Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV has four playable factions at launch: the Space Marines, the Orks, the Necrons and the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Space Marines field two Chapters, the returning Blood Ravens and the newly added Dark Angels, and the Adeptus Mechanicus are playable in a Dawn of War game for the first time.
Each faction has its own campaign that feeds into one shared story on the planet Kronus, plus its own Commanders, units and economy. Below is how each one plays, who leads it, the official tips Deep Silver publishes for playing as and against it, and what is not in the game at launch (Tyranids, Eldar and Chaos fans, read on). Everything comes from KING Art’s faction deep dives and Deep Silver’s official pages as of October 24, 2026.
Every Faction at a Glance
| Faction | Commanders | Playstyle | Signature mechanic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space Marines: Blood Ravens | Captain Cyrus, Chief Librarian Jonah Orion | Few, elite, expensive units you upgrade over a match | Drop Pod reserves, Thunderhawk Relay |
| Space Marines: Dark Angels | Chaplain Ezrael, Company Master Astoran | Same core army plus Deathwing and Ravenwing elites | Drop Pod reserves, Thunderhawk Relay |
| Orks | Warboss Gorgutz, Beastboss Guzcutta | Cheap units and buildings, constant aggression | The Waaagh! meter |
| Necrons | Chronomancer Thothmek, Ahmnok | Slow, extremely durable, snowballing | Power Matrix, Resurrection Galleries |
| Adeptus Mechanicus | Potentia Delta-9, Skitarii Marshal Sek-Ix-23 | Fast and ranged, stronger as its network grows | Noosphere Network |
KING Art says the Space Marines have “more Commanders than any other faction,” two for each Chapter, while the other three factions get two each. In Skirmish and multiplayer, KING Art’s July multiplayer AMA explains that Commanders work as generic faction units that you choose before the match and then produce from your headquarters, usually mid-match.
Space Marines (Blood Ravens and Dark Angels)
The Space Marines win through quality, not quantity. In the Space Marines deep dive, KING Art describes “a smaller number of immensely effective, relatively expensive units” that you develop with equipment and upgrade choices over the course of a match. Units like Eliminators and Infiltrators can move unseen while they keep their distance, and the Redemptor Dreadnought brings “unimaginably powerful weaponry” to the front.
Their answer to small numbers is mobility. Instead of units walking out of a barracks, you can hold reserves in orbit and drop them in by Drop Pod, and the Thunderhawk Relay lets you load units and redeploy them elsewhere by Thunderhawk. Stratagems include the Thunderhawk Bombing Run and the Orbital Strike.
The two Chapters share most units, so the Commanders make the difference. Captain Cyrus leads the Blood Ravens as a Vanguard specialist in stealth and ranged kills, and Jonah Orion brings psychic warfare. For the Dark Angels, Chaplain Ezrael rides a Raider-pattern bike with the fast Ravenwing, and Company Master Astoran fights in Terminator armour with the slow, punishing Deathwing.
Deep Silver’s official tips:
- Playing as them: use your 1-on-1 strength to harass early, keep units alive with on-field reinforcements (retreat if you must), and secure points with fortifications, then use Reserves and the Thunderhawk Relay to move troops where they are needed.
- Playing against them: force multiple engagements to stretch their elite forces thin, trade efficiently, and deny them Resource Points, “especially Power. Their units are expensive and require a lot of it.”
Orks
The Orks are the volume faction. The Orks deep dive says they have “some of the cheapest units and buildings in Dawn of War IV.” Per KING Art’s multiplayer AMA, almost any Ork infantry can put up buildings, and those buildings always come armed, so expanding toward the enemy comes naturally.
Their Waaagh! works like an energy meter that fills based on how many Orks you have on the field and how many enemies you have killed. Trigger it and every fighting unit goes into a stronger, berserker-like state, so timing it is the key skill. Orks also level up and gain Veterancy faster than other factions. Standout units include Flash Gitz for ranged firepower, Squighog Riders for fast strikes, and Meganobz that can take either Kombi-Rokkits or Kombi-Skorchas.
Warboss Gorgutz returns from the earlier games in slow, powerful Mega Armour, with an escape ability called “I’m Out of Here.” His rival, Beastboss Guzcutta, fights on foot and later in the campaign rides a Squigosaur.
Deep Silver’s official tips:
- Playing as them: keep up relentless aggression with overwhelming numbers, spread your bases with multiple strongholds and plenty of Waaagh! Banners, and use your Stratagems whenever you can, because “for Orks, they’re free.”
- Playing against them: individual units, especially ranged ones, are their weak point, and their buildings are armed but relatively easy to destroy, so chip away at their bases and punish reckless advances.
Necrons
The Necrons are slow but almost impossible to wear down. Per the Necrons deep dive, your Tomb Citadel produces units, and your buildings spread the Power Matrix, which grows your Dominion resource and heals and toughens units standing on it. Resurrection Galleries bring back fallen units of a type you choose for free.
To offset their slow pace, they teleport. Canoptek Spyders build Tomb Pylons anywhere on the map, the Translocation Science Stratagem moves up to five units across the battlefield, and the Monolith acts as an exit for units held in reserve at the Tomb Citadel. Scarabs are the cheap, fast unit for tying up enemy ranged squads, Deathmarks snipe Commanders, and Doomstalkers bring heavy Doomsday Blasters.
