- 'KEY STRUCTURE! The more of these structures you have the faster you will gain Orks and progress up the tech tree.'
Waaagh! Banner
Type
Race
Game
Role
The Waaagh! Banner features 800 Hit Points and like all artificial constructs, it has no Morale. Building each one costs 150 Requisition and increases the population cap up to 20 for Vehicles and 100 for squads. Like all Ork Buildings, Waaagh! Banners have a regeneration rate of +1 Hit Point per second when not engaging in combat.
DescriptionEdit
- Giant banner that increases the rate the Ork resource is produced.
- Also acts as a turret, effective against infantry units.
- Can upgrade its weapons to be stronger or make them effective against vehicles.
UpgradesEdit
- Big Gunz Add-on: Costs 50 Requisition and 50 Power. Upgrade guns on this building from Shootas to Big Shootas. Big Shootas are more effective against infantry. Also increases the damage this building can take, increasing its hit points from 800 to 1300.
- Bigger Gunz Add-on: Costs 50 Requisition and 50 Power. Upgrade guns on this building from Big Shootas to Rokkit Launchas which deals around 10 damage to Infantry and Heavy Infantry. Rokkit Launchas can also disrupt both Infantry and Heavy Infantry and has a small chance of knockback. Rokkit Launchas are more effective against vehicles, dealing up to around +2000% bonus damage to them depending on the type of vehicle. Against buildings, they deal around +500% bonus damage. The Rokkit Launchas they fire are similar to the Wartrak but are less accurate (around 50%). Also increases the damage this building can take, increasing its hit points from 1300 to 1800.
This page contains a list of cheats, codes, Easter eggs, tips, and other secrets for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War for PC. If you've discovered a cheat you'd like to add to the page, or have a correction, please click EDIT and add it.
Glitch - Unit Limit Circumvention[edit]
Verified by Daimon. This is only usable in the multiplayer maps (in fake multiplayer). While you are playing any race you will eventualy reach you population cap. Well the Ork's have found a way around that. Once you reach your pop-cap for the Ork's simply save the game. But heres the Twist you save the game under Orkz. You then exit the game and load the game you just saved. Your Pop-cap will now be at zero, but you will still have all of the units that you saved with!
Cheat Code Warning[edit]
The cheats listed don't seem to work with patch 1.3. If they do, they only work in the skirmish games, and you have to check the 'allow cheats' box in the options.
Dev Commands[edit]
Here's a list of the various console commands: to make them work, you must add '-dev' to the Dawn of War executable line.
taskbar_hide: completely removes taskbar
taskbar_show: display the taskbar after a taskbar_hide()
statgraph
statgraph_channel('fps'): the statgraph commands must be used together. Shows FPS
quit: returns to Windows
cls: clears the console
render_togglerainbow(): hideous colours
render_togglexray(): see-through white textures
render_togglewireframe(): colored wireframe
detail_toggle(): turns on/off shaders
decal_toggle(): turns on/off banners and badges
fog_toggle(): turns on/off brown dust
terrlod_dist( min, max ): changes the distance where models lose detail
terrlod_toggle(): models do/don't drop detail
staticdecal_dump(): dump static decal stats to file
dynamicdecal_dump(): dump dynamic decal stats to file
shadow_toggle: turns shadows on/off
ingame_stats_mouseover_toggle: turns mouseover stat barson/off
ingame_stats_toggle: tunrs stat bars on/off
ingame_select_ui_toggle: removes selection boxes
simvis_cameranearclip( 'meters' ): objects closer than this aren't drawn
simvis_camerafarclip( 'meters' ): hide objects further than this (default: 200 - higher the number, more troublesome will get for your computer)
getsimrate(): gives you current game speed
setsimrate(): modifies game speed
simvis_fx_refresh: screen update while console is up
simvis_list: reads Dataartebps files, lists handler (channel) usage
simvis_toggle( 'ChannelName' ): turns on/off subsystem visibility.
Available channels for simvis_toggle():
EnviroHandler -- ambient lighting
TerrainHandler -- terrain (ground) visibility
SkyHandlerStencil -- the skybox
NISletAnimHandler -- animation for ingame movies
TerrainOverlayHandler -- all ground decoration (not buildings)
TerrainDecoratorHandler -- rubble?
marker_handler -- markers on bridges and in cover.
scargroups_handler -- marks relative poisition of units
AnimatorHandler -- visibility of units
GhostHandler -- infiltration units
ShadowHandler -- shadows
OceanHandler -- water
FXHandler -- special effects (tracers,lasers,smoke,etc)
LightManagerHandler -- dynamic lights
SoundHandler -- dynamic sound (not ambient sounds or music)
BoundVolumeHandler -- shows the boundary box of each model
taskbar_show: display the taskbar after a taskbar_hide()
statgraph
statgraph_channel('fps'): the statgraph commands must be used together. Shows FPS
quit: returns to Windows
cls: clears the console
render_togglerainbow(): hideous colours
render_togglexray(): see-through white textures
render_togglewireframe(): colored wireframe
detail_toggle(): turns on/off shaders
decal_toggle(): turns on/off banners and badges
fog_toggle(): turns on/off brown dust
terrlod_dist( min, max ): changes the distance where models lose detail
terrlod_toggle(): models do/don't drop detail
staticdecal_dump(): dump static decal stats to file
dynamicdecal_dump(): dump dynamic decal stats to file
shadow_toggle: turns shadows on/off
ingame_stats_mouseover_toggle: turns mouseover stat barson/off
ingame_stats_toggle: tunrs stat bars on/off
ingame_select_ui_toggle: removes selection boxes
simvis_cameranearclip( 'meters' ): objects closer than this aren't drawn
simvis_camerafarclip( 'meters' ): hide objects further than this (default: 200 - higher the number, more troublesome will get for your computer)
getsimrate(): gives you current game speed
setsimrate(): modifies game speed
simvis_fx_refresh: screen update while console is up
simvis_list: reads Dataartebps files, lists handler (channel) usage
simvis_toggle( 'ChannelName' ): turns on/off subsystem visibility.
Available channels for simvis_toggle():
EnviroHandler -- ambient lighting
TerrainHandler -- terrain (ground) visibility
SkyHandlerStencil -- the skybox
NISletAnimHandler -- animation for ingame movies
TerrainOverlayHandler -- all ground decoration (not buildings)
TerrainDecoratorHandler -- rubble?
marker_handler -- markers on bridges and in cover.
scargroups_handler -- marks relative poisition of units
AnimatorHandler -- visibility of units
GhostHandler -- infiltration units
ShadowHandler -- shadows
OceanHandler -- water
FXHandler -- special effects (tracers,lasers,smoke,etc)
LightManagerHandler -- dynamic lights
SoundHandler -- dynamic sound (not ambient sounds or music)
BoundVolumeHandler -- shows the boundary box of each model
Cheat List[edit]
To use cheats, hold CTRL + SHIFT and then press the ~ during game play to show the console, then type these cheats in as shown below. These cheats also work online if the game creator enables them in the game options. These cheats require Dawn of War version 1.10 or higher.
- cheat_revealall - reveal all FOW
- cheat_killself - kill yourself
- cheat_power( n ) - give yourself 'n' units of power
- cheat_requisition( n ) - give yourself 'n' units of requisition
Submitted by Subspark
Unlock All Levels[edit]
This cheat requires editing a file, so please make sure to back it up.
First, open up your Dawn of WarProfiles folder and choose which profile you are going to use. Now go to W40ksingleplayercampaignstate1 and open up 'campaignstate.lua' with some type of text editor (I suggest notepad or wordpad). Now you need to change two lines. The 'maxmission = #' and the 'scenario = #'. Just change the # signs to whatever mission you want (the maximum is 11 and both # signs have to be the same). Now have fun playing.
Comments
Community Map Pack IV
Requires Dawn of War: Winter Assault
Download the Community Map Pack IV (26Mb)
The installer is .zipped so will need to be unzipped first. Then youcan run the installer which will put all the files in the correct placeso you can play the maps in Skirmish mode or Online. Thanks to Wargrimfor project management on this one!
The installer is .zipped so will need to be unzipped first. Then youcan run the installer which will put all the files in the correct placeso you can play the maps in Skirmish mode or Online. Thanks to Wargrimfor project management on this one!
We are proud to present to you the 4th incarnation of the CommunityMappacks - a selection of absolute top maps from the community, for thecommunity.
