Playing D&D is more fun if you have a set of miniatures in the table. The miniatures will serve as actors ready to push the story forward and make the game more realistic. If you want to start collecting the best D&D miniatures for your campaign, you’ve come to the right place.
This comprehensive article will review some of the awesome D&D miniatures in the current market. Aside from the mini-reviews, you’ll learn how to paint and prime your new miniatures.
Contents of this Page
The Best D&D Miniatures For Beginners and Pros
D&D Adult Blue Dragon from WizKids
Rating
Complexity: 4/5
Style: 4.5/5
Affordability: 4/5
Features
Brand: WizKids
Dimensions: 21.5 x 15 x 10 inches
Weight: 0.035 ounces
Material: Brass
Model type: Dragon
A popular unit from WizKids’ Icon of the Realms Series, the Adult Blue Dragon miniature will strike cold terror among the hearts of players. This dragon miniature has a remarkable detail distribution, starting from scales up to the bony head.
The D&D blue dragon miniature weighs 0.035 ounces, making it perfect for tabletop displays and conventions. The dragon’s wings are durable but they don’t look stiff. You can bend the wings a little without breaking off the paint or the material. Since the dragon miniature’s pose is astounding to begin with, it doesn’t need extra adjustment. Still, you can always change the miniature’s facing position.
Despite the majestic style of the blue dragon miniature, it still has some design flaws. Some scales have uneven paints, and the head section has a thicker paint consistency. If you already have a paint set, you can just go over these uneven areas using the right matching colors.
Fantasy Minifigures Kit for D&D and Pathfinder
Rating
Complexity: 3/5
Style: 3/5
Affordability: 4.9/5
Features
Brand: Monster Protectors
Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 2.44 inches per model
Weight: 5 ounces
Material: Plastic
Model type: Multiple (gnolls, skeletons, orcs, humans, goblins, zombies, kobolds)
In D&D, there’s always a room for another miniature. Well, you can raise the bar by getting multiple miniatures from a large kit. One starter kit that you shouldn’t miss is Fantasy Minigures from Monster Protectors. This kit is enough to comprise a small monster army that can challenge players.
All monsters of the Fantasy Minifigures kit have classic styles. The gnolls and kobolds seem prepared to do a raid, while the skeletons and bandits are ready for sniping positions. The orc and goblin look vigilant with their readied weapons, perfect for guard duties. Due to the miniatures’ generic designs, they’re great for other tabletop RPGs such as Pathfinder, D&D 4E, AD&D, and Dungeon World.
The annoying thing about the Fantasy Minifigures kit is paint quality. All of the miniatures look like they were painted by beginners. You can resolve this by painting over the botched parts, but make sure that the paint consistency is thin.
WizKids Epic Level Starter Set
Rating
Complexity: 3/5
Style: 4.5/5
Affordability: 4.9/5
Features
Brand: WizKids
Dimensions: 4 x 2 x 6 inches
Weight: 3.17 ounces
Material: Plastic
Model type: Humanoids
Do you need a quick set of miniatures for your high-level party? Or perhaps you need a group of powerful heroes for a diorama? In these cases, you should take a look at WizKids Epic Level Starter set. This miniature kit contains seven heroes with different classes with complete equipment and enhanced skills.
The miniatures of the Epic Level Starter Set represent local countryside raiders. This raiding party consists of a druid, a rogue, a barbarian, a fighter, a wizard, a ranger, and a clear version of the rogue. Try to paint the clear miniature with your desired custom colors!
Aside from the miniatures, the Epic Starter Set comes with a detailed adventuring map. With this map, you set up a quick adventure in less than 30 minutes.
All minis of the Epic Level Starter Set have rich colors. However, the paint quality of the set is not too appealing. Some areas are thick, while other parts are uneven and bumpy. Even the miniatures’ eyes look amateurish. If you’re not too particular with the design, you can still use the Epic Starter minis to represent your characters.
