By Eric Law
Total War: Warhammer 40,000 has officially revealed some of the first gameplay information about the various factions, and of all of them, the Aeldari sound like they will bring something truly unique to the game. Rather than forming massive armies to crush the opposition as many Creative Assembly fans might be used to, the Aeldari in Total War: Warhammer 40,000 use subterfuge, mystic powers, and alien technology to accomplish esoteric goals that go deeper than simple annihilation of their enemies.
During The Game Awards, Creative Assembly officially confirmed that Total War will be going to Warhammer 40,000. The galactic conflict of the 41st millennium is finally getting the Total War treatment with campaigns encompassing multiple planets, featuring unique apocalyptic weapons, war machines, and tactics for each of its four asymmetrical launch races: Space Marines, Astra Militarum, Orks, and the Aeldari.
Total War: Warhammer 40,000’s Aeldari Gameplay Explained
However, among all the factions, the Aeldari are bringing something truly unique to the Total War series. Previously known as the Eldar, the Aeldari are essentially Space Elves within Warhammer 40,000. During a recent developer roundtable, lead designer Simon Mann spoke about how the subtle Aeldari might throw Total War veterans for a loop. “They aren’t a faction that is built for massed combat. It’s not big armies fighting one another,” Mann said. “Every soul lost is a soul not returned, so you have to really pick your fights.” Rather than swarming the opposition with bodies, the Aeldari will use stealth, Webway gates, and elite "glass cannon" squadrons to defeat their enemies in indirect fights, rather than frontline battles.
That said, unlike most other races, the Aeldari may not be focused purely on galactic domination. While other factions push for conquest, the Aeldari are instead focused on forestalling galactic calamities with the use of Craftworlds, the Webway, and other esoteric technologies. “Everyone else is still trying to kill you while you’re trying to do that,” Mann clarified, “but you know what your mission is, and what you need to achieve, and you approach it with kind of grim determination.” This will give players a unique play style focused on alternative objectives, conserving numbers, and indirect combat – though their elite forces are still devastating in a fight when used to their full potential.
Note
Craftwords, the synthetic planetary homes of the Aeldari, will be available in game as an “off-map setup piece, which is actually where you’re recruiting all your units.”
How Will the Other Total War: 40,000 Factions Play?
Mann also gave some information as to how the other races will play in Total War: Warhammer 40,000. Like the Aeldari, the iconic Space Marines of Warhammer 40,000 fame are an elite force; they may field a fraction of the numbers of their opposition, but each warrior is worth 100 of another army’s forces. Superhuman soldiers and powerful military technology are counterbalanced by their lack of infrastructure, as Space Marines will not be able to build out cities and economies in the same way as a typical faction.
Meanwhile, the Astra Militarum, or Imperial Guard, will work most like a typical Total War army. Thousands of troops, billions of citizens, and a vast industrial supercomplex that spans entire galaxies let players field artillery alongside countless regiments of Warhammer 40,000 Astra Militarum soldiers ready to die for the Imperium. Among the launch factions, their play style will be the most familiar to veterans of Total War, albeit with a Warhammer 40k twist.
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This article originally appeared on GameRant and is republished here with permission.
