Five years after launch, Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector just got something most live-service DLC never bother to deliver: a full, standalone faction. The Black Legion pack drops 15 units, a fresh planetary-supremacy campaign map and enough chassis-level variety to actually shift how the late-game plays out – not just new paintjobs. That’s a rare kind of post-launch support for a niche turn-based tactics game, and it matters because it keeps the meta moving and gives long-term players a reason to come back.
The unit roster has been published across outlets and push pages: Chaos Lord, Sorcerer, Master of Executions, Legionaries, Chosen, Chaos Terminators, Havocs, Raptors, Helbrute, Forgefiend, Venomcrawler, Obliterators, Chaos Rhino plus Cultist mobs and a Heldrake as an HQ command option (IGN/Steam/GamesPress all list the same 15). That’s a proper faction template: infantry cores, heavy specialists, daemon-engines and transport/assault options.
IGN and Steam News framed this as the latest in a string of post-launch faction drops — think Orks, Necrons, T’au and others — but the difference here is scale. This isn’t two units and a cosmetic; it’s a packaged army. GamesPress also lists console availability, while the Steam news obviously calls out PC storefront support — if you care which platform ships day-one, check your storefront because wording across press posts isn’t identical.
The streamer Angry Joe got an early copy and played through a planetary-supremacy map live. His biggest takeaways: the new units look faithful to their tabletop selves (venom crawlers, hellbrutes, upgradeable rhinos), the faction plays aggressively once its specialist toys are unlocked, and early campaign encounters can feel fragile while you grind to better units. Crucially, Joe ran into the Necrons and lost a first battle on lieutenant difficulty — not because the Black Legion are weak, but because certain enemy factions (the Necrons in particular) still dominate under AI behavior and range profiles.
That stream is useful because it shows where the new faction lands in practice: fun toys that tempt aggressive play (ping-pong close-combat combos, flamers, ramming rhinos) but also an initial survivability cliff until you unlock heavier assets. Angry Joe also pushed a time-limited discount during his show (he mentioned a 60% off wishlisted promo), which is low-effort but effective: short sales get eyeballs on DLC that might otherwise be ignored on a five-year-old title.
Most developers stop at cosmetic packs or small mission bundles late in a product’s life. Creative Assembly’s approach here (well, publisher/rights-holder coordination with the Battlesector team) is different: it’s investing in content that alters matchup tables, campaign pacing and player archetypes. That keeps the community engaged, and it helps keep Battlesector visible through sale cycles and streams.
The uncomfortable observation: the PR headline is “new faction,” but what the team will have to deliver next is post-launch balancing. The streamer evidence already suggests some matchups feel lopsided and the Black Legion’s early campaign is chaff-heavy until you unlock specific high-impact units. I’d be asking the devs now: will you ship follow-up balance patches and how quickly will you iterate if a faction (or the AI) dominates?
TL;DR: Battlesector’s Black Legion DLC is a substantial late-life content push — 15 units and a new map that actually change how you play. Early streamer runs show the faction is flavorful and aggressive but raise realistic balance questions against AI opponents like the Necrons. If the devs follow up with quick tuning and community engagement, this DLC will be proof that deep, franchise-licensed tactics games can still grow in year five — and that’s the story here, not just another paid add-on.
Get access to exclusive strategies, hidden tips, and pro-level insights that we don't share publicly.
Ultimate Gaming Strategy Guide + Weekly Pro Tips