WizKids Legends of Barovia Premium Box Set
Rating
Complexity: 4/5
Style: 4/5
Affordability: 4.5/5
Brand: WizKids
Dimensions: 10 x 4 x 4 inches
Weight: 3.17 ounces
Material: Plastic
Model type: Mixed (vampire, human, and witch)
Curse of Strahd is one of the best D&D campaigns ever made. It combined elements of classic psychological horror, dungeon-crawl, and tactical gameplay. If you already own the Curse of Strahd adventure, then you should consider getting the Legends of Barovia miniature set from WizKids. This special box contains the Darklord Strahd himself, Madam Eva, Rudolph Van Richten, Pildwick II, Ezmeralda, Mongrelfolk, and Baba Lysaga.
The Legends of Barovia minis are made of strong materials that highlight the paint colors properly. Count Strahd’s suit is well-defined, and even the old Van Richten mini looks dapper than ever. The other minis also have excellent color distribution, further improved by skin and facial textures.
While the Legends of Barovia miniatures look exactly alike their story counterparts, their parts are not entirely durable. You can bend some parts accidentally, and others will even break off if they fall from a high distance.
Also, some Legends of Barovia boxes have wrongly painted miniatures. If you ordered a Barovia box with wrong paints, contact the store right away for an immediate replacement.
D&D Norzul’s Marvelous Unpainted Dragon Miniatures
Rating
Complexity: 4/5
Style: 4/5
Affordability: 4.9/5
Features
Brand: WizKids
Dimensions: 6 x 4 x 2 inches
Weight: 2.39 ounces
Material: Plastic
Model type: Dragon wyrmlings
The Norzul Unpainted Dragon Miniature set is an excellent option for veterans and beginners. Inside the set, you’d find dragon wyrmlings ready to make the battlefield exciting. Before displaying these wyrmlings, however, you must paint them with your desired colors.
The best thing about unpainted miniatures is the amount of color combinations that you can make. Even though the Norgul set indicated that the miniatures should be black or red, you won’t mess up the minis by using other colors.
Aside from the wyrmling dragons, the Norzul box has accessories like treasure troves, coins, and a pile of bones. These accessories will improve the visual impact of the wyrmlings, and they can even match other D&D terrain pieces.
Norzul’s wyrmling miniature set is not perfect. You might encounter missing parts such as wings, tails, and accessories. This problem is usually related to manufacturing, and you always have the option to get a replacement box.
Origin Miniatures Fantasy Battle Pack
Rating
Complexity: 4.5/5
Style: 4.5/5
Affordability: 4.9/5
Features
Brand: Origin Miniatures
Dimensions: 14.88 x 10.2 x 2.32 inches
Weight: 17 ounces (with case)
Material: Plastic
Model type: Mixed (Orcs, Skeletons, Zombies, Dark Elves, Humans, and Goblins)
The Fantasy Battle Pack from Origin Miniatures is a budget-friendly option for your monster arsenal. This pack contains a large group of thirty-six unpainted miniatures divided among popular fantasy races such as orcs, zombies, skeletons, humans, goblins, and dark elves.
Each miniature from the Fantasy Battle Pack has astounding quality. You’ll see the fine armor lines, facial expressions, and even distinct weapon designs. The more skilled you are in painting, the better the miniatures will look. Plus, the minis have 1-inch bases, allowing perfect positioning in almost any battlemap.
If you love to travel and play, you can bring the Fantasy Battle Pack miniatures safely by using its free foam-padded deluxe case. The case contains slots that can protect all miniatures from damage and exposure. Even though the deluxe case is durable, it dents easily upon contact with a hard surface. Despite the case’s small flaw, your miniatures will still remain intact.
Zariel of Avernus from Gale Force Nine
Rating
Complexity: 4.5/5
Style: 4.5/5
Affordability: 4.9/5
Features
Brand: Gale Force Nine
Dimensions: 6 x 1.5 x 8.5 inches
Weight: 2.25 ounces
Material: Resin
Model type: Archduke/Fallen Angel
Gale Force Nine’s Archduke Zariel miniature is a legendary piece for a Descent Into Avernus campaign. Since Zariel is the main antagonist of Descent, she’ll make an excellent addition to your table.
