue/cement: This is different from super glue because it actually chemically melts the plastic a little to form a nice bond that forms over a few minutes, during which time you can micro adjust things like arms and legs as needed. Many brands will do just fine but I recommend Tamiya because it comes with a brush in the bottle that I prefer to squeeze bottles and works great.
• Super Glue: You’ll need some super glue to fix the model to the base, the base is a thicker plastic that plastic glue doesn’t really melt so it’s the one place you need a more standard adhesive. That said, super glue is often helpful for repairing any miniature breaks that happen when you’re out playing. I use Loctite because it works and is nicely portable while also having a built in applicator that is nice and pointy, I don’t leave home without it.
• When it comes to painting purchase needs this is really its own topic, one that would be applicable to any game with unpainted plastic miniatures. I will refer to an intrepid gamer (Norm Gant) who made a whole portal for minis painting, including videos and a PDF, all free. Check it out here. Once you’re really in it and looking for tips on painting specific Legion minis, you will likely be able to find it on a variety of YouTube channels.
  • For Legion, my very short version is that new players should start with a rattle can of primer and whatever paints they need, all of which should go on top of the model AFTER it’s primed (standard acrylic paints work poorly on raw plastic, the primer gives it a paintable surface). Don’t worry yourself with airbrushing until you’ve painted a few models the old fashioned way and have decided you want to really invest into upping your paint game: some of the best models I’ve seen used no airbrush at all, the airbrush just can make it easier to look good once you get the hang of it.
• Terrain: When you’re learning the game I’d recommend either going to a game store to play that already has terrain or just using things like tissue boxes, books, and Coke cans at home to get a feel for it. Buying your own terrain is something I’d recommend holding off on until you’ve become a real enthusiast for hobbying

For a last optional but cheap and very helpful item I’ll mention the Army Painter Target Lock “Laser Line” which is around $10, lasts forever, and helps visualize firing arcs/line of sight when needed (maybe once or twice per game games), but you can always eyeball it or use a range ruler.

Notes about expansions in the “Old” Edition of the Game

Legion is reaching the end of a year-long transition to a new edition of the game, as such everything that is still legal (which again, is all the old unit expansions aside from the three we’ve mentioned) is going to be released in a new box. For the minis that were released before around March 2020 (go figure) this will mean the entire mini will have a brand new version, for most of the more recent releases the models will be the same but the cards will be different.

The shorthand to know the difference between old and new expansions is the logo, is the old logo and is the new one. If both are out when you read this for a given unit, I can easily recommend getting the new one every time

As a result of this, we are still in a situation where some units will be very difficult to find UNTIL they get re-released. That said, if you can find the models and don’t want to wait for the re-release they will absolutely be legal to use in tournaments, you’ll just have to use print-and-play unit cards or buy the card packs above. Here is the full schedule of unit re-releases for your reference:

All of this said, for anything that is NOT a vehicle you will probably be fine using other Legion minis as proxies for a unit in a local tournament…the rules will say this is illegal but at that level no one will care as long as your opponent understands what’s going on. For a big convention-level tournament you’ll need the real thing, so you may have to either borrow stuff or wait for a few of these. I will do my best to point in the full guide section below when a unit is very very hard to find. My main advice? Look for it on google shopping, if you don’t see anything there, it’s probably totally sold out until the re-release hits.

