Dawn of War 4 has ten Commanders across its four factions: two each for the Orks, Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus, and four for the Space Marines, split between the Blood Ravens and the Dark Angels. Lion El’Jonson is playable too, but KING Art gives the Primarch a “small but pivotal role” in the story rather than making him one of the regular Commanders.
Commanders are each faction’s hero units, and KING Art says each one “provides a very different flavour to the overall playstyle.” Below is every one of them, with the role and voice actor KING Art has announced for each. Full ability kits arrive with the game on December 3, 2026, so this guide sticks to what the developer of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV has officially described, and invents nothing.
Every Dawn of War 4 Commander at a Glance
| Faction | Commander | Role, per KING Art | Voiced by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space Marines (Blood Ravens) | Captain Cyrus | Vanguard commander: stealth and killing at range | Steve Blum |
| Space Marines (Blood Ravens) | Chief Librarian Jonah Orion | Psychic warfare | Aaron Neil |
| Space Marines (Dark Angels) | Chaplain Ezrael | Rides a bike alongside the Ravenwing | Alex Jordan |
| Space Marines (Dark Angels) | Company Master Astoran | Terminator-armored leader of the Deathwing | Ashley Zhangazha |
| Orks | Warboss Gorgutz | Slow but powerful Warboss in Mega Armour | Brian Drummond |
| Orks | Beastboss Guzcutta | Beast Snagga Boss who later rides a Squigosaur | Joshua Manning |
| Necrons | Chronomancer Thothmek | Bends time to confound enemies | James Alexander |
| Necrons | Ahmnok | Fights with claws, not time tricks | Not announced |
| Adeptus Mechanicus | Potentia Delta-9 | Technoarcheologist with a scouting servo-skull | Jess Nesling |
| Adeptus Mechanicus | Skitarii Marshal Sek-Ix-23 | Buffs all units within range | Richard Reed |
Space Marines: Blood Ravens
KING Art gave the Space Marines “more Commanders than any other faction,” according to its Space Marines deep dive. The Blood Ravens pair opens the story: they arrive on Kronus, their old recruiting world, looking for fresh blood for a Chapter whose numbers are dwindling. Without the resources of a full Space Marine deployment, their missions focus on smaller skirmishes and operations behind enemy lines.
- Captain Cyrus is “the Vanguard commander who specialises in domination-by-stealth, and dispatching his enemies at range.”
- Chief Librarian Jonah Orion “brings terrifying psychic warfare to the battlefield, sowing chaos among the enemy troops.”
Space Marines: Dark Angels
KING Art says that “for the first time in Dawn of War history” you can play two Space Marine Chapters in the campaign. Its story trailer breakdown explains that the Chapters share many of the same units, but the Dark Angels add elite Deathwing and Ravenwing units. The Space Marines deep dive adds that Dark Angels missions reflect their access to “additional, apocalyptic firepower.”
- Chaplain Ezrael leads his highly mobile troops “astride a roaring Raider-pattern bike.” Alongside the Ravenwing bikers, he delivers what KING Art calls “devastating lightning strikes across the battlefield,” a hit-and-run style.
- Company Master Astoran fights in Terminator armor, described as “a powerful one-man army, moving at a slower but implacable pace.” With him, the Deathwing Terminators form “a formidable frontline bulwark, dismantling heavy units with their power fists.”
All four Space Marine Commanders bring their own unique Stratagem, a powerful unlockable ability. KING Art’s examples for the faction are the Thunderhawk Bombing Run and the Orbital Strike, but it has not said which Commander carries which.
Orks: Gorgutz and Guzcutta
The Orks deep dive sets up a rivalry between “the classic Orks and the new kids on the block.”
- Warboss Gorgutz returns from the earlier Dawn of War games, again voiced by Brian Drummond. He goes to war in Mega Armour, which makes him “relatively slow, but incredibly powerful,” and KING Art says he “can be challenging to play but is an amazing fighter with a lot of options for both melee and ranged combat.” The one ability the studio has named is “I’m Out of Here,” which teleports Gorgutz out of danger while his Gretchin leaves a pile of bombs behind in his place.
- Beastboss Guzcutta is a new Beast Snagga Boss, created as “an upstart Warboss worthy of going up against” Gorgutz. KING Art calls him “essentially two units in one”: a super-tough fighter on foot, who later in the campaign unlocks a rideable Squigosaur that makes him faster and adds “a ferocious bone-chewing beast to fight with him.”
Necrons: Thothmek and Ahmnok
The Necrons are drawn to Kronus by a mysterious signal, and their faction deep dive introduces two very different leaders.
