Another new character event is here in the hit mobile game Warhammer 40K: Tacticus. This time, we have been graced with a new Dark Angels character—Sarquael. Sarquael is the 2nd Dark Angels character to be released after Azrael debuted in the May battle pass. Judging from what we know about Sarquael and Azrael, it seems that the Dark Angels will have some strong synergies among themselves.
We’ve broken down just about everything you would want to know about Sarquael, along with how to maximize your energy and get the most out of the event. Here’s our guide to Sarquael’s Inner Circle event in the best gacha game Tacticus.
A Closer Look at Sarquael
Sarquael is an uncommon character that could have some fun interactions in PvP, thanks to his passive and Overwatch trait. Beyond that, his active ability synergizes well with Azrael and potentially the rest of the Dark Angels. Sarquael is certainly a character that is easy to get during this event, even without spending additional Blackstone on energy, so there’s no real reason not to get him. If you do want to spend Blackstone, check out our codes page to see if there are any you haven’t redeemed yet.
Sarquael’s Traits
Sarquael has three traits, and all of them should be familiar to players. The first trait is Final Vengeance, which triggers upon his death (if not Overkilled) and causes him to make a normal attack against a single eligible target.
The next two traits are what make some people call him a better Certus, as they share these two. The first is Overwatch, which allows him to attack anyone that comes into range if he did not attack the previous turn. The other trait is Heavy Weapon, which increases his ranged damage if he has not moved that turn. This can synergize with Thaddeus’s passive, which increases the damage Heavy Weapon units within two hexes do.
Sarquael’s Active Ability
Sarquael’s active ability is what helps him synergize with the other Dark Angels—and other units in the game that deal Plasma Damage. Supercharge deals damage to a target within three hexes and deals slightly less damage to two enemies in adjacent hexes behind the target. Until the beginning of Sarquael’s next turn, any Plasma Damage attacks will have a +10% pierce ratio, essentially increasing their attack’s pierce ratio from 65% to 75%.
As you can imagine, this has decent potential within Tacticus, not just with Dark Angels but any Plasma Damage dealers, of which there are quite a few. It will be interesting to see if any new team comps emerge that revolve around Sarquael, but it may be unlikely as this ability is a one-time use and not exactly the strongest active in the game.
Sarquael’s Passive Ability
Sarquael’s passive, Grim Retribution, can make for some fun interactions in PvP. If an enemy moves into range and procs Sarquael’s Overwatch, they could potentially get hit again if they decide to attack Sarquael. Sarquael’s passive allows him to attack the first enemy that attacks him or an adjacent Dark Angel so long as there is no enemy directly adjacent to him. Players can easily get punished twice for moving into Sarquael’s range if set up properly.
Sarquael’s Attacks
Sarquael has both a ranged and melee attack—both single hits. His melee is a simple Physical attack with 1% pierce. His other attack is a range-three Plasma attack with a 65% pierce ratio. Compare this to Certus with a similar setup, except his ranged attack deals Bolter damage with a 20% pierce ratio.
How to get Sarquael in Tacticus
There are two ways to get Sarquael in Tacticus, through the current ongoing event or through Requisition Scrolls after August 30th, 2023. Obviously, the easiest way is through the event, especially considering that he is an uncommon character and requires fewer shards to unlock. Most players should be able to unlock him just by completing the event missions and using their daily energy refresh.
A Quick Rundown of Sarquael’s Inner Circle Event
If you had a difficult time with Maugan Ra, you will be happy to hear that this event is a cakewalk compared to that one. Everyone can unlock Sarquael as long as they are attentive and understand the best path to success.
You’ll unlock Sarquael at his base rarity, Uncommon, but can increase his stars and rarity by continuing to collect points during the event. It’s very common for players to get characters to Rare, Epic, and occasionally even Legendary during events.
Inner Circle Dark Secret Points
This event has two forms of currency—Dark Secret Points and Interrogation Notes. Playing campaign battles, fighting in the arena, battling raid bosses, and competing in Tournament Arena all award Dark Secret Points. The amount of points varies based on the difficulty of the battle, whether you get a Lightning Victory, and other factors. You can easily view how Dark Secret Points are awarded by tapping on them before or at the end of a match.
As you collect Dark Secret Points, you’ll hit milestones and be rewarded with Interrogation Notes. You then use Interrogation Notes to unlock chests that contain various rewards, most notably event shards. Collect enough event shards, and you’ll unlock or level up Sarquael. You’ll need 100 in total to unlock Sarquael at uncommon or about nine event chests.
Sarquael Inner Circle Missions
During the event, it’s a good idea to save all of your tokens and energy, as there are missions that award Interrogation Notes for completing various tasks around Tacticus. For example, you might have to win in the arena 20 times, a hard feat to accomplish if you already used all of your arena tokens. You’ll eventually get the tokens you need, but you will have wasted time waiting around for them when you could have moved on to the next mission.
It’s generally best to always focus on completing your current mission. This will help your progress through the event faster and avoid missing out on any possible rewards. If you’re thinking of dropping money on the event, you’re better off buying the $9.99 event pack at the start and progressing through as many missions as possible. This will help maximize the bonus +10 Interrogation Notes you get from the pack.
Maximizing Your Energy
In the same vein that you should always be focusing on missions, you should also save your energy. Unless the current mission requires you to battle in a campaign or you’re about to max out, you’re better off saving it. Certain missions require a day or two worth of Arena or Guild raid tokens; in those cases, feel free to spend your energy as usual, as there is no way you will finish the mission in a reasonable amount of time, and you will fall off the leaderboard.
Serious players should always get free energy by watching an ad and purchasing 1-3 energy refills each day. Maintaining a high position on the leaderboard is essential for maximizing your daily Interrogation Notes but isn’t required if you aren’t interested in going that hard. Casual players—or players uninterested in Sarqueal—will do just fine focusing on missions and spending energy willy-nilly.
Is Sarquael good in Tacticus?
This is yet to be seen. It will probably depend heavily on the rest of the Dark Angels, as he seems primed to synergize with the rest of the crew. It’s unlikely that he himself will be a crucial part of any arena or guild raid team, as Eldryon, Bellator, Maugan Ra, and the like are just too good to be knocked off their podiums.
That said, he could be fun to throw in a Tournament Arena match or theory-craft a Plasma Damage lineup. Players that aren’t used to his passive will almost certainly make the mistake of entering his range, getting hit with Overwatch, and then getting hit with a follow-up shot from Grim Retribution.
Wrap Up
Sarquael is an easy character to acquire during his Inner Circle event. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to unlock him at uncommon rarity, and he may see some niche play in the future with his active ability and passive. He certainly is not an S-tier character, but he will be a welcome addition to any roster. If you’re interested in learning more about Sarquael, check out Nandi’s video on the character, where he showcases his abilities in action and goes into more detail on his stats.