DON’T buy the following, because they don’t work for New Legion

• “Old” Upgrade Card Packs 1 or 2: If it looks anything like this then don’t buy it, that is for the old version of the game, all of these cards will have updated looks and some are changed or even removed from the game now.
• Priority Supplies and Vital Assets: These were objective expansions for the original game that are no longer legal
• Rebel Pathfinders: These are still legal as Rebel troopers but the models aren’t amazing and are not linked to their own unique unit anymore. It’s likely that “the dudes who went to Scarif with Jyn and Cassian” will come out again in some form in the future it’s just not a part of the game now.
• Emperor Palpatine and/or the Imperial Royal Guards: These have been removed from the game for New Legion for reasons related to licensing. New players needn’t worry that this will be a common recurring thing to watch out for though, out of over 100 expansions released previously these are the only two units that no longer have any role in the game, and any future licensing issues would only come up if and when there is a next edition of Legion, which would maybe be in something like 2032 at the soonest.
• Anything that says “Upgrade Expansion” (except the Republic one) of which there was one for each faction…these models are still legal but will be redundant with the Starters for a few of them and while there ARE going to be new ones we’re still unsure about the content, so I’d stay away except weirdly enough the “Phase 1 Clone Trooper Upgrade Expansion” which retains its value because the minis that come with it can flex to multiple different units in the new game.

Rounding Out Your Army (“High Value Buys”)

Once you’ve gotten your starter (or two) the question will be how you get to a 1000 point army to have your first list for a standard game of Legion. Roughly these are what make something a “High Value” buy for me:

• Is it good?
• Is it fun?
• Does it look good?
• Does having this unit provide you options when you need to get to a “complete” 1000 point list?

I’d again encourage all players to look at Tabletop Admiral while considering the lists below a little to get a feel for what they really want at the end of the day and BEFORE making any purchases. If I recommend waiting for the re-release, either because you get better value (any corps expansion except Pyke Syndicate and Black Sun Enforcers will have twice as many models as the old versions) or it’s basically impossible to find the original boxes, I will highlight in blue and provide the date. Luckily, for those who want them, old expansions for unique models will likely remain easy to find for a while since nobody ever needed more than one of them.

Galactic Empire

• Moff Gideon – He has access to a keyword (Ruthless) that can be very useful in New Legion and is a recent release that is easy to find
• Agent Kallus – He is mega efficient in New Legion and the model is unlikely to change at all when he rereleases
• Darth Vader Operative – We actually don’t know yet when we’ll get a new version of his operative model, it MAY come out along with Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister in mid-2026. That said, you do need to use a different model from the core set one if you’re playing in a big tournament, and this expansion is cheap so if you don’t want to wait to play the “Jedi Hunter” version of the character this is a good pick up.
• Director Krennic – Like Operative Vader the old model is available and cheap if you want to dive in with him, or you can wait for the Imperial High Command pack which releases in Q2 2026 which he will be included in as well as 3 new commanders (Thrawn, Tagge, and Tarkin). Speaking of…
  • Death Troopers – You could get lucky and find an old box, but it will also re-release in Q2 2026 and go with Krennic (or whoever) quite well. That said, I bed the new models will be a big improvement over the old ones in this case.
• Dark Troopers – Was released only a couple years ago and is still easy to find, they’re quite fun and if you enjoy them you can run up to 3 units if you also buy Moff Gideon
• AT-ST – This already got a hard plastic re-release (look for Chewbacca on the back funny enough and you’ll have the right one) and there’s plenty out there, a very fun unit that can do in a variety of armies
• Customizable Imperial Officer & Agent (Q3 2025): Each of these will basically be a must-buy for the faction because of the value for both rules variety and hobbying, we will know more about what these will do by probably late June or so but I’d plan on getting at least one.
• Snowtroopers (Q2 2026) – Quite strong in New Legion, if you are chomping to use them, then you can still find “Blizzard Force” Battle Force boxes online which will give you multiple units as well as others you won’t get in the new Starter Sets as long as you aren’t worried much about the model quality, definitely a lot of value generally.
• Dewback Riders (Q4 2026) – I really hope this date moves up, they’re very strong and fun but also very hard to find the old version of.

Empire has the biggest pool of available minis in the game so if the above seems overwhelming I apologize, remember that you can do this as quick or as slow as you want and I’d recommend something like starting with Vader Operative, the Stormtroopers and Upgrades, Personnel, the Shores, the Bikes, and the Range Troopers and then expanding out from there.

