Ave Imperator, Force Commander!
Welcome to the world of Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate Daemonhunters, a fast, turn-based, tactical game where you lead the mysterious and psychically empowered Grey Knights against the corruptive forces of Chaos.
Set in the grim darkness of the 41st millennium, the Imperium, spearheaded by the mighty Space Marines, are engaged in a constant struggle to hold back the tide of Chaos seeking to enslave the galaxy.
In Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate Daemonhunters you take on the role of a newly appointed Force Commander. Your strike team has been commandeered by the Inquisition to investigate a foul new threat to the galaxy – a deadly new pathogen called the Bloom unleashed by the Chaos God Nurgle. As the Imperium’s greatest Daemonhunters, it is the task of the Grey Knights to halt the spread of the Bloom and protect the galaxy.
This beginner’s guide is your first step on the path to creating your own unique squad of Grey Knights and saving the galaxy from being suffocated by this deadly new pathogen.
Command the Grey Knights
Gameplay in Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate Daemonhunters is split into two layers, the first is tactical combat, where you take direct control of your squad as they battle across a wide range of corrupted battlefields. Finding success in Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters requires mastering the positioning and manoeuvring of your forces in this tactical combat, rather than trusting in chance. The environment in which you fight also plays a key role, where your Grey Knights can smash through obstacles, destroy pillars, and create chain reactions to decimate the enemy forces.
The second layer is about strategic management. With the bloom threatening to spread across an entire sector of the galaxy, you must decide which planets to focus on and which you must leave to the malign forces of Chaos. This is done via the Star Map aboard your strike-cruiser; The Baleful Edict, which can be repaired and further enhanced using the on-board Manufactorum. You are also able to further enhance your Grey Knights using the Libris Malleus and choose Wargear in the Strategium.
Mastering both these layers is crucial if you hope to defeat the forces of Nurgle.
Build Your Squad
You have a small force of Grey Knights available to you, each with their own customisable role and skillset:
Purgator – A ranged weapon specialist. This is the only starter class that can use heavy weapons by default and they have several abilities that can buff their output, making them a great source of ranged damage.
Interceptor – A fast moving and aggressive skirmisher. This class gains access to the Teleport ability, allowing them to move quickly into range and take advantage of powerful melee attacks and abilities.
Justicar – A heavy-hitting warrior best suited to the front-line. Bolstered with Blessed armour, the Justicar is very versatile and able to take hits that would injure other squad members.
Apothecary – A combat medic and support class, focused on healing and buffing other members of the squad, the Apothecary serves as squad healer, ensuring that his battle-brothers can stay in the fight.
Ultimately, the choice is yours as to how you set up your squad. Experiment with different Grey Knights to complement your preferred playstyle and make sure you pay close attention to the mission objectives and the glorious deeds. These are essential for gaining Requisitions which will allow you to recruit more troops, improve wargear and more.
To help you build the ultimate strike team, we’ve put together a series of class guides which you can read here:
- Affliction Melee Purifier
- Arcane Weapons & Psychic Onslaught
- Aspect of the Aegis Justicar
- Aspect of the Aegis Chaplain
- Aspect of the Aegis Interceptor
Getting Started
Your first mission will be to investigate recently reported signs of trouble on the planet Sobol.
To begin this mission, you will need to head to your star map and select the mission icon on the planet. This will bring up the planet view where you can use the I icon to learn more about the mission as well as what enemies and abilities you can expect to encounter. You will also be able to see the mission objectives. Missions range in difficulty which will also be shown on the planet view screen, as well as the potential rewards for that mission.
Once you complete the first mission you will have to make a choice between 3 potential follow-up missions as you won’t have the time to complete all of them.
As the game progresses, missions that have not been completed will increase the infection rate of a world and if fully infected, that world will be lost. You should prioritise your missions based on the offered rewards, their difficulty and how close that world is to becoming fully infected.
Before the mission begins you will have the opportunity to decide which Grey Knights will participate, you can also choose their wargear. During early missions, your wargear and troop options will be limited but as you progress, more will become unlocked.
Upgrade Your Forces
Your base of operations in Chaos Gate Daemonhunters is the strike-cruiser, the Baleful Edict. This is where you choose your next mission, equip your Wargear, enhance your Grey Knights and more. You will also have the opportunity to speak with key characters and learn more about the unfolding story.
The Manufactorum will allow you to upgrade your ship, giving you access to various enhancements, which will assist you in your campaign. When starting, the Baleful Edict will be heavily damaged so upgrade options will be limited.
The first thing to focus on should be restoring power to your engines as this will allow you to traverse the star map more quickly. You should then look to increase the amount of servitors you gain, followed by improving your barracks in order to gain more Grey Knights and your Apothecarion to enhance the recovery rate of your squad members.
Upgrading your ship requires servitors but you only have a limited number of these. Servitors are primarily granted as core mission rewards, but they are also gained passively over time. The rate at which you gain servitors can be increased through certain Augmentation Chamber upgrades in the Manufactorum.
As you progress through the campaign, you will unlock the ability to complete research via the Libris Malleus. This research will give you access to powerful new combat abilities and unlock tide-turning psychic abilities called Stratagems.
Completing research requires Bloom Seeds which are different for each strain of the Bloom. Bloom Seeds are primarily gained as mission rewards, but they can also be extracted directly from seed-carrying enemies with critical attacks or with specific wargear equipped.
Dominate the Battlefield
When in a mission you will have a limited number of action points which can be used for a combination of movement, combat and abilities. As powerful Grey Knights you should be looking to aggressively charge into battle as this can help you to recover Willpower which is required to use certain abilities. A strong offence is generally a safer tactic than focusing on defence - after all, the Grey Knights are experts with their blades.
As missions progress the intensity of the warp storm will increase, this will cause warp surge events which can cause random mutations to enemies, making them stronger or even apply penalties to your Grey Knights. The warp storm meter will increase a small amount each round but is accelerated whenever you use abilities that require willpower. Make sure you use your abilities wisely or you may create a challenge too great for even the Grey Knights.
As well as standard combat abilities, Grey Knights are also powerful enough to use the environment to their advantage. This includes toppling pillars onto enemies, throwing manhole covers and detonating explosive barrels or pools of oil to further damage the enemy.A single Grey Knight is an army unto itself, whether executing enemies at a distance or purging them in melee combat. As Force Commander it is down to you to lead your forces to victory and purge the corruptive influence of Nurgle.
With the knowledge contained in this sacred text you are now ready to take your first steps amongst the stars and push back the never-ending threat of Chaos. How will you achieve your goals? Show us your best units and screenshots over on our social media channels and use the hashtag #ChaosGateOnConsole:
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