The long-anticipated crossover between Total War and Warhammer 40,000 has been confirmed, promising a fresh take on the real-time strategy series. Creative Assembly faces the challenge of adapting the grand strategy gameplay to the grimdark future of the 41st millennium. The game will depart from the traditional province-based map, instead featuring ‘crusade theatres’ composed of multiple planets. Players can conquer these planets or even resort to ‘Exterminatus’ to eliminate them as enemy strongholds. Battles will also see a new dynamic with orbital reinforcements playing a crucial role, allowing players to call in additional units during engagements.
Source: Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
A New Approach to Total War Gameplay
While specific details on how these new mechanics will fully integrate remain somewhat limited, insights from developer discussions and trailers have shed light on the playable factions. Notably, Chaos Space Marines will not be available at launch, planned instead for future DLC or expansions. The base game will feature classic factions: the Imperial Guard, Space Marines, Orks, and Eldar.
The Imperial Guard are expected to offer the most familiar Total War experience, fielding vast armies, artillery, and tanks, though with lower morale. Their playstyle is likened to Skaven, but with a focus on ranged firepower and armored support. Orks will also command large forces, but their units may turn on each other if left idle, emphasizing the need to maintain their ‘Waaagh!’ momentum. Space Marines will field comparatively smaller armies, with each individual unit possessing immense power, potentially equivalent to a hundred or more units from other races. This shift in unit scale presents an interesting strategic challenge.
The Eldar are described as having a particularly unique and complex playstyle. Their primary objective will be to prevent galactic catastrophes rather than simply conquering other factions. While other races, like the ‘Mon-keigh,’ will still seek to eradicate the Xenos, the Eldar’s focus will be on broader cosmic threats. Their forces will originate from an off-screen Craftworld, ensuring its safety. However, a significant mechanic is that any Eldar unit lost in battle is permanently gone, its soul claimed by Slaanesh. The full implications of this and other new mechanics, such as the presence of fleet battles or improvements over past naval combat systems, are yet to be fully revealed.
A trailer is available for viewing, or alternatively, an update on Warhammer 4K: Mechanicus II’s post-demo changes can be explored.
Some might suggest that “40K” could refer to something other than Warhammer 40,000, perhaps a new 40K resolution video game or a requirement for a fusion reactor to power a gaming PC.