Rebel Alliance

• Cassian Andor and K-2SO – You get two great units in one box, the models are also unlikely to change – note this is very much the Rogue One version, nothing from the show is in the game yet
• The Bad Batch – A recent release that shows up in a LOT of Rebel lists because it’s flexible, powerful, and fun
• Fleet Troopers – Veteran players won’t believe me but as I write this you can still find a few in the US anyway, they’re good to own one or two of to have a charging option and the re-release isn’t until Q2 2026
• Ewok Warriors x2 – Sort of a weird one because you may want to wait for the re-release that will likely have 10 models compared to 6 in Q1 2026 but you can still find the originals out there. Two units will set you up to run two regular or one “super” squad in standard Rebel armies. If you want to go “full Ewok” I would wait for the re-release as you’ll get better value, the models won’t likely change though.
• Rebel Sleeper Cell x2 – Very efficient, tough to kill, and is a staple in Rebel armies, sometimes alongside an Ewok Slinger “Super Squad”
• Rebel AT-RT x2 – An efficient unit that honestly looks fine with the old model, which is still easy to find somehow, plus the re-release isn’t until Q3 2026 so I say just go for it.
• X-34 Landspeeder – The old models are out there for now, I’d advise new Rebel players to consider grabbing one because it’s quite fun and was very good under the radar until it made Top 4 at Worlds…it doesn’t transport people, it’s basically the Star Wars version of 3 dudes shooting off the back of Ford F-150 but if it works it works. The re-release will very likely be a much better model but won’t be out until Q3 2026 so I’d grab at least one if you can.
• A-A5 Speeder Truck (Q2 2025) – A great model that can do a good job holding “home objective points” while making your opponent work hard to kill them. You can also use it to slingshot a unit up at the beginning of the game.
• Heroes of the Rebellion (Q3 2025) – This is my easiest recommendation to avoid the old boxes even if they’re still out there, the old models for all these guys (the pack includes Han, Leia, Chewie, Commander Luke and Operative/Jedi Luke) are all kinda rough looking in comparison. New Rebel players should just get this alongside the Starter to be honest.
• Customizable Rebel Officer & Agent (Q3 2025): Each of these will basically be a must-buy for the faction because of the value for both rules variety and hobbying, we will know more about what these will do by probably late June or so but I’d plan on getting at least one.

Separatists/CIS

A quick reminder: The only reason I am not listing Droidekas, B1, and B2’s as separate buys is because the starter is so strong you should really get two if you already know you want a full army. Otherwise…

• Count Dooku – I’m putting this up here because while he’s very hard to find and the model will almost certainly be better when he is re-released, that re-release won’t actually happen until Q3 2026 so a new Sep player who wants to play in tournaments may want to consider grabbing one of the last few boxes or even turning to e-bay for a hand me down. He is that good and fun in New Legion.
• Super Tactical Droid – You can still find these boxes online for now and they’re a mainstay for Seps, you can use this model for either Kalani or Kraken.
• Maul and Probe Droids – Maul “cheats” in very fun ways and is very thematic, also he is still out there plenty but grab him before that’s no longer the case because the re-release isn’t until Q4 2026!
• Separatist Specialists Personnel – Allows you to field a medic, repair bot, and a cheap but useful generic commander, these models won’t likely change when re-released and are very useful to have
• Geonosian Warriors – Flies around and harasses or completes objectives, if you like them you can explore getting more and their hero units as well. Be sure to buy this version instead of the old one because you get more dudes with it
• Droideka – If you do buy 2 starters you’ll still have room for a third Droideka, they’re that cool (and good). Like, you COULD buy a third starter if you want an all Deka and B2 army some day but most people are fine to just get a Deka, which are still out there plenty from the old version but the model is the same.
• Aqua Droids – Cool models and are very fun on the table, they were the first release that was purely New Legion and they were a banger
• Customizable Super Tactical Command Droid (Q4 2025): Each of these will basically be a must-buy for the faction because of the value for both rules variety and hobbying, we will know more about what these will do by probably late June or so but I’d plan on getting at least one.
• BX Droid Commandos (Q1 2026) – Outstanding models, lots of options for how to run them, there’s a reason they’re sold out!
• IG-100 Magnaguard (Q1 2026) – Cool models that go well with Grievous, plan on trying out at least one but they’re super hard to find until then

