Creative Assembly just dropped a developer roundtable for Total War: Warhammer 40,000 that reveals exactly how ambitious and different this game will be. The four launch factions (Space Marines, Astra Militarum, Orks, and Aeldari) each play wildly different from one another and from anything in previous Total War games. Oh, and you can blow up planets permanently with no take-backs. Welcome to the grim darkness of the 41st millennium.
Four Factions That Break the Mold
After being announced at The Game Awards last week, Creative Assembly held a developer roundtable diving deep into faction design. Lead Designer Simon Mann explained that the Warhammer 40K universe offers incredible opportunities for asymmetry between factions, but the team could only pick a limited number of playable factions at launch to give each one the effort needed to make them feel special.
The result is four factions that gather resources, field troops, and engage in battle in completely different ways. Principal Creative Director Ian Roxburgh stated that if you want the most traditional Total War experience, you should pick the Astra Militarum. For everyone else, Creative Assembly is throwing the rulebook out the window and designing factions that fundamentally change how you approach strategy.
Astra Militarum: The Human Wave
The Astra Militarum represents humanity’s Imperial Guard, and they’re the closest faction to a traditional Total War experience. Mass ranks of infantry supported by artillery and vehicles march across battlefields, solving problems the Imperium way: throwing more bodies at it until something breaks. Players will gather resources, build infrastructure, and recruit endless troops in familiar Total War fashion.
Don’t mistake familiar for boring though. The Astra Militarum captures the grim reality of the Imperial Guard where human lives are the most expendable resource in the galaxy. Billions of souls exist solely to be fed into the meat grinder of eternal war. If you’ve played previous Total War games and want that baseline experience before diving into the weird factions, this is your starting point.
Space Marines: Quality Over Quantity
Space Marines flip everything on its head. These superhuman warriors are extremely powerful as individual units, but they’re not building infrastructure or recruiting massive armies like traditional Total War factions. Mann emphasized that Space Marines are a very limited force requiring a totally different gameplay style. You command these genetically enhanced killing machines, but your weakness is that you’re limited in number.
This design philosophy captures the lore perfectly. Space Marines are humanity’s finest warriors, capable of turning the tide of battles through sheer combat prowess. But there are only about a million Space Marines protecting a galaxy with trillions of humans. Every loss matters. Every tactical decision carries weight because you can’t just recruit more super-soldiers on a whim. Creative Assembly is embracing the elite small-unit tactics that define Space Marine warfare.
Customization Like Never Before
For the first time in Total War, players can forge armies that are truly their own. You’ll shape every detail from your faction’s title, heraldry, and iconography down to individual wargear. Space Marine players can design their own chapters, select colors, and create signature styles of destruction. Previous reports even mentioned customizing Space Marines down to their fingers, mimicking the tabletop model painting experience digitally.
This level of customization goes beyond cosmetics. You’ll define traits and tactics that fundamentally change how your forces operate. It’s Creative Assembly taking inspiration from Warhammer 40K’s tabletop roots where every player’s army is unique not just in appearance but in how they approach combat. Your custom Space Marine chapter will leave its mark on the galaxy in ways that reflect your playstyle and strategic preferences.
Aeldari: The Glass Cannon Prophecy
Of all four factions, the Aeldari sound the most radically different from anything Total War has done before. These ancient aliens rely on advanced technology and Webway portals to engage enemies in hit-and-run tactics. While other factions seek to defend worlds or conquer planets, the Aeldari have completely different objectives: stopping potential galactic calamities before they happen.
Mann explained that Aeldari troops are recruited from hidden Craftworlds and are limited in number. You’re using them carefully because they’re all glass cannons – powerful but fragile. The Aeldari don’t play the conquest game like everyone else. They’re following prophecies and manipulating events behind the scenes, intervening precisely where and when needed to prevent worse outcomes. This approach sounds closer to an asymmetric 4X game than traditional Total War.
Orks: Momentum and Madness
Orks are the brute-force faction all about amassing troops and building momentum. In some ways similar to Astra Militarum with their need to build resources and field huge numbers of troops, the Orks add their own twist with surprisingly advanced (if crude) technology. The greenskin hordes grow stronger through fighting, capturing the Waaagh energy that drives Ork society.
While Creative Assembly didn’t detail Ork mechanics as extensively during the roundtable, expect them to reward aggressive expansion and constant warfare. Orks are never happier than when fighting, and their technology works because they believe it does. The faction will likely encourage players to maintain offensive pressure, reflecting how Ork Waaaghs sweep across the galaxy leaving destruction in their wake.
