Warhammer 40,000: Gladius Craftworld Aeldari DLC
Slitherine
When Warhammer 40,000: Gladius debuted two-and-a-half years ago, both strategy and Warhammer 40K fans rejoiced—they finally had a combination of the grimdark future that the venerable Games Workshop IP presented, along with some excellent 4X strategy.
Although a few critics felt that the game was a little too stripped down since it doesn’t feature any diplomacy, most people were fine with it since the Warhammer 40K universe has always been all about constant warfare. Personally, I found it a well-paced 4X title that had enough strategic nuance to whet my inner armchair general’s appetite.
The original game featured 4 factions and since then, Slitherine has released a wide variety of expansions, including additional races. Since the Eldar were one of the most requested factions by fans of the game, it was only a matter of time before they released a DLC that features them—titled the Warhammer 40,000: Gladius Craftworld Aeldari DLC.
The Craftworld Aeldari DLC itself adds 19 new units, as well as some advanced mobility mechanics that capture the essence of the mighty race. Also referred to as the Eldar, the Aeldari are basically space elves that once ruled the universe when humans were just figuring out how to use primitive tools. Due in no small part to the Aeldari’s arrogance, their reign was cut short and they fell from their gilded perch.
When one of the more powerful chaos gods showed up, they were forced into exile. One of the factions sought refuge onboard immense, city-like spaceships. Now, the Aeldari seek out habitable planets for their continued existence, which takes them to Gladius.
Previously installed webway gates on Gladius is one major advantage that the Aeldari’s have going for them. These portals allow them to sneakily teleport across the map with ease. They can also utilize these gates to summon off-world reinforcements to bolster their dwindling populations.
The Aeldari also don’t possess any wheeled or tracked vehicles—everything they have either flies or hovers. This allows them to easily skim over bodies of water. Also, they are the only faction that can move into position, attack enemy units, and then move back out of harm’s way. These elements, combined with their usage of the webway gates, allows the Aeldari to frequently outmaneuver their opponents, as well as set up devastating ambushes.
Just as in the Warhammer 40K lore, the Aeldari wield some extremely powerful weaponry. However, this is offset by their equally extreme fragility. On the battlefield, they’re the ultimate glass cannons. Therefore, strategically using their advanced mobility is crucial to managing any Aeldari military force. In other words, hit-and-run tactics are the bread and butter of Aeldari armies.
While the manual that came with the original game is extensively detailed, the new factions haven’t been as easy to figure out how to play, and the Aeldari are no exception. Therefore, it is advised that folks new to managing an Aeldari army first play against the game’s AI to get more familiar with their mechanics. It took me at least 2 full games to get the hang of things.
The Aeldari have always been a faction full of specialist units and that is well represented with this DLC’s roster. One of the most fun aspects of managing an Aeldari army has been to discover how their disparate units synergize with one another. When you begin to figure that out, you’ll find different methods on how to effectively take out some of the tougher enemy units in the game, such as those belonging to the infamous undead terminators—the Necrons.
The Warhammer 40,000: Gladius Craftworld Aeldari DLC represents another amazing expansion that offers a complexly new way to play the game, and is my new favorite faction besides the T’au. At $14.99, it’s also fairly priced for the amount of content offered. Now, if only we get the Dark Eldar next, the game will be complete (at least in my mind)!
RATING: 8.6/10
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius has some pretty good looking graphics that make its 4X gameplay truly shine. However, you want to have a pretty beefy gaming PC or gaming laptop in order to play it at a decent framerate. So, you may just want to invest in a decent gaming rig:
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