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The box art for Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade

Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade was a third-person massively multiplayer online (MMO) game based on Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 setting. The game was developed by Behavior Interactive and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment.

The game was released for Microsoft Windows PCs on September 23, 2016. As of January 2017 it was planned to release the game for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One at a later date, but the ports were later cancelled. On June 10, 2021, the developers announced the upcoming permanent shutdown of the game servers, which occurred on September 10, 2021.

There are currently several attempts being made to bring the game back to life through the use of private servers but as of 2023 the game remains mostly unplayable and the official servers remain shut down.

All factions had "hero-classes" that were playable but cost in-game resources to use.

Players could play as Space Marines, Craftworld Aeldari, Orks, and Chaos Space Marines with the T'au and Drukhari eventually added after release as playable factions over the game's lifetime.

The Tyranids were present in the game as computer-controlled, non-player characters, and acted as a balancing force against all factions but mostly concentrated on the faction with the most captured land on Arkhona, as well as being the primary enemies in the game's procedurally-created dungeon "Underworlds" and survival "Hives" game modes to provide a player-versus-environment (PvE) experience. Some of the more powerful Tyranid species appeared as boss characters to oppose the players.

Players chose their faction allegiances and background, then fought over land in huge open world battles between the different factions, earning points to upgrade their character and earning hundreds of weapons and accessories drawn from 26 years of Warhammer 40,000 lore to craft the perfect warrior.

Plot[]

The story for the game was written by Ivan Mulkeen (Narrative Designer) and David Ghozland (Creative Director). Best-selling Warhammer 40,000 author Graham McNeill ensured that the narrative adhered to Warhammer 40,000 canon, and also wrote supporting fiction for the project.

The open world was set on the former Fortress World of Arkhona in the 41st Millennium after it was assaultewd and its Human population wiped out by the Tyranids. The player versus player gameplay of Eternal Crusade took place on the surface of Arkhona that was open to all players. The player versus environment game modes were all set in instanced areas, below the surface of the planet, but the player first needed to discover entrances to them during open world play to enter.

Setting[]

The Kharon System is located in the galactic northern marches of the Segmentum Obscurus, in the dead centre of a void of systems -- right on the edge of Imperial space. It is a trinary star system, consisting of three suns locked in orbit around one another.

The fifth planet in the star system, Arkhona, is a former Imperial world first settled tens of thousands of standard years before the start of the game.

Although the settlements of Mankind at one time stretched across all of its continents, when representatives from the Ordo Xenos arrived recently they found that the entire population of Arkhona had been destroyed.

Shortly afterwards, the Inquisitors themselves were lost under terrible circumstances, thus setting the events of the game in motion.

Combat[]

Eternal Crusade was an MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game set in a open world, though the combat was modelled on that of a third-person shooter. There were no ability bars or auto-attack systems, and combat was skill-intensive.

Once a player won a round of combat or certain goals were met in-game, the player received experience points to upgrade their character with items ranging from new weapons to armour. There were also vehicles spread across each map, which were usuable by the players and included iconic Warhammer 40,000 vehicles such as Land Raiders and Baneblades.

Monetisation[]

Eternal Crusade was a limited free-to-play MMO. All players could play for free, and were able to play as all of the included factions except their respective jump assault classes at the start of the game. Paying players who purchased a copy of the full game were able to play as all classes from all factions.

Also, players were able to buy specific factions from an online game store that also sold faction-appropriate cosmetic items, operating via a microtransaction service.

Factions[]

Space Marines[]

Space Marines

A Space Marine squad made of various Chapters; from left to right: Imperial Fists, Space Wolves, Blood Angels, Ultramarines and Dark Angels

The foremost of Humanity's defenders, the Space Marines are revered across the Imperium. Clad in ancient power armour and wielding the most potent weapons known to man, the Space Marines are terrifying foes. They are the God-Emperor's Angels of Death, and they know no fear.

Answering a psychic distress call from across the galaxy, the Space Marines come now to the former Imperial world of Arkhona to purge it of treacherous xenos and the taint of heresy.

Playable Chapters include: the Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Space Wolves, Imperial Fists, and the Ultramarines.

  • Elite and Hero Classes: Not yet released.

