Creative Assembly would love to have space battles in Total War: Warhammer 40K, but we probably won’t see them at launch: ‘It is very lore-appropriate’

As we slowly but surely approach the launch of Total War: Warhammer 40,000, whenever the exact date may be, Creative Assembly has taken upon itself to host periodical podcasts discussing its in-development project, including this highly anticipated title.

In the latest rendition of its developer talks, Total War vice president Roger Collum commented on the prospect of space battles featuring in its Total War: 40K game.

Taking place primarily in the cosmos, i.e., among the burning stars and boiling skies of the Milky Way galaxy, Warhammer 40,000 has uncountable space battles in its lore and stories, with just about every faction being a space-faring powerhouse with planet-busting weaponry. They are a fundamental aspect of the franchise, but many, myself included, believed they wouldn’t make any sort of appearance in this upcoming Total War title, at least not initially.

Collum said that both he and the teams working on Total War: Warhammer 40K would love to see space battles in the game, but couldn’t say if they will be introduced by the time the game launches. “It is very lore-appropriate,” Collum said.

“It’s something that I want, something the teams want,” he added. “Will it be there for launch? Maybe not.”

He further explained that space battles “will definitely” be in the game “eventually,” probably via an expansion, an update, or a subsequent entry in what could become a trilogy, much in the same way that Total War: Warhammer had three full games come out over the span of several years.

“The when is a big question,” Collum said.

Warhammer is a massive IP, especially in terms of lore. As Collum explains, even his reading 40 books set in the universe “is barely scratching the surface,” given just how much content there is in the setting. No matter what CA ends up doing, they probably will not have the chance to cover it all, leaving at least one fan out there sad or disappointed that their particular slice of the galactic pie didn’t make it into the game.

It’s good to have it confirmed that space battles are, in fact, going to feature at some point. Speculations arose following the game’s announcement that Games Workshop sells separate licenses for 40K, meaning a game set around planetary combat will not be able to license space battles, and vice versa. Because of that, we had games like Battlefleet Gothic – Armada, set exclusively in space and revolving around interstellar encounters between massive fleets.

It would appear that CA managed to get the best of both worlds, however. Despite that, we will have to be patient and wait and see how that will turn out, given that space battles could be a significant change to the flow of the combat if they’re not there at launch.

After all, if there are no such encounters (and we are, like in Warhammer: Total War, forced to disembark to be able to fight), it’d fundamentally shift the combat to add actual space battles. We’d get used to one system and then have to switch to another, one that will probably require different units, tactics, strategies, and so on, utterly transforming the core experience.

It’ll probably be a challenge for CA to mitigate this, but even so, I remain excited. I want to watch the galaxy burn and see up close how the suns melt away into the vacuous darkness, and doing so from the comfort of a planet (unless a Death Star is orbiting around me) is not going to cut it.

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One of the early contracts in Marathon requires you to scan the FTL Array at any USEC Radio Tower, and the task can be slightly tricky.

This is likely going to be your first contract where the game doesn’t tell you where you need to be. The task is actually rather simple once you know where you need to reach and be. This guide will simplify the process and allow you to get all the applicable rewards.

How to locate the FTL Array in Marathon

The first task is to receive and keep the contract active. As of writing, only a contract can be kept active at any given time. Once done, start a run. Ideally, I am finding it easier to complete contracts with teammates rather than going solo.

You begin on the Perimeter map since it’s part of the contract. Once the run begins, head to the Station location. While there can be more towers located in other parts of the map, the Station POI was the nearest one for me when I was about to complete this contract.

The Station is pretty easy to locate, but the same can’t be said about the FTL Array on the USEC Radio Tower. If you’re close to the tower, you’ll find the quest icon (yellow colored) appearing on your screen. The tower can be found about E 100 on the overhead compass. However, I have marked the exact location on the image below to make it easier for you. The location isn’t random, and you’ll always find the FTL Array at this location.

How to scan the FTL Array in Marathon

Once you’ve located the tower, use one of the attached ladders to climb up. Look for a blue-colored terminal, and it will have an interactable FTL Comms Chip on it. If you’re this close to the tower, you can simply follow the icon as well.

Interact with the FTL Array and complete the scan, and this will complete your contract. Once you end your run, you’ll be able to redeem all the applicable rewards as allotted by the contract.

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