Republic

Just like with Seps I think two starters is very strong value so I want to repeat that here

• Clone Commander Cody – He just won the world championships along with his “pal” Obi-Wan, a strong long-range shooting unit that is a great pair with the Starter Set. He also comes with a couple unit attachment buddies, Waxer and Boil.
• Ahsoka Tano – A brand new release that will be available May 2025, her commander is a quick cheap but effective Jedi and she comes with a unit attachment version (the young padawan version) that’s maybe even better for army building
• The Bad Batch – Bad batch, good dice. VERY good dice.
• Republic Specialists Personnel Expansion x2 – This one is borderline because there’s only a few left online, but if you’re reading this you may want to grab them if you don’t want to wait for Q2 2026, the Commander and Medic minis you get in this set are very versatile in New Legion.
• ARC Troopers – You will get two units if you buy two starters…it’s still worth having a third in my opinion though.
• Republic AT-RT – An efficient little walker whose model won’t change when re-released and that you can still find out there.
• Customizable Jedi General and Knight (Q3 2025): Of all the customizable units releasing alongside the starters, this is probably even more exciting than the rest, fulfilling a dream Republic players have collectively had for years.
• Saber Tank (Q4 2025): Great model, fun, and competitive, I was very glad to see this early on the re-release list as it’s been sold out for a long time.
• Heroes of the 501st (Q1 2026): Comes with Anakin and Rex (Commanders) as well as Echo and Fives (Unit attachments) and for some reason Obi-Wan (guest of honor?). Will be well worth it and the models look great, brand new Republic players will do just fine with Obi Wan but if they’re really hungry they can still find both Anakin and Rex out there for sure, the new models just really are quite a bit better.
• Republic Clone Commandos x2 (Q1 2026) – A recent release that has great models, is fun, and is just REALLY strong, if you played the video game and liked it just get a third once they’re available again.
  

Battle Forces

There are currently ten Battle Forces in the game but only 3 are different enough from the usual faction list you could make that they warrant their own sections in the buyer’s guide. The rest can be thought of as special versions of their factions, the details of which aren’t necessary to know until you’re deep enough in the game that you won’t need a buyer’s guide to know what you’d want for them:

Shadow Collective

As above, if you can find the old Shadow Collective box then go for it, but sadly, from now on I think this army will have to be built piece-by-piece.

Since the unit choices are limited I’m going to risk being a little prescriptive: every prospective Shadow Collective player will want to own at least the following:

• Gar Saxon
• Black Sun Enforcers x2
• Pyke Syndicate x1-2
• Mandalorian Super Commandos x2-3
• Swoop Bike Riders x2
• AA5 Speeder Truck (Q2 2025 re-release)
• Lord Maul (Q3 2026 re-release) – This is the roughest part; the original version of him only came in that old Shadow Collective box. So if you want the model with the Darksaber you’ll be waiting, but you can either buy loose models on e-bay (lots of folks have extras) or just use the Sep version and I promise no one will care.

This is the only fully mercenary army you can run in the game, so prospective players should be aware that due to its niche-ness its pace of new releases will be slower than for core factions (Ewok and Wookiee players are in the same boat basically). That said, two upcoming releases for Q1 2026, the Speeder Truck and Weequay Pirates, have already been confirmed to be legal for Shadow Collective so there is definitely a future here.