Maps included in pack 4:
One-Player Map
Castle Ruosteinen by Aralez
Two-Player Map
Minos Bridge by Deviant Ghost
Four-Player Maps
Deus Ex Mechanicus by Deviant Ghost
Temple of Blood SE by Fire81
White Silence by Wargrim
Temple of Blood SE by Fire81
White Silence by Wargrim
Six-Player Maps
Artefact by Raiden
Delphinius XII by Acturas
Imperial Manufactorum by TheBear
st Huldrych Causeway by Vol_907
Warwind by Poo
Delphinius XII by Acturas
Imperial Manufactorum by TheBear
st Huldrych Causeway by Vol_907
Warwind by Poo
Eight-Player Maps
Monastery & [Night]Monastery by Fire81
Pummelled Estate by EtherDragn
Pummelled Estate by EtherDragn
Wargrim: “I would like to thank all the people that did work onmaking this pack possible, most of all the mappers and both Fire81 andArgonought for doing the installer and its graphics.”
Community Map Pack III
BitTorrent download thanks to Relicnews
The third installment of the community map pack is the biggest so far, containing 10 new maps. We hope you enjoy playing them.
This installer will overwrite older versions of these maps.
Maps included in pack 3:
Two-Player Maps
Necrontyr Rising by Deviant Ghost
Three-Player Maps
Coral Reef and Inquisitor’s Fortress by monoRAIL
Four-Player Maps
Abbot’s Hill SE by Hangar-8
Apocalypse Later by Ryilo
Refinery by MC Warhammer
Apocalypse Later by Ryilo
Refinery by MC Warhammer
Six-Player Maps
Three Kings by Hanna
Temple of Change by Fire81
Temple of Change by Fire81
Eight-Player Maps
Marinus by FreakNasty
Black Fortress by Rayden
Black Fortress by Rayden
Also included in this map pack are patches for the previous mappacks to fix the ‘pink icon’ bug, where a map’s icon would be missingin the multiplayer lobby.
Community Map Pack II
(Eight fantastic maps packed into 10MB of installer!)
Direct Download Mirror (U.S.) thanks to monoRAIL
Direct Download Mirror (U.K.) thanks to Khornight
Welcome to our second Community Map Pack. As a special treatCommunity Map Pack II contains the winners of the Relic Mapping Contestalong with five other ground-breaking maps that encourage team play andstrategy. Many also include a great deal of custom artwork that pushesthe envelope of map design. We hope you enjoy our newest collection ofmaps!
Important! Please note that we have specialrequirements for this Map Pack and therefore the versions of followingmaps could differ from dowfiles Abandoned Faith, Desiderata Highlands,Arx Haustrum, Water Station. We will try to do updating on dowfiles assoon as possilbe.
Included with this release are:
Two-Player Maps
Abandoned Faith by vs322
(Winner of Relic Mapping Contest)
Sandstorm by monoRAIL
(Winner of Relic Mapping Contest)
Four-Player Maps
St. Mathias Bridge SE by Star Wars Kid
(some nice city fight environment for 4 players)
Water Station by Civik
(Many paths, many possibilties . excellent 4 FFA map)
Six-Player Maps
Gates of Ultramar by Rayden
(City defenders vs. attackers, opens up a new refreshing gameplay)
Imperial Starport by Boots262
(Fight in surroundings around an imperial starport)
Desiderata Highlands by kap
(Winner of Relic Mapping Contest)
Eight-Player Map
Arx Haustrum by gravehead
(Exciting team fighting in a jungle/city environment)
Don’t forget to get Community Map Pack I and install it first for the best experience. (But you can install them in either order.)
Look for Community Map Pack III coming soon!
Community Map Pack Banners
Want to show your support for the Maproom Community Map Packproject? How about putting a banner in your signature or on yourwebsite?
jpg version: 11,184 bytes (lossy)
UBB Code (works best on forums like Relic News forums)
png-8 version: 13,530 bytes (not lossy)
UBB Code (works best on forums like Relic News forums)
Enjoy!
Community Map Pack I
(35MB of maps packed into 7MB of installer!)
Direct Download Mirror thanks to Dawn of War HQ
Direct Download Mirror thanks to monoRAIL
Direct Download Mirror (U.K.) thanks to Khornight
For Warhammer 40:000: Dawn of War. It’s an executableauto-installer file with more information in the installer itself. Allyou need to do is download it, run it (double-click, use the “Run”utility, use the command-line, I don’t care how you do it), and enjoy!It won’t write over any of the maps you already have, but it willadd fancy map icons and minimaps if the map didn’t have them before.So, even if you already have all the maps, you can download this tosuper-charge the maps you already have! No viruses or crap like that.No spyware. Just fantastic Dawn of War maps for you to enjoy.
