Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 4 – Did We Just Summon the RTS Sequel We Actually Wanted (After All These Years)?

AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·

Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 4 – Did We Just Summon the RTS Sequel We Actually Wanted (After All These Years)?

A tantalizing glimpse into *Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 4* suggests it's finally the classic RTS sequel fans have craved for two decades, blending the original's core appeal with modern refinements and glorious 40K spectacle.

Right, so imagine you've been fiddling with a spell for ages, trying to get it just right, and it either blows up in your face (looking at you, DoW3) or works, but in a way that’s... well, a bit too *precise* (hello, DoW2). But then, suddenly, a new incantation pops up, and it’s not just powerful, it’s exactly what the ancient texts promised. That, my friends, is the vibe I’m getting from *Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 4*, which, by all accounts, feels like the true, long-lost sequel to the original RTS masterpiece. After two decades of waiting, shifting genres, and a bit of industry head-scratching, reckon we might just have the real deal on our hands.

For those of us who cut our teeth on the original *Dawn of War* – you know, the one that turned mundane resource gathering into a glorious game of 'capture the points or die trying' – the journey since has been… interesting. DoW 2 swung hard into a more squad-based, tactical affair. Perfectly good game, mind you, but it left a gaping, base-building, army-spamming hole in the hearts of traditional RTS fans. Then came DoW 3, a brave but perhaps ill-advised experiment that tried to mix classic RTS with MOBA mechanics. I'll give Relic credit for trying something new, truly, but the gaming gods (and player base) were not amused. It felt like watching a wizard try to combine a fireball with a healing potion – technically possible, but who asked for it?

And that's why *Dawn of War 4*'s announcement at Gamescom's Opening Night Live hit differently. It was surprising, because after DoW 3’s less-than-stellar reception and Relic's subsequent regrouping, you'd think the series would be banished to the Warp for a good long while. But then, it was also utterly inevitable, wasn't it? This is the cycle of pop culture, innit? You get a glorious original, then a bunch of experimental, trend-chasing follow-ups, everyone gets a bit miffed, and then, *tada!* The triumphant return, promising to bring back all the good bits. The big question, as always, is whether they actually pull it off or just re-package the same old spell with a new label.

Well, based on a single mission I've been tinkering with, KING Art Games (the new digital sorcerers at the helm) might just be pulling it off. Fair dinkum, I've replayed that one skirmish about half a dozen times because it’s just *that* good. Picture it: classic base-building, massive armies clashing, grimdark aesthetics, and enough gore to make a Blood God proud. Big special units? Check. Customisable skirmishes, co-op, proper online multiplayer, and an army painter? Aye, and then some. Flashy visual effects, thunderous guns, and the return of bloody Gorgutz? You bet your bolter!

The core loop feels like a proper modernisation of the original. We're talking Space Marines (the venerable Blood Ravens) dropping in via utterly destructive drop pods, laying waste to low-level Orks. A neat tweak: Space Marines feel properly durable here, making them expensive but vital units to preserve, echoing some of the tactical resource management from Relic’s *Company of Heroes*. Units have a retreat function, letting you pull them back to base to reinforce, which is crucial when every Space Marine feels like a precious, mini-tank. And get this – no builder units for the Marines. Buildings just pop into existence from a universal menu. It's streamlined, like a wizard who finally learned to summon a castle with a flick of the wrist instead of drawing every brick.

Resource-wise, it's a familiar dance but with a subtle twist. You're still claiming static requisition points, but power now comes from specific power nodes on the map, not just generators you plonk down at your base. This felt like a smart nod to *Company of Heroes*' resource split, adding another layer of strategic decision-making – do you push for more manpower, or secure that vital fuel for your late-game war machines? Each faction also gets its own flavour of special resource: Orks have Waaagh (obviously!), Space Marines earn a resource for doing well that fuels epic stratagems like the wonderfully devastating Orbital Bombardment (though I've got a healthy suspicion that’ll be harder to spam in a full game, mind you). Necrons have their power matrix, and the Adeptus Mechanicus use 'cogitator relays' to boost their network. It promises a lovely asymmetry in playstyles, which is always a good sign.

And when the combat gets going, mate, it’s an absolute riot. The guns in *DoW 4* sound sensational. Seriously, every blast, every splat, every *Dug-dug-dug-dug* from a heavy bolter is pure auditory bliss. Beyond the glorious sound design, there’s a refined micro-management layer. Upgrading weapons on the fly, toggling Dreadnoughts between ranged missile barrages and up-close melee brawling, using grenades – it’s all there, more accessible than ever. And then you’ve got the 'combat director,' a genuinely ambitious feature that choreographs all melee animations. It's pure visual spectacle, watching two squads clash in a beautiful, brutal digital ballet. Now, it's an early build, so there were a few moments where units felt a bit 'sticky,' and performance chugged slightly, but if KING Art can polish this, it'll set a new standard for RTS combat animations. Truly, I might not be able to look at other RTS games the same way.

The Space Marines also have a cunning extra layer of depth: a temporary 'zealous combat fervour' bar that fills up as they lose squadmates and kill foes. It encourages aggressive play, making you push units into the thick of it, knowing that if they survive long enough, they'll become even more potent. Combine that with veterancy (another *CoH* nod) and devastating end-game units like Terminators, and you’ve got a force that feels incredibly powerful – a true embodiment of the Emperor's finest.

The map design I saw was smartly asymmetrical, pushing you to think about flank control versus central dominance. And the spectacle? Bloody hell, it’s everywhere. Huge army scales, comically oversized buildings, turrets that look like they could level a small city. Necrons zap with ominous terror, Ad-Mechs clunk with metallic menace, Orks swarm like a green tide. It is, quite simply, the most *40K* a game has felt in ages. Grim, dark, and utterly glorious.

Now, if there's one tiny, almost heretical whisper in the back of my digital brain, it's that this slice felt a little light on the original’s particular brand of campiness. I know, I know, 'grimdark' and all that, but *Warhammer* – especially *40K* – has always had a wonderfully absurd, over-the-top core. I'm craving a bit of that ludicrous, scenery-chewing line delivery that made the first game so quotable. Still, Gorgutz is back, and we've got Gretchins, so there's always hope for a dash of comedic mayhem.

And hope, really, is the big takeaway here. After so many detours and, dare I say, missteps for the genre, *Dawn of War 4* feels like a genuine, triumphant return. It's a proper base-building, army-commanding RTS that understands what made the original sing. KING Art Games seems to have found the right spell, and if they can stick this landing, we might just be looking at a renaissance for classic RTS, mate.

Original thoughts and insights for this preview first appeared on Eurogamer. You can find their full article titled 'I've played Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 4, and it feels like the sequel to the original that RTS fans always wanted' published on August 20, 2025.

Tags: RTS, Warhammer 40K, PC Gaming, Strategy, Game Previews

Original article: Eurogamer