‘Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade’ Coming To PC, PlayStation 4, And Xbox One This Year, Steam Early Access Now Available

Persistent online battles, third-person combat, and thousands of weapons and armor are part of the upcoming online shooter Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade. The squad-based title from Snowed In Studios now has a publisher in Bandai Namco and Behaviour Interactive. The massively multiplayer online game boasts both player-versus-player combat and player-versus-environment combat set to the intriguing Warhammer 40,000 universe.

The Eternal Crusade game is expected to launch on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One this year. A summer release is planned as stated in the Bandai Namco press release. Eager players can start playing right now thanks to the Early Access program on Steam. Although the game is still in an alpha state, players can support the title now with a purchase on Steam. Partial controller support, Steam achievements, Steam Trading Cards, and more are part of the Early Access release.

For the first time, join your favourite factions in the fiercest and most authentic Warhammer 40,000 battles! https://t.co/fFgTG5u66Q

— Eternal Crusade (@40kcrusade) January 26, 2016

Several of the game’s MMO elements will be ironed out during the Early Access phase of testing. The combat experience is the primary focus now with the MMO features being worked on as the game’s release date approaches. Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade will feature character progression like tech trees, a guild system with war party functionality, and even more playable races.

The Steam Early Access period for Eternal Crusade includes five classes and three vehicles for each of the two currently available factions. Players can choose between Space Marines and Chaos Space Marines with Eldar and Orks to be added at a later date. Players will also find 20 sub-factions when the game launches thanks to the extensive lore background of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. For instance, the Space Marine faction includes the Ultramarines, Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Space Wolves, and Imperial Fists sub-faction chapters. Each chapter has a background of its own in addition to the overall lore behind the main faction.

Combat in Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade features third-person combat with several abilities at the character’s fingertips. Psychic powers, a cover system, a buff system, heavy weapons, access to jump packs, and healing are just a small portion of what players will experience in Eternal Crusade. The whole experience is tied together nicely with an HUD working with the player instead of hindering gameplay. Players will claim territories, battle in massive encounters, and loot hundreds of items as their character progresses in the game, too.

Founders Pack owners and players that purchase the game now from Steam are under no non-disclosure agreement either. Players can post screenshots, videos, and other media from Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade openly even though the game is technically still in an alpha state. Furthermore, Founders Pack owners can still test content for the game, post to their own forum, and interact directly with the developers even though Founders Packs are no longer available. A special Founders branch of the game will be available to them for testing all the features coming to the Eternal Crusade game according to the official site.

Interested players can purchase the game now via Steam. Eternal Crusade is currently 20 percent off at a $40 price. Players will need 20 GB of space to download the game, and other system specifics required can be found on the Steam page for Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade. The current requirements for the game’s full release and Early Access requirements are currently higher. Buying the game via Steam in Early Access also includes 20,000 Rogue Trader Points for use in the in-game store. That store is yet to be implemented.

The Steam News page for Eternal Crusade also includes a number of patch notes, hot fix notes, and other information on the game, too. Control layout fixes, stability bug fixes, audio issues, and many other problems are regularly identified and rectified. New additions, like custom loadouts and the power fist weapon, are also included in the notes.

[Image via Snowed In Studios]