Dawn of War 4 Multiplayer Deep Dive Pits Space Marines Against Orks
King Art Games and Deep Silver have now shown off all four playable armies in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV multiplayer, releasing a second Battlefield Report that pits the Adeptus Mechanicus against the Necrons just a week after the first video showcased the Space Marines against the Orks. Last week’s Battlefield Report introduced the elite, adaptable Space Marines against the momentum-driven Orks, while this week’s shifts to the defensive, technology-focused Adeptus Mechanicus versus the relentless Necrons, continuing the display of Dawn of War IV’s four distinct multiplayer factions. Together, the two videos give the clearest picture yet of how the RTS revival’s economy and combat systems will play out online ahead of its September launch.
Space Marines vs. Orks: A Full 1v1 Battlefield Report
The opening Battlefield Report, released the previous week, ran a complete 1v1 match rather than a scripted highlight reel. In the video, Creative Director Jan Theysen faces off against his Senior Game Designer Elliott Verbiest, with Theysen commanding the Space Marines and Verbiest taking the Orks. The developers played it straight rather than staging a scripted showcase.
As expected, the Orks had to rely on numerical superiority to prevail against the powerful Space Marines, and in one-on-one combat the Orks started out too weak, though they were designed to grow stronger as the match progressed. In the end, the Orks failed to stage a comeback from their weakened position, and the Space Marines eventually reduced their bases to rubble and ashes, even after the Orks unexpectedly set up a second headquarters. Deep Silver’s own recap of the clash frames it in similar terms: the match showcases a battle defined by map control and momentum, where the Space Marines can bring overwhelming firepower, but if the Orks are allowed to build up their numbers, the tide of war can spiral in their favour quickly.
Waaagh! Meters, Drop Pods and a New Universal Commander System
The mechanical gulf between the two factions was the real headline. With the Orks, all infantry units can construct buildings that are quite inexpensive, letting them spread across the map quickly and set up small bases almost anywhere on the fly, while the Space Marines are equally good at defending by sending buildings from orbit down to the planet’s surface and can train units as reserves before instantly deploying them into the thick of battle using Drop Pods.
Deep Silver’s own developer blog dug deeper into the Ork faction’s signature system, the Waaagh! meter. The mechanic acts a little bit like an energy meter that fills up based on the number of Orks on the battlefield and the number of enemies killed, and once activated, every fighting unit enters something like a berserker state, becoming more excited and much stronger. The same post confirmed that Flash Gitz are incredibly powerful ranged infantry units that pack massed bullet-spewing snazzguns, while the mounted Squighog Riders move relatively quickly across the battlefield before striking with their Stikka spears.
Elsewhere, veteran fans of the series will notice a structural change to how heroes work online. A notable change for series veterans is the new commander system, as in Skirmish and Multiplayer modes commanders will be universal characters rather than unique heroes, a shift from earlier builds, while research mechanics have also been streamlined to require only time to complete rather than consuming resources. The showcased match was also fought on one of the game’s smallest maps, though developers have confirmed that much larger battlefields will be available at release.
Adeptus Mechanicus and Necrons Complete the Faction Reveal
The follow-up Battlefield Report swapped the melee-heavy brawl for a more technical duel. The video runs through two 1v1 multiplayer matches demonstrating how each faction’s unique mechanics shape different strategic approaches, with the Adeptus Mechanicus focused on expanding the Noosphere Network, reinforcing defensive positions with advanced technology and establishing powerful firing lines, while the Necrons advance across the battlefield by extending their Power Matrix, using resurrection mechanics to recover from losses and maintaining constant offensive pressure. Together with the Space Marines and Orks, that gives Deep Silver a complete four-way roster ready for scrutiny before launch.
Release Window, Editions and a Full Year of Post-Launch Content
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV launches September 17, 2026, with players who purchase the Commander Edition able to start three days early on September 14 through an early unlock, and both editions currently available to pre-order at a 10% discount. Interest already looks healthy: the game has already been added to over one million Steam wishlists ahead of release.
Deep Silver has also laid out what comes after launch day. King Art Games confirmed Year One plans, including free updates with Crusade Mode, new maps, modes, Commanders, and the Mission Editor, alongside two major story expansions that will expand the conflict on Kronus and add a new playable faction.
The project marks a change of hands for a franchise with a long pedigree. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV has been entrusted to Iron Harvest developer King Art Games and publisher Deep Silver, a new leaf for a franchise created by Relic Entertainment back in 2004 that defined a real-time strategy style built around controlling the map and battlefield rather than heavy resource gathering. Games Workshop organised King Art’s involvement some time before Iron Harvest’s 2020 release, while Relic itself has since gone independent through an investor buyout in 2024 and released a remastered version of the original Dawn of War last August.
For Australian and New Zealand RTS fans, the PC-only, Steam-based launch means no regional lock-outs to worry about, though as with any online-focused strategy release, local ping to overseas matchmaking pools will be worth watching once servers go live for competitive 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3 play.
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