Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV just got a fresh multiplayer showcase. Publisher PLAION and developer KING Art Games have released two Battlefield Report videos in which Creative Director Jan Theysen and Senior Game Designer Elliott Verbiest face off in 1v1 matches, one video per faction pairing, so players can see how all four of the game's armies handle before launch.
The newest report pits the Adeptus Mechanicus against the Necrons, and the two couldn't play more differently. The Mechanicus expand their Noosphere Network, reinforce key positions with superior technology, and excel at building devastating defensive firing lines. The Necrons answer by marching their Power Matrix across the map, shrugging off losses through resurrection, and grinding opponents down with pressure that never lets up.
The earlier report is a classic matchup: the elite, adaptable Space Marines against the momentum-driven Orks. It's overwhelming firepower against overwhelming numbers. The Space Marines can obliterate anything in their path with battlefield discipline and raw strength, but give the Orks room to breathe and the swarm grows, surges, and buries you.
Each faction demands a fundamentally different strategy, so which army you pick could be the difference between victory and defeat. Multiplayer is only half the package, too: all four armies get their own campaigns in a story that spans multiple non-linear routes, and KING Art's new "combat director" system builds on the series' famous sync kills, the up-close execution animations that made the original such a spectacle.
Dawn of War IV launches on PC September 17th, with Commander Edition players deploying three days early on September 14th. Both editions are available to pre-order now on Steam at a 10% discount.
The war won't end at launch, either. Year One includes free updates featuring the return of Crusade Mode, new maps, modes, and Commanders, plus a Mission Editor, alongside two major story expansions that deepen the conflict on Kronus and add a fifth playable faction.
That planet name should ring a bell for longtime RTS fans: Kronus was the battleground of 2006's Dark Crusade, and Dawn of War IV picks up 200 years later with Cyrus and Jonah returning to rebuild their chapter. It's the first new Dawn of War since 2017, and the first entry not developed by Relic Entertainment. KING Art (the Bremen studio behind Iron Harvest) has been promoting it as a return to the classic RTS formula since the Gamescom Opening Night Live reveal last August, with fan-favorite modes like Last Stand and Skirmish back in the box.
Which army are you taking to Kronus: Space Marines, Mechanicus, Orks, or Necrons? What's your pick for the faction those expansions add?
Let us know in the comments below!
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