Dawn of War 4 just convinced me to play orcs when the game is released

Between Total War: Warhammer 40,000, Dark heresy, Space Marines 3, Dark Mechanicus 2and two more expansions planned for Rogue Traderit's a great time to be a fan of Warhammer 40K. But among these announcements, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 stood out as a particularly exciting revelation. Although the original 2004 RTS wrote the book about successful Warhammer 40,000 game, Dawn of War 2 and 3 both had flaws that made a fourth entry seem like a pipe dream. Now, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 is officially coming, and it seems like a love letter to fans of the first game.

Four factions do Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 at launch: Space Marines, Necrons, Adeptus Mechanicus and Orks. The Space Marines come as no surprise, although the Necrons do, as the zombie-like robots haven't been playable since the first one. The Adeptus Mechanicus also do theirs Dawn of War debut, having only appeared as a small part of the Imperial Guard faction previously. That said, I will personally jump on the Ork bandwagon sometime Dawn of War 4 drops, and starting Green Tide has never looked so amazing.

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The Orks in Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 4 look like so much fun

In the cruel darkness of the 41st millennium there is only Waaagh!

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 was officially revealed during Gamescom with a trailer that unsurprisingly glossed over Space Marines. But RTS recently shared another CGI faction trailer that showed just how deadly Orks can be. During the cinematic, an Ork Rok hits a Blood Raven ship and puts the Space Marines on the back foot. While reinforcements from Scout Sergeant Cyrus (voiced by Steve Blum) nearly broke up the attack, the Orcs eventually put the Blood Ravens in full retreat with the arrival of none other than Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter.

Long time players will recognize Gorgutz from before Dawn of War game. Yes, aside from Blood Raven's Chapter Master Gabriel Angelos, no other character has made more appearances in the game than Gorgutz, having starred as the Ork leader in Dawn of War 1: Winter Assault, Dark Crusadeand Soul stormand back in Dawn of War 3. The resilient war boss is back with a vengeance, easily shrugging off bolt fire with his Mega Armor and splitting Space Marines in half with his Power Klaw. Near the end of the film, he serves fans perhaps the most orky line ever spoken: “Crash fasta!”

warhammer 40k dawn of war 4 ork trailer gorgutz space marine

Needless to say, this incredible display of brutality is exactly what I was hoping to see from the orcs Warhammer 40:000: Dawn of War 4. Despite taking “heavy losses” from the Blood Ravens, the orcs work by throwing an infinite number of orcs at each problem until it stops moving, so this was a huge win. It's not often that Space Marines can be put into full retreat, and yet Gorgutz and his Boyz did exactly that. I can't wait to see what antics the Viridian Marauders get up to this time, but one thing's for sure: they're going to make it Orky.

Orks are one of the most important factions in Warhammer 40K

Within the universe of Warhammer 40,000Orks are one of the most used factions, especially in Dawn of War. Outside of the Adeptus Astartes, they are the only faction to appear in every single Dawn of War title from day one. In fact, while Dawn of War 4 and Total War: Warhammer 40,000 likely to gain more factions in future DLC, Space Marines and Orks are the only two factions that will appear in both upcoming RTS games at launch.

Warhammer 40,000 factions in every Dawn of War title

Game	Orks	Space Marines	Chaos Space Marines	Aeldari (Eldar)	imperial guard	Tau empire	Necrons	Drukhari (Dark Eldar)	Sisters of Battle	Tyranids	Adeptus Mechanicus
Dawn of War 1	✔	✔	✔	✔	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Winter attack	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Dark Crusade	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	❌	❌	❌	❌
Soul storm	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	❌	❌
Dawn of War 2	✔	✔	❌	✔	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔	❌
Chaos rises	✔	✔	✔	✔	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔	❌
Retribution	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔	❌
Dawn of War 3	✔	✔	❌	✔	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Dawn of War 4	✔	✔	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔	❌	❌	❌	✔

While none can hold a candle to the Adeptus Astartes, only the Aeldari and Chaos Space Marines can match the Orks in terms of presence. But while the Aeldari are inside Total War: Warhammer 40,000they broke their streak of appearing in every single Dawn of War game at the beginning of the upcoming sequel, and the Chaos Space Marines, which were added later in the Dawn of War 2: Chaos Rising expansion, was also absent in Dawn of War 3. The orcs, on the other hand, are always there when it's time for a fight.

warhammer 40k dawn of war 4 ork trailer gorgutz is approaching

But the inclusion of Orks is actually important for another big reason. The grim universe is filled with systematic brutality and Pyrrhic victories, and there are very few examples of true heroism in Warhammer 40,000. In a setting full of sadistic cruelty, callous utilitarianism and mass destruction, Orks provides a unique brand of slapstick frivolity that is desperately needed. While everyone enjoys watching a Space Marine clean house, there's something uniquely endearing about seeing the Boyz's reckless enthusiasm, sloppy technique, and absurd humor when they're back in town.

What do the other Warhammer 40,000 factions want for them?

Although I'm excited to get stuck into Boyz, the other launch factions in the Dawn of War 4 looks amazing too. The Blood Ravens Space Marine chapter has had a tough time in Dawn of War series, so it will be fun to see how and if they bounce back. Their powerful and versatile squads are always fun to play – and being able to focus on a smaller number of units is always a plus when the battles get really hectic.

warhammer 40k dawn of war 4 reveal trailer cyrus necron

After only appearing in Dark Crusade expansion and later Soul stormit has been over 15 years since the Necrons were playable in Dawn of Warso their return is particularly exciting. Their new Power Matrix mechanic seems to work like Zerg Creep in StarCraftwhich should be fun to play with. The heavy and powerful Necrons promise a unique gameplay loop, and it will be interesting to see how they work in a modern RTS game.

Necrons Faction Dawn of War 4 Screenshot-1

But the brand new Adeptus Mechanicus from Warhammer 40,000 fame can be the most exciting thing. Advanced vehicles, noosphere networks and compact bases mean that Dawn of War newcomers may be the new kings of turtling in RTS. The techpriests of Mars sound like they will provide a completely different playstyle than any other faction i Dawn of War story, let alone the other three coming at the launch of the fourth game.

As for future factions, provided Dawn of War 4 do well enough to get DLC, the Imperial Guard seem like a shoo-in, since they already appear in-game as NPCs. Similarly, the Aeldari and Chaos Space Marines wouldn't be surprising, given their importance to the environment and their track record in previous matches. That said, Senior Game Designer Elliott Verbiest personally highlighted the Tau and Tyranids Warhammer 40,000 as some of his favorite factions. Hopefully, Dawn of War 4 is a huge success, so all of these and more may eventually be added to the game in DLCs and expansions.