Sometimes, a D&D mini with too many details is detrimental to your creative progress. This is the case with the Zariel miniature. Right out of the sprue, you’d find more than ten parts to disconnect and assemble. Most of these parts are smaller than your thumb, except the wings and the base.
Painting the Zariel mini is also challenging because of the fine armor details. You need to apply a rich basecoat supported by a decent color combination. To handle Zariel’s complicated sections, you must use a fine paintbrush with strong bristles. Apply mild pressure on Zariel’s wings to prevent it from breaking off.
Essential Accessories for Your D&D Miniatures
D&D Spellbook Cards
Are you tired of flipping through pages of multiple sourcebooks just to get the information you need? Or perhaps you need something tactile to help you ‘feel’ the power of a spell? The simple solution is a clever set of useful D&D spellbook cards.
The D&D spellbook card set contains one hundred eighty-two laminated cards revealing important information such as monster stat blocks, spell damage, and NPC lore. Most of the cards contain visual art while others are just plain text.
Through the handy D&D cards, you can minimize browsing and save time on encounters and storytelling. Players will also appreciate seeing their enemies, at least in card form.
The Deck of Many Things and Deck of Many Fates Combo Pack
The Deck of Many Things is a double-edged sword that can make or break any campaign. This deck contains ultra-powerful cards that players can draw. Some cards can give a chunk of XP while others offer castles, broken artifacts, and the vendetta of a hateful entity. An unlucky player can even draw the very aspect of Death.
Stratagem Store’s Deck of Many Things and Deck of Many Fates pack will make your campaign more spontaneous and challenging. The pack has excellent hand-drawn artwork and an instruction manual. The Deck of Many Things remains as powerful as ever while the Deck of Many Fates offer lots of new choices. Two decks mean more fun and a greater level of chaos!
D&D Miniatures Condition Markers
Misinformation is one of the banes of D&D combat. The miniatures will represent players, NPCs, and monsters but there are no usual indicators of status effects. Unclear status effects and conditions will slow down combat because the DM has to double-check everything. The answer to this problem is LYNX store’s D&D condition markers box.
The D&D condition marker box contains ninety-six rings designed to track conditions like charmed, frightened, poisoned, exhausted, restrained, magical damage, physical damage, and concentration. All of the rings have a 360-degree text for easy reading. With these markers in your RPG chest, you can run most D&D combat encounters smoothly.
The condition markers are also versatile enough for other TTRPGs such as World of Darkness and GURPS. You can even substitute the markers for a custom status that you’ve designed, but the process will take extra mental effort.
Pocket Compendium – Customizable Card Holder
The Pocket Compendium is a cool real-life item for any dedicated D&D player. It’s like a small organizer that can hold custom cards and text snippets. By transferring your items to the Pocket Compendium’s fillable cards, your character sheet will look less cramped.
Outside D&D, you can also use the Pocket Compendium as a repository of important reminders like due dates, special numbers, tasks, contacts, and bite-sized life tips. Also, a large binding flap protects your important reference cards from getting misplaced.
The Pocket Compendium is available in four colors: leathery brown, necrotic black, mysterious purple, and classic white. You can collect all four colors to sort your growing trove of items and riches.
D&D Tactical Maps Reincarnated
Dungeons and Dragons is a game fuelled by TOTM or Theater of the Mind. This means that the DM and players don’t need maps or miniatures to represent the story. However, as the game drags on, the DM will have a hard time describing everything. Players will also struggle imagining the scenarios before them. The solution? Get a D&D Tactical Maps Reincarnated poster book along with your chosen minis!
The Tactical Maps Reincarnated contains a plethora of maps from different D&D editions, settings, and campaigns. Inside the book, you can find up 20 full-color maps with 1-inch grids. Each grid of the map will fit the base of traditional D&D minis.
Collecting D&D Minis Wisely – A Simple Buying Guide
Buying minis indiscriminately is almost the same as throwing money away. Before you even visit a D&D miniature store, you must have a checklist of expectations and goals. Through these goals, you can make a smart buying decision without compromising your enjoyment.