Chaos Space Marines[]

Chaos Space Marines

A Chaos Space Marine squad made of various Traitor Legion warbands; from left to right: Word Bearers, Black Legion, Alpha Legion, Iron Warriors and Night Lords

From the depths of the Warp, the Chaos Space Marine Traitor Legions emerge to wage war against the Imperium.

Slaves to darkness, they seek to bring down the Imperium of Man and destroy all they once swore to protect.

The call from Arkhona was heard not only by the Imperium, but echoed through the halls of the Daemons and sorcerers in the Warp.

Even the fallen primarchs were roused from their bitter reveries, and they will not see Arkhona lost to them a second time.

  • Elite and Hero Classes: Not yet released.

Orks[]

Eternal crusade orks by diegogisbertllorens

A group of Orks from various clans (from left-to-right) Evil Sunz, Goffs, Bad Moons, Blood Axes & Death Skulls

Brutal, green-skinned creatures that outnumber possibly every other intelligent race in the galaxy and have more in common with a great savage ape than a man.

They delight in carnage and so great is their need for conflict that, without a more obvious opponent, the Orks will indulge in fighting bloody wars with themselves, just to ensure they get a good scrap.

United under a visionary new Warlord, this Ork WAAAGH! has been on a sector-spanning crusade that has already seen hundreds of Imperial worlds fall.

Driven by visions from their gods Gork and Mork, the Orks now have Arkhona targeted as the site for a truly apocalyptic war.

Orks come from a variety of klanz, each with their own unique battlefield culture.

When they put their differences aside to fight for the glory of the Orkoid species, none can stand before the Green Tide.

  • Elite and Hero Classes: Not yet released.

Craftworld Aeldari[]

Aspect Warriors

A group of Aspect Warriors led by an Craftworld Aeldari Warlock; (from left-to-right) a Dire Avenger, Howling Banshee, Fire Dragon, Striking Scorpion, Dark Reaper and Swooping Hawk

The last remnants of a proud and ancient civilisation, the Craftworld Aeldari are deadly foes. Inhumanly swift and highly skilled, they are armed with advanced weaponry far beyond the ken of mortal men, and their mastery of the psychic arts is unparalleled.

The history of the Aeldari goes back to long before the dawn of man, and thus they have had a secret stake in the fate of Arkhona since Humanity's pre-history.

As the Warp vomits forth its corrupt spawn, the Imperium musters its greatest warriors and the savage greenskins descend upon it, the Aeldari know all others must be prevented from gaining control of this world.

An engimatic race, they are divided into numerous craftworlds -- giant, planetoid-sized spacecraft, each with their own unique character and culture.

  • Elite and Hero Classes: Not yet released.

Tyranids[]

The Tyranids are an extragalactic composite species of hideous xenos that is actually a space-faring ecosystem comprised of innumerable different bioforms which are all variations on the same genetic theme.

The Tyranid race is ultimately dedicated solely to its own survival, propagation and evolutionary advancement.

All Tyranid organisms are synaptic (psychically-reactive), and each Tyranid creature within a hive fleet shares and contributes to a communal Hive Mind, allowing the trillions of beings comprising the Tyranid Hive Fleets to communicate and organise instantaneously on a staggering scale.

It is unclear at this time why the Tyranids are on Arkhona or how they got there.

Regardless, they remain opposed to all other factions as they advance on their objective to devour all organic matter in the galaxy.

  • Basic Classes: Not yet released.
  • Elite and Hero Classes: Not yet released.

Videos[]

Sources[]

  • Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade Official Website (https://www.eternalcrusade.com/) (Defunct Site)
  • Eternal Crusade Forum (https://forum.eternalcrusade.com/) (Defunct Site)

Gallery[]

<gallery position="center" Eternalcrusade_battlescene_new.jpg|Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade - Space Marines Eternalcrusade_web_chaos.jpg|Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade - Chaos Space Marines Eternalcrusade_web_eldar.jpg|Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade - Eldar Eternalcrusade_web_orks.jpg|Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade - Orks Tyranids Eternal Crusade.jpg|Warhammer 40k: Eternal Crusade - Tyranid Newsletter_vision_starmap.jpg|The Arkhona system, the setting of Warhammer 40k: Eternal Crusade </gallery>

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