The First Among Equals honor the Skulls Festival 2026: Ultramarines DLC is out now on Steam, with the base game
Free-to-Try!
The Ultramarines, the noble sons of Macragge, stand as the very embodiment of discipline and duty in Warhammer 40,000. Guided by the Codex Astartes and the legacy of Roboute Guilliman, they are the Emperor’s finest: unyielding, methodical, and unwavering in the face of heresy. “Courage and Honour!” is not just a motto, but a way of war.
Slitherine is releasing a major wave of new content for Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector to celebrate this year’s Skulls 2026 Festival, featuring the new Ultramarines DLC, the 1.0 of the Crusade Mode, and a free week to try the base game on Steam for all players.
The Ultramarines Join the Fray
The new faction DLC introduces the iconic Ultramarines to the battlefield, with a comprehensive roster of units, available for all game modes:
- HQ Commanders: Captain in Gravis Armor, Primaris Apothecary, and Primaris Librarian.
- Troops: Incursors, Heavy Intercessors, and Intercessors.
- Elites: Bladeguard Veterans, Terminators, Aggressors, and the Invictor Warsuit.
- Fast Attack: Inceptors and the highly versatile Storm Speeder (available in Hailstrike, Hammerstrike, and Thunderstrike Loadouts).
- Heavy Support: Eradicators, Eliminators, Redemptor Dreadnought, Ballistus Dreadnought, Gladiator (available in Lancer, Reaper, and Valiant Loadouts), and Hellblasters.
Major Update: Crusade Mode 1.0
A major update brings the roguelite-style Crusade Mode to its full 1.0 version. This challenging new gameplay feature focuses on building a basic army and fighting through waves of enemies to reclaim vital Imperial worlds. The major update includes:
- Players can select three lengths of Crusade, Short (1 planet), Medium (2 planets) and Long (3 planets);
- Each planet has a number of zones, each with a number of battles within it against the same enemy faction;
- Each Zone also has its own unique gameplay modifier and completing a zone gives a significant resource bonus and also a one-off choice of additional rewards;
- The army starts with 1000 army cap, but only 500-600 points worth of units within it. Players are free to spend some of the initial resources to customize the starting force;
- After each battle players earn HQ Tokens and Requisitions equal to the current Income for those two resources. This is shown in red on the strategy map. Income can be increased by some zone rewards.
Free to Try Week
To celebrate the launch of the new DLC and the Crusade 1.0 update, the Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector base game will be available to play on Steam for free from May 21st to May 28th (from May 21st to May 24th on Xbox). This period allows all players to discover the game’s evolving universe. The DLCs will be on sale as well, up to 50% off.
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War
Even Warhammer 40,000: Gladius fans will not be disappointed, as Slitherine and Proxy Studios are releasing the Eradication Pack, which includes exciting new units such as:
- Space Marine – Thunderhawk Gunship
- Adepta Sororitas – Celestine Insidiant
- Necrons – Seraptek Heavy Construct
- Orks – Wazbom Blastajet
- Astra Militarum – Armored Sentinel
- Tyranids – Harpy
- Chaos Space Marines – Noise Marine
- Aeldari – Warp Spider
During the Warhammer Skulls event, the Warhammer 40,000: Gladius franchise will be discounted by up to 50%. Available only on PC, the game will also be free to keep for a limited period on Steam, from May 21st to 28th.
