Warhammer 40 000 Chaos Gate Daemonhunters was released earlier this year and was a welcome return of the classic original but in interesting new ways. The first expansion, Duty Eternal, is now out and the experience has taken a major step forward here. More lore, new troops, weapons, abilities and tasks all bring the gameplay to a new level, but there are some issues.
Duty Eternal introduces a new strain of the threat known as the Bloom known as the Technophage that necessitates a new means of combating the menace. This is not an expansion for those looking for just more of the same, because this expansion will provide a challenge that is not for the faint of heart. Right from the beginning mission, the challenge has increased, and you will need to think and handle situations differently or you will see defeat quickly.
But for every new challenge, new heroes emerge and this expansion brings with it two new classes, the Venerable Dreadnought and the Techmarine. A quick rundown for those unaware, Dreadnoughts are those marines critically wounded in the field and placed into a life support sarcophagus akin to a walking tank that allows them to keep fighting in the Emperor’s name. A Techmarine is an Astartes that has been brought into the machine cult and received training from the Mechanicus on Mars and will handle the technological needs of the chapter.
The Dreadnought class is available after an early mission in the expansion, and brings with it multiple customization options, just like the rest of the classes. The expansion makes sure to fully utilize the lore aspects of the Dreadnought and these marines are monsters when it comes to ranged combat or when right next to the enemy. Completing the mission and recruiting the Dreadnought is also how you will come to recruit the Techmarine class and the two are connected here.
The Techmarine has several specialized Servitors for repairing machines, making things go a lot smoother, in addition to using the additional limbs known as mechadendrites to get things done. The Techmarine class is crucial to maintaining the Dreadnought and keeping a Techmarine alive is necessary for the Dreadnought’s survival as well. That said, the Techmarine is also combat capable and comes with an Omnissian Power Axe as well as Combat Servitors to command in battle, giving a very different approach to combat.
Just because you have new classes to help you out, does not mean chaos is left behind here, and the forces of Nurgle have gained new classes as well. These new enemy types will require completely different strategies to address and, in some cases, you will need to constantly move in order to avoid getting thrown out of position. The real threat, however, is the Technophage Elite, special units that are especially dangerous against technology and technological opponents.
Sadly, you may have just realized that the anti-armour specialists are a major threat to your two new classes, the Dreadnought and Techmarine, who rely on technology to function. The Technophage Elite will especially target these classes, as well as their support units and servitors, and so must be dealt with carefully and quickly. Fortunately for you, the upgrade options for the Dreadnought and Techmarine can help those classes stand much more of a chance against new enemies.
While both classes come with some pre-equipped weapons, you can find, equip and deploy a variety of new options to suit your style. These new weapons and armour come from the game’s new mechanic of Archeotech, which is sometimes found in battle and sometimes mined from the planet’s surface. To set up a mining operation, you will need to clear planets rich with the material, which sets up a small timer over the top of that planet long as you hold it and will give Archeotech at certain times.
There is also a new ship to use, explore and deploy, known as the Gladius Frigate. This ship will enable you to deploy your idle Grey Knights to secondary objectives, but this is AI controlled, and while you are able to handle the Bloom to a greater extent with them, you have no ability to ensure they will succeed. As such, while you can gain rewards from winning these AI battles, the AI can lose, and you will lose your marines as a result.
Lastly, the UI has been given a slight change up and things seem a bit smoother now. It still feels a bit overdesigned, however, and while the major issues with the base game are not as bad as they were, it is still an issue to deal with. The new music tracks are also welcome and manage to keep up the franchise’s reputation for great soundtracks, even if it still is not on the level of the original Chaos Gate.
Overall, Duty Eternal is a fine expansion that expands on the main game and fixes some of the issues, while still having some kinks to work out.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided.