Warhammer 40000 Leviathan Review – Is It Worth It?

Leviathan, one of the most anticipated and well-received box sets released for the 10th edition of Warhammer 40K, featuring familiar forces clashing in deadly combat.

Warhammer 40K Leviathan: Contents

You might be wondering, “What’s inside the box?” and luckily, you won’t have to wait any longer!

Who Is the Leviathan Box For?

Most players ask themselves, “Is this box really for me?” or “Does this suit my style?”.

Sometimes, it’s hard to choose, especially with something pricey, but that’s what this section is for.

Leviathan can be seen as a “battle-ready” box, as it allows you to get straight into the action, either with the miniatures that come with it (with some balancing) or by selling some and creating one large army of either Space Marines or Tyranids.

To summarize, it can be used for various purposes, such as these:

• Adding Leviathan’s minis to a pre-existing army/armies
• If you’re starting out but very serious about continuing with Warhammer 40K
• Want a ton of minis without having to buy multiple items
• A continued fan of Warhammer 40K and want one of the most interesting boxes released thus far

Where Can I Get It?

There are a lot of ways you can get your hands on the Leviathan box, but below are the easiest ways you can get it at an affordable price:

Online – Buying it from online stores such as Amazon or eBay is easy and reliable, and in the case of eBay, the prices tend to be quite good, and you can even buy only one half of the box if you don’t care much about the other side.

Warhammer 40,000: Leviathan

• You’ll discover a total of 72 brand-new miniatures, divided between the Space Marines and the Tyranids. This extraordinary starter set also includes a special edition hardback Leviathan Core Book.

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Independent Retailers – There are many gaming stores worldwide, some official and some unofficial, but most will have Warhammer 40K in stock.

It wouldn’t hurt to see if the Leviathan box might be available to buy from one of these stores (the prices might fluctuate, but at least you have a chance to get your hands on the box).

Players – Whether it’s someone you know or someone you’ve never met, players with a love for Warhammer 40K might have a spare box lying around or one they never got time to assemble.

Leviathan Miniatures

As previously stated, Leviathan contains up to 72 minis from the Tyranid and Space Marines factions, having more or less enough points to amass an entire army ready for battle.

Each mini uses push-fit designs that require no glue to assemble and allow those who aren’t as confident in their assembly skills to have a much easier time getting into Warhammer 40K’s building space.

Leviathan Space Marines

The Space Marine minis comprise around one-third of the total minis within the Leviathan box but have significantly more power than the Tyranid side.

Some quick mentions are the new unit of Sternguard, the massive Ballistus Dreadnought, much-awaited Terminators, and even the Tyrannic War aesthetic Lieutenant.

Note: No models have sculpted chapter iconography (except the Terminator Sergeant and Infernus Squad). You can have the minis represent any chapter you regard as appropriate!

Out of the 72 minis, 25 are divided into various brutal Space Marines:

• Captain in Terminator Armour (1 model)
• Librarian in Terminator Armour (1 model)
• Apothecary Biologis (1 model)
• Lieutenant in Phobos Armour (1 model)
• Ballistus Dreadnought (1 model)
• Sternguard Veteran Squad (5 models)
• Terminator Squad (5 models)
• Infernus Squad (10 models)

Leviathan Tyranids

The Tyranids take reign for two-thirds of the Leviathan box, underpowered but not without some fantastic miniatures worth mentioning, which fit so well with other Tyranid armies.

Some quick mentions are the new infantry kit Neurogaunts, the easily put-together Psychophage, the fantastic modern aesthetic of the Screamer-Killer, and the Neurotyrant leader.

Out of the 72 minis, 47 are divided into various terrifying Tyranids.

• Winged Tyranid Prime (1 model)
• Neurotyrant (1 model)
• Screamer-Killer (1 model)
• Psychophage (1 model)
• Ripper Swarms (2 models)
• Von Ryan’s Leapers (3 models)
• Barbgaunts (5 models)
• Neurogaunts (11 models)
• Termagants (20 models)

Leviathan Rulebook, Cards, and Lore

Leviathan isn’t just a massive box filled with awesome minis. It also contains one of the most interesting and detailed limited rulebooks released thus far.

Showcasing many aspects of the box, such as lore, rules, and details of minis not within the box itself!

Rulebook

This rulebook is exclusive to the Leviathan box set and contains nearly 400 pages. 

It is split into sections, such as the Dark Imperium, an introduction to each faction, core rules, Combat Patrol, and Tyrannic Wars Crusade.

Dark Imperium tells the history of the Imperium of Mankind, exploring it in great detail and showing many well-drawn artworks.

Introducing each faction gives a short summary of each faction’s lore, a miniature showcase, and fantastic artwork.

The core rules might not be difficult to find, but to those who haven’t played Warhammer 40K before, it’s a total lifesaver, especially with how well-written the rules are.

