Look, the Grimdark is messy. It’s supposed to be. But when Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr first dropped back in 2018, it was messy in all the wrong ways. NeocoreGames, the team behind the Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, had this massive, sprawling vision for an Action RPG set in the Caligari Sector. They wanted meaningful cover mechanics. They wanted a persistent starmap. They wanted you to feel like a literal judge, jury, and executioner for the Emperor.
It didn't quite land. Not at first.
People complained about the clunky movement. The loot was boring. The endgame felt like running on a treadmill made of rusty chainswords. Honestly, if you played it at launch and bounced, I don't blame you. But something weird happened over the last few years. While other "live service" games were busy dying or getting abandoned, Neocore just kept... fixing it. They stayed in the trenches. They overhauled the combat speed with the "Touch of the Omnissiah" update. They added the Sororitas and the Hierophant. They actually made the seasonal content interesting.
If you’re looking for a Diablo clone, this isn't exactly it. It’s slower. It’s heavier. It’s obsessed with the lore in a way that’s almost intimidating. If you don't know your Nurgle from your Khorne, you might get lost, but for a 40k fan, it’s basically digital crack.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Combat
Everyone goes into an ARPG expecting to hold down one button and zoom through the map at Mach 10. That’s how Path of Exile works. That’s how Diablo 4 works.
Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr doesn't care about your need for speed. At least, it didn't use to. The original vision was built around a cover system. You were supposed to hide behind pillars, wait for your shield to recharge, and tactically pick off heretics. In theory? Sounds cool. In practice? It felt like wading through molasses.
Neocore eventually realized that players wanted to feel like unstoppable killing machines. They bumped the animation speeds and tweaked the global cooldowns. Now, the game feels punchy. When you swing a Greatsword as a Crusader, you feel the weight. When you pop a head with an Assassin’s sniper rifle, there’s a satisfying crunch that honestly puts other games in the genre to shame.
But here’s the thing: it’s still a "positional" shooter. You can’t just stand in the middle of a room and soak up damage. The suppression mechanic is the secret sauce here. You have a green bar next to your health. If that drops to yellow or red, you start getting stunned, slowed, and knocked back. It turns every elite fight into a game of "can I break their suppression before they break mine?" It's tactical. It's frustrating. It's rewarding.
The Classes: More Than Just Reskins
You’ve got your standard archetypes, sure. The Crusader is your tank. The Assassin is your glass cannon. The Psyker is your mage. But the way they handle the Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr class system is actually pretty deep once you get past the initial tutorials.
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Take the Tech-Adept. It’s essentially a pet class. But instead of summoning wolves or skeletons, you’re constructing Kataphron Battle Servitors and Vivisector units on the fly. You have to manage your data-flux. You’re basically playing a mini-RTS inside an ARPG.
Then there’s the Battle Sister. Added in a later DLC, she’s probably the most "modern" feeling class in the game. She has different Acts of Faith that function like a secondary resource system. You can transform into an Embodied Saint, which is basically a "win button" for thirty seconds. It’s flashy, it’s lore-accurate, and it’s arguably a bit overpowered, but who cares? It’s fun.
The newest addition, the Hierophant, lets you bring along a squad of acolytes. This isn't just about having pets; it’s about being a leader. You’re the boss. You’re the guy who stands in the back and tells everyone else who to execute. It changes the rhythm of the game entirely.
Is the Story Actually Any Good?
Usually, ARPG stories are just "go kill the big demon because he's mean."
Martyr tries harder.
The main campaign revolves around the Martyr, a massive, ancient fortress-monastery that’s been missing for millennia. It’s a ghost ship. You spend the first few chapters exploring its halls, uncovering why it disappeared and what kind of Warp-tainted secrets are locked in its vaults. The voice acting for your character—especially if you play the male Crusader—is surprisingly gruff and fitting. He sounds tired. He sounds like a man who has seen a thousand worlds burn and is ready to light the match for the thousand-and-first.
The game also leans heavily into the "Inquisitorial" aspect. You aren't just a soldier. You have to make choices. Do you execute a planetary governor because he was a bit too slow to pay his tithes, or do you show mercy? These choices affect your "Radical" or "Puritan" rating. This isn't just fluff; it unlocks specific perks and gear. If you go too far down the Radical path, you can start using Daemon-bound weaponry. It’s a nice touch that makes your specific Inquisitor feel like yours.