The Importance of D&D Lore
D&D lore is a big factor in miniature collecting. By knowing and understanding the lore of your chosen setting, you’d feel more satisfied with every miniature collected. It’s like you’re building a giant movie set, and the miniatures are actors that will move the story forward.
Using a lore-driven approach is great for your wallet. You won’t feel compelled to collect the big models right away because individual characters will matter more. If you start with individual heroes, you can set them up for story scenes without worrying about big figures and overly designed terrain pieces. Besides, high-detail individual pieces like heroes and villains look more valuable up close.
If you’re a DM, you should have a bigger budget for miniatures, especially for pieces that are important to your campaign. Awesome miniatures such as dracoliches and aboleths will help your players become more immersed in your campaign’s lore.
Another advantage of a lore-driven approach is discount pricing. Some campaign boxes with painted miniatures cost lower than single pieces. Just make sure that you buy miniature boxes from reputable stores with positive reviews.
Begin With Small Sizes
One common pitfall of a beginner collector is the desire to buy huge pieces right away. This can lead to overspending and mismanaged expectations. If you want to collect D&D minis with minimal disappointments, you better start with small pieces.
Unpainted individual heroes are the best options for beginners because of small dimensions and easy-to-reach areas. You only need a fine paintbrush and a few colors to get started with small-sized miniatures.
Hero and NPC miniatures are also cheaper than legendary D&D beasts. More importantly, small miniatures don’t take a lot of space in your display case or table.
As you get more immersed with the hobby, you can eventually move on to medium sized or large miniatures. These big models are expensive because you also need to buy paints and the necessary tools. If you want to save time, you can always choose large painted miniatures.
Materials Matter
Materials are strong factors that can affect the price of a D&D miniature. The most common material that you can find today is plastic. You should start with plastic miniatures because they are easy to paint and budget-friendly. However, paints on plastic minis lose their quality fast, especially if you didn’t use efficient painting techniques.
While most plastic models are durable, some of them have parts that break off easily. The most fragile parts are creature wings, weapon tips, banners, and legs.
Some miniatures are made of rigid or stronger plastic. These minis are more expensive because of their durability and great detail. Strong plastic minis are usually pre-painted and packaged in a special box.
If you have a big budget, you should get metal D&D minis. Metal is more durable than plastic, but it costs higher. Unpainted metal minis start at $10 and can go as high as $50 each. Painted metal minis cost even more, pushing the price to $100 each.
To get discounts on metal minis, you must procure them by bulk. Reaper Miniatures is a popular brand that specializes on low-cost durable minis. You can never go wrong with Reaper Miniatures, especially if you’re planning to build a metal miniature army.
What if you’re not a fan of traditional materials? Then you might consider the alternative route of cardboard miniatures. Cardboard minis are the cheapest of all materials and also the most fragile. In one sitting, you can find hundreds of cardboard miniature designs. Just save those designs and print them whenever you have the chance.
Collect for Your Campaign
Instead of buying all minis that your eyes can feast on, you can just focus on minis related to your campaign. Let’s say you’ve started running a Hoard of the Dragon Queen campaign. It would make sense to buy a Tiamat miniature to strike fear on the hearts of your players. A Tiamat mini on your table is money well spent. However, it’s unreasonable to buy a high-detail Strahd mini because you’re not running Curse of Strahd.
Collecting minis for your recent campaign is a ‘wallet-saving’ approach. You’re only spending money on miniatures that matter for your story.
Bulk vs. Single
Every miniature collector should address the matter between bulk-buying and single purchases. Both approaches are valid, and they have some advantages and disadvantages.
Bulk-buying is a common approach for people who want to save money while starting a big collection. It’s easy to buy models in bulk because stores have discounts for large purchases. One downside of bulk-buying is low quality level. Since the minis are mass-produced, they usually have factory errors or uneven parts.
Single purchases are advisable for beginners. By purchasing miniatures one by one, a beginner won’t feel overwhelmed. Experienced hobbyists will also benefit from single purchases because their collections will look more beautiful and detailed. It’s better to look at a few high-detail pieces rather than stare at miniature armies with low-quality paints.
Benefits of Investing in D&D Miniatures
Do you want to invest in D&D minis but you’re unsure about the benefits? In this section, you’ll know about the benefits and risks of investing in miniatures.
Inherent Collectible Value
Contrary to what others think, D&D miniatures are not toys. They are collectibles that represent hundreds of hours of labor and thousands of dollars. At first, D&D minis seem like a waste of money, but they actually have a long-term value that can shelter your finances during difficult times.
Time is the primary factor that affects a miniature’s overall value. You can’t just sell a painted mini after a week, unless you have a business specializing in custom projects. As a hobbyist, you need to wait for at least a year before selling a miniature.
One downside of miniature collecting is the fact that you can’t beat inflation. The value of your minis can’t match other investment platforms, but they can pay for the hobby itself. On good days, a fire sale of minis can offer a big stipend that you can use for other income sources.
These are some ways to increase the value of your D&D minis:
- Build a beautiful and sturdy display case
- Apply unique shading or highlighting techniques
- Create an action-filled diorama
- Show your diorama to a network of hobbyists
You need to be patient if you intend to build a D&D collection as an investment source. It takes hard work to make the collection beautiful and valuable.
Extra Income Potential
Before you cash out with a large collection of D&D minis, you should use it an alternative source of extra income. There are numerous ways to make your collection profitable, but all of them require immense focus and creativity.
And when I say focus and creativity, I mean learning how to make miniatures for D&D as a means to make money. Repurposing extra parts is also a great way to squeeze profits from your D&D kits. You can start by sorting extra parts (i.e. small weapons) into containers and batch-painting them. Seal those parts in a durable plastic storage and offer them to other hobbyists. Don’t overprice your repurposed products or you might drive away potential buyers.
As you acquire more experience in D&D collecting and painting, you can also take a hobby consultancy role. As a consultant, you can share your tips and strategies to your followers. During the first few months, you must offer your knowledge for free. After that, you can start charging a reasonable fee for other interested hobbyists.
Eventually, you’ll have a chance to set up your website and share useful video tutorials. These tutorials can generate money from affiliate links if you have the patience to set up a working platform.
Mental Health Improvement
Miniature collecting is a form of escape from the difficulties of life. It creates a safe haven for collectors and fosters a deep sense of creativity. If stress is chipping away at your daily routine, then you should try painting a few miniatures that capture your interest.
It’s always rewarding to paint and complete a D&D miniature, especially if the mini is a main character of a campaign. Once the miniature is displayed on your shelf, you can always look at it and admire your progress. Sometimes, one simple glance is enough to pull you up from a rough day.
The more miniatures you complete, the more confident you will become. This clearly shows that your collection translates to personal achievement. You can even show the collection to your friends and feel prouder than ever!
Social Status Boost
A huge D&D miniature collection can boost your social status because not everyone can avoid minis. Whenever people visit your house and see your collection, they will think that you’re capable of buying the fine things in life. Even if social status improvement is not your goal, it will still be the effect of your growing D&D miniature collection.
Social status improvement is also a great thing if you’re part of a growing community of D&D hobbyists. Other collectors can offer some tips on how to improve your collection further, and they can even lead you to the hottest miniature sales around. Since D&D collectors are very likely players as well, they can join any game that you’re planning to run.
Authority Build-up
The most important benefit of collecting D&D miniatures is authority build-up. An established authority will help you build a community fast, boosting your profit potential and brand growth. You will soon realize that your D&D collection is not just room décor but a passion project that can reach the global stage.
Quick Painting Tips to Make Your D&D Minis Look Awesome
Do you want to improve the way your D&D minis look? After assembling your minis, you must paint them as soon as possible.
Here are some essential painting tips that you shouldn’t miss:
Learn How to Prime
Priming is an important technique that all miniature collectors should learn. In a nutshell, priming is the application of basecoat color to an assembled mini. Black is the common color used for priming, but grey is also a popular choice.
To start priming, you can get a professional hobby spray paint. The best primer sprays that you should get are Vallejo Primer and Tamiya Surface Primer. These primers have a remarkable formula that can make any secondary coat stick to the model. It’s advisable to use primers with an airbrush but you can also use a traditional fine brush.
