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Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters isn’t always the easiest of games. It has a tendency to ramp things up at key moments - normally when Kadex is involved - regardless of difficulty. Knowing the basics can only get you so far, and there’s plenty to unpack if you dig a little bit deeper.
Whilst the game has a very good tutorial, it doesn’t cover everything. Several mechanics are left purposefully vague making them completely missable. Others force you to come up with combos and synergies that might not seem immediately obvious. You can break the game's balance if you push it in just the right places.
6 Generate Endless AP
AP is by far the most important stat and resource in Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters. Nothing else comes close to matching it. AP lets you, well act. You can’t do anything without AP, so generating a near-endless supply of it is pretty darn useful. There are multiple ways to generate extra AP, and they can all be used to increase your turn-on-turn damage output. It’s not uncommon to have multiple turns worth of AP, per turn.
The easiest to achieve is by abusing the power of the Justicar. This guy has an ability called Honor The Chapter, which, when upgraded, grants +3AP to any Knight of your choice. You can bring three Justicars and an Interceptor, pump that Interceptor with more AP than should be legal, and watch as he murders every enemy on screen in a single turn.
5 Stun Everything
Stun is a mechanic that does nothing if you don’t build for it and breaks the game if you do just that. Just about every enemy in the game has a Stun stat, and if you deal enough Stun damage to reduce it to zero, they are staggered. Staggered enemies, providing they aren’t bosses, can be executed for an instant kill.
This has way more benefits than just killing some dude, it also generates AP for every squad member - regardless of range. You can chain stun multiple enemies with ease if you combine things like Daemon Hammers, Paladins, and the Apothecary’s Iron Arm ability, easily executing entire formations. Throw in a Chaplain to buff your AP generation, and you’re practically unstoppable.
4 Prioritize Warp Speed Over Everything Else
Outside of combat, you have plenty of decisions to make. These can be dialogue-based, research-based, or the focus of this entry, construction-based. Nestled with the Construction menu is the ability to increase your Warp Speed. This comes in multiple tiers, and can drastically change how you engage with the Sector Map.
The faster you move, the more missions you can complete per Bloom Eruption. At the start of the game, you can maybe get two missions done, but this leaves certain planets vulnerable. If you pump your Warp Speed whenever you can, you can more effectively patrol the galaxy, and more efficiently curb the spread of Corruption.
3 Using Prognosticars Effectively
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Prognosticars are one of the most important aspects of navigation. You don’t have many, however, their power is not to be underestimated. You place a Prognosticar at a location on the Galaxy Map, and then every planet linked to this Prognosticar is buffed.
These buffs start strong and only get better with further research and development. They reduce the level of Corruption, making it harder for the Morbus to flower, they increase the mission timer, giving you more time to reach a planet before the mission expires, and they grant a bonus Stratagem slot. You want each Prognosticar to cover as many planets as possible, as once they are placed, you can’t relocate them.
2 Exterminatus
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If things start looking a bit dire, then it’s time to launch an Exterminatus. Exterminatus requires a lot of time and resources to prepare, but once you have a torpedo ready to go, you can launch it at any planet that is in dire need of purging.
Exterminatus is the last resort - the thing you roll out when you don’t have the manpower to complete a mission. Instead, you destroy all life on the planet and move on. Exterminatus is entirely optional, but it’s worth keeping it in your back pocket. If you let the game spiral out of control, you lose. Exterminatus can turn the tide in your favor - if only for a little while.
1 Turn You Fallen Brothers In Ability Points
Death is inevitable in Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters. This is especially true on hard difficulty levels. It may be sad to lose a Brother who sacrificed himself for the mission, but their story doesn’t have to end there. You can use the bodies of the dead to enhance your living Knights.
This mechanic is not touched on at all when learning the ropes and is also locked being the Stasis Chamber construction. Once a Brother has died, you can go to your Barracks, and Commune with the dead. You can then use the life experiences of your Brother to gain additional Ability Points. You can use this to rapidly increase the power of your Knights without having to risk them in open combat.