The Caligari Sector is Huge
Instead of one big continuous world, you have a star map. It’s broken down into sub-sectors, systems, and individual planets.
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It's a bit daunting.
You’ll see hundreds of mission icons. Some are part of the story, some are "Intel" missions, and some are just random assignments. The variety of tilesets is actually decent. You’ve got Gothic cathedrals, frozen wastes, stinking swamps, and high-tech hive cities. It captures the "vibe" of 40k perfectly. The lighting is moody. The shadows are long. Everything looks like it needs a good scrub with some holy water and a wire brush.
The Loot Problem (And How They Fixed It)
For a long time, the loot in Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr was... boring. You’d get a sword that did 10% more damage, and that was it. There was no "build-defining" gear.
That changed with the introduction of Morality items and Ancient Relics. Now, you can find gear that fundamentally changes how your skills work. You might find a boltgun that causes enemies to explode on death, spreading physical vulnerability to everyone nearby. Or a chest piece that resets your cooldowns every time you kill an elite.
The crafting system is also surprisingly robust. You can reroll every single stat on an item. You can upgrade its rarity. You can swap out "enchants" to fine-tune your build. It’s not as complex as Path of Exile's crafting, which requires a PhD in mathematics, but it’s deeper than Diablo 3.
Seasonal Content and the Offline Mode
One of the biggest wins for this game recently was the "Seasonal Journey" feature. Most games delete their seasons once they’re over. Neocore decided to just... leave them in. You can go back and play any previous season whenever you want. This is a massive deal for player retention. If you missed the "Season of the Void Brethren," you can just toggle it on and play it today.
And then there’s the Offline Mode.
In an era where every game requires a constant connection to a server that will eventually be turned off, Neocore actually went back and patched in a full offline mode for PC. This is huge. It means that ten years from now, when the servers are long gone, you can still play the game you paid for. It’s a level of respect for the player base that you just don't see often anymore.
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Why You Might Still Hate It
I’m being positive, but I’m not blind.
The game can be repetitive. A lot of the side missions are "go here, click three cogitators, kill the boss." The enemy variety is good, but you will fight a lot of the same Renegade Guardsmen and Chaos Cultists for the first twenty hours.
The UI is also a bit of a nightmare. There are menus hidden inside menus. Managing your inventory feels like doing taxes for the Administratum. It’s clunky, it’s dated, and it takes a while to get used to where everything is.
Also, the game is a bit of a hog on resources. Even on modern hardware, you might see some frame drops when the screen gets filled with explosions and Nurgle's rot. It's not unplayable, but it lacks that buttery-smooth polish of a Blizzard game.
The Verdict on the Caligari Sector
Is Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr the best ARPG ever made? No.
Is it the best Warhammer 40,000 ARPG? Absolutely.
It’s a game that survived a rocky launch through sheer developer persistence. It’s thick with atmosphere, it’s deep enough to keep you theory-crafting for weeks, and it’s finally in a state where it feels "complete." Whether you want to burn heretics with a flamethrower or summon a small army of robots to do it for you, there’s a lot of fun to be had here.
How to Get Started the Right Way
- Don't skip the tutorial: I know, I know. But the mechanics here—especially suppression and cover—actually matter.
- Pick a "Heavy" class first: The Crusader is the most forgiving for new players. It lets you make mistakes without dying instantly.
- Check the seasonal journey: Even if you’re playing for the story, the seasonal rewards are vastly superior to standard loot.
- Use your "Tarot Cards": Once you unlock them, use these to customize your mission rewards. It’s the fastest way to get the gear you actually need.
- Join a Cabal: This is the game's version of guilds. It unlocks extra buffs and a shared bank. Even if you're a solo player, it's worth it for the passive bonuses.
The Inquisition isn't for everyone. It’s grim, it’s demanding, and it’s a bit weird. But if you can handle the weight of the armor, there’s no better way to serve the Emperor.
Next Steps for New Inquisitors:
If you're jumping in now, focus on completing the "Prophecy" standalone expansion content immediately after the main campaign. It wraps up the story of the Martyr and bridges the gap into the higher-level endgame systems. Also, keep an eye on the "Consumables" tab in your inventory; using "Intel" items is the primary way to find high-tier loot missions outside of the standard starmap.