Welcome to the glorious ranks of the Emperor's space marine chapter, the Blood Angels. You come to us in our time of need, the devastation of Baal due to the foul Tyranid Xenos has left the angels weakened. However, you are Primaris, the newest creation of our lord. While your forming has made you the ultimate warrior, there is much to learn in the fires of war that the simulations can’t teach you. Thankfully I come from the honourable chapter ‘Robot Republic’ to show you how to best battle the enemies of the Imperium.
So aside from that perfect characterisation of a space marine what are we really here to talk about? Warhammer 40,00 Battlesector is a game that takes its inspiration from many different games, but at its core, it is a tactical turn-based RTS. There are many nuances to this game, and I am going to help you become the best fanatical warrior-monk you can be.
THE BASICS OF WAR
First things first, let’s go over the basics of the game and how you build and command your armies. This guide will primarily focus on the campaign as the secondary game mode is not yet completed. Throughout the campaign, players will have an allocation of points that they can fill with different units. These units are unlocked as the game progresses, but there are always choices to make. Players will have to have the heroes in their force, but otherwise are free to build their armies as they see fit.
One important note here, there are two types of recruitment available. Players can select from new units or reinforcements. The difference is that reinforcements usually have higher levels but are limited to the older units, so it is a choice between a higher level or a newer unit when needed to reinforce or reach the new points value.
It is important to be practical when deciding to add new units to the army. While it is tempting to only have heavy armour and plasma-wielding jet troopers that would be a mistake. A good rule of thumb is to focus on having two to three squads of Intercessors (basic squad) in the army before picking anything else. This allows players to have more options available and more bodies to soak up damage.
When it comes to the actual battlefield the basics are pretty simple. Each unit has several move points and action points. The soldiers all have a single action point, while heroes tend to have two. Each unit can move in any direction to its full allotted movement points and sacrifice one action point to move further. Other than movement, action points can be used to either attack or use one of the special abilities. One of these abilities is overwatch which is arguably one of the most useful skills a unit has.
Players also have a choice to spend the upgrade points on their heroes. These points are earned after each mission and are shared between all the heroes. They mostly focus on improving either specific units or the commander. A good rule of thumb is to improve the health of units and the heroes, as well as look to unlock new weapons as soon as possible.
DEATH TO THE XENOS
Combat is the most crucial part of the game, and is the one that has the most to learn. First things first, understanding the enemies of the imperium of man, especially the Tyranids. On the field of battle, the Tyranids have the same basic attributes as the marines. They have a set amount of movement and action points that they can use to move and attack. The most important thing for the player to recognise is the different kinds of opponents and how they work.
The basic grunt units for the enemy are the Gaunts which come in two varieties. Hormagaunts are fast-moving and equipped with long-bladed claws. They will dash towards the marines and engage them in close combat. Termagants will instead focus on shooting a mass of acid at marines and pinning them down. Finally, there are flying units named Gargoyles that will either shoot a mass of acid or use their ability that weakens the marines they target.
Dealing with these Gaunts is pretty easy unless multiple squads are converging on one unit. When it comes to Hormagaunts the best option is to pivot the units to face them, shoot as many as possible and hope the pistol reaction takes them down. The pistol reaction is when a unit shoots a charging unit before the melee attack hits, however it only works if the unit is facing the attacker. It needs to be mentioned that your opponents can do this as well, so if engaging in melee, attack from the sides or from behind.
Termagants and gargoyles can both be taken down with shooting, especially using crossfire. They won’t engage in melee and their attacks don’t do a lot of damage so only focus on them if they are the main threat or if there are multiple squads. Assault troops are the best option as their jetpacks allow them to move behind the Tyranids and engage them in melee which stops the pistol reaction. However, the best option to take down these smaller units is to use grenades. There are several different grenade skills, each one of which can decimate an enemy squad. This is another reason to take intercessors as they have the fastest recharging grenade skill and saves the heavier ordinance for bigger threats.
The Gaunts are simple to deal with, but the larger species are considerably more dangerous. These larger Tyranids can use shooting attacks and close combat and destroy whole squads. The best options for dealing with these beasts are heavy armour and heroes. Close combat has the best damage output, but shooting usually carries less risk. Tyrannofexs are especially vulnerable to close combat, and their melee damage is considerably less devastating than their shooting. These targets should be a priority as they can improve the smaller gaunt units around them.
THE GLORIOUS WEAPONS OF THE EMPEROR
The weapons of the blood angels are varied, but they all follow similar trends and rules. The main thing to know is the difference between the rate of fire and damage, as well as armour and how it affects damage. The first thing to look at is armour, or how the defence of soldiers can affect the damage dealt to them. For instance, the player's army comes up against a Tyrannofex and elects to shoot it. However, the creature’s armour effectively nullifies the attacks against it, making most bullets bounce and dropping the damage down to single digits. Most units have a form of armour and it is down to the player to figure out the weapon choices to take care of it.
There are numerous weapons available to the player, but the most important thing to know is the difference between the rate of fire and damage. For instance, intercessor squads bolt rifles are rapid-fire weapons. These types of guns are ideal for dealing with unarmoured hordes. However, they are next to useless against any creature with heavy armour. For that, the best option is something like a dreadnaught armed with a melta-gun, which has a high damage output but only fires a single shot so is useless against hordes.
The one difference here is the close combat weapons, and these are a bit more complicated to use. Most melee weapons have a high damage output, but very limited attacks. For squads, this isn’t a problem, but lone characters have to pick their targets carefully. While they can do massive damage to armoured monsters the reverse is true and, if the characters are killed twice the game is over. One trick is to attack with three to four heroes in rapid succession. The enemy won’t counterattack until all the attacks have been completed, so switch between the heroes before the prior hero's attack lands.
There are other weapons and the player unlocks new ones as they play, the trick is to have a mix and know what each squad and weapon are designed to do. Using Hellblasters against a squad of gargoyles can work, but they are much better served whittling down the larger creatures so that the heavy ordnance can take them down.
Warhammer 40,000 Battlesector is a game with a lot of parts, but all of them slowly become like second nature as the game is played. However, the strength of the imperium is built on unity. Hopefully, our Chapter has given you the guidance that you require to be the best instruments of the Emperor's will. At least until a greater threat emerges from the grave.
Purge the Xenos in his name…or join Chaos, it is way more fun.
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