Warhammer Tone Pro: All 30 Colours and How the 5 Tones Work

Games Workshop's new paint range, Warhammer Tone Pro, is the biggest change to Citadel paints in years: 150 paints made up of 30 colours, each in 5 tones, plus a new Blending Medium and four new drybrushes. Here's how the tone system works, every colour in the range, and what it means if you already own Citadel or Army Painter paints.

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How the 5 tones work

Every Tone Pro colour comes in five numbered pots. Tone 1 is the darkest and tone 5 the lightest. Instead of hunting for a matching shade and highlight from different paint names, you paint shadows with a low number, the main colour in the middle, and highlights with a higher number of the same colour. Games Workshop says the range has strong colour and coverage from the first coat, with good flow for blending.

• 150 paints: 30 colours × 5 tones.
• Blending Medium: slows down drying so you have more time to blend.
• Four new drybrushes (XS, S, M and L), designed to give a smoother finish without the chalky look drybrushing can leave.
• Try before you buy: Games Workshop let painters try the paints in Warhammer stores and independent hobby stores from Saturday, September 26. Pre-orders opened on October 10, and the range went on sale on October 24.
• Price: US retailer listings put the 12ml pots at about $6.75 each. Prices vary by country and store, and buying all 150 adds up fast, so most painters will start with the colours for their own army.

All 30 Tone Pro colours

Reds, oranges, yellows and greens: Carmine Blades, Bloodtoof Red, Chotec Orange, Ta'unar Ochre, Khemri Sands, Hawkshroud Yellow, Megaboss Yellow, Plague Toad Venom, Kruleboyz Green, Lustria Green.

Greens, teals and blues: Kasrkin Green, Hierotek Green, Green Morkshroom, Seraphon Blue, Craventhrone Cloak, Stormwolf Blue, Scinari Blue, Blue Gorkshroom, Ultramar Blue, Shalaxi Violet.

Purples, pinks, skins, bone and greys: Enrapturess Dusk, Hive Fleet Purple, Magnus the Red, Eye of Terror, Carthalos Skin, Celestine Skin, Gnarlwood, Necrolith Bone, Dataslate Grey, Blackstone Void.

Ultramarines players will spot Ultramar Blue straight away, and the five tones should make painting those big blue armour panels a lot quicker.

The new drybrushes

What about Contrast paints?

Around the same time, Spikey Bits reported that Games Workshop cut 25 Contrast paints. Games Workshop hasn't said that Tone Pro replaces its other ranges, and players report it was presented as an addition. If your favourite Contrast colour is on the list, it may be worth picking up a spare while stores still have it.

Tone Pro or other brands?

• Tone Pro: best if you want an easy shade-to-highlight system for each colour without mixing.
• Citadel Base, Layer, Shade and Contrast: the classic range most tutorials still use.
• The Army Painter Speedpaint: a popular one-coat alternative to Contrast, now also sold as Speedpaint Markers (paint in a pen). More in our Warhammer gifts guide.
• Vallejo Game Color: dropper bottles that last a long time and are easy to keep from drying out.

My take

A numbered 1-to-5 system is a smart idea, especially for newer painters who struggle to pick the right highlight. Experienced painters will decide based on how the paint flows on the brush, so trying a pot in store first is a good move. Looking for gift ideas for a painter? See our best Warhammer gifts guide. Will you switch to Tone Pro?