Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War

This is a well constructed game and it gives you a bit of everything, city building, quests, tactical warfare, a variety of interesting races to choose from. It has a good AI opponent, and you can use the settings to make the game as difficult as you like. Personally, I turn off all the quests and the Lord Of Skulls DLC, I'm not very keen of powerful virtually indestructible units or strong enemy formations appearing behind my lines and wiping out everything I've built. The quests are not too bad in this regard, and I have enjoyed some of them, but I get enough satisfaction without them so I don't bother. All that being said, I recommend this game to anyone who likes to build and improve their forces, cities and fortifications and have a good fight on their hands. This game is in my top five.

While the game is fun at first, it's overall shallowness puts it in the realm of so many other warhammer shovelware titles. I don't want to knock the art or the interface which are quite good. I have to point out that when compared to similar games, there isn't much game here. It feels very rushed, like they built the bones of what could have been a great game and once it started shaping up they immediately shoved out the door. This game could have seriously benefited from a single player campaign to draw players in and introduce them to the mechanics.

What often seems to be the problem with 40k games is that they teases a vast immersive universe and then constantly give just a morsel of it where interactions are limited. The 40k universe really deserves better than the amateur effort to bring its world to life than game companies have given it. There is so much lore and world-building to draw on, I cannot understand why every one of this games contemporaries in the same genre has so much more depth.

Great 4X game. Warhammer 40K setting. Wonderful combo.

The emperor protects!

If you like turn-based games like civ but focus on combat in an awesome franchise I would recommend! Like civs however they over charge for the extra factions but fun. Still getting the hang of it but hotseat and coop play are great with friends.

This is a pretty good copy of Endless Legend (Gameplay, UI Design and faction Asymmetry are all extremely similar) with a 40k reskin that plays moderately well, but is rather simplistic for a 4X. Endless Legend is one of my favorite games, so this immediately drew me in. I was pretty disappointed.

Unfortunately, everything the game does right is largely ruined by the AI being programmed in the least fun possible way. Every neutral mob will team up with to gank you from all sides, at all times, even on the lowest possible difficulty, as early as the first turn. "minor factions" begin the game with 10+ units and will literally besiege your starting settlement if you get unlucky with world generation. Enemies will intentionally ignore each other to gank you, and will go out of their way to attack you even if the other enemy is adjacent to them.

It's not that this design is too hard to surpass, it's just that it's really tedious and not actually very fun.

great game always seem to come back to it

CHECKING THE SCOREBOARD DISABLES ACHEIVMENTS

AND IT DOESN'T EVEN TELL YOU

Fuck you devs.

There are so many other absolutely insane design decisions, but that was the last straw. Every detail about this game seems like a declaration of war against the players.

Basically civilization but in WH40K and i actually enjoy this game a lot more than civ.
Looks nice, sounds nice, campaigns don't take too long unless you're a minmaxxer or play on high difficulty i guess.
Played one campaign with Astartes and the other with Necrons and enjoyed them both a lot.
DLCs kinda expensive though :(

this game is rly rly rly FUN!
all factions are very different and in 40k style
DLCs are a bit expensive if you buy them all but if you play multiplayer only the host needs them for everyone to play

Been playing this in anticipation of Zephon. This is a great 4X without a lot of the fluff that goes into other 4X games. This is certainly one of the best Warhammer 40K games out there in addition to just being an awesome war-focused 4X. Lots of different units to play with, lots of different factions to play with (from DLC) that are often on massive sale. The AI is pretty good; it puts up a decent challenge.

One big plus is that there are lots of movement and deployment options, so getting units to where they need to be is a bit easier than with normal 1-unit-per-tile 4X games.

A solid recommendation from me for this game.

I like it.

Will I ever touch multiplayer even casually? No. The games full of sweats and I doubt you'd enjoy multiplayer realistically. BUT - Multiplayer with your friends is always a great option.

I started pretty rough, I was struggling against wildlife not knowing what to do and getting my troops DEMOLISHED in combat and it was really stressful but it actually gets pretty fun and you have a lot of difficulty options for AI to give you a fair fight.


My advice: Play orks.

A lot about this game is quite fun, especially as a fan of 4X games (of which this is a very combat-focused example). That said, it doesn't have much replay value - the maps and scenarios are pretty much the same every time - and the majority of factions are locked in paid DLC. Worth picking up on sale and putting 20-30 hours into, but don't expect much more beyond that unless you're looking to spend $100+ on extra content.

