Greetings Librarians!
The release of Space Hulk: Deathwing draws near, arriving December 9th on PC. To help prepare for the battles that await you, we’re publishing a series of Devblogs to tell you about some of the features and gameplay elements you can look forward to when you venture deep into the Space Hulk and face the Genestealer menace.
Solo Campaign
Space Hulk: Deathwing features a full solo campaign, with a twisting narrative co-written by renowned Black Library author Gav Thorpe.
During your journey into the Space Hulk Olethros, you’ll be accompanied by two AI-controlled Terminator squad mates. Brother Barachiel is your Heavy Support, unleashing destruction in battle with weapons such as the Assault Cannon and Plasma Cannon. Brother Nahum is your Apothecary, healing up your squad whenever possible.
You can issue commands to your AI squad mates using a radial menu that can be brought up at any time. Beyond having them follow you on your position, you can also tell them to move to a specific point, guard an area, seal doors, ask Nahum to heal a squad member, and more.
There are four difficulty modes to choose from in Space Hulk: Deathwing’s solo campaign:
- Disciple (Easy) – The Emperor protects you from the Xenos.
- Chapter Champion (Normal) – You’re used to life on the battlefield.
- Lion’s Sword (Hard) – What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.
- No Mercy (Hardest) – To die for the emperor is glorious!
During the solo campaign, you’ll be playing as a Librarian of the Dark Angels’ Deathwing chapter. This means you have access to a range of Psychic abilities to use in battle, which includes the following:
- Shockwave - Releases a flow of energy around the Librarian, pushing back and hurting the enemies in a 360-degree arc.
- Chain Lightning - Lightning strikes the first enemy it hits. Turrets and sentries are particularly susceptible to this power.
- Inferno - The Librarian draws his powers to create an image of vengeful flame, carbonising all enemies in a line in front of him.
- Spontaneous combustion – Causes an enemy to explode, creating a damaging flame blast around them.
- Vortex of doom - The Librarian tears the veil of reality; victims near the vortex are pulverised by the power of the warp.
- Lion’s Shadow - The Librarian teleports himself inside an enemy, before exploding out of them.
- Lion’s Nemesis - The Librarian uses his mighty powers to become a fearsome Zealot. Just one hit can slay any normal enemy.
These abilities are unlocked as you progress through the campaign, giving you more options to deal with the Xenos menace! As your squad ventures deeper into Olethros, you’ll also uncover dark secrets, remarkable environments and greater dangers. Of course, going solo isn’t your only option…
Purging With Friends
All missions and chapters are playable in the online co-operative mode. Up to four of the Emperor’s finest can play together at once, with options for joining from the server list, hosting your own game, or automatically finding a suitable game by selecting ‘QuickMatch’.
The server list contains a number of filters to make it easy to find a suitable game. These include options for LAN only, passwords, languages and more.
From the game lobby screen, players can select from a range of different options to customize their co-operative experience. Hosts can invite their Steam friends directly to the lobby from here. One of four difficulties must be chosen, as well as the option to turn on Friendly Fire.
It’s possible to play through the chapters in the same order as the solo campaign, or select a single chapter. The host can also construct their own ‘mini campaign’ by putting together a playlist of selected chapters in any order.
Each player is able to select the class they’d like to play from one of the following:
- Librarian - The only class with access to Psychic powers, including Shockwave and Chain Lightning and Spontaneous Combustion.
- Apothecary – Equipped with his Narthecium, the Apothecary can heal his squad mates and activate a heal aura.
- Assault Speciality – Unrivalled in melee combat, this Terminator uses hammers, maces and Lightning Claws to rip apart the Xenos hordes.
- Heavy Weapon Speciality - Focuses on tearing enemies apart with highly destructive weapons, including the Assault Cannon and Plasma Cannon.
- Tactical Speciality – Allows fallen squad mates to return to battle, and has access to a legendary modified Plasma Cannon – the Spear of Caliban.
Many combinations of classes are possible, though it’s advised to bring a balanced squad that accommodated for each class’ weaknesses for the best chance at survival!
Stay tuned! We’ll soon release more information regarding the exact starting date of the upcoming beta, and how you can gain access.
Pre-order on Steam now and get access to the pre-order Beta, 15% off, and one in-game weapon – the Lost Mace of Corswain:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/298900/
All glory to the Emperor!
Streum On Studio and Focus Home Interactive