Best Bases for Warhammer 40k 11th Edition (2026 Guide)

Warhammer 40k 11th Edition is here, and with a new edition comes the perfect excuse to refresh your collection. Whether you're starting a new army or rebasing models you've had for years, choosing the right scenic base makes a bigger difference to the final look than most people expect. This guide covers everything you need to know.

Why bases matter more in 11th Edition

With 11th Edition's refreshed model range and renewed focus on terrain, bases that match your gaming environment help sell the narrative of your army. A Space Marine on a crumbling city base reads differently from the same Marine on bare plastic — one looks like a miniature, the other looks like a soldier holding ground.

Choosing the right size

Warhammer 40k 11th Edition uses standardised base sizes. As a general rule:

• 32mm — standard infantry (Intercessors, Guardsmen, Chaos Space Marines)
• 40mm — larger infantry and some characters (Terminators, Tyranid Warriors)
• 50mm — cavalry, big infantry and some characters (Outriders, Obliterators)
• 60mm — large multi-wound infantry and some vehicles (Dreadnoughts)
• 90mm — centrepiece monsters, large vehicles and characters on scenic plinths

When in doubt, go with what the model kit specifies. Oversizing infantry bases can feel out of place on a 4x4 table.

Matching bases to your army

The best scenic base tells the same story as your army's colour scheme and lore.

City Ruins bases suit armies fighting in urban theatres — Space Marines defending a hive city, Chaos warbands tearing through civilian districts, or Genestealer Cults rising in a manufactorum. The shattered concrete palette works with almost any grey, blue or green scheme.

Temple bases suit armies with a mystical or sacred dimension — religious Space Marine chapters, Chaos Daemons at a corrupted shrine, or Age of Sigmar armies crossing the Realm of Hysh. The carved stonework pairs naturally with bone, gold and dark red.

Rocky Terrain bases are the most versatile option — they suit almost any army and any colour scheme. Orks in a badland, Tyranids consuming a barren world, Tau crossing a mountain range — natural rock reads as background, letting your model do the talking.

How to paint scenic resin bases

All Grimdark Labs bases are supplied unpainted and ready to prime. The fastest route to a tabletop-ready base is prime, drybrush, then wash:

1. Prime — grey or black spray primer. Grey gives warmer mid-tones; black gives starker shadows.
2. Drybrush — load a little paint on a dry brush, wipe most of it off, then sweep it across the raised edges so it catches the texture. For grey stone and concrete, build up with Dawnstone, then a lighter highlight where you want the rock to pop.
3. Wash — once the drybrush is dry, pull it all together with a wash. Nuln Oil for a cooler, grimy finish; Agrax Earthshade for warmer earth tones. The wash sinks into the recesses the drybrush left bright, instantly adding depth.

Total time: under 20 minutes per batch of 10 bases.

Painting rocks red for an Armageddon look

Grey is the classic neutral, but the same Rocky Terrain base can be pushed toward the scorched red rock of a world like Armageddon — perfect if your army fights across its ash wastes. Keep the same prime, drybrush, wash method, just swap the palette: prime black, drybrush up from a red-brown such as Mournfang Brown into Skrag Brown, then catch the very top edges with an orange like Jokaero Orange or a touch of bone. Finish with an Agrax Earthshade wash to tie the reds together and dirty them down. The result reads as baked, iron-rich desert stone rather than cool grey ruin.

Where to buy scenic bases in the UK

Most scenic base suppliers ship from overseas, which means long waits and import fees. Grimdark Labs bases are made and shipped from the UK via Royal Mail, with fast 3–5 day dispatch and free delivery on orders over £35.

Browse City Ruins bases, Temple bases, and Rocky Terrain bases, or see the full scenic bases collection.