The very definition of the grimdark genre, it doesn’t get much more hardcore thanWarhammer 40kwhen it comes to gritty science fiction.Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunterscontinues this trend by offering players rewarding but punishing gameplay that demands the best of them.
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InWarhammer 40k,the player takes command of powerful space marines, traveling the galaxy to rid planets of demons and drive back the corruption that threatens to overtake humanity. Between abilities, deeds, Knight builds, corruption, and varying mission objectives, there’s plenty to think about. Here are some essential tips to help beginners thrive.
8Complete The Tutorial
Tutorials in games run the gamut from absolutely indispensable to totally pointless.Chaos Gateleans much more towards the former, and players who skip it will be handicapping themselves for the rest of the game.
Walking players through all the most important combat mechanics, the game’s similarities to others in its genre as well as what makes it unique,the tutorial makes sure players start off on the right foot.Chaos Gateis a challenging game even on the lower difficulty levels, and there’s no reason to make things worse. As a bonus, the tutorial cutscenes and animations are a fun watch,helping players get into theWarhammer 40kuniverse.
7Pick The Right Difficulty
Chaos Gateis unapologetically difficult. Going through the tutorial is important, but just as important is choosing the most appropriate difficulty level. There’s no point in choosing a high difficulty for the bragging rights just to get smacked around in every single battle.
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Standard and Ruthless are appropriate for players with plenty of experience in the genre, butMerciful is a much more forgiving difficulty and a better choice for players who don’t have as much experience and need to be eased in a bit.Legendary ratchets things up, and Grand Master mode is only appropriate for those that have already conquered the game a couple of times and are looking for a new way to test themselves.
6Use Interactive Objects
Warhammer 40kis one of the most destructive universes in fiction, with the Imperium of Man laying waste to everything around them in the Emperor’s name.Chaos Gateincludes plenty of interactive objects that the player can affect during missions. From breakable pillars and exploding barrels to entire buildings that can be leveled,there’s often something nearby that the player can make use ofwhile in command of one of40k’sstrongest space marine chapters.
The maps in many similar games within the genre are static, with little or nothing that can be moved other than units, but maps inChaos Gatebeg to the player to interact with them. Gathering plague seeds or research and cleansing corrupted turrets so that they’ll fight on the player’s behalf are just a couple of important interactions that players can have.
5Prepare For Death
Space Marines can take a beating, which is only appropriate for genetically modified super soldiers wearing more armor than actual tanks. Even so, after taking enough punishment, even the hardiest warriors will go down eventually. InChaos Gate,the blow is softened somewhat by the Resilience system.
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Resilience drops whenever a Knight is downed, and only when Resilience reaches zero does the Knight actually die. On lower difficulties, Resilience can be relied upon to keep Knights alive in most circumstances, but on Legendary difficulty, Knights start with far less Resilience, making it a true challenge to keep them in the fight instead of sending them to the nearest graveyard.
4Deeds Are Optional
Chaos Gateadds variety and difficulty to the game using Deeds, handicaps that the player can choose to adopt in exchange for a reward of additional resources. Many players are understandably tempted by Deeds, given the massive benefit they offer the Strike Team,helping the Imperium of Man become an even stronger faction.
Deeds are randomly assigned, and the player has the option of accepting or declining them.Remembering that they can always be declined is critically importantsince Deeds will make the mission much more difficult. Deeds can offer considerable assistance if assigned at the right time, but they can derail a player’s whole game if assigned carelessly.
3Take Advantage Of Abilities
Warhammer 40k’sweaponry is legendary, mixing chainsaws, guns, and explosives in equal measure. Basic weapons can be fun and help get the job done, but it’ll take more than a few Storm Bolters to survive everything thatChaos Gatehas to throw at the player.
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Abilities make a tremendous difference on the battlefield, especially against the game’s deadliest foes.Psychic abilities can decimate even a well-prepared Strike Team, but by using abilities the player can silence the offending Demon. Another important usage of abilities is to increase the odds of critical hits. Since critical hits let the player blow the limbs off Demons and remove their ability to use certain attacks, abilities can turn impossible fights into survivable ones.
2Build Knights Carefully
Knights earn experience for every mission in which they participate. After earning enough experience, Knights level up and earn promotions, granting them two ability points. These points can quickly turn mediocre Strike Teams into deadly ones againstthe forces of Nurgle.
Specializing squad members at first so that the player has access to a larger number of abilities overall is an important aspect of strategy isChaos Gate.It’s also important to be able to distinguish between niche abilities that come in clutch but only in certain situations (such as Silence) and abilities that are always welcome (such as a crit-granting ability like Hammerhand or Astral Aim).
1Choose Missions Wisely
InChaos Gate,the player has more than just the main missions to worry about. Between them, Bloom Outbreaks occur, time-limited missions that will increase corruption on a planet if the player fails to complete them.Increasing corruption morphs a planet, making things more difficult the next time the player is there.
Strike Teams can’t be everywhere at once, however, so the player is forced to choose which Bloom Outbreaks to take on and which to let go. The player will often have to choose between paths that allow for the completion of multiple missions in a single Outbreak (granting more experience) and those that allow fewer missions but give the Strike Team more time to rest and recover. When to save a planet from total corruption is another factor that willguide the player’s decision-making.Chaos Gateasks a lot of its players, but with preparation, they can overcome.
