A turn-based 4X war on Gladius Prime
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War drops you onto Gladius Prime, a world where ancient relics were unearthed during colonization and something unspeakable awoke from that shrouded past. The citizens found themselves trapped in a war for survival, and now there is only war. You lead one of four factions: Astra Militarum, Space Marines, Orks or Necrons. Each one has its own playstyle and technology tree, so a campaign with the Space Marines will not feel like a campaign with the Orks. The world is randomly generated and filled with special features and threatening wildlife that can crush your troops' morale, which keeps every map from playing out the same way.
Playing together with your group
You can face challenging AI on your own, or take the game online with friends and strangers. Online co-op lets your group team up against the AI, while online PvP puts you and your friends against each other for control of the planet. Remote Play Together is also available, so one person can host and others can join in from there. Each player picks a faction and works through the same turn-based structure: explore the map, expand with cities and buildings, harvest resources, research technologies, and build an army. Secure the powerful ancient artefacts scattered across the map to gain an edge over rival factions. When the dust settles, only one faction can emerge victorious, so co-op runs and competitive runs end very differently.
What to know before starting
This is a hex-grid, turn-based game with 4X and grand strategy systems, so expect to spend time on city planning, resource management and technology research rather than twitch reflexes. Combat is tactical and turn-based, and you will command a wide array of devastating weaponry, issue city edicts and deploy tactical operations. Hero units are a real investment: they have distinct special abilities, can be equipped with items from advanced grenades to mighty relics, and grow into true champions as they rank up. Each faction also follows a different storyline as its destiny on Gladius Prime, a world tainted by the warp, unfolds, so playing through all four gives you four separate narrative threads.