Wookiees (Republic Battle Force)

• Yoda – He gives Wookiees some command card help but it’s often just better to take more Wookiees instead
• Chewbacca – The old box will say Rebel but you’re just doing this to get the model…you could get the new model from Heroes of the Rebell but it’s cheaper to just get the old Rebel model honestly…the new model IS pretty nice though. It’s possible that when Yoda releases they’ll be together, we just don’t know yet.
• Wookiee Warriors x4 at least – Need I say more? You can run up to 9 units, but 8 is probably the functional max FYI. The old box is fine, just don’t buy the REALLY old box with a Rebel symbol only because you’ll be short on models.
• Raddaugh Gnasp Fluttercraft x3 – My favorite unit in the game overall and it got even better with this new ruleset, it takes a little practice and is fragile but it’s a rush to play, if you’re going down this road PLEASE take a look at my guide and the assembly tips at the bottom.
• Saber Tank (Q4 2025): As in the above section, this unit is rad
• Customizable Jedi General and Knight (Q3 2025)

Ewoks (previously known as Bright Tree Village)

• Logray and Wicket – Two of the “hero” units that are specific to the Ewok faction, you can find the old box easily and it won’t be changing…Wicket can also be used in regular Rebel armies
• AT-ST – You can run one of these (Chewie is the pilot!), the recent-ish re-release is still out there quite a bit just be sure Chewie is on the back of the box (you can use the original model but it lacks a Chewie model, unforgiveable), it will be FULLY updated with the new logo/cards Q42025 but the model will be the same so just pick between them by convenience.
• Ewok Warriors x??? – I’m not giving a number yet because I am guessing but am not positive that the new Ewok box will have much more value than the old one, which means that since you’ll want probably at least 50 Ewok models to run this army, you need to get value. If you don’t already have an Ewok army, I would plan to wait to make it until Q1 2026, your bank account will thank you.
• Heroes of the Rebellion (Q3 2025) – Everyone except Luke can be included in this Battle Force
• R2 and C-3P0: Weirdly only Threepio is legal for this as a Commander….er, God of the Ewoks. These MAY get combined with Logray and Wicket, either way they’ll re-release right alongside the other Ewoks in Q1 2026. I promise you won’t want them until then, sadly enough Threepio as an Ewok Commander is the only viable use for these two.

Everything Else (and I mean everything, with value grades)

As you read the list below please keep the following in mind:

1. To avoid being repetitive, I’m only going to cover units here that are not in either the Starters or the “High Value” section. I listed them there BECAUSE I think they’re a better value than any of the expansions below
2. You shouldn’t think twice about buying a character, unit, or vehicle that you love in the fiction, you’re rarely going to actually be disappointed if that’s the case. I wrote these grades from the perspective of someone who is just sort of “generally” a Star Wars fan.
3. Readers who are already into the game may have very different opinions, feel free to leave them but please remember there is a certain amount of subjectivity here. That said, I have played with or against all of these units many times over the years, so if nothing else these opinions are definitely based on experience.
4. I’ll rank from A down to F, if it was “S” it already would have been listed above

Separatists

Republic

Galactic Empire

Rebel Alliance

Mercenaries as Prospects for the Core Factions

These are the mercenaries that can go into core factions, note that I’m not mentioning Lord Maul, Gar Saxon, Mandalorian Super Commandos, and the Merc version of the AA5 Speeder Truck all of which are Shadow Collective only. Luckily for players these are either recent or single character boxes so you can find them out there now. We don’t actually know when a few of these are coming back even, there’s an assumption that there will be a 4 pack of “dudes standing there in Empire Strikes Back” at some point.

Wrap-Up

We will continue to keep this updated when big changes come to the game. Please do leave a comment here or Facebook or Reddit to let us know what you think and ESPECIALLY if you have questions for us, which we’ll answer as much as possible. Thanks for reading!

ARCHIVED – Choose Your Faction and Starter Set (Old Legion)

I am leaving the section below in the guide because some of these items are still POSSIBLE to get if a player really wants to dive in right now. This is especially true for the old 2-faction Core Sets, which you can still find on Amazon and a few game stores. Of those, the Clone Wars starter at least has basically the same models you’d get for CIS but the clone ones will be the old soft plastic so there’s less value there. Once the new starters are actually out, I will delete the section.

