Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War Tier List: Current Rankings

Q: How many factions are there?

Eleven. Space Marines, Astra Militarum, Orks and Necrons came with the base game on 12 July 2018. Seven arrived as DLC: Tyranids and Chaos Space Marines in 2019, T'au and Craftworld Aeldari in 2020, Adeptus Mechanicus in 2021, Adepta Sororitas in 2022 and Drukhari in 2023. Each ships its own units and its own economic rules rather than being a reskin.

Q: How do you win?

Two ways only. Complete your faction's quest chain, which is a scripted storyline unique to each faction describing what it wants on Gladius Prime, or eliminate every other player. There is no diplomacy, no trade and no cultural or scientific victory, which keeps the mid game aggressive in a way most 4X games are not.

Q: Which faction is best for a first game?

Astra Militarum. They settle anywhere, run a straightforward Food and Ore economy, and their power curve is legible: cheap Guardsmen screens early, Heavy Weapons Squads and Leman Russ tanks in the middle, a Baneblade late. Space Marines are also forgiving but their single Fortress Monastery and Requisition economy behave unlike anything else in the game.

Q: What happens if a resource hits zero?

You are throttled rather than eliminated. If a resource used for building upkeep hits zero while your income is negative, that building's production drops 10 percent per turn until it bottoms out at 50 percent. If a resource used for population upkeep hits zero the same way, population growth degrades on the same schedule. Recovering income reverses it.

Q: How dangerous is the wildlife?

Dangerous enough to plan around. Catachan Devils are tank-sized and hit hard despite moderate armour, so they want anti-tank weapons rather than massed infantry. Psychneuein spawn a new Psychneuein from any unit they kill. Enslavers mind control units below 6.5 current morale and drain 2 morale a turn from adjacent units, and there is exactly one Enslaver squad guarding each artefact on the map.

Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War tier list ranking every build and equipment option. Updated rankings with detailed reasoning.

EarlyGuides Editorial Team

Researched and editorially reviewed. Updated August 12, 2026.

This Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War tier list ranks every major option by overall effectiveness. Rankings factor in damage output, survivability, versatility, gear requirements, and how well each option scales.

Tier definitions: S = best in class, always a strong pick. A = strong and competitive, minor weaknesses. B = solid but clearly outperformed in most situations. C = viable only for players who enjoy the playstyle.

Builds Rankings

Tier	Build	Rating	Playstyle
A	Space Marines	8.5/10	Balanced approach
A	Astra Militarum	8.5/10	Balanced approach
A	Orks	8.5/10	Balanced approach
A	Necrons	8.5/10	Balanced approach
A	Tyranids	8.5/10	Balanced approach

Detailed Builds Analysis

Space Marines (A-Tier)

Space Marines is a competitive option in the current meta.

Best with: Tactical Space Marines. See our builds guide for full setup. Stat focus: Balanced stats

Astra Militarum (A-Tier)

Astra Militarum is a competitive option in the current meta.

Best with: Leman Russ Battle Tank. See our builds guide for full setup. Stat focus: Balanced stats

Orks (A-Tier)

Orks is a competitive option in the current meta.

Best with: Necron Warriors. See our builds guide for full setup. Stat focus: Balanced stats

Necrons (A-Tier)

Necrons is a competitive option in the current meta.

Best with: Ork Boyz. See our builds guide for full setup. Stat focus: Balanced stats

Tyranids (A-Tier)

Tyranids is a competitive option in the current meta.

Best with: Baneblade. See our builds guide for full setup. Stat focus: Balanced stats

Equipment Rankings

Equipment	Best With	Notes
Tactical Space Marines	Holding objectives, early expansion escorts, clearing wildlife spawns	The Space Marine line infantry and the unit the rest of the roster is built around.
Leman Russ Battle Tank	Breaking entrenched infantry, trading with enemy vehicles, escorting Guardsmen advances	The Astra Militarum workhorse armour and the point where a Guard army stops being fragile.
Necron Warriors	Steady frontline advances, holding tomb site cities, early wildlife clearance	The Necron basic infantry, slow and unglamorous but backed by an economy that sustains them on Ore rather than Food.
Ork Boyz	Constant early aggression, feeding the Influence and Ore economy, wildlife farming	Cheap, numerous and the engine of the Ork economy, because every attack generates Influence and every kill pays Ore.
Baneblade	Breaking a stalemate, punching into a defended city, late game pushes	The Astra Militarum super-heavy and the payoff at the end of a long Ore investment.

Check our weapons guide for in-depth stats and comparisons.

Equipment Analysis

Tactical Space Marines: The Space Marine line infantry and the unit the rest of the roster is built around. Expensive per model compared to Guardsmen or Boyz, but durable enough to hold ground alone, especially garrisoned in Imperial Ruins where ranged damage drops by 33 percent.

Leman Russ Battle Tank: The Astra Militarum workhorse armour and the point where a Guard army stops being fragile. It gives the Guard the anti-armour and anti-heavy punch that Guardsmen and Heavy Weapons Squads cannot supply on their own.

Necron Warriors: The Necron basic infantry, slow and unglamorous but backed by an economy that sustains them on Ore rather than Food. They grind forward reliably, which suits a faction whose city placement is locked to tomb sites and whose tempo is deliberate.

Ork Boyz: Cheap, numerous and the engine of the Ork economy, because every attack generates Influence and every kill pays Ore. Boyz are meant to be spent rather than preserved, and losing a squad in a profitable fight is a good trade.

Baneblade: The Astra Militarum super-heavy and the payoff at the end of a long Ore investment. It ends stalled fronts on its own, but its cost and upkeep mean a Guard player who rushes it will have nothing screening it when it arrives.

Meta Analysis

The current meta in Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War centers on Five resources with faction-specific economies and Cities that claim tiles with influence. Builds that leverage both systems outperform those that focus on only one. Our combat guide explains these interactions in depth.

What's strong right now:

Space Marines with Tactical Space Marines is the benchmark. Everything else is measured against it.
Faction quest lines as a victory route builds are gaining ground as players find new combinations.
Orks remains essential for learning hard content. See the boss guide.

What's underrated:

Astra Militarum is consistently overlooked despite being the most flexible option.
Necron Warriors offers excellent performance for its investment level.

What's overhyped:

Pure Tyranids builds. High ceiling but the consistency isn't there for most players.

Quick Picks by Situation

Situation	Best Build	Best Gear	Why
Overall best	Space Marines	Tactical Space Marines	Highest consistent performance
New player	Astra Militarum	Leman Russ Battle Tank	Most forgiving, teaches mechanics
Hard content	Orks	Necron Warriors	Survivability when you need it
Group play	Necrons	Ork Boyz	Utility and team support
Experienced player	Tyranids	Baneblade	Unique challenge and high ceiling

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