Recommended on sale only.
This game is sort of warhammer meets Civ 5. Similar graphics and gameplay. You can build cities and outposts. and explore slowly around the map in a turn based manor. But its far more combat oriented and of course with 40k factions and a constant war world.
It is a fun game to play and can be for some time. But the story is very limited, the quests fairly constant and unchanging and as the game goes along it can seem not to complex at all.
The additional issue i find are there are far too many DLCs which really seem like things they should have either included in the main game or as larger DLC packs. All they add is new factions and new units. No other change in the game....
It is a fun game to play but just doesn't get to complex and DLCs really drive me up the wall. Its hard for me to recommend buts its not bad for a few hours. And ofcourse modding is allowed which fixes some of the issues i had with the game.

I mean it's basically Civilization / Age of Wonders, but set in the Warhammer 40K universe. So what's not to like?

It takes a long time to play this game, so set aside a few hours. Enjoyable, though, with good lore.

Since we're probably never going to actually get Total Warhammer 40k, this is likely going to be the closest we get. Unfortunately, this is too unpolished and unbalanced to recommend, and that's before considering the $160 of dlc.

This turn based game is very fun and addicting. Each faction plays quite differently than the other. Lots of eye candy & things to blow up. This game is a must have for anyone who loves turn based tactical combat.

Civ but Warhammer. Enjoy.

amazingly addicting game that you can play hours on end.

it crashes every 2 minutes :(

Great time killer.

On the plus side, the game is fun. I've enjoyed my time playing the game, and you might enjoy it too.
On the minus side, the monetization of this game is so excessively predatory that it beggars belief. The full game is behind I don't know how many paywalls, and every so often they'll roll out another "DLC" that's full of units that should have been in the game from the start. If you pay full price for this and you want the full game, you can expect to drop a couple hundred dollars. And it'll only be the full game until the next DLC drops.

Do I recommend the game? I wish I could. I like the game. I like the gameplay. It's fun. But those paywalls. Basically, you should only buy this game if it's on sale at a huge discount.

One of the best 4x games around and personally i think its a pretty good introduction into warhammer 40k, its where i started after seeing some lore videos online, unit\character info can be viewed on any factions encountered and each faction comes with its own story quest which can lead to a victory along with giving better insight into that factions way of life in the 40k universe. I started playing just over a year ago, game was already 5 years old and they still had updates along with dlc still coming out, even now at 6 years old, the dlc still keeps rolling out. Thanks to this game which greatly increased my love for the series, i gave space marines 2 a chance with some friends, now none of us can stop saying brother and i feel like im part of a community again.

Great game, great gameplay, great atmosphere! Runs flawlessly on linux too!

Love this game, I can play for hours!

Really fun game especially with friends. If you like the civ series type of strategy games and you like warhammer, this is a must!

Super fun to lay waste to heretics and mutants. Tech tree rushing is usually key for this one.

Its just good fun, like Civs but you aren't here for diplomacy, you are here because Diplomacy failed. You are here to silence the guns of the enemy. You are for the EMPEROR!

basically like Civ but Warhammer 40K.
A few differences are: can't buy city tiles with spare gold (there is no gold), can't buy units with gold (turns only), less available factions to play as half of them are DLC only factions, no diplomacy, and smaller scale maps. Very much more combat focused, basically doing combat constantly and having unit creation queued 24/7.
Pretty fun, highly recommend buying on sale (I bought this for $4 plus a couple DLC for another few $)

There is something about this title.
Even though I've won with all the factions and gotten all the achievements that I am capable of getting, i keep coming back.

Game itself is a relatively well balanced 4X in the 40k setting.
I have no major gripes.
One minor, the one I have with all 4Xs: Late game on the large maps, there is too much admin on a turn and it can take forever to finish a conflict because you've so many units to move every turn.

Amazingly fun as of so far, and only have played Space Marines. Very excited to play the other factions, highly recommend especially on a sale.

Excellent game with good coop options against an AI. Not truly a deep 4x experience but more battle focused "4x Lite". Highly recommend it.

It's Civ 40k, and it's exactly what you'd want that to be. Even if 40k isn't your thing, if you've always wanted Civ to be less terrible, this might be for you. The multiplayer is absolutely stable, the tactics are good, the factions are fun and distinct, and the economy isn't trivial (but also isn't something you have to micromanage). A couple things are unpolished, but it doesn't matter. A bot-stomping match with a handful of friends takes a few hours, and you can alter the pace of the game in match setup if that doesn't work for you. Easily my biggest annoyance is the DLC proliferation, and that reduces to waiting for a good sale and grabbing a bundle, or grabbing the faction DLCs that catch your interest and making someone who bought all the unit DLCs host the game. Second annoyance is that the default map sizes are small, but there's a mod for that. Third is terrain visibility - sometimes it can suck not knowing what tiles can see what other tiles.

fun game game human garbage of a dlc policy If anyone at the company that made this game and the company that published it has a problem with that fuck you, dont go one blaming the other either its both your loosers fault so fuck you you effectilvely ruined the game with to many dlc like alot of other robber baron game devs you guys want a 1000 fucking dollars per game earn it

To dislike this game is to dislike the Emperor, and you're not a heretic; are you?

