Top 10 Reasons Dawn of War 4 Will KICK ASS!

Overview

After previewing Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV, Angry Joe highlights ten reasons he thinks it could be a strong RTS and a substantial package for both single-player and multiplayer fans. The campaigns unfold on Kronus and feature four factions: Space Marines, Orks, Necrons, and the newly playable Adeptus Mechanicus.

Top 10 Highlights

1. A substantial single-player campaign

   • The game has four faction campaigns, each with its own units, mechanics, and play style.
   • The Adeptus Mechanicus campaign has 23 missions, the Ork campaign has 21, and Astra Militarum appears in two prologue missions. Based on the other campaigns being similar in size, Joe estimates the game could offer more than 80 missions overall.
   • Branching choices mean players may not see every mission in one playthrough, giving them reasons to revisit the campaign.

2. Co-op throughout all four campaigns

   • A friend can join the entire campaign, sharing the story, decisions, and units.
   • Players control the same force rather than building separate bases. They can divide responsibilities—for example, one player manages the base and resources while the other handles frontline units—or split unit types between them.
   • Joe compares the shared-control setup to StarCraft II’s Archon mode.

3. Lots of campaign cinematics

   • Joe reports more than two hours and 40 minutes of cutscenes across the four factions, with at least 40 minutes of faction-specific material for each.
   • The cinematics help introduce and advance the stories, alongside in-game conversations and events.

4. A new playable faction

   • The Adeptus Mechanicus makes its playable debut in the Dawn of War series, with unique abilities, mechanics, and units.
   • Joe is especially eager to use its large Castellan Knight unit.

5. Detailed army customization

   • Alongside basic color schemes, an advanced painter lets players customize details such as shoulder pads, armor, knee pads, and lenses.
   • Joe says it also appears possible to give individual units within the same army different paint schemes.

6. Full-featured competitive and casual multiplayer

   • Skirmishes support 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3 matches, with games ranging from quick matches of roughly 20–25 minutes to longer battles.
   • The three described victory types are:
     • Destruction: Destroy the enemy headquarters.
     • Domination: Capture points.
     • Maelstrom: Contend over shifting objectives.
   • Teams have separate bases but can share resources. The game is also expected to include spectator mode and ranked matchmaking with hidden MMR.

7. The return of Last Stand

   • In this three-player co-op mode, players choose commanders, build up their capabilities, and fight waves of enemies.
   • It adds support units to the familiar hero-based format; five commanders are planned for release.
   • Joe likens the wave-based action to Gears of War’s Horde mode, adapted for RTS play.

8. A planned Crusade mode

   • Planned for after launch in 2027, Crusade is a turn-based grand-strategy mode about fighting for control of Kronus.
   • Players move forces across the planet and then fight battles, with defenses and veteran units carrying over. Joe says a campaign pass is expected to take 8–10 hours.
   • At the time of the preview, the mode was planned as single-player, though Joe hopes co-op might be added.

9. More mission variety

   • Alongside narrative missions, Joe describes modes including destruction, challenge, race, defense, vortex, domination, and boss battles.
   • Boss fights can be demanding. His practical tips are to look for health pickups, use unit abilities, and manage unit stances carefully.
   • He found the Void Dragon fight especially difficult and thought it might need further tuning.

10. More detailed synchronized combat - Rather than showing special animations only on fatal blows, units now exchange animated blows throughout melee fights. - Joe enjoys zooming in and rotating the camera to watch battles up close, while noting that the animations may still need some polishing.

Joe concludes that the game combines many different modes and campaigns, with additional stories, commanders, and factions planned for the future. He is enthusiastic about the preview but notes that balancing and bug fixes will be important.

Gamers and Sources Featured

• Gamers: Angry Joe (presenter), Other Joe / O.J. (proposed co-op partner), and Alex (who tried the Void Dragon boss).
• Developer and early-access source: King Art Games.
• Games and modes referenced for comparison: StarCraft II’s Archon mode, Command & Conquer: Red Alert, Gears of War’s Horde mode, Total War, and Dawn of War II’s Last Stand.