Owlcat Games, the creator of the critically acclaimed and fan-beloved RPG, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, has uploaded a new developer diary for its next Warhammer 40,000 project, Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy.
It is a short but sweet video that recaps what we’ve seen from its Warhammer Skull 2025 event, while providing new details on the game’s story and unique gameplay features that will set it apart from its predecessor.
Here’s everything you need to know from this upcoming PC title’s trailer.
For starters, the trailer reveals that Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy will be a turn-based, tactical RPG like Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader but with a completely new setting, a new cast of characters, and a couple of original gameplay mechanics.
Unlike Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, which has you play as a space-faring privateer exploring uncharted worlds for the Imperium, Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy has you play as an acolyte of the Inquisition.
The Inquisition is the Imperium of Man’s secret police force, working in the shadows to root out heretics by any means necessary, no matter how much collateral damage is caused along the way.
The story takes place within the Calixis Sector, a region of Imperial space rife with abominable xenos aliens, Chaos God worshipping cultists, and bloodthirsty daemons seeking to destroy the Imperium of Man.
As an Acolyte of the Inquisition, your job is to investigate the Calixis Sector and punish or eradicate anyone you suspect of committing heresy while uncovering mysteries of the Tyrant Star.
The Tyrant Star is a mysterious, horrifying phenomenon that randomly appears and disappears throughout the galaxy, plunging whatever planet that happens to be near it into madness with insanity-inducing energies from the Warp.
During your investigations, you will be forced to make difficult choices that will determine the course of the story and what kind of Inquisitor you wish to be.
Will you be a puritan that sticks to the strict rules and regulations of the Inquisition, or will you be a radical investigator that is willing to commit acts of heresy and break the rules if it can help get the job done?
On the gameplay side of things, Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy will follow a similar structure to Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader.
You and a party of recruitable companions will travel the Warhammer 40,000 universe to complete quests, explore dark corners of the universe, and face off against the enemies of Man in tactical turn-based combat.
It’s been confirmed from our interview with Owlcat Games that Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy will seek to improve upon many aspects of Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader’s gameplay by reworking the class system while inventing new classes for players to experiment with.
Additionally, you will be able to find and potentially convince a large cast of intriguing and mighty characters to your cause, such as a hardened Catachan Imperial Guardsman, a Kroot mercenary that’s been exiled from their clan, an unstoppable Ogryn soldier, and more.
You will need to master these new classes quickly, as Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy will have you battle extremely dangerous foes, like the savage tribal Kroot, malformed Daemons of Chaos, and the Night Lord Chaos Space Marines who sadistically prey upon the weak for sport.
Outside of combat, Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy will feature a brand new Investigation mechanic. This is a unique mini-game where players can investigate crime scenes for evidence, use what they have uncovered to find the culprit, and pass judgment on them.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt
Owlcat Games is on a roll as of late, publishing all kinds of exciting new RPGs like Shadow of the Road, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, and, of course, Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy, which I’m most looking forward to.
As a fan of Warhammer 40,000 and RPGs, I simply cannot wait to get my hands on Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy when it eventually comes out, as its release date is yet to be announced.
I absolutely loved Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader for its extremely dark story, superbly written characters, endless foray of moral choices that completely change the game, insanely in-depth character class system, and addictive combat system.
Not to mention that Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is probably one of the best, beginner-friendly introductions into Warhammer 40,000’s extensive lore I’ve seen since the original Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War.
From what’s been shown so far of Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy, it’s looking like Owlcat Games’ next Warhammer 40,000 RPG will aim to refine the rough edges of Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader while doubling down on what made it great.
However, we still have very little developmental gameplay footage to go off right now, and what we do see says it’s prone to change in the future, so it’s likely the final product will end up being a different game.
We will have to wait for more gameplay footage to find what shape this exciting game will take in the future.
In the meantime, be sure to check out Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader if you haven’t done so already, as it’s an incredible game that will keep you enthralled for hundreds of hours, especially thanks to its massive Void Shadows and Lex Imperialis DLC expansions.
If you need further convincing, then check our review of Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, where my colleague, Samuel Tolbert, covers the game in greater detail and explains why this is one of Warhammer 40,000’s best video games ever made.
