by You’ve already chosen your faction, and you’re going with the CIS? Roger, Roger… But where should you start your collection? Which units should you buy to build a competitive army? In this article, I’ll give you a roadmap of the key purchases to prioritize when building a Separatist army in Star Wars Legion.
What should you buy to start a Separatist Alliance (CIS) army?
Patience
The products mentioned in this article will be available from Q4 2025 at your local retailers.
The Separatist Alliance (CIS) Starter
If you’re new to Star Wars Legion, this Starter is by far the best entry point. It includes everything you need to play in the Skirmish format (600 points), while also laying the foundation for a full Separatist army in the Standard format (1000 points). In total, the set contains 42 miniatures, enough to easily build a 600-point army:
- General Grievous, the fearsome cyborg
- 30 B1 Battle Droids
- 9 B2 Super Battle Droids
- 2 Droidekas
Note that Atomic Mass Games lists the number of miniatures, not units. Why? Because your unit configurations determine how many miniatures you’ll need to build each unit. For example, a basic unit of B1 Battle Droids includes 6 models. But upgrades like the Squad can increase the unit size, adding up to 7 more droids. Based on my calculations, the Starter will let you field between 5 and 8 units.
Fortunately, the box includes more than just miniatures—it also contains all the cards needed to run your army properly:
- 7 unit cards
- 16 upgrade cards
- 10 command cards
- 24 battle cards
As well as the game materials:
- 20 dice (4 of each type)
- Various tokens
- Movement templates (long, medium, short)
- Range rulers
In short, this Starter gives you everything you need to play a game in the Skirmish format, which uses 600-point armies on a play area of around 90 x 90 cm. However, keep in mind that the Standard format is the most popular. It is played on a 90 x 180 cm table with 1000-point armies. In other words, if you’re planning to join tournaments, you’ll need to expand your Starter with additional unit packs.
Extra dice
As you’ve read, the Starter Set includes only 4 dice of each type. To improve your gameplay experience, I recommend purchasing additional dice. This will save you from having to jot down results on a piece of paper between rerolls. During a game, it’s common to have attack or defense pools containing around ten dice.
You can buy extra dice in dedicated packs. Be aware that they are split into two separate products: one Attack pack and one Defense pack.
Upgrade cards
The upgrade card pack gives you a wide selection of enhancements for your units. These will let you boost or specialize your units. It’s a must-have product, but not a mandatory purchase: you can download the cards for free in Print & Play format:
- In English on the official publisher’s website;
- In French in this article dedicated to the topic.
Visually, these cards lack appeal. Unlike the older version of the game, Atomic Mass Games hasn’t taken the time to illustrate each upgrade individually. I don’t think it’s worth spending money on this—the print & play version is clearly the better option here.
Which units should you buy after the Starter?
If, after several Skirmish games, you’ve been won over by the game, you have the green light to expand your collection and aim for the 1,000-point format. You can include any units in your army list, and from this point on, your choices will allow you to create original combinations. That said, it might be wise to expand your collection with the following units:
Separatist commanders and agents
With your Starter Box, you’re sorely lacking in iconic leaders. Sure, General Grievous wields his lightsabers with fury, but if he falls in battle, all his command cards go down with him. Better not put all your eggs in one basket. Fielding multiple shadowy figures gives you more resilience, greater tactical flexibility, and a more intimidating presence on the battlefield for your opponent…
The CIS’s secret leaders appear either as Commanders (e.g., Count Dooku) or as Operatives (e.g., Asajj Ventress). Regardless of their rank, each strategist generally comes with 3 command cards. Since a command hand is limited to 7 cards, you can theoretically include all the command cards of two commanders/operatives in your army list.
As for which characters to choose, that depends on your personal preferences. Each CIS mastermind has their own playstyle and works better with certain units than others, which can help guide you in building the rest of your army. That said, the impact of a commander or operative on the overall strategy remains relatively small in Star Wars: Legion. It’s nothing like the impact a general has in A Song of Ice and Fire, where the general defines your army’s entire game plan.
Examples
Kalani, the Tactical Super Battle Droid, is an excellent support commander. He supplies other units with Aim and Dodge tokens, while granting a free order each turn.
Cad Bane, “needs no introduction“, plays the role of a disruptor. One of his command cards lets him hide his position on the battlefield—perfect for sowing doubt and messing with your opponent’s nerves.
The best Separatist units
Below are the top 3 most-played Separatist units in competitive play as of 2025. Keep in mind that a wargame is a living game, meaning the rules and unit stats evolve over time. What’s strong one year may not be the case the next.
