Warhammer 40000: Gladius – Relics of War

Great and fun game, each faction has its own units and playstyle. Dev support is still going strong. It’s a must if you enjoy combat focused strategy games. Highly recommended.

I first tried playing this many aeons ago.... before Horus was a mere twinkle in the Emperor's eye (more or less) and the game didn't click.

However, and this is a big caveat - after obtaining ALL the DLC via the Adeptus Mechanicus's help - the Omnissiah be praised - I returned to the field of battle and the game opened up.

It takes several battles to get used to the mechanics of even one faction (the tutorial is several codex's behind) - but once you gain an understanding through trial by fire then the game had me thinking what I could have done better next time - better handling of resources, build order and units, etc. Also a pox on the Tau and their tech (I digress).

I have yet to rise to the standard of Gulliman but by the Emperor my duty will not end. You most likely have the base game in your library - give it another chance and slowly pick up the DLC when it is on sale because the pricing is of Drukhari design.

"Walk softly, and carry a big gun..."

This is basically "Civilization" in 40k vibe, removing Science / Culture / Diplomacy / Religion victories, because "In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war".
And yet the game gives so much details in lore, well designed gameplay mechanics, comprehensive choices of combat units (around up to 7th edition of the tabletop game, before the primaris marines), heroes with equipment system, vastly different resources plan and feats for different factions, etc.
Tons of fun which keeps me saying "Just one more turn" a few hundred times whenever I start the game.
If you are into 40k and Civiliization style games, this game is a must have.

In Gladius, players choose from four initial factions—Astra Militarum (Imperial Guard), Space Marines, Orks, and Necrons—each with unique units, technologies, and playstyles. Unlike traditional 4X games, Gladius focuses exclusively on warfare, omitting diplomacy and trade elements. The gameplay involves exploring a randomly generated hex-grid map, expanding territory, exploiting resources, and exterminating rival factions.

The game offers both single-player and multiplayer modes, including hotseat play. Players can engage in battles against AI opponents or compete with others online.

Overall, Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War offers a combat-focused strategy experience that may appeal to fans of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, though it may not satisfy players seeking the full range of traditional 4X gameplay elements.

7/10
DISASTER | BAD | MEDIOCRE | OKAY | GOOD | GREAT |AMAZING| MASTERPIECE

Reviewed on: Win11 Home 64-bit, Intel i5-11600K, GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB TUF, 32GB DDR4-3600 RAM, 2 x Kingston NV1 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD, Internet Broadband 300/50 Mbit

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I love this game so much man. It's really a lot of fun. Even if you aren't a fan of 40k this is a really good game. The problem is a lot of people are going to buy this game thinking its something it isn't. Despite what the steam page says and what other people might say, this NOT a 4X game. As insane as it might sound, this is essentially a turn based RTS. And its really fun that way.
If you've ever been into RTS's but get nervous playing ladder, or have trouble with micro; this is your game. A regular Gladius game plays almost exactly like a RTS random map game, you expand to get resources, research techs, unlock units, build production, and fight your enemies. There will be a lot of fighting from the very start of the game. A lot of RTS's are like this, 4X games not so much. You'll push enemy bases, fight for map control, and for side objectives. There is no diplomacy. No win conditions that don't include defeating enemies in combat. If all that sounds fun, this is your game.
One other thing to mention is the story. You can choose to play matches with story quests on to, as the name suggests, play with through the faction's story. What the option doesn't tell you is that if you're new, playing with story quests on makes the game like 10x more difficult. The story quests will routinely spawn enemy armies on top of your bases and units with absolutely no warning. If you already know what will happen with the story quests, then it's not a big deal. But when you're new, learning the game, and don't know the quest you're about to complete will spawn 20 enemy units next to your capital when you're busy fighting an AI opponent. You're screwed. So I would strongly recommend playing through the game at least once without the story quests before trying to do the story stuff.
Lastly, I want to mention the DLC. A lot of people don't like it. But they go on sale pretty frequently and you know what prices you're willing to accept. None of the DLC's are mandatory. The introduce new factions and units. If you don't want a faction or certain units, you don't have to buy it. No mechanics are being locked behind a DLC.

this game is almost 8 years old and they ask for 157,83€ if you want the full game... the complete edition should be 20 bucks and i bet thousands will buy it every week.
i only have the base game but so far it's pretty good. Civ V fully trimmed on war, guns, bombs, tanks and more.

Nothing is balanced and it should be kept that way. Fun game to play with friends. Pick it up on sale but not a full price kind of game.