Warhammer 40K: Gladius (Civ like 4X TBS Warhammer game)

[Blake00]

Surprised that the Warhammer 40K: Gladius game didn't already have a thread here considering it's a 4X Turn Based Strategy 'Civ like' game set in the Warhammer 40K universe. Did a search and can see a few people ( @Futumch , @Casworon , @FinalDoomsday , @Pfeffersack , @Senethro , @OmegaDestroyer , @Synobun , @Stew Pid , @Enginseer , @Commodore , @PhilBowles , @CorvusFortis ) talking about it in other sections of the site over the years. What did you guys think of it? Would you recommend it? How Civ like was it?

I can see in the many positive Steam reviews multiple people describing it as 'Civ meets Warhammer' and a 'more faster simplified action packed Civ style game'. Obviously it's a few years old now but it still looks pretty cool and I can see it's got a lot of DLC spread out over the years (meaning it must have sold well) including this year, and I can see you're starting out on different alien planets giving it a bit of a cool Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri & Civilization Beyond Earth feel, and maybe now days a bit of a Age of Wonders Planetfall feel too. Can also see it's creator Proxy Studios (who previously made the Beyond Earth like game Pandora: First Contact too) is using an updated version of the engine to make a new similar kind of game called ZEPHON due in 2024 that looks pretty cool and Civ like too!

Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War on Steam

Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War brings you to a world of terror and violence. Four factions will engage in a brutal war for dominance over the planet’s resources. In the first turn-based 4X strategy game set in Warhammer 40,000 you will lead one of four unique factions.

store.steampowered.com

Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War

Discover the grim dark universes of Warhammer where there is only war. From Warhammer

www.gog.com

 

[Casworon]

Currently my most played 4x apart from the Civ series.

Its definitely stripped down in many ways. No diplomacy and no other victories other than annihilation and quest victories.

Where it shined for me was multiplayer. Able to crank out a 2v2, 3v3 game in around four hours, which is great for a multiplayer 4x game.

For singleplayer the AI isnt bad. Imagine playing Civ but everygame you are playing conquest victory, the variety coming from each of the factions having different units and mechanics.

 

[Blake00]

Sounds good, think I might just have to grab it when it's on sale next!
Yeah I had a feeling there was no diplomacy. Is there a research tech tree still though? I'm guessing there is as I notice their new ZEPHON game has one. Oh and what's the city development like? The screenshots look like you're putting buildings out on the map like Civ6?

 

[Casworon]

yeah there is still a research tree. It has most of the mechanics of 4x games just missing a few.

It is very similar to Zephon. Zephon currently has a free demo out so if you give that demo a spin its a very similar game, just in the 40k universe.

The city building is more similar to Endless Legend i would say. You aquire tiles and then put buildings in those tiles, rather than districts.

 

[Senethro]

Yah its firstly a wargame. A sliding tile hex based puzzle where you try to achieve complete kills while not leaving your own units exposed to counter attacks. The AI is a bit limited. Not sure its got a very big modding scene either.

The base game has been free and on sale for 90% at times. The DLC is a bit much imo but it is regularly on sale.

 

[Blake00]

Yeah I noticed all together when you add in all the DLC it's nearly 300 Australia dollars which is like the most expensive game I've ever seen on Steam hahaha

 

[Futumch]

@Blake00 I'd advise not getting it on Steam. GoG has had Gladius on sale a couple of times this year and you can get the whole collection of DLCs for a lot less than on Steam, even taking in to account Steam discounts. I just looked a minute ago, and the whole range currently varies between 15% and 90% discount. You just have to time your purchases to take advantage of deep discounts.
https://www.gog.com/en/games?query=gladius&order=desc:score
It's on my radar at some point, I've been getting my WH40K fix from Dawn of War with all the expansions.