Chronomancer Thothmek manipulates time to confound enemies, while Ahmnok prefers to let “bloodied claws do the talking.” The Necrons do not use cover at all, per the multiplayer AMA.
Deep Silver’s official tips:
- Playing as them: use their resilience to outlast opponents and recover losses through Resurrection Galleries, advance the Power Matrix methodically and fight inside it, and use translocation in the mid and late game to make up for slow movement.
- Playing against them: fight them outside the Power Matrix, hit vulnerable positions elsewhere while they advance slowly, and focus fire to kill units outright, since “it doesn’t make sense to merely wound them.”
Adeptus Mechanicus
The series newcomer is fast and built around ranged fire. The Adeptus Mechanicus deep dive centers on the Noosphere Network, which links buildings, static weapons and units. The more structures you connect, the higher its level, unlocking research and powerful units and making units inside it stronger and cheaper.
Skitarii Rangers deliver the firepower while Ruststalkers lure enemies into melee traps. Vehicles include the Ironstrider Ballistarius, the Onager Dunecrawler and the Skorpius Disintegrator, and an alliance with House Raven brings in Knight Castellans that arrive in Drop Keeps. The Void Shield blocks enemy fire across a huge area, and Auger Vision gives a rough heatmap of enemy activity under the fog of war.
Potentia Delta-9 is a Technoarcheologist with a scouting servo-skull who can grow into a melee or ranged fighter. Skitarii Marshal Sek-Ix-23 buffs every unit in range and is the only Commander made of multiple models, thanks to his bodyguards.
Deep Silver’s official tips:
- Playing as them: build a strong Noosphere Network early and extend it to key resource points, use the Noosphere Level to keep your units on the best technology, and keep enemy melee units away from your firing line.
- Playing against them: send melee units at their ranged units, destroy Cogitator Relays in key spots to weaken the network, and do not try to outproduce them, because “they field both cheap units and powerful late-game units.”
Which Faction Should You Start With?
Go by how you like to play:
- New to RTS or to Dawn of War: the Space Marines. In the multiplayer AMA, a KING Art designer calls them “the most straightforward” faction when it comes to buildings, and Deep Silver’s tips note they “will usually win 1-on-1 encounters.”
- You like to attack constantly: the Orks, with cheap units, armed buildings and a Waaagh! to time.
- You like slow, inevitable wins: the Necrons.
- You like building and planning: the Adeptus Mechanicus. Creative director Jan Theysen said in the AMA that their base-building “feeds my inner city-builder.”
You do not have to choose for the campaign. All four factions have their own campaigns, more than 70 missions in total, playable solo or with a friend, and our release date guide covers when you can start.
What About Tyranids, Eldar, Chaos, and the Imperial Guard?
None of them are playable at launch. The four factions above are the full launch roster.
- A fifth faction is coming, but it is a secret. The paid Aftermath expansion adds “an entirely new faction,” marked for summer 2027 on the official roadmap. KING Art has said only that by the end of the campaign there will be “plenty of scope for speculation on who might benefit the most from Kronus’ new world order.” Any site naming it is guessing. Aftermath comes with the Commander Edition, which our editions guide breaks down.
- The Imperial Guard appear, but not as a pick. KING Art’s posts show Astra Militarum forces fighting beside the Space Marines on Kronus, and the press preview build included an Astra Militarum prologue, but they are not one of the four factions in Skirmish or multiplayer.
- Lion El’Jonson is in the campaign. The Dark Angels’ Primarch has “a small but pivotal role in the battle for Kronus, rather than being playable in every mission,” per KING Art, which calls him the first playable Primarch in any video game.
- Chaos is not in the game. If you want to play as Chaos in a 40K game now, see how Space Marine 2’s Chaos Siege mode works.
Playing Your Own Chapter With the Army Painter
If your favourite Chapter is not the Blood Ravens or the Dark Angels, the Army Painter is the answer. KING Art says hand-crafted Painter schemes for “the most popular Space Marine Chapters” ship at launch, and you can build and share your own designs, usable “across all areas of Dawn of War IV, with the exception of the campaign.” Our Warhammer 40,000 hub lists every Dawn of War 4 guide, and our platforms guide covers where you can play it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many factions are in Dawn of War 4?
Four at launch: the Space Marines (with the Blood Ravens and Dark Angels Chapters), the Orks, the Necrons and the Adeptus Mechanicus. A fifth, unannounced faction arrives with the paid Aftermath expansion.
Are the Dark Angels playable in Dawn of War 4?
Yes. They are a playable Space Marines sub-faction with their own Commanders, Chaplain Ezrael and Company Master Astoran, plus Deathwing and Ravenwing elite units.
Are Tyranids in Dawn of War 4?
Not at launch. KING Art has not revealed which faction Aftermath adds.
Are the Eldar or Chaos playable?
No. Neither is among the four launch factions, and the expansion faction has not been revealed.
Which faction is new to Dawn of War?
The Adeptus Mechanicus, playable for the first time in the series. Deep Silver also bills the Dark Angels as new, and KING Art says this is the first Dawn of War campaign where you play two Space Marine Chapters.
Are the Necrons back?
Yes. KING Art says the Necrons have not been playable in the series since Dark Crusade, and Dawn of War 4 brings them back.