Creative Assembly will dive into the dystopian world of Warhammer 40,000 with the latest installment of the Total War series. Exactly the right setting for strategy game fan and Warhammer expert Benedict Grothaus, who got to immerse himself in the grim battles for two hours and, despite his experience with Total War, had to learn many new things.
Since the announcement, I have been closely following the development of Total War: Warhammer 40,000, as Creative Assembly has great plans here:
- A completely new engine is supposed to make Warhammer 40,000 and all future installments better.
- This makes Total War playable on consoles for the first time, coming for PS5 and Xbox.
- At the same time, the developers are fundamentally overhauling some systems that make Total War.
After well over 1,000 hours in Total War: Warhammer 3, I am eagerly anticipating the new installment. Now the creators invited MeinMMO for an early preview, and of course, I seized this opportunity immediately.
For almost two hours, I was able to play a short tutorial, a small part of the campaign, and a slightly tougher battle – albeit only as Space Marines, one of the four playable factions at launch. My previous Total War knowledge only partly helped me.
Different Campaign, Completely Different Battle, but Everything Done Right
Right away: The insights I gained while playing were indeed minimal. I could neither choose a faction nor did I know the exact point in the campaign or the story, and many features and contents were simply locked for the demo. However, if what I saw is representative, then Total War: Warhammer 40,000 does many things completely differently than I am used to from its predecessor.
The movement in the campaign is no longer measured in length units but in fields. Specifically: An army could always move two fields in the demo, similar to Risk. If there is an enemy army or settlement on a visited field, it leads to battle.
Although this feels unusual at first and seems less strategic, since Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is not set on one world but on countless planets, the scaling is of course very different. Accordingly, the development of cities and recruitment is also somewhat “pared down” and depends on the “provinces” of the settlement.
However, the biggest difference I noticed was in the fighting. Battles in Total War have usually ranked among the least interesting content for me. In Warhammer 40,000, though, I felt very much like a commander, which allowed me to truly get invested.
I Have to Play Much More Actively, and That’s What Total War Was Missing
Total War: Warhammer 40,000 really throws everything out the window that I had learned about real-time battles in Total War. Formations and Doom Stacks? Not at all: Strategems, tactics, and cover are what matters!
Instead of placing melee fighters in front of my shooters and artillery, my tanks advance to hold up the opponents, while the infantry entrenches behind barricades and attacks with bonuses. There is no more ammunition, and all units can shoot while moving, which creates completely different dynamics in battle.
I no longer sit in front of the screen watching at 8x speed as an army runs into my hail of arrows and finally clashes steel against steel; I have to constantly act, secure flanks, or initiate pincer attacks. Yes, that was also important in previous installments, but not to this extent.
To illustrate this: Armies have special abilities. In the case of the Space Marines, a Spear Strike and a Field Bombardment. To ensure I eliminate as many Orks as possible, I simply dropped my Captain and Terminators via “Deep Strike” behind their lines and engaged enemies there.
I retrieved my Terminators using teleportation when the bombers came in. The Captain performed the highest service for the Emperor and helped me achieve victory.
Click on the images to enlarge:
Small Details Show: This is Real Warhammer
The mere fact that the Space Marines show up with units in the hundreds, while the Orks number in the thousands, illustrates how different and true to the source material the factions really are.
This is also evident in the… graphical aspect. Warhammer 40,000 is supposed to be the “bloodiest Total War to date,” the devs claimed in the presentation. And yes, that is true. I won’t say more for reasons of youth protection, but the feeling of a dystopian warzone definitely came across.
What excited me the most, though, were the small details in the game. Troops can be equipped with weapons that change their function, have some active abilities, and automatically switch to the currently best weapon option. The Scriptor, for instance, usually grills the Greenskins with his Warp Bolts, but when they get too close, he fights with his Psi Blade.
Additionally, at least in the demo, it is possible to create your own Space Marine chapters or recreate existing ones. Naturally, I played my beloved Black Templar, the fanatics among the Space Marines, who come closest to the Sororitas.
As a Warhammer fan, I had to pause the battle several times just to admire my surroundings. Imperial cities and positions in the background, the ruins of the battlefield, battle scars on units and vehicles; all of this evokes exactly the feeling I have when I think of Warhammer.
Is Total War: Warhammer 40,000 Still a Total War?
Much of this sounds as if Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is a game primarily for Warhammer fans and not for fans of the series. However, I wouldn’t say that anyone expecting a Total War experience with Warhammer 40,000 would be disappointed. That is certainly not the case.
Despite the many changes, the basic gameplay remains the same, although the mechanics differ significantly. The “meta game” is somewhat simplified, but raising armies, building bases, and conquering regions are still part of the game and are, as far as I could see, important aspects.
Moreover, I would even argue that Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is especially suitable for newcomers. Some systems still need polishing, but they are so understandable that one should have them down after a few hours.
As for the lore, the devs have really stepped up. Famous heroes from the Warhammer universe play an important role and you can tell from the details that the creators have a strong grasp of the subject matter. A great deal of knowledge. As a fan, I noticed many details that delighted me, but I wouldn’t have needed this deep knowledge to feel comfortable.
An exact release date for Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is still pending, but especially after this brief preview, I can hardly wait for the release. Along with Dawn of War 4 and Dark Heresy, three Warhammer games are on the horizon that I am really looking forward to and that will keep me occupied for hundreds, possibly even thousands of hours.
What do you think of the changes? Are you excited for the upcoming Total War? Do you already know which faction you will play first in Total War: Warhammer 40,000? Leave a comment!
The wait for the release of the games will be tough, but fortunately, a DLC is coming in the meantime that hits just the right note: Lords of the End Times for Total War: Warhammer 3 on September 24, and I already know what I am most looking forward to: I have long deserved to be the king of the undead – Total War: Warhammer 3 will make that possible soon
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