If you don’t prime your minis, they might look runny or washed out because of low paint cohesion. You also need to double your effort in highlighting the special parts of your miniature.
Here’s a Quick Video Guide on Priming Your Minis
No Airbrush Miniature Priming Guide
Practice Your Strokes
The quality of your strokes is as important as your next paint color. At first, you might do a couple of uncertain strokes, covering one part after another. These uncertain strokes will make the process longer, but they will help you become more accustomed to the hobby.
Your stroke precision depends on two factors: miniature complexity and brush size. Smaller brushes are the best for highly detailed miniatures because the bristles can reach difficult areas. As you move on to bigger minis, you should consider changing brush sizes.
Army Painter is a reliable manufacturer of paintbrushes. The company’s brushes have a wide range of sizes and styles. Some of the brushes are great for fantasy minis, while most options are excellent for wargaming models. You should also check out Winsor & Newton brushes if you have a big budget for premium grade painting tools.
Make Astounding Bases
Bases are not just small round things that maintain the upright balance of miniatures. Rather, bases reflect the miniatures’ lore or environment. Forest bandits, for example, will have grassy bases while desert raiders have sandy or rocky designs.
Don’t settle for common plastic round bases! Your miniatures must make the best impression by having awesome bases. To start basing your minis, you must obtain a bottle of high-quality pumice. Vallejo Texture Effects are affordable options, and they have a wide range of environmental colors. But if you’re gunning for raw quality and grittiness, you should check out the texture paints offered by Citadel.
It takes less than fifteen minutes to create a starter base. You can just scoop out a chunk of the pumice and spread it all over the plastic base. The resulting texture will accentuate the model, and you also have the option to add small rocks, twigs, or a pre-built debris pile.
An awesome base is one of the factors that separate a beginner from a midrange hobbyist. Practice your basing strokes and let your creativity run wild.
Use High-Quality Thinners
When it comes to painting miniatures, it’s very likely that your first thinning agent is water. There’s nothing wrong with using water because it can thin most paints through a continuous whisking motion. Water keeps color coverage balanced but it dries off faster than other solutions, reducing paint consistency and balance.
The best thinner that you can use today is Vallejo Airbrush Thinner. This thinning formula works for all types of miniatures and large-scale plastic models. After using the Vallejo Thinner, you’ll notice a smooth even surface with a vibrant color display.
Once you become confident with your painting skills, you can move on to professional mixing mediums. These mediums can thin paints in seconds, and they’re also compatible with most types of washes. Kitbashers love to use mixing mediums because of numerous color combination possibilities. The only downside with a hobby grade medium is the technical expertise needed to mix it.
Replication before Reinvention
Miniature painting is an old hobby that will never go out of style. As long as people continue to seek for entertainment, there will be no shortage of minis. If you’re planning to enter the hobby and reinvent most of its principles, you won’t go far.
Instead of reinventing the style of miniatures, you must replicate them first. Every kit contains pictures and step-by-step instructions on building the miniature. Don’t include unnecessary colors unless you’re aware of color theory and proper highlighting techniques. A miniature doesn’t need additional parts unless indicated by the kit’s manual.
By replicating miniatures continuously, your painting skill and familiarity will improve. You won’t have troubles adjusting from one technique to another. Moreover, you’ll understand that all miniatures have specific patterns that beginners and advanced learners can follow.
The process of reinvention occurs naturally as your painting skill continues to grow. Additionally, your workspace will have a rich supply of extra parts and accessories as the years go by. By this time, you can probably envision a mega-creature with hundreds of limbs, weapons, and knick-knacks. Building this custom miniature is a laborious project, so you need adequate resources to even begin.
Paint by Batch
Batch-painting is the way of the professional minis collector. It takes skill, patience, and the right equipment to paint a large group of models.
To start batch-painting, you must have a group of minis within your backlog. These minis are possibly minions or creatures for your current campaign. Next, you need to set your schedule right. Allot at least one hour per day to your batch-painting session.