- Chronomancer Thothmek wants Kronus’s power “for his dynasty’s wider war effort.” In combat he “wields a devastating suite of chronomantic powers, manipulating time itself to confound his enemies,” and KING Art says he “bends time itself to empower his legions.”
- Ahmnok is the opposite: “much less inclined to manipulate the battlefield from afar,” and “more than happy to let their bloodied claws do the talking.” KING Art’s Year One roadmap calls him Lord Ahmnok.
Adeptus Mechanicus: Potentia Delta-9 and Sek-Ix-23
The Adeptus Mechanicus are new to the series, and their faction post ties both Commanders to a story choice: one of Kronus’s Magos Dominus overseers “has a secret he’d prefer remains undiscovered,” and you choose whether to side with him or break ranks.
- Potentia Delta-9 is a Technoarcheologist who “can dispatch a scouting servo-skull to scope out remote areas of the battlefield.” KING Art says her upgrade paths are “extremely flexible,” so you can grow her into “either a melee or ranged monster.” She is the Commander for breaking ranks and following a different agenda.
- Skitarii Marshal Sek-Ix-23 buffs “not only the units he’s attached to but all units within range,” so he belongs “right in the thick of battle.” Thanks to his bodyguards, he is “the only Commander in Dawn of War IV who’s composed of multiple models,” and attached to a 20-strong Skitarii unit he becomes a target that is very hard to wipe out. He fights as the Magos Dominus’s subordinate.
Is Lion El’Jonson a Playable Commander
He is playable, but not as a regular Commander. KING Art calls the Dark Angels’ Primarch “the very first playable Warhammer 40,000 Primarch to appear in any video game,” then adds that he has “a small but pivotal role in the battle for Kronus, rather than being playable in every mission.” He is not on the list of four Space Marine Commanders, and KING Art has not said which missions feature him. Alistair Petrie voices The Lion.
How Commanders Work in the Campaign and in Multiplayer
In the campaign, KING Art says you take control of “one of two powerful leaders” in each faction, each giving the playstyle “a very different flavour.” For the Space Marines, the choice comes when the Dark Angels arrive: you decide whether to command the Blood Ravens, who specialize in “flexible strategic combat,” or the Dark Angels and their “shock and awe tactics.”
Multiplayer works differently. KING Art’s multiplayer AMA says Commanders are “generic faction units outside of the campaigns,” picked before the match along with your faction and starting position. By default you build them from your headquarters, usually mid-match, and match settings can make them a starting unit or disable them. Every faction also has a powerful Stratagem regardless of which Commander you pick. Our Dawn of War 4 multiplayer guide covers the modes and win conditions.
Other Named Characters
KING Art’s cast announcement names several characters it has not described as Commanders, without revealing their roles: Governor Augusta Vorn (Bethan Bixton Bate), Magos Dominus Nulpherus-1 (Ben Whitehead), Engram (Trev Fleming) and Buzzsnap (Joseph Capp). Toby Longworth voices various Space Marines, including the Redemptor Dreadnought, and Chris Tester voices Orks.
Commanders Coming After Launch
KING Art’s Year One roadmap on Steam lists two free Commander additions: Lord Ahmnok and Guzcutta, each tagged for Last Stand and Crusade, the three-player horde mode and the endless campaign mode. The paid Aftermath expansion, also on the roadmap, adds a new faction that KING Art has kept secret, so its leaders are unannounced.
New to the series? Our guide to whether you need to play the older Dawn of War games explains where Gorgutz and the Blood Ravens come from. If you like this kind of roster rundown, see every End Times Legendary Lord in Total War Warhammer 3, and find every Warhammer guide on our Warhammer 40,000 hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Commanders are in Dawn of War 4? Ten at launch, as announced: two each for the Orks, Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus, and four for the Space Marines (two Blood Ravens and two Dark Angels).
What is the Ork Warboss’s name in Dawn of War 4? Warboss Gorgutz, the returning Ork leader from earlier Dawn of War games, voiced by Brian Drummond. The second Ork Commander is Beastboss Guzcutta.
Can you play as Lion El’Jonson? Yes, in a limited way. KING Art says The Lion has a small but pivotal role and is not playable in every mission.
Is there a playable Primarch in Dawn of War 4? Yes, Lion El’Jonson of the Dark Angels. KING Art calls him the first playable Warhammer 40,000 Primarch in any video game.
Do Commanders have the same abilities in multiplayer? KING Art has not detailed every ability yet. It says Commanders are generic faction units outside the campaigns, and it balances multiplayer separately from the story.
Which Commander has multiple models? Skitarii Marshal Sek-Ix-23 of the Adeptus Mechanicus, who fights with bodyguards. KING Art says he is the only Commander made up of multiple models.