Looking to get into the hobby and being a FFG game, I wondered if I actually had to buy the core or if the "essential" pack would supply enough? Is there anything in the core that I cannot get separately?

In x-wing, despite the TIE Fighter being in the core set, Howlrunner, the best TIE pilot was excluded, meaning you needed to buy her separately. Have they pulled the same marketing ploy here?

The essential pack is just the terrain and panic deck/ core materials not contained in the army expansion for Latari and Uthuk. It is intended for players who do not plan to buy the core to have the requisite material to play alongside their non core armies.

yeah, it would entirely depend on WHICH faction your were planning on playing...this game especially in it's infancy, there is no reason as a daqan or waiqar player NOT to get the core, if you are planning on playing Latari or Uthuk then as @Darthain said the essentials is the way to go...

For humans or waiqar you will ultimately want 2 cores, 1 of each expansion box with the following exceptions: 2 command boxes and then scouts/crossbowman/death riders/wraiths to taste once released. That should give you strong selection choice. For either of these get the the 2 core and a command box first.

For Latari, 2 cores, 1 essentials (unless you have a core), one of each box (maybe able to skip leonx or scions based off tastes). Again two command would probably be good here too. Once darnati come out get those to taste as well. Start with 2 cores and 1 essentials there. I imagine Uthluk will be similiar once released.

If you have models from other games you maybe able to use those for command. I have taken some of my warmahordes minis, warhamer mini and some reaper minis to use for variety in command models. This could cut down on how many command boxes you need.

Essentials + an army pack is equivalent to about half a core box. They don't however, have separate Daqan or Waiqar army packs. I do wonder if they will someday.

Anyway -- if you have a friend who is also interested, and one of you wants Daqan and the other Waiqar, get two cores sets, split the figures in half and its a really cheap entry point.

A little more detail (since it's a slow work day)...

The Core set gives you units for the Daqan (humans) and Waiqar (Undead), plus rules, dice, templates and tokens needed to play the game. It retails for $99.95.

If you only really want to play as one of those two factions (lets say Daqan), you could get practically the same stuff by buying:

Essentials Pack $24.95

Oathsworn Cavalry expansion $24.95

2x Spearman expansion $49.90

Rune Golem expansion $34.95

So that's $134.95 for the basic stuff you need and one faction units, vs. $99.95 for the basic stuff and two factions. The Core Set is a phenomenal deal if you like either of those two factions. As others have suggested, you could split the cost with someone who wants the other faction, or ebay the half you don't want.

The expansions do contain some upgrade cards that aren't included in the Core set/Essentials Pack, so you would be getting those. Unlike X-Wing, neutral upgrades are being sold across all of the available factions. So if you really like the Daqan you'll never have to buy a Waiqar expansion just for a card. The only difference so far has been timing... a Waiqar expansion might contain a neutral upgrade in one release, while the Daqan won't see the upgrade until another. So if you can hold on and wait for the Daqan expansion to come out, you'll get the upgrade card then.

There's also one notable thing in the Core Set that you can't get anywhere else... the starting heroes for the Daqan and Waiqar (Kari Wraithstalker and Ardus Ix'Erebus). They are optional... there are other heroes in separate expansion packs and you don't technically need to include a hero in your army, but there's no separate expansions for them and I doubt there will be. I'd happily buy an expansion if they came with mounted versions... I need Kari attached to some Oathsworn Cavalry!

I wonder if they'll ever make a Daqan or Waiqar core army pack ? So someone could join in late, and not buy the other side?

51 minutes ago, Glucose98 said:

I wonder if they'll ever make a Daqan or Waiqar core army pack ? So someone could join in late, and not buy the other side?

I could see this. If the game does well enough over a long period of time, I could even see every faction getting a new army box at some point (say, 4 years down the road) in sort of the same way that Xwing got a second core later on. We could also just get alternate core sets with different faction combos. I do think it would be at least 2 years before we see anything like that though, but who knows?

23 hours ago, Daverman said:

A little more detail (since it's a slow work day)...

The Core set gives you units for the Daqan (humans) and Waiqar (Undead), plus rules, dice, templates and tokens needed to play the game. It retails for $99.95.

If you only really want to play as one of those two factions (lets say Daqan), you could get practically the same stuff by buying:

Essentials Pack $24.95

Oathsworn Cavalry expansion $24.95

2x Spearman expansion $49.90

Rune Golem expansion $34.95

So that's $134.95 for the basic stuff you need and one faction units, vs. $99.95 for the basic stuff and two factions. The Core Set is a phenomenal deal if you like either of those two factions. As others have suggested, you could split the cost with someone who wants the other faction, or ebay the half you don't want.