A high-power paintbrush will speed your progress significantly. In just a few vertical or horizontal sprays, you can finish multiple miniatures. An airbrush also works great for big miniatures because it covers large areas in less than a minute. Before using an airbrush, make sure that you’ve thinned your paint properly.
Get Some Spare Unpainted Minis
Having some unpainted minis in your arsenal will help improve your painting skills. You can use the extra minis for testing strange color combinations and shading techniques. If you messed up a paint stroke, you don’t have to start over. Just follow the combination you want and leave at least one set of unpainted minis for your main project.
You should also have a box of common unpainted miniature parts. These parts are viable substitutes for your primary minis. If one part is broken, you can simply replace it with another part. Flexible plastic parts are easier to replace than metal ones.
Best D&D Miniatures FAQ
Are D&D miniatures expensive?
Answer: It depends on the models that you want to collect. Big pieces like Ancient Dragons, Tarrasques, and Aboleths are expensive. Popular D&D heroes and characters have midrange costs depending on the store and buyer response.
Is it better to buy D&D minis one by one?
Answer: If you’re a beginner, then you should buy miniatures one at a time. You don’t need tons of miniatures since your character is represented by only one model (two or more if you have pets). However, multiple D&D minis are greater options if you’ve decided to become a DM. The miniatures will serve as visual representations of your campaign’s monsters and threats.
What are the best providers of D&D minis?
Answer: Currently, Wizards of the Coast has top-tier D&D minis since the company owns the entire D&D franchise. There are also numerous third-party companies that offer high-quality miniatures at reasonable prices.
How can I start 3D-printing D&D minis?
Answer: First, you have to buy a 3D printer. You can get a starter 3D printer for as low as $300, complete with filaments and useful accessories. Next, you should spend time learning about your new printer. The included technical manual will always serve as your reference guide.
Do I need to collect popular D&D books before buying minis?
Answer: No, but having some D&D books in your collection will inspire you to get miniatures. Always remember that every D&D miniature has a story that can be traced back from any D&D book or material. You don’t need all the books anyway, unless you’re a DM or a dedicated roleplayer.
What are some D&D books that contain awesome miniature ideas?
Answer: Some interesting books are Tyranny of Dragons, Curse of Strahd, Waterdeep Dragon Heist, Dungeon of The Mad Mage, Tomb of Annihilation, and Lost Mines of Phandelver.
In Tyranny of Dragons, you can get a Tiamat miniature to represent the Mother of Dragons. A Strahd mini is best for COS, and you can always get a special Xanathar miniature for Dragon Heist. Dungeon of the Mad Mage offers minis with different races and stories, while Tomb of Annihilation has exclusive minis for Acererak and the Atropal. Lastly, Lost Mines of Phandelver have an assortment of goblin characters that can be represented by minis.
What paints should I use for my new D&D miniatures?
Answer: Any paints will do, but you can start with acrylics from The Army Painter set. Some D&D play kits also have starter paints that you can use. Once you already have big, complicated models, you can move on to Vallejo paints.
Recap – The Best D&D Miniatures
1. D&D Adult Blue Dragon from WizKids – Best Dragon Mini for Beginners
2. Fantasy Minifigures Kit for D&D and Pathfinder – Best Versatile Miniatures
3. WizKids Epic Level Starter Set – Best High-Detail Minis for Beginners
4. WizKids Legends of Barovia Premium Box Set – Best High-Detail NPC Minis
5. D&D Norzul’s Marvelous Unpainted Dragon Miniatures – Best Unpainted Dragon Minis
6. Origin Miniatures Fantasy Battle Pack – Best Bulk Minis for Collectors
7. Zariel of Avernus from Gale Force Nine – Best Antagonist Mini for Beginners
Conclusion
Having the best D&D miniatures in your collection isn’t as easy as buying one or two kits. You still need to paint the minis and display them in the best areas. Aside from painting minis, you must also know their lore and backstory. This way, you’d feel more inspired to do the hobby.
Are you ready to start collecting awesome D&D miniatures? Just pick a miniature from our list, obtain some useful tools, and get started right away!