Important! If you downloaded the Dawn of War Maproom Community Map Pack I before Wednesday, February 23, 2005, 2:00pm PST, the minimap and map icons for Bridge Too Far may have graphical errors. Downloading and installing this patch (248KB) will fix the graphical errors in the minimap and map icons for Bridge Too Far.The full Map Pack has been fixed, so if you are here to download theMap Pack now, you do not need this patch. We regret this error.
Included with this release are:
Dawn Of War Banners
Two-Player Maps
Bridge Too Far by Rendy.[CZech]
(Updated, Final and not available anywhere else!)
River Canyon by Hanna
(A burbling creek, majestic peaks, and this looks like a nice spot to sit with a sniper rifle…)
Four-Player Maps
Archon IV by Acturas
(City fighting like you’ve never seen it before)
Icefields by AngelSaphire
(Updated and not available anywhere else!)
Six-Player Maps
Jungle Assault SE by Rayden
(Updated Jungle Assault is available elsewhere, but this one’s so much easier to install)
Testing Grounds Level 2 by Sps
(If you survived the Testing Grounds, this is the Final Exam)
Eight-Player Maps
Fort Atlantis by kap
(Takes the standard “Square Map Where Everyone Starts In A Corner” to a whole new level)
Kasyr Lutien by Maraschino
(The wildly-popular eight-player version of Kasyr Lutien)
Look for Community Map Pack II coming soon!
Community Map Pack IV
Requires Dawn of War: Winter Assault
Download the Community Map Pack IV (26Mb)
The installer is .zipped so will need to be unzipped first. Then youcan run the installer which will put all the files in the correct placeso you can play the maps in Skirmish mode or Online. Thanks to Wargrimfor project management on this one!
The installer is .zipped so will need to be unzipped first. Then youcan run the installer which will put all the files in the correct placeso you can play the maps in Skirmish mode or Online. Thanks to Wargrimfor project management on this one!
![Dawn Of War Banners Dawn Of War Banners](/uploads/1/2/3/7/123701725/115749755.jpg)
We are proud to present to you the 4th incarnation of the CommunityMappacks - a selection of absolute top maps from the community, for thecommunity.
Maps included in pack 4:
One-Player Map
Castle Ruosteinen by Aralez
Two-Player Map
Sw battlefront 2 2005 maps. Minos Bridge by Deviant Ghost
Four-Player Maps
Deus Ex Mechanicus by Deviant Ghost
Temple of Blood SE by Fire81
White Silence by Wargrim
Temple of Blood SE by Fire81
White Silence by Wargrim
Six-Player Maps
Artefact by Raiden
Delphinius XII by Acturas
Imperial Manufactorum by TheBear
st Huldrych Causeway by Vol_907
Warwind by Poo
Delphinius XII by Acturas
Imperial Manufactorum by TheBear
st Huldrych Causeway by Vol_907
Warwind by Poo
Eight-Player Maps
Monastery & [Night]Monastery by Fire81
Pummelled Estate by EtherDragn
Pummelled Estate by EtherDragn
Wargrim: “I would like to thank all the people that did work onmaking this pack possible, most of all the mappers and both Fire81 andArgonought for doing the installer and its graphics.”
Community Map Pack III
BitTorrent download thanks to Relicnews
The third installment of the community map pack is the biggest so far, containing 10 new maps. We hope you enjoy playing them.
This installer will overwrite older versions of these maps.
Maps included in pack 3:
Two-Player Maps
Necrontyr Rising by Deviant Ghost
Three-Player Maps
Coral Reef and Inquisitor’s Fortress by monoRAIL
Four-Player Maps
Abbot’s Hill SE by Hangar-8
Apocalypse Later by Ryilo
Refinery by MC Warhammer
Apocalypse Later by Ryilo
Refinery by MC Warhammer
Six-Player Maps
Three Kings by Hanna
Temple of Change by Fire81
Temple of Change by Fire81
Eight-Player Maps
Marinus by FreakNasty
Black Fortress by Rayden Typing of the dead not launching windows 10.
Black Fortress by Rayden Typing of the dead not launching windows 10.
Also included in this map pack are patches for the previous mappacks to fix the ‘pink icon’ bug, where a map’s icon would be missingin the multiplayer lobby.