Not really a game. Like most everything attached to Games Workshop it’s a demo designed to sell you obscenely expensive DLC. It’s so bare bones otherwise, and it’s just a bad clone of better 4X games anyway, so look elsewhere before giving money to a company that has such visible contempt for its own fans.

very super ultra nicely 40K 4X game ! buy it !! now !

Its Advance Wars but IN SPAAAAAACE! and with fewer Waifus

Playing vanilla or with mods the game is a blast, I need to find some buddies to play with though

Pretty fun but some of the DLC's are ripoffs

games solid, just wish individual armies didn't cost an additional 20+ dollars on top of an already big price tag of over 50 dollars. at the moment of this review the only "DLC" i've purchased was the Tyranids because i'm a nids fan an it felt like pullin teeth paying almost 24 dollars for that. if you plan on getting this definitely wait until like a 50-75% discount. your wallet will appreciate it, BUT aside from the price that comes with a warhammer title the game IS good, if you enjoy strategy games you'll enjoy this

Good title.

Nice graphics, fun engaging turn based strategy. Feels like Warhammer 40k. Not hugely exciting but still fun to play = maybe 7 or 8 out of 10.

However DLC NIGHTMARE - each DLC roughly the cost of XCOM 2 which could arguably the best sci-fi themed turn based strategy out there.

So due to unbelievable greed here overall score is 5 out of 10

I can't even win the Introduction Tutorial map. True 40k experience. 10/10

Fun "4X" game (used quotes because it is missing the large scale nature of 4X) but captures the true spirit of the table top game. Easy to learn hard to master, with many options and ways to play. Only complaint is the robbery style DLC content model used by the dev/publisher! But it is Warhammer and is par for the course... One of the best universes and stories in existence, just wish that Games Workshop would allow the story to be developed more. Using a similar model to Star Wars (pre-Disney), the 40K franchise could take a life of its own and make them more money.

Looks like a civ game but lacks the critical layers of depth.

I have been enjoying the game much more then CIV since it is flavored towards Warhammer and playing it with friends makes it so much better

Many reviewers have Warhammer 40K and/or Civilization series games experience. Closest thing that I ever played is GalCiv4. Wasn't thrilled about a 4x game that is missing the diplomacy element, but this game works. Objective is destroy the building in the startup hex, in all cities, for all opponents.

Game includes 4 factions; 3 of which can build multiple cities. Plus, there are additional factions available as DLCs. (Bought 2 of these, the same weekend, that I bought the base game.) Despite the same game-winning objective, all of the factions play differently. One is great with long-range weapons. Another can only build a single city. And other is very good at melee attacks, and is great comic relief. (You MUST get the Too Many Voices mod. If nothing else, to listen to the Orks' comments.) The base game & DLCs go sale from time-to-time, so stay alert.

Research tree: 10 tiers max. You progress to the next tier by researching 2 or more items in the current tier. Some research items provide new units, unit buffs, or city buildings and/or buffs. In 6 games, easily reached tier 10, in 4 games; one game, I barely reached tier 8. Compared to games like Distant Worlds 2 & Galactic Civilizations IV, this part of the game is very understated, and could use meatier descriptions to understand what researching an item provides.

Game play:

• Start off on a map, with tiny bit of exposed.
  
• Unless you are in an area with very poor resources for your faction, build a city with your engineering unit, ASAP. (The engineering unit is called by different names for different factions. Example: For Necrons, it's the Canoptek Spyder.) You need to get your economy moving, and start researching items.
  
• Cautiously explore the map, to find additional city locations (unless you are the Space Marines) & find your opponent's cities.
  
• Be mindful of wildlife. Taking on things such Enslavers or giant scorpions before your infantry has leveled up, or you have more powerful units, is wasteful.
  
[*]Kill the key building in each of your opponents' cities. If you don't recognize these visually, they will be the ones attacking you.

This game is wonderful although I just bought it im a huge fan of the warhammer series and this just extended that love for the series further. Although slow at the start after you expand your city enough and start to research more troops,weapons, ext. this game turns into a strategic masterpiece.

Great game, a good turn-based blend of city building, tactics, and strartegy. They've done a great job of incorporating the Warhammer 40k lore and the factions play very differently so the replayability is high. I'm at 80 hours and haven't got to all of the factions I own. Lots of map options and setting along with co-op and hotseat mode. Well worth full price but it (and DLCs) are often on sale.

It has Necrons and Sisters of Battle. All I need is a dedicated Tzeentch faction and this game will be complete for me.