Droidekas
For 67 points, Droidekas offer excellent value. Their suppressive firepower, speed to quickly reach objectives, durability with Shielded 4 and automatic recharge, and their vehicle status providing cover to nearby allies make them highly attractive options for many army lists.
Kalani, Tactical Super Battle Droid
Kalani is one of the best command choices for a Separatist army. He boosts both offense and defense by handing out Aim and Dodge tokens through his Strategize 2 ability. Thanks to his Exemplar keyword, allied units within range 2 can use his green tokens. He can also issue a free order to a droid unit with the AI keyword (which includes the majority of droid units in the faction). This is extremely useful for triggering a chain of orders among your B1s and enabling a perfect activation control during the round. In short, Kalani makes your army tougher and more efficient!
Aqua Droids
Aqua Droids combine two valuable keywords: Infiltrate, allowing them to start the game close to objectives, and Armor 2, which improves their resilience. Together, these traits make them excellent units for holding objectives, as they’re tough to dislodge from key positions.
Units from a Battle Force
A Battle Force is an alternative type of army list that comes with its own specific rules for army composition and gameplay. It represents a key moment (like the Separatist Invasion of Naboo) or a signature army from the saga. In return, it imposes certain restrictions (such as limited hero choices), but may also grant more freedom in other areas of army composition, such as removing the usual cap on special forces units. Additionally, Battle Forces usually come with exclusive command cards that can only be used when playing that Battle Force.
Building toward a Battle Force is a good way to guide your future purchases, as they focus on a small number of distinct units. For instance, the Experimental Droids Battle Force limits you to B1s, B2s, Droidekas, BX droids, MagnaGuards, or Persuader tanks. Since your CIS starter already includes several of these units, you have a clear path for your next acquisitions. In 2025, the Experimental Droids Battle Force is gaining traction. It helped Lyla Claire and her teammates win the World Team Championship with this configuration. The key pieces in her list were two Persuader tanks.
Is it worth buying old Star Wars: Legion products?
Star Wars: Legion was released in 2018, but it has seen several major changes since. Initially published by Fantasy Flight Games (a subsidiary of Asmodee), the game was transferred a few years later to another branch, Atomic Mass Games, as part of an internal reorganization.
When AMG took over Legion, they decided to reboot the game in 2025. So if you’re browsing online and come across older Legion products, you might run into some outdated references. No worries: the Separatist miniatures they contain are still valid and can perfectly complement your collection. However, the old B1 battle droids are a bit trickier to assemble than the new ones.
For more details on the topic of older sets, I invite you to check out the dedicated article:
What to do in case of stock shortages?
Stock availability for Star Wars: Legion products is neither guaranteed nor consistent. If something is out of stock, here are a few options:
- Check online shops in neighboring countries (Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, etc.)—you might find the missing product there. Since Legion products are multilingual, there’s no issue buying them from abroad.
- Look at the second-hand market. Vinted has some Star Wars: Legion listings. Keep in mind that most old miniatures are still tournament-legal — only the cards may be outdated.
- Create proxy miniatures and cards. Many talented sculptors sell their 3D creations on Gumroad, such as SkullForge or DarkFire Designs. As for the cards, they can be downloaded for free from the publisher’s website.
Some tips to avoid regrettable purchases
Paint and play with your heart
One of the greatest joys in wargaming is building your own army—both in unit choices and visual style. Feeling pressured to buy miniatures just because they’re powerful, when they don’t appeal to you, is never a good idea. Painting them will feel like a chore, and they’ll likely take the place of units you actually love in your list. The risk? This hobby, instead of being a source of joy, could become a burden—and may even lead you to quit it altogether.
Try the game first and see how popular it is locally
Getting into a wargame is no small feat. It’s a time-consuming and potentially expensive hobby. So I recommend that you don’t dive headfirst into Legion, but test the waters first. Do you really like this game? To find out, try it:
- Either with a demo from a local player;
- Or through Tabletop Simulator;
- Or by starting with the bare minimum to play (see the first section of this article “Which purchases are essential to start a Separatist (CIS) army?“)
Then, check whether there’s an active player community in your area. It would be a shame to invest in lots of miniatures only to see them gather dust on a shelf.
Buying strong units is good. Understanding why they’re strong is better!
Fielding the best units doesn’t necessarily make for a good army list. It’s better to understand why a unit is considered strong: knowing its role and how it functions within your army helps you identify which other units best complement it. In short, if you understand how to build solid army lists, you’ll more easily identify what units you actually need. In the article below, I share 7 tips to help you build army lists on solid foundations:
