KEY POINTS

  • "Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector" will pit Space Marines against Tyranids in medium-sized skirmishes
  • The game will feature battles that are similar in scope to the tabletop game
  • Players can sign up for a beta test version of the game

The “Warhammer 40k” series is no stranger to video game adaptations, and fans of this grimdark sci-fi franchise will be pleased to know that another one is coming very soon.

“Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector” is a fast-paced, turn-based strategy game that’s being developed by Black Lab Games and published by Slitherine Games, which are also famous for creating “Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock.”

In “Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector,” players will take command of the Blood Angels, a Space Marine chapter serving the Imperium of Man, as they attempt to cleanse a Tyranid infestation on their homeworld of Baal Secundus.

Fans of the “Warhammer 40k” franchise will immediately recognize this setting as the “Devastation of Baal,” a novel by Guy Haley and one of the most significant events to have ever transpired in the game’s lore.

Scale and Gameplay

“Battlesector” will feature medium-sized skirmishes that are similar in scale to the tabletop game. Slitherine Games executive producer David Sharrock said in a livestream that armies in “Battlesector” will have “somewhere between 500 to 2,000 points worth of tabletop units” present in skirmishes, PC Gamer reported.

A Tactical Squad of Space Marines firing on Tyranid Hormagaunts in Warhammer 40,000 Battlesector
A Tactical Squad of Space Marines firing on Tyranid Hormagaunts in Warhammer 40,000 Battlesector Black Lab Games

This roughly translates to a handful of five-man squads of Space Marines supported by one or two vehicles. If the game is to mimic the conventions of the tabletop game, then players can expect the Tyranids to have more units per squad compared to the Marines.

Players will be able to build armies with lore-accurate units that are equipped with special abilities and weapons similar to their tabletop counterparts. Iconic units from the “Warhammer 40,000” universe such as Librarian Dreadnoughts, Sanguinary Priests, Hive Tyrants and special hero units can take the field and shift the tides of battle. Support abilities such as missile barrages and Space Marine deep striking are also available.

Apart from the Blood Ravens, players will also be able to play as the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Leviathan. The game is available to play in both single-player and multiplayer game modes.

Those who are eager to try out “Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector” early can sign up for the beta version over on the game’s official Steam page.

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