Community Map Pack II
(Eight fantastic maps packed into 10MB of installer!)
Direct Download Mirror (U.S.) thanks to monoRAIL
Direct Download Mirror (U.K.) thanks to Khornight
Welcome to our second Community Map Pack. As a special treatCommunity Map Pack II contains the winners of the Relic Mapping Contestalong with five other ground-breaking maps that encourage team play andstrategy. Many also include a great deal of custom artwork that pushesthe envelope of map design. We hope you enjoy our newest collection ofmaps!
Important! Please note that we have specialrequirements for this Map Pack and therefore the versions of followingmaps could differ from dowfiles Abandoned Faith, Desiderata Highlands,Arx Haustrum, Water Station. We will try to do updating on dowfiles assoon as possilbe.
Included with this release are:
Two-Player Maps
Abandoned Faith by vs322
(Winner of Relic Mapping Contest)
Sandstorm by monoRAIL
(Winner of Relic Mapping Contest)
Four-Player Maps
St. Mathias Bridge SE by Star Wars Kid
(some nice city fight environment for 4 players)
Water Station by Civik
(Many paths, many possibilties . excellent 4 FFA map)
Six-Player Maps
Gates of Ultramar by Rayden
(City defenders vs. attackers, opens up a new refreshing gameplay)
Imperial Starport by Boots262
(Fight in surroundings around an imperial starport)
Desiderata Highlands by kap
(Winner of Relic Mapping Contest)
Eight-Player Map
Arx Haustrum by gravehead
(Exciting team fighting in a jungle/city environment)
Don’t forget to get Community Map Pack I and install it first for the best experience. (But you can install them in either order.)
Look for Community Map Pack III coming soon!
Community Map Pack Banners
Want to show your support for the Maproom Community Map Packproject? How about putting a banner in your signature or on yourwebsite?
jpg version: 11,184 bytes (lossy)
UBB Code (works best on forums like Relic News forums)
png-8 version: 13,530 bytes (not lossy)
UBB Code (works best on forums like Relic News forums)
Enjoy!
Community Map Pack I
(35MB of maps packed into 7MB of installer!)
Direct Download Mirror thanks to Dawn of War HQ
Direct Download Mirror thanks to monoRAIL
Direct Download Mirror (U.K.) thanks to Khornight
For Warhammer 40:000: Dawn of War. It’s an executableauto-installer file with more information in the installer itself. Allyou need to do is download it, run it (double-click, use the “Run”utility, use the command-line, I don’t care how you do it), and enjoy!It won’t write over any of the maps you already have, but it willadd fancy map icons and minimaps if the map didn’t have them before.So, even if you already have all the maps, you can download this tosuper-charge the maps you already have! No viruses or crap like that.No spyware. Just fantastic Dawn of War maps for you to enjoy.
Important! If you downloaded the Dawn of War Maproom Community Map Pack I before Wednesday, February 23, 2005, 2:00pm PST, the minimap and map icons for Bridge Too Far may have graphical errors. Downloading and installing this patch (248KB) will fix the graphical errors in the minimap and map icons for Bridge Too Far.The full Map Pack has been fixed, so if you are here to download theMap Pack now, you do not need this patch. We regret this error.
Included with this release are:
Two-Player Maps
Bridge Too Far by Rendy.[CZech]
(Updated, Final and not available anywhere else!)
River Canyon by Hanna
(A burbling creek, majestic peaks, and this looks like a nice spot to sit with a sniper rifle…)
Four-Player Maps
Archon IV by Acturas
(City fighting like you’ve never seen it before)
Icefields by AngelSaphire
(Updated and not available anywhere else!)
Six-Player Maps
Jungle Assault SE by Rayden
(Updated Jungle Assault is available elsewhere, but this one’s so much easier to install)
Testing Grounds Level 2 by Sps
(If you survived the Testing Grounds, this is the Final Exam)
Eight-Player Maps
Fort Atlantis by kap
(Takes the standard “Square Map Where Everyone Starts In A Corner” to a whole new level)
Kasyr Lutien by Maraschino
(The wildly-popular eight-player version of Kasyr Lutien)
Look for Community Map Pack II coming soon!
