Proxy Studios and Slitherine shipped the first turn-based 4X game set in Warhammer 40,000 on 12 July 2018, and it strips the genre down to the part 40k actually supports. There is no diplomacy on Gladius Prime: you win by completing your faction's quest line or by killing everyone else. Four factions launched with the game, Space Marines, Astra Militarum, Orks and Necrons, and seven more arrived as DLC over the following five years: Tyranids in 2019, Chaos Space Marines in 2019, T'au in 2020, Craftworld Aeldari in 2020, Adeptus Mechanicus in 2021, Adepta Sororitas in 2022 and Drukhari in 2023. Each one runs a different economy, so switching faction changes far more than the unit art.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Wire weed | Five resources with faction-specific economies basics | Astra Militarum | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Imperial Ruins | Cities that claim tiles with influence mastery | Astra Militarum | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Rivers | Faction quest lines as a victory route + gear | Space Marines or Astra Militarum | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Artefact sites | Build optimization | Space Marines | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Ore fields | Min-max | Space Marines or Tyranids | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Wire weed)
A bio-engineered acidic plant that consumes all of a unit's movement points the moment it enters, permits zero building slots and deals damage every turn to whatever stands in it. It is a wall drawn on the map, and routing around it is almost always faster than pushing through.
Level/Difficulty: Matters from turn one to the end of the game Key Rewards: Nothing. Treat it as impassable terrain and plan approaches around it
What to Do in Wire weed
- Learn Five resources with faction-specific economies. Ore, Food, Energy, Influence and Requisition are the five, but no two factions use them the same way. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Astra Militarum as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Pick your faction by its economy. Space Marines run on Requisition and Energy, Necrons feed population with Ore, Astra Militarum and Orks need Food, and Orks additionally need to be attacking something every turn to stay solvent.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Leman Russ Battle Tank or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Five resources with faction-specific economies fundamentals
- Astra Militarum selected and functional
- Wire weed main content cleared
- Ready for Imperial Ruins
Phase 2: Early Game (Imperial Ruins)
The remains of the human cities that were on Gladius Prime first. Buildings placed in ruins produce extra Ore, units inside take 33 percent less ranged damage and block line of sight, entry costs an extra movement point, and the tile caps at 2 building slots.
Level/Difficulty: Contested from the early expansion phase onward Key Rewards: Bonus Ore from buildings, 33 percent ranged damage reduction, blocked line of sight
What to Do in Imperial Ruins
- Work on Cities that claim tiles with influence. Cities expand by acquiring surrounding tiles, and every city tile carries an upkeep of 1 Influence per turn, so unchecked sprawl quietly bankrupts you. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Leman Russ Battle Tank if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Track Influence separately from everything else. Each city tile costs 1 Influence per turn in upkeep, and heroes plus their items also come out of Influence, so a wide empire with no Influence income seizes up.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Rivers.
- Consider whether Space Marines might suit your playstyle better than Astra Militarum.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Cities that claim tiles with influence integrated into gameplay
- Leman Russ Battle Tank acquired
- Imperial Ruins fully cleared
- Ready for Rivers
Phase 3: Mid Game (Rivers)
River tiles cost an extra movement point to enter, which sounds minor until an attack arrives one turn later than planned. Rivers are the terrain that most often decides whether a counterattack lands before or after a city falls.
Level/Difficulty: Relevant whenever you plan a multi-turn advance Key Rewards: No direct reward, but a defensive line you did not have to build
What to Do in Rivers
- Master Faction quest lines as a victory route. Every faction has its own scripted quest chain describing what it is doing on Gladius Prime, and finishing that chain is a win condition in its own right. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Tactical Space Marines. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Route around wire weed rather than through it. Entering a wire weed tile consumes every remaining movement point and the tile deals damage each turn, so a squad that walks in is out of the fight for at least two turns.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Wildlife and artefact guardians for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Faction quest lines as a victory route mastered
- Tactical Space Marines acquired or in progress
- Rivers fully cleared
- Ready for Artefact sites
Phase 4: Late Game (Artefact sites)
Hovering rhombus-shaped relics attributed to the Old Ones, scattered across the map. Each one grants a stacking bonus to your faction and units, and each one is guarded by exactly one Enslaver squad, so taking them is a deliberate operation rather than an opportunistic grab.
Level/Difficulty: Early to mid game, once you can beat an Enslaver squad Key Rewards: Stacking faction and unit bonuses
What to Do in Artefact sites
- Finalize your build. You should be running Space Marines or Astra Militarum with optimized gear.
- Tactical Space Marines should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Garrison Imperial Ruins whenever you expect ranged fire. The 33 percent ranged damage reduction plus the blocked line of sight turns a ruin tile into the best defensive position on most maps.
- Terrain that decides the fight optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Ore fields.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Tactical Space Marines upgraded to max
- Artefact sites fully cleared
- Ready for Ore fields
Phase 5: Endgame (Ore fields)
Special resource tiles that cannot be built on but raise the production of matching buildings placed around them. Grox pastures and recaf plantations work the same way for their own resources, so reading these features before you place a city decides its ceiling.
Level/Difficulty: Decides city placement from the first settle onward Key Rewards: Increased output from surrounding buildings
What to Do in Ore fields
- Ore fields tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Scout artefacts before you commit to taking one. Each has exactly one Enslaver squad on it, and Enslavers mind control any unit that drops below 6.5 current morale while draining 2 morale per turn from anything standing next to them.
- The endgame loop: run Ore fields, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Tyranids for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Terrain that decides the fight mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Ore fields fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Expecting diplomacy. There is none. Every other faction on Gladius Prime is hostile from turn one, and the only two ways to win are finishing your faction quest chain or killing everyone.
- Playing every faction the same way. Space Marines fold food and ore into Requisition and grow one vertical Fortress Monastery, while Orks settle anywhere and need constant combat, so a strategy carried across from one to the other collapses.
- Sprawling cities without Influence income. Each city tile is 1 Influence per turn, and the bill arrives quietly enough that many players notice only when heroes become unaffordable.
- Ignoring wildlife until it reaches a city. Catachan Devils hit hard enough to erase a squad and Psychneuein multiply by killing, so clearing spawn points early costs far less than dealing with them at your gates.
- Rushing a Baneblade or a Monolith with nothing screening it. Super-heavy units carry heavy upkeep and eat the budget that would have bought the infantry needed to protect them.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Pick your faction by its economy. Space Marines run on Requisition and Energy, Necrons feed population with Ore, Astra Militarum and Orks need Food, and Orks additionally need to be attacking something every turn to stay solvent.
- Track Influence separately from everything else. Each city tile costs 1 Influence per turn in upkeep, and heroes plus their items also come out of Influence, so a wide empire with no Influence income seizes up.
- Route around wire weed rather than through it. Entering a wire weed tile consumes every remaining movement point and the tile deals damage each turn, so a squad that walks in is out of the fight for at least two turns.
- Garrison Imperial Ruins whenever you expect ranged fire. The 33 percent ranged damage reduction plus the blocked line of sight turns a ruin tile into the best defensive position on most maps.
- Scout artefacts before you commit to taking one. Each has exactly one Enslaver squad on it, and Enslavers mind control any unit that drops below 6.5 current morale while draining 2 morale per turn from anything standing next to them.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War Guides
- Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War Overview
- Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War Best Builds
- Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War Tier List
- Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War Beginner's Guide
- Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War Tips & Tricks
- Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War Weapons Guide
- Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War Combat Guide
- Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War Boss Guide
- Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War Maps & Locations
- Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War Crafting Guide
- Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War Classes & Characters
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