Editing Space Hulk (2013) (section)

== Ascension Edition ==

November 2014 marked the release of a sequel called '''Space Hulk: Ascension'''. It was originally titled "Ascension '''Edition'''", but the devs dropped that word when they realized their DLC had slowly morphed into a completely different game. The engine is almost completely rehauled, now more of a squad-based RPG rather than a dice-centered board game. The Termie roster was expanded to include the [[Space Wolves]] and [[Ultramarines]], your forces have a customizable loadout including unique weapons, perks, and even the ability to use a [[Librarian]] in your team for ''any'' mission.  Similarly, Genestealers also gained the ability to use biomorphs in the same capacity.  Whereas the original game merely just slapped the tabletop game into a videogame, this is now making a game both faithful and incredibly different with its new developments.

First huge add-on: special perks and tools that make your guys a little better, make the game a little easier and generally just take the heat off you. This ranges from little things like taking longer for storm bolters to jam to huge game-breakers like Heavy Flamers with 8 shots per mission. Additionally, as your Terminators get kills they can level up and get stat boosts; of course, if one of them dies then everything you invested in the dead Terminator is lost but that's all the more reason to keep as many of them alive as you can.  

Each chapter has their own perks and special abilities, as well as some unique gear:
*[[Ultramarines]] get +5% accuracy at range, but -5% in melee, and get access to the Cyclone Missile Launcher. However, they have no melee Terminators and their Sergeants can't use Lightning Claws or a Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield.
*[[Space Wolves]] get the inverse bonuses and can't use ranged Terminators, and get access to Frost Weapons, which are marginally better versions of the melee weapons.
*[[Blood Angels]] get no chance to hit adjustments, but get bonus focus points allowing the player the do more with their librarians each turn.They also get a whole bunch of psychic powers only they can use. 

Also, later updates to the game added variant patterns of weapons that give bonuses to certain things and penalties to others; like storm bolters that are more accurate but generate more heat, or that have better heat control but less ammo capacity, meaning you can tailor your terminators to do more specific jobs in the field.

On the opposing side, the 'stealers get their own perks in the form of biomorphs, such as exploding into pools of acid when they die to using flesh hooks to pull Termies into melee range.  [[Broodlord]]s also get to use psychic powers, since the [[Librarian]] is available for every mission (save for the DLC Imperial Fists, who can't use Librarians).

There is a campaign for each chapter, though nothing prevents the player from running through the campaigns of other chapters in any order, levelling up their Terminators before moving onto another mission of their choosing, and the campaigns have branching choices that can lead to different missions later, though generally the plot is a bit thin with little narrative beyond the mission briefings.

There have been three DLC campaigns released so far, as well as an extra mode that randomly generates a series of maps independently from the campaigns: 
*The [[Imperial Fists]] who get improved melee defense, have storm bolters that overheat less often, and can use the Tarantula sentry turret, but do not get access to [[Librarian]]s.
*The [[Salamanders]], who are fireproof, get their own bonus psychic powers, and can have two heavy flamer terminators per squad (usually limited to one), and can use an extra flamer template. Additionally, their campaign adds new features such as rotating bridges and firewalls that can destroy parts of a map. 
*The [[Dark Angels]], who start with higher than normal stats, gain access to Plasma Cannons for their Heavies, and have exclusive access to [[Apothecary|Apothecaries]] as a replacement for either Sergeants or Librarians, which can buff allies' stats and can use a combi-melta or combi-plasma in addition to the standard storm bolter.