Hey gamers, how was the weekend? We're already in the third week of October, and this has definitely been a month of playing a ton, that's for sure. We play a little bit every day and keep pulling out these fantastic Warhammer 40K adventures. This time we're continuing with our PvE side missions, and today we're tackling mission number 8, "Obelisk." The Aurora Project finally has to be destroyed, so our job this time is to take out the power consoles that maintain Aurora's protective fields and cut off its energy flow for good.
Bridge
Right from the start, we have to push across a bridge toward the Obelisk's consoles, fighting our way through wave after wave of Thousand Sons to reach the entrance of the Sepulcher. This bridge section doesn't waste any time getting intense either, the Thousand Sons come at you with that same mix of ranged sorcery and coordinated melee pushes that makes fighting them feel so different from facing down Tyranid swarms. You've got enemies hurling warp-touched projectiles from a distance while others close the gap fast, forcing you to constantly juggle between picking off ranged threats and dealing with whoever gets in your face.
Along the way, we also have to face off against a Brutal Infernal, and this fight alone is enough to make the bridge crossing memorable on its own. These sub-boss encounters have consistently been some of my favorite moments across this whole PvE campaign, and this one doesn't disappoint. It hits hard, moves aggressively, and really tests whether you've gotten comfortable with the dodge and parry timing this game demands once things get serious. Taking it down while still managing waves of regular Thousand Sons soldiers coming at you from both sides of the bridge keeps the pressure on throughout the entire fight, there's really no room to relax until that Brutal Infernal finally goes down.
The scenery crossing this bridge is also something else. You've got this massive structure stretching out ahead of you, with the Obelisk looming in the distance like this ominous, towering reminder of exactly what you're here to destroy. Between the environmental scale and the constant combat, this opening stretch sets a great tone for everything that follows.
Entrance to the Sepulcher
Once we make it across, we have to sweep through all the sons of corruption blocking our path until we reach the Relic of Sacred Light, which we'll need in order to protect ourselves from the corruption of darkness. This section genuinely ramps up the difficulty in a way that feels different from most of the earlier missions. Fighting through here is going to be really complicated, and your squadmates won't be able to stray far from you, which tells you right away that this isn't your typical spread-out firefight.
Staying close together changes the whole dynamic of the combat. Instead of splitting up to cover more ground or flank enemies independently, your squad has to move almost as a single unit, which means positioning becomes even more critical than usual. If someone pushes too far ahead or lags too far behind, it throws off the whole group's ability to hold formation against the corrupted enemies swarming this part of the Sepulcher.
The atmosphere inside is genuinely unsettling too. Everything here feels tainted by warp corruption, with twisted architecture, flickering unnatural light, and enemies that seem to be in various states of being consumed by whatever dark influence runs through this place. It's a great example of how this game keeps finding new ways to make each mission's setting feel distinct, even within what's ostensibly still "fighting through another hostile area." By the time you finally reach the Relic of Sacred Light, there's a real sense that you just clawed your way through something genuinely oppressive, and claiming that relic feels like earning a small but crucial victory against the darkness trying to swallow this place whole.
Facing the battlefield in ruins
With the relic secured, we push forward into a battlefield left in ruins, and this section shifts the pace yet again. Where the Sepulcher demanded tight formation and careful positioning, this ruined battlefield opens things back up, giving you more room to maneuver while still throwing plenty of enemies your way. The destruction here tells its own story too, crumbled fortifications, scattered wreckage, and the clear aftermath of a battle that happened here long before you arrived, all adding to the sense that this entire area has been a warzone for a long, long time.
Fighting through ruins like this always brings a certain kind of chaotic energy, since cover is unpredictable, sightlines shift constantly depending on which chunks of rubble are still standing, and enemies can pop up from directions you wouldn't expect in a more open or structured environment. It keeps you reading the battlefield constantly instead of falling into a predictable rhythm, which this game consistently does really well across its different missions.
This stretch also does a great job of building tension heading into the mission's final objective. You can feel the stakes rising with every step closer to the Obelisk itself, and the increasing intensity of the fighting here makes it clear you're approaching something important.
Controlling the Obelisk's controls to destroy Aurora
And finally, we reach the heart of this mission, taking control of the Obelisk's controls in order to destroy Aurora once and for all. This is exactly the kind of climactic objective this whole mission has been building toward, and it delivers in a big way. Securing and holding the controls means fending off everything the Thousand Sons throw at you in one last desperate push to stop you from finishing the job, so this final stretch turns into another one of those all-out defensive stands this game does so well.
Watching the whole sequence play out as Aurora's power finally gets cut off is a genuinely satisfying payoff, especially considering how much buildup this entire PvE storyline has had around the Aurora Project. Between the Reliquary mission, the Fall of Atreus, and now this one, you can really feel how all these parallel missions have been slowly converging toward dismantling this massive threat piece by piece, and Obelisk feels like one of the most important steps in that whole arc so far.
So, my dear HIVE gamers, we're already getting ready to start what'll be mission number nine for the next post. I hope you're enjoying this series of Warhammer articles as much as I am, because honestly, every mission keeps finding new ways to surprise me, whether it's through combat variety, atmosphere, or just how well everything ties back into this larger story happening around Aurora. See you soon!