Even if you haven’t bought a thing, I’d be willing to bet you know what faction you want to play, but just in case I’ll give a brief summary of each at the top of the sections.

All brand new players will need to get EITHER a core set OR the usually-more economical choice of a “Battle Force” box plus an “Essentials Kit” since the battle force boxes don’t have the basic stuff you need like range rulers, dice, and movement templates. “Core sets” have that stuff but the units in them are half one faction and half another, meaning many players won’t ever build half of the models. Battle Force boxes have also jumped even higher in value for the new edition. We’ll get into each faction’s description and their best bet for a “starter” below.

Confederacy of Independent Systems aka “CIS” aka “Separatists”

Lots and lots of droids. The “strength in numbers” faction. It often allows you total control of “who goes when” (which is usually partially random), and also features Geonosians and a smattering of Dark Jedi.

Machine heads are in luck because this faction really only has one choice that makes sense:

Separatist Invasion Force + Essentials Kit

This was already an ironclad recommendation before Legion 2.6 and now it’s even more so since it’s the most economical way to get a whole bunch of B1 Battle Droids at once, the newly improved General Grievous, a tank, and some other stuff that can easily slot into a winning army.

Grand Army of the Republic aka “Republic” aka “Clones”

Clones! The high-five teamwork faction. They are the best individual “troops” and help each other out but have fewer numbers. They’re paired with Jedi Masters, and also Anakin!

Wookiees are technically in this faction and can be used with any Republic list but they can also be used on their own in a Battle Force which we’ll make recommendations for later, you’ll still need to start with something though.

With the release of Legion 2.6, there’s now basically one option that makes sense

501st Legion and Essentials Kit

The recent changes made the 501st box one of the best values in the game. You’ll get a variety of units that are nearly all useful and the best part is that you can now use the superior Phase 2 Clone Trooper models this comes with as any Clone Trooper since…well, they’re all the same unit now. It’s true that the Clone Wars Core Set is the only way to get Obi-Wan now (sort of) but “501st Legion” is more for the money (8 units, can nearly be a whole army vs the 4 units in the Core set). If you’re a real Obi fan and can’t wait for his re-release which should be in less than a year then I’d sooner suggest buying one on ebay (not too hard to find, usually from people who bought multiple cores or bought them for droids) than buying the original core set which comes with the older, much worse clone trooper models.

Galactic Empire

The “efficiency” faction. I don’t think I need to explain what the Empire is made up of, if you’ve seen it in a movie or the Mandalorian it’s probably in this game already. The faction is primarily made up of shooters who can be commanded either by a “normal dude/lady” such as Veers or Krennic or by a big bad Sith like Vader.

This time we have two possible recommendations but one is MUCH stronger than the other:

“I just want to start crunching rebels:” Blizzard Force + Essentials Kit

“Snowtroopers and AT-ST? Yuck, gimme stormtroopers!” Original Core Set

Basically, the upside for Blizzard Force is that you get an extra corps unit, an extra speeder bike unit, and an AT-ST (which isn’t in the core set at all). The only “downside” is that your corps are snowtroopers, which usually only used to show up as a part of the “Blizzard Force” battle force but which may see more play in Legion 2.6 since they can carry the more-important-than-ever flamethrower. Stormtroopers are found in those lists more often and come in the core set, but you can also just buy stormtrooper units separately over time. Basically, unless you absolutely never think you’re going to want to run a full set of speeder bikes OR an AT-ST, then Blizzard (7 units, nearly a whole army) is a waaaaaaaay better buy than the Core (4 units, not even half an army).