Yes You Can Blow Up Planets
Creative Assembly pointed to the game’s galactic scale as something that sets it apart from both previous Total War games and other Warhammer 40K titles. And nothing demonstrates that scale better than the ability to destroy entire planets. Mann confirmed that players can wipe worlds off the map permanently, though it’s not something done lightly or frivolously.
Blowing up a planet requires multiple levels of authorization from the Imperium. The Imperium would much rather sacrifice a billion human souls to reclaim a world than destroy it outright. However, extreme circumstances exist, and Creative Assembly lets you press the button. Once you do, there’s no take-backs. That planet is gone forever from your campaign. The permanence adds weight to the decision, making Exterminatus feel as momentous as it should.
The Seminal Warhammer 40K Game
Creative Assembly’s ambition extends beyond just making another Total War game with a 40K skin. Product Owner Simon Mann and Principal Narrative Designer Andy Hall stated their goal is creating the seminal Warhammer 40K game. The studio proved they can take an entire Warhammer franchise and effectively bring it to screen with their Fantasy trilogy. That’s certainly their ambition with Warhammer 40,000.
This means embracing everything that makes 40K special: the grim darkness, the galaxy-spanning warfare, the asymmetric factions with wildly different philosophies, and the sheer scale where individual lives mean nothing but civilizations hang in the balance. Creative Assembly is building this on their new Warcore engine specifically designed for more dynamic ranged combat, cover systems, and battlefield destruction that previous Total War games couldn’t handle.
What This Means for Total War Veterans
If you’re coming from Total War: Warhammer Fantasy or historical Total War titles, prepare for significant changes. The Astra Militarum will feel familiar, offering that baseline Total War experience. But the moment you try Space Marines, Aeldari, or Orks, you’ll realize Creative Assembly is pushing the franchise into new territory. Asymmetric faction design isn’t new to Total War, but the degree of difference between these factions exceeds anything seen before.
This bold approach comes with risks. Radically different factions require extensive balancing to ensure all four remain viable and fun. Players who prefer traditional Total War gameplay might feel alienated if every faction demands learning completely new systems. However, if Creative Assembly pulls this off, Total War: Warhammer 40,000 could redefine what the franchise is capable of while respecting the source material that makes 40K special.
FAQs
When does Total War: Warhammer 40,000 release?
No release date has been announced yet. The game was revealed at The Game Awards 2025, and some analysts estimate a 2026 launch is possible given Creative Assembly’s typical announcement-to-release windows.
What factions are in Total War: Warhammer 40K?
The four playable factions at launch are Space Marines, Astra Militarum (Imperial Guard), Orks, and Aeldari (Eldar). Each faction plays dramatically different from the others with unique mechanics and objectives.
Can you really blow up planets in the game?
Yes, players can permanently destroy entire planets through Exterminatus. The action requires multiple levels of authorization and cannot be undone, making it a weighty decision with permanent campaign consequences.
What platforms is Total War: Warhammer 40,000 coming to?
The game will launch on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. It will also feature modding support for PC players.
How different are the factions from each other?
Creative Assembly emphasizes these factions are wildly asymmetric. Astra Militarum plays like traditional Total War with mass armies. Space Marines are elite small-unit forces. Aeldari use hit-and-run tactics with completely different objectives. Orks build momentum through constant aggression.
Will you be able to customize Space Marines?
Yes, for the first time in Total War, players can extensively customize their armies including Space Marine chapter colors, heraldry, iconography, wargear, traits, and tactics to create truly unique forces.
Who is developing Total War: Warhammer 40,000?
Creative Assembly is developing the game, published by SEGA. The same studio created the Total War: Warhammer Fantasy trilogy that sold millions of copies.
Is David Harbour in the game?
Yes, Stranger Things actor and Warhammer 40K fan David Harbour announced the game at The Game Awards and confirmed he will be featured in it, though his specific role hasn’t been detailed yet.
Conclusion
Total War: Warhammer 40,000 represents Creative Assembly’s most ambitious project yet. By embracing radical asymmetry between factions and features like permanent planetary destruction, they’re creating something that feels genuinely different from both past Total War games and existing 40K titles. The risk is enormous – balancing four wildly different factions while maintaining the core appeal that makes Total War special won’t be easy. But if they succeed, Creative Assembly might achieve their stated goal of creating the seminal Warhammer 40K game that captures the grim darkness of the 41st millennium better than anything before it. For fans who’ve waited years for a proper 40K Total War game, the developer roundtable suggests it might actually live up to the hype. Whether you’re commanding the limitless hordes of the Astra Militarum, the elite Space Marines, the prophetic Aeldari, or the unstoppable Ork Waaagh, Creative Assembly is giving each faction the attention needed to make them feel special. Now we just need to wait for a release date and hope the final product delivers on these incredibly promising ideas.