Round up the Ork boyz, pledge allegiance to the scarily theocratic God-Emperor, and polish the Eldar webways, because the factions of the 41st Millennium are going to war. Not that they ever really stop. Dawn of War 3 is Relic’s third real-time strategy outing in Games Workshop’s colours, and they’ve switched things up once again. Where Dawn of War was a somewhat traditional base-building RTS, and Dawn of War 2 was all about control over small squads and talented commanders, the third game attempts to marry a little from both; while also keeping its eye on the looming influence of MOBAs on the contemporary multiplayer landscape.
The aim is presumably to satisfy proponents of both prior titles and excite (or keep hold of) those who’ve gravitated towards Hero-centric multiplayer over the past few years. There’s perhaps even a glimmer of hope that Dawn of War 3 could nudge its way into the increasingly crowded realm of competitive esports. But the risk here is that the hybrid approach pleases no-one, and the esports gambit proves as futile for Relic as it has so many others chasing that particular dragon.
Admittedly, not enough esports feature Gretchin being stuffed in vents.
The structure of play in both the majority of single player campaign missions and the title’s one and only multiplayer mode share significant similarities. Whether you’re playing as Orks, Eldar, or the Space Marines (the three factions present at launch), base and troop construction relies on the acquisition of resource points that will then provide you with Requisition and Power. Like Relic’s Company of Heroes 2, there are a fairly limited number of base structures; generally speaking, a couple of infantry barracks (basic and specialised), a vehicle building, and an armory for upgrades. Some, like the vehicle building, tend to be locked off until you’ve upgraded your main command center (or, in the case of the Orks, built more Waaagh! towers).
Capturing more resource points means more Requisition and Power to pump into your base, troop production, and the resource points themselves (creating a cycle of even more resource generation). Single player missions also have cannisters of resources laying around at certain points.
Cover still exists to an extent in Dawn of War 3, but is very different to the mechanic found in DoW2 (or, indeed, CoH2) where almost every wall-like object was a potential blockade. In this game, cover takes two forms; shielded ‘domes’ (usually near resource points) that can be captured and held for major protection against projectiles, and ‘stealth’ areas. Units placed in the latter cannot be seen unless an enemy unit also enters the stealth area, or are revealed by a scouting unit or troop ability of some kind. The lack of much cover, combined with the increased speed with which units can melt away in seconds under fire, turns almost any battle between forces into a set of bloodied corpses much faster than in previous titles. Combat in this game can be resolved very quickly.
There’s no longer a dedicated ‘Retreat’ button, but knowing when to back out of encounters and reinforce squads back at base is still important.
All of that, the base building, resource capture, control over multiple troop units (which each have preferred foes and clear ‘counters’), is pretty firmly in the RTS category. Things arguably get a little more MOBA-influenced with the inclusion and function of Elites, and a couple of mechanics specific to Dawn of War 3’s multiplayer.
Elites are the heavy-hitters of Dawn of War 3, much tougher than regular units and with unique cooldown abilities. Some are named characters (many from prior Dawn of War games) like Blood Raven leader Gabriel Angelos, or Ork Warboss Gorgutz. Others are the more specialised units from the tabletop game, like Assault Terminators or an Eldar Wraith Knight. You take three of these Elites into a match (single player levels sometimes mix this up a bit, but in multiplayer it’s always three), and each one has a ‘summoning’ cost based on their overall strength and qualities. Alongside your Elites, you also select three army doctrines; more on those and the system of unlocking a bit later.
In order to call in one of your Elites, you need a special Elite resource (which doesn’t really have a name beyond that, it’s represented by a purple diamond). This ticks slowly upwards of its own accord but can also be gathered more quickly from Elite resource points. These only appear only in multiplayer and are likely to be hotly contested.
The existence of these Elite units isn’t exactly a big flashing MOBA sign in and of itself (various RTS titles have had special, powerful units since forever), especially as these units do not really level up during the progression of a match. However, the incorporation of more Hero-like figures does have an influence on the design and layout of the handful of multiplayer maps.
Death to all power cores.
As mentioned, there aren’t a huge number of multiplayer maps. Eight in all (three each of 3v3 and 1v1; two 2v2). Due to the nature of the multiplayer mode, they’re all pretty symmetrical.
To win a multiplayer match in Dawn of War 3, it’s necessary to take out an opponent’s dangerous base turret(s) (protected by a shield generator which must be destroyed first), and then destroy their main Power Core structure. Shield generators and turrets appear on the maps in default positions and will often funnel attacks down specific ‘lanes’. You’re likely to see players pushing hard on one flank or the other in order to get at one of the turrets and fashion a route to the Core.
