Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr Overview

Warhammer 40,000 games are famous for their storyline set in a dystopian science fantasy universe of the 41st millennium, and Inquisitor – Martyr continues that legacy. Once you’ve built a character from the Psyker, Crusader, or Assassin backgrounds, it’s time to begin your crusade in a single player (or cooperative multiplayer) campaign among the stars of the Caligari Sector in the Segmentum Tempestus of the Milky Way Galaxy.

As an agent of the ever-vigilant Inquisition, you’ll hunt down heretics and wage war against the Chaos Gods and other power factions, occasionally finding yourself at odds with some of your own, hence the Inquisitor – Martyr title.

Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr begins each story quest with a mission briefing overview, where you’ll learn about the local threats as well as the primary (and secondary) mission objectives. You will also have the ability to set the difficulty of the mission, selecting between ‘Story mode’ for casual ARPG players, and ‘Challenge mode’ with added difficulty tiers for veteran players seeking a higher chance of loot drops and better rewards.

The Inquisitor campaign consists of investigations through priority assignments that follow the story, grand investigations that follow the plot but are more like side quests, missions of various objectives that help you grind for better gear, and tarot missions to advance your Inquisitorial Rank. There are also Weekly Glory and Influence challenges for points that unlock special rewards. Unfortunately, after completing the main campaign, Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr continues in the same linear-world within the same secluded sector of this universe.

While the story is complex, and the mission types are somewhat unique and varied, the grind through each map becomes quite familiar. Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr attempts to break the monotony with mission objectives, such as protecting VIP’s or following a particular sequence. Enemies typically fall into one of these categories: regulars, hordes, champions, commanders, and end-level elites. You’ll often find waves of each, or a cluster of them all. In spite of the varied mission objectives, your tactics will typically remain the same: kill them all.

Similar to other traditional action RPG-style games, Inquisitor – Martyr balances gameplay by using a combination of character levels comprised of Inquisitorial Rank from the campaign, power rating of all equipped items, character attributes and perks, and a Warzone Rank. Earlier versions of this game differed in how player levels were managed and gear scores affected the game, however this information is current as of patch 1.0.6c on July 6th.

In addition to the various campaign missions and side quests that work to increase your Inquisitorial Rank, Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr features many “Heroic Deeds” that allow players to earn points toward improving their Warfare, Toughness, and Virtue character attributes. Completing these Heroic Deeds also reveals branches on the passive skill tree, as well as unlocking special perks.

Typical of the RPG genre, loot is organized by item rarity, skill level, and item type pattern. Common loot has a single skill modifier, Mastercrafted has two, Rare and Artificer have three, and Relic loot have four modifiers. The Koschei pattern buffs critical hits and reduces damage, while the Mars pattern increases damage and deflection. The Scythe patter increase damage and HP, while Thule improves speed and damage.

In addition to a traditional loot and credit system, Inquisitor – Martyr also features a detailed crafting system that enables players to use Blueprints and Crafting Materials to build personal items. These are items not dropped as loot or awarded by mission completion, and typically offer special skill enhancements not available elsewhere.