Rebel Alliance

The “win by cunning” faction. Similar to the Empire, if the unit or character you can think of was in the original films it’s almost certainly in the game, as well as a couple from the Rebels cartoon like Ahsoka, Sabine, and Mandalorian resistance fighters. This faction by far as the most “trick plays” that can enable you to win games even when most of your army is dead.

Ewoks can be played in Rebel lists or as their own unique force that is basically made up of all the characters and units that showed up in the Endor scene of Return of the Jedi but just like the Wookiees you have to start with a faction starter to have key ingredients anyway.

Like everyone except maybe the Empire, Rebels really only have one option that makes sense.

Echo Base Defenders + Essentials Kit

This battle force box is an extremely good deal because you get three hero units, EIGHT CORPS UNITS (!), two hard-charging tauntaun units AND a big-ol’-turret. It’s true that there is one unit, “Commander” Luke Skywalker that only comes in the original Core Set but: If you want to run the “Empire Strikes Back” version of Luke you can always buy the “Limited Edition” Commander Luke (wearing a flight suit) off ebay for about $50, since they actually made a lot of these back in the day and it never really outpaced demand. It’s a nicer model and has all the same cards as the Core Set one. You may also be able to find hand-me-downs from Empire players who bought the original core set. If you can’t find either when you’re reading this, you can just wait for a re-release of him that’s coming in the next year.

Shadow Collective

The “dirty pirate” faction. This is a specific reference to the group that Maul (after his bisection) led in a few episodes of Clone Wars, consisting of evil Mandalorians, Pykes, Swoop Riders, and Black Sun dudes. It can also play a couple bounty hunters: Cad Bane and Bossk.

I do want people to note here that this “faction” (it’s technically a battle force but I promise you shouldn’t worry too much about that right now) can’t take EVERY bounty hunter in the game. I’m making that point because I’ve seen new players make assumptions along these lines only to be disappointed later. You can’t take Boba Fett, IG-88, or IG-11 in this faction, those three will only work for the Empire (IG-11 can work for Rebels too). I also want to add that there’s maybe only one theoretical unit (Savage Oppress, who will probably be released some day) on the horizon for this faction on the horizon for future releases. That said, there are now and will presumably always be a lot of fun options so it’s by no means a bad choice, I just don’t want people to think it has the same opportunity for growth as the “standard” factions.

This may seem weird compared to the other recommendations but bear with me…THREE Shadow Collective Starter Sets and an Essentials Kit.

Shadow Collective is a little different/convenient because if you KNOW you want to get into it, this one box actually contains one copy each of what is by far the bread and butter of EVERY shadow collective list. Unlike the other boxes, you are never going to see a Shadow Collective list that doesn’t feature at least three (and usually many more) units that come in these boxes. Adding to that, they’re around half the price of the “traditional faction” battle force boxes. Once you have three of each you’ll be able to run a full army with some good wiggle room. After that, it may worth it in my opinion to finish your collection using individual unit boxes, but the bargain is so good that it’s hard to recommend just doing one starter set and then doing unit boxes after that.

Legion 2.6 Essentials

We are in a transitional zone of this new version of Legion where a big part of the game will have to be “print and play” until roughly August 2025. This means there is going to be a little up-front craftiness that is asked of the players…but it isn’t much. For the various updated cards and battle deck (found HERE) having a printer at home is the best solution but otherwise it may mean getting help from other players, taking a trip to FedExOffice, or (cough) using your work printer for…extracurriculars.

There are however two physical components that are both extremely crucial and not-currently-released as an official game piece. Luckily, there are cheap workarounds to get you there, both around $7 USD

• For the 2-inch POI discs, use a 2-inch washer. I bought and verified myself that this one is exactly that diameter and the hole in the center is handy for aiming placement. If you get that you get 12 so you can share with a friend,
• For the “half-range” tool you can use this mounting bracket which I also verified, you get 4 in this pack.

Both of the above can almost certainly be achieved by visiting your local hardware store. Is it convenient? No. but it’s way better than measuring with a printed piece of paper.