Along with that, matches go through four phases of Escalation. In phase one, you get partial (25%) refunds for destroyed units. Later phases dramatically ramp up the amount of resources coming in from each point (up to 150% at peak) and boost their defenses, upping the stakes for holding and capturing.
This mechanic, in combination with the (partial) lack of cover, the need to destroy default base structures in order to triumph, and the increased fragility of most basic units in combat, all seems designed to push players on the offensive. Turtling and fortifying resource points will only get you so far. Losing units in Escalation phase one is less of a disaster than usual, and making an early claim on resource points will pay off in later phases. But it also means full on rush tactics won’t immediately succeed, due to the barrier of the victory conditions. This aspect appears designed to make exciting comebacks more viable, as the defensive base buildings and the Escalation mechanic delay any definitive tipping points.
Bubble cover won’t help much if a melee maniac like Angelos is on your case.
A little bit of meta-strategy is added by the differing strengths and unit costs of your Elites. Opt for a ‘cheaper’ set and you’ll be able to harass key areas early. A more balanced, or cost-heavy, trio will be more dangerous, but won’t be appearing until later parts of the match (a part you may not even reach if things go poorly).
My experience with live Dawn of War 3 multiplayer matches was restricted to the closed beta weekend, which featured plenty of players (including myself) still feeling their way around the new systems and mechanics. The review build enabled skirmish matches with the AI too, but that’s obviously less instructive than matches against real players. With that in mind, there’s no way of judging longer-term aspects like the intricacies of whether one Elite ability or another is too overpowered and in need of balance. It’s also difficult to be sure if restricting multiplayer to the one game mode will be a problem for longevity, but I suspect Relic will ultimately need to introduce new ones to revitalise matters.
Those who played Company of Heroes 2 will probably want some reassurance over the system of unlocking army doctrines. In short, most aspects can be unlocked at a more rapid pace than CoH2. A caveat here that the review build values may differ from the final release version; but the patch information I’ve seen on that suggests the ‘Skull’ resource earnings for unlocks will actually be boosted. It takes 200-300 Skulls to permanently unlock an Elite unit, and you receive 80-100 from playing a single player campaign mission on Normal difficulty. By the end of the campaign that should leave you with 1,500 or so, plus the small stockpile you begin the game with (this, too, is said to be increased for the final release).
I’m a friend of Sarah Conn … wait, hold on, PURGE THE XENOS. That’s it.
Basically, a campaign play-through should leave you with at least enough to unlock four Elites or so, plus a scattering of army doctrines (which cost 50 apiece at the time of writing). That’s plenty with which to embark on your multiplayer career. If the campaign is of no interest, then earning Skulls purely through multiplayer is absolutely viable too. You don’t seem to get any from playing skirmish matches against the AI, though (unless, again, this was just a quirk of the review build).
Dawn of War 3’s army doctrines are an improvement on CoH2’s rather bland ‘+3% to attack damage’ offerings. You can take three into a match, and they provide units with additional abilities. Things like making your Tactical Marines run faster, or giving your Ork Boyz a healing effect when they loot scrap. Nothing that’s likely to turn a match on its own, but useful stuff to augment a strategy around some favoured units. The main downside here is that the UI for browsing and unlocking these doctrines is incredibly slow and awkward.
Back to the Elites; they also have passive, doctrine-like buffs. When world’s most serious man Gabriel Angelos is deployed, Space Marine Dreadnoughts get an additional shielding effect to their melee slam ability. Level Angelos up enough (Elites get post-match experience) and that ability can become an army-wide doctrine. It’s a reasonable system, though I do foresee some problems with unlocking passive buffs from more costly Elites who, by their nature, tend to see less time on the field.
It may look innocuous, but this army doctrine interface is just the worst.
Broadly speaking, the combined mechanics of Dawn of War 3 (new and old) work as Relic intends. There’s moderate, CoH2-style base building with which to plot a long-term match strategy, control over numerous distinct squads (albeit in slightly diminished roles), more lethal combat, powerful Elites dictating the flow of matches, and the twin inclusions of specific victory conditions and escalation phases giving multiplayer match-ups a more MOBA-like pace. Whether you feel this mixture sounds like a magnificent or horrendous thing, your expectations can be either confirmed or confounded in person by the upcoming open beta.