The Combat Patrol segment is shorter than the others in the rulebook, outlining the rules for playing with a Combat Patrol box (you can always assemble a 500-point army and agree to battle someone with that if you don’t already have a Combat Patrol army).

To finish up the rulebook, we have the Tyrannic Wars Crusade, which is limited to this book. It is one of the longer sections in the rulebook and tells enthralling stories, shows magnificent art, expands on lore, and fits the box’s aesthetic well.

Cards

Leviathan also houses a Chapter Approved Mission Deck for Matched Play, containing 66 cards that are split up as follows:

• 5 Deployment cards
• 9 Primary Missions cards
• 12 Mission Rules cards
• 16 Attacker Secondary Mission cards
• 16 Defender Secondary Mission cards
• 4 Attacker Gambit cards
• 4 Defender Gambit cards.

These cards outline the full rules for playing Chapter Approved battles and allow two players to use a single pack, which is much better than both parties having to own their own.

Note: Another important feature is the introduction to Gambits, which are difficult objectives that become available at the end of the 3rd battle round and allow players who have fallen behind a way to catch up, though it won’t be easy.

The deck also contains some of the best missions from previous Chapter Approved Mission Decks, making it engrossing for players just getting into the groove and players who have been at it for some time.

Value

Leviathan might be a jam-packed box filled with various fascinating minis, and even with its price tag being quite high, its value compared to other boxes is fantastic.

It should be noted that the price of the individual miniatures would already be higher than the box price without adding the book price and the cards.

In addition, many of the models are easy-to-build versions and will most likely have expanded multipart kits that allow you to play around with your minis and get more out of them.

Space Marine Value

Below is a table with the current estimated and real minis prices and the total if the Space Marine side was to be sold individually:

Tyranid Value

Below is a table with the current estimated and real minis prices and the total if the Tyranid side was to be sold individually:

Leviathan Pros and Cons

Pros:

• New miniatures for the Tyranids and Space Marines
• Sizeable rulebook with all sorts of knowledge
• Fantastic value
• Matched play cards, enough for two players

Cons:

• No paints
• No tools, such as dice or measuring rulers
• No terrain
• Unequal army point allocations

Alternatives to the Leviathan Box

Leviathan is already such a fantastic box that it’s difficult to compare it to many sets out there. 

Still, if you’re not looking at something in the Leviathan box or something a bit different, some starter sets will suit your needs more.

Combat Patrols

Warhammer 40K Combat Patrols

• The contents of this set have been specifically chosen to provide you with an ideal force for Combat Patrol-sized games.

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Combat Patrols are simple box sets that allow the player to battle against others under the Combat Patrol rules and with only 500 points. It has a ton of faction variety and allows players to choose from more than just Tyranids and Space Marines.

Much like Leviathan, they don’t come with any supplies and only apply the Combat Patrol rules. Players who want to start out by buying a Combat Patrol should also pick up some paints, dice, and rulers if they want to have the full Warhammer 40K experience.

Note: Since Leviathan also comes with integrated Combat Patrol rules, you can always pick up Leviathan and add onto it with Combat Patrol armies or just play with Combat Patrol rules.

Battleforces

Warhammer 40K – Space Marines – Spearhead Force

• A spearhead force of fast Space Marine units, including bikers and jump pack infantry, led by a flying Captain Start a new army or expand an existing collection.

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Battleforces are usually like a larger version of the Combat Patrol boxes, giving players the choice of picking up more miniatures to play as standalone armies or adding to an additional army.

Much like the Combat Patrols and Leviathan, players who are just starting out should invest in some paints, dice, and rulers if they want to have the full Warhammer 40K experience.

Introductory Set

Warhammer 40K Introductory Game Set

• Includes basic rules for the game, plus dice, a gaming mat, reference sheets, and a range ruler.

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I hesitate to put this set in here, as it is, without a doubt, a downgrade from the Leviathan box, but it does provide a few benefits that might appeal to players who are more casual or still feeling the waters a bit.

The set has a lot of supplies, providing the buyer with a clipper, starter Brush, range ruler, paper gaming mat, 5 paints, and 6 dice. With this, you can easily start putting together the minis without scouring around to find any supplies.

However, the only problem with the Introductory Set is that you can’t effectively battle with it, as it’s made up of 165 points. Alternatively, you can always buy this set to feel the waters and then get Leviathan if you like it, simply adding the extra minis to the army.

Note: It comes with both Tyranid and Space Marine minis, so you can add the Tyranids to the existing Leviathan army to balance it slightly, or just sell one of the sides, buy some other set, and create one massive army!

Final Thoughts

To answer the question, “Is the Leviathan box set worth it?” I would not only agree that it is, but anyone who wants a timeless piece of Warhammer 40K history should be inclined to get their hands on it.

Though there are some better options out there, I regard Leviathan as one of the better options for almost any player.

It serves a much greater purpose than merely filling an army of Space Marines or Tyranids, telling great tales of the Tyrannic Wars, and making sure we know that in the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war!