The expansions do contain some upgrade cards that aren't included in the Core set/Essentials Pack, so you would be getting those. Unlike X-Wing, neutral upgrades are being sold across all of the available factions. So if you really like the Daqan you'll never have to buy a Waiqar expansion just for a card. The only difference so far has been timing... a Waiqar expansion might contain a neutral upgrade in one release, while the Daqan won't see the upgrade until another. So if you can hold on and wait for the Daqan expansion to come out, you'll get the upgrade card then.

There's also one notable thing in the Core Set that you can't get anywhere else... the starting heroes for the Daqan and Waiqar (Kari Wraithstalker and Ardus Ix'Erebus). They are optional... there are other heroes in separate expansion packs and you don't technically need to include a hero in your army, but there's no separate expansions for them and I doubt there will be. I'd happily buy an expansion if they came with mounted versions... I need Kari attached to some Oathsworn Cavalry!

This is excellent feedback.

So I have opted to get a single core set and split the cost with a friend for now. I got lucky and the core was on sale so only paid GBP£50 for it (last one). I then added two packs of Reanimate Archers and now eagerly waiting for delivery.

So I am guessing that I will need to buy a Carrion Archer pack and a Reanimate Warrior pack to get any missing cards from those sets as they won't be included in the Core?

Carrion Lancers and Reanimates boxes both contain useful cards only found in their respective boxes, as well as other useful cards you could technically get elsewhere. So, yes both would be good buys.

18 minutes ago, Viktus106 said:

So I am guessing that I will need to buy a Carrion Archer pack and a Reanimate Warrior pack to get any missing cards from those sets as they won't be included in the Core?

Yup. Just like X-Wing the expansions of core units have upgrades that don't come in the core set.

Also if you are going to hobby also think about some modest modeling tools and what kind of paints you want.

If you need some advice there are many sources you can go to, but my personal favorite is:
https://runecasters.net/episode-4-a-painting-hope/

Just like X wing then, you will be buying one of everything, least it will be only for your faction though. Don't really want to be buying a Uthuk Command box just for two generic cards that may be useful for about two months . . .

Thanks for all the feedback though.

(Derailing incoming!! Choo Choo!)
The idea I have at the moment is:

Archers 2 x 2
Combat Ingenuity

Archers 2 x 2
Combat Ingenuity

Reanimate 3 x 3
Blighted Vexillum Bearer, Lingering Dead, Support Carrion Lancer

Reanimate 3 x 3
Blighted Vexillum Bearer, Lingering Dead, Support Carrion Lancer

1 hour ago, flightmaster101 said:

Yup. Just like X-Wing the expansions of core units have upgrades that don't come in the core set.

Also if you are going to hobby also think about some modest modeling tools and what kind of paints you want.

If you need some advice there are many sources you can go to, but my personal favorite is:
https://runecasters.net/episode-4-a-painting-hope/

I like your shameless plug

58 minutes ago, Viktus106 said:

Just like X wing then, you will be buying one of everything, least it will be only for your faction though. Don't really want to be buying a Uthuk Command box just for two generic cards that may be useful for about two months . . .

Thanks for all the feedback though.

(Derailing incoming!! Choo Choo!)
The idea I have at the moment is:

Archers 2 x 2
Combat Ingenuity

Archers 2 x 2
Combat Ingenuity

Reanimate 3 x 3
Blighted Vexillum Bearer, Lingering Dead, Support Carrion Lancer

Reanimate 3 x 3
Blighted Vexillum Bearer, Lingering Dead, Support Carrion Lancer

So the blight you're giving is just to take away their attacks? You have nothing to spend blight. Also, you should get Ankaur Maro.

16 hours ago, Curlycross said:

So the blight you're giving is just to take away their attacks? You have nothing to spend blight. Also, you should get Ankaur Maro.

On a more serious note though, what would you suggest changing?

Considering that the games I have played at present have always had a Spearman death star (Front Line Golum, etc, etc), Kari the sniper and a small oathsworn unit, the only way I have managed to survive is to stop the spearman unit from ever attacking, ever. They may be able to put out 25 damage but if they have no dice. . .

thats the gist of it, you can shut down the spear star with archers+CI pretty nicely

Yeah, My favorite way to take care of that problem is this...

Ankaur Maro w/ violent forces and fortuna's dice

Reanimates with executioner (and other things)

Ankaur maro dials in hi mortal wound and you roll dice and if you don't get an accuracy you fortuna's dice the accuracy and hit the FLRG, then you follow up with the reanimate's executioner ability and kill the FLRG. problem solved. He have a Weapon's Master? he's the next round's target. There is very little accuracy at range on the Daqan side right now, use that to your advantage and get your figure upgrades working for you.

Probably not the best set up, but GREAT against all the armor of the Daqan

Ardus w/ an upgrade

Ankaur with the above mentioned upgrades

One reanimate tray of fl carrion lancer, blighted vexillum, and executioner

One reanimate tray of Support Carrion, and Deathcaller, and blighted vexillum if you have 2 command sets

This is a great way to shred high armor targets. Goodbye Hawthorne, good bye rune golem, both singular or Front Line