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.
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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.
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.
Lastly, there are the Orks. Like the Imperial Guard, Orks will have an insane number of troops, with countless Boyz washing over the battlefield in a green tide. Featuring jerry-rigged weaponry, scavenged vehicles, and chaotic and fearless warriors, Orks are a Warhammer 40,000 race that incentivizes aggressive play styles. That said, rather than building infrastructure and defense like the Astra Militarum, the Orks are all about momentum via the Waaagh mechanic: if the Orks don’t have anyone to fight, they’ll start fighting each other instead.
Fans whose favorite faction isn’t in the game yet don’t need to worry too much; the Chaos Space Marines, as well as “all the other iconic factions from the setting,” are a part of Creative Assembly’s plans, meaning they will likely be added in DLC or a sequel, similarly to the Total War: Warhammer fantasy trilogy. Though it may take many years, Tyranids, Tau, Necrons, Drukhari, and more will all probably make their way into Total War: Warhammer 40,000 eventually.
- Developer(s)
- Creative Assembly
- Publisher(s)
- Sega
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Total War, Warhammer 40K
- Number of Players
- Single-player
WHERE TO PLAY
WAGE TOTAL WAR IN THE 41st MILLENNIUM
Total War’s award-winning fusion of turn-based strategy and colossal real-time battles descends into the grim, science-fantasy universe of Warhammer 40,000.
In the Era Indomitus, the galaxy is aflame with endless war, and every soul’s survival hangs by a thread. Take command of iconic factions, customise your war machine, and engage in devastating battles as you carve a bloody warpath across the stars.
There is no time for peace. No respite. No forgiveness. There is only war.
COMMAND FOUR ICONIC FACTIONS
Lead campaigns across the void with four radically distinct factions, each forged with their own unique array of lore-inspired gameplay features, devastating weaponry, apocalyptic war machines, and methods of warfare.
● Space Marines: Genetically enhanced weapons of war, these warriors are few in number but near unmatched in power. Clad in sacred armour and wielding the Imperium’s most deadly weaponry, each strikes with devastating and unyielding precision.
● Orks: Brutish hordes of destruction, they are unrelenting, countless and live for war. Storming the battlefield in endless mobs, they brandish unpredictable weapons and clanking war machines - all driven by the primal power of the WAAAGH!
● Aeldari: An ancient and waning xenos race, who once ruled the stars, but now rail against their certain fate. Swift and elusive, they strike with psychic precision and elegant weaponry, exploiting weakness before vanishing into shadow.
● Astra Militarum: The massed ranks of humanity’s largest fighting force are a bulwark of flesh and steel. Their legions of soldiers' march beneath the roar of battle-tanks and the thunder of artillery, grinding enemies into ruin with disciplined fury and sheer determination.
CUSTOMISE YOUR WAR MACHINE
Step into battle with renowned sub-factions and warlords from the Warhammer 40,000 universe - or forge your own custom army with unparalleled set of customisation options that bring tabletop freedom to life.
● Personalise Your Army: Name your warband, choose its sacred colours, and emblazon its regiments with an array of iconography that strikes fear into the hearts of enemies.
● Modify Your Warriors: Tailor your faction’s combat philosophy for both campaign and battle, arming them with your own unique fusion of devastating tactical abilities, signature traits, and arcane wargear.
WAGE WAR ON A GALACTIC SCALE
Wage war across a galactic sandbox where there is no peace, only war. Expand your empire turn by turn; capturing planets, upgrading fleets, and managing your war economy as you carve a path through the stars to dominance.
Fight to determine the fate of entire worlds. Conquer and develop strongholds, bombard enemies from orbit, and deploy your armies to the ground to engage in breathtaking real-time battles over planetary installations and regions.
And when the threat becomes too great, consider unleashing apocalyptic weaponry to erase entire planets from existence.
ENGAGE IN DEVASTATING COMBAT
Command vast armies of battle-hardened warriors in brutal, tactical engagements across war-torn worlds featuring distinct biomes, battlefield types, and dynamic destruction.
Recruit from a deadly arsenal of faction-specific units, including powerful veterans, elite combat squads, towering walkers, and immense war machines. When the going gets tough, call in reinforcements to reignite your war effort.
Strategically deploy powerful abilities to dominate the flow of battle, from haphazard artillery bombardments to aerial strafing runs and laser-powered strikes. Every impact reshapes the terrain, creating new cover and fresh tactical opportunities.
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, Grand Strategy, Real-Time Strategy, War & Military
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
