Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War

I wanna love the game I really do. For 1 the amount and price of dlcs is too much, 5 of 9 races you have to pay for at 15 each? wut? Not to mention they do dlc the for an extra unit for a faction (depending if it was before the new races were added) for $5-6 each. My other issue, the Difficulties, you have a difficulty option over your selection, the different enemy factions, and then with the other options, not to mention the fact each race has their own difficulty of playing them. Just want to play a normal game? Chances are its going to be difficult if not annoying itself. wanna make it easier then? too bad there is only "easy" below normal. Meanwhile for some dumb reason there are 4 F*****G harder difficulties, you couldn't makes as many easier difficulties as you did harder or just actually have normal as the middle regular difficulty?.... That said, I try and try again, have fun, sometimes doing good and winning mostly not, I will probably stop playing again for another year till I forget about my experience and try again falling into the same doomed process.

First things first, it loses a star for the ridiculous DLC strategy. But it is quite good. Gladius is a turn-based 4X you have to play like an RTS, and as someone who doesn't have the reflexes for real-time strategy, I find that very compelling. It is very challenging, though. And if you don't unlearn your Civilization habits in a hurry you will pay for them in blood. The lore is rich and really adds to the game. Easily one of the best Warhammer 40K video games I've played, on the same tier as, if still below, Dawn of War. Just don't buy the Lord of Skulls DLC. Or buy the game or any of the other DLC at full price.

I quite enjoy this game and rapidly clocked up 40+ hours in the weeks after buying it. It's a tad repetitive though, which is not a bad thing in itself, but is worth knowing before you buy it. I love the models, animations, the whole vibe of the game. Zooming in on the action adds to the fun. The tactical side of it is compelling and rewarding. I highly recommend the Too Many Voices mod from moddb to add immersion. Drawbacks. I've already mentioned repetitiveness. That removes one star. The other drawback is the atrocious corporate behaviour of Games Workshop. Not long after I bought this game (on sale) they enacted a legal purge of fan content from various platforms. Minus another star. I subsequently learned a few things about their past behaviour and decided never to buy anything connected to Games Workshop ever again.

Excellent Combat Mechanics, Functional Graphics and Sound Average Game Length on a Medium Map vs 3 Opponents - 4-5 hours Warhammer 40k Gladius is one of the best paced strategy 4Xs I have played in a long time. Base building allows each structure you place to build separately from your main city unlike Civilization games that you might recognize this game's graphics from. This allows the game to escalate to bigger combats much faster but not so much so that losing units is not an issue. Units have a simple one movement, one action/attack per turn. This action can be saved to shoot enemies who move into range. This makes planning your movement and attack choices important. Some units have free actions that allow you to break these rules. Some scouts have the ability to move into a dangerous area with a damage reduction buff and then move back out again, thus allowing your army to move in or retreat to better terrain. Research allows you to unlock additional upgrades for existing units, making even beginning units relevant throughout the game. Nothing becomes obsolete and that is a game design rarity. Cover/Armor system is what really makes this game's combat not seem dull. Each faction has different amounts of armor but all of them still benefit greatly from cover. This allows you to take different kinds of risks with each unit. Some units can afford to stand out in the open and soak up fire while your more vulnerable units use forests and Imperial ruins to reduce incoming ranged damage. However, all units lose most of their cover protection against melee attackers or flame-throwers. Deciding how to move your units so they can both attack and be safe from retaliation is perhaps the most critical part of this game. Making these decisions is easy due to the tooltips displaying what damage reduction percentage you will gain from the terrain. Overall, Warhammer Gladius hits the ground running each game. You build up a big sprawling base that you can use as a fortress if you get attacked and try to turn the game around. The units all have unique rolls that stay relevant throughout the game. Research progresses these units to be more adaptable to different situations and unlocks new toys of course. There is two victory conditions - conquest and lore - allow you to play offensively or defensively to win. Also, the games four factions will keep you playing with a lot of variety for many hours. For strategy fans and Warhammer fans alike, this game is worth your money.

The game mechanics are similar to the origanal Panzer General from 90s and their vairous implementations like Civ, Endless Wonder, but the focus combat, with economic managment. It's a fun game, I tried the hardest mode on quickest settings and AI produces wall of units. It's an amazing Warhammer slaughter. Cons: Many DLCs. Way too many. It feels like they are trying to nickel and dime you, instead of delivering value.