There are times when Dawn of War 3 struggles to reconcile some of its ambitions with its legacy mechanics. The duel demands of longer-term strategic thinking and micro-management of units have been Relic staples throughout their RTS titles, and that’s also the case here. But the intricacies of (potentially) micro-managing up to three Elites, and a collection of maybe seven or eight different line unit types (all with their own unique abilities), doesn’t always gel with the hectic new pace of combat. This is partially a factor that will end up defining the more skillful players (fine), but is also a consequence of how the game communicates information.
When your lads are melting under sustained fire, it can be extraordinarily difficult to pick out the exact squad you want to (say) pull off a counter ability. The particle effects in large encounters make it pretty impossible to tell what’s going on beyond ‘massive explosions everywhere,’ and while there are (well realised, but tiny) unit cards to select, it’s not going to help much when you have four identical troop cards from which to pick in order to get the right one. It’s as if half of the mechanics are designed around giving each unit unique skills and intricate, interconnected abilities (all great stuff), but the other half wants you to see pretty light shows and ensure combat encounters are never prolonged affairs. The two don’t always sit well together.
In more restrained skirmishes the fancy effects work out just fine.
Unit abilities become much more situational, or fade in relevance once the phases escalate beyond scattered encounters between early game squads and the Elites take over. That’s not a ruinous flaw, but it does seem as if some of the troop abilities were designed around a more sedate game.
It would also help to have a better visual indicator of which upgrades or skills (if any) opposing units have at their disposal.
Where Dawn of War 3’s player support does come shining through, though, is with audio cues. If your isolated units get into a scrap, you’ll hear about it from your faction narrator along with an approximation of where it’s happening. Being alerted to “encounter with small enemy force, south” is extremely helpful when your eyes are wandering over five different other things at once.
The overall graphical approach hasn’t joyously received in all quarters, but the aesthetics of the three factions come across well. Particularly the Orks, who were always a little Mad Max in their design, but are now explicitly so. Their faction mechanics revolve around scavenging scrap, so it’s only appropriate that their buildings and vehicles all look they were bodged together by eccentric Mek Boyz.
As tends to be the case in Relic’s RTS releases, the single player campaign doubles as a kind of extended tutorial (at least until the half-way point of the 17 missions), and does a solid job introducing the distinctions between the factions. The broad strokes design providing the diversity between faction types works well, and is integrated into the early missions as instructive lessons. Orks, as noted, can (and should) upgrade units with scrap, which is either generated by special Waaagh! Towers or by blowing things up. Their Gretchin builders can also create vehicles from larger scrap piles at reduced cost.
Eldar, meanwhile, are focused on clever mobility. They can quite literally teleport entire base structures around the battlefield if desired, and make deft use of Webway portals to both bolster nearby shielded troops and provide an astral tunnel back to camp. The Space Marines are a more standard military set-up, but allow units to be constructed and delivered through drop pods. They also have a chapter banner that can be temporarily planted as a buff (unless you’re sloppy enough to allow it to be captured).
Not every level of the Dawn of War 3 campaign is a total success. Some feel a little too close to just being basic AI skirmishes with a sprinkling of unique narration. One experiment with stealth (of which the second half of the level is literally just running your Elite unit to an exit) doesn’t really work at all. There’s an over-reliance on endless waves of AI troops too, albeit probably as a way to hammer home the importance of setting up a solid defensive position. For the most part though, you’re led through a suitably over-the-top Warhammer 40K tale of pious, xeno-purging Space Marines, smash-happy Orks, and an Eldar force embroiled in political intrigue.
To address some other faction rumours in a vague fashion: wait around after the campaign for a post-credits tease.
Not the most thrilling screenshot, but hopefully one of some use.
PC performance seems better than Company of Heroes 2 (with which I could never seem to find anywhere near a consistent 60fps across three separate PC upgrades). I was playing this on an i5-6600 / 16GB RAM / 4GB 380X machine, and settled on the graphics settings above to get something approaching a steady 60fps. It wasn’t constant here either, and did dip into the 40-50 range when things devolved into particle effect madness. A more robust GPU would have prevented that, I’d imagine.
My biggest grudge against Dawn of War 3 on the PC options front is Relic’s continuing refusal to allow any sort of in-game key rebinding. It’s their hotkey system or bust; and you’d be well advised to check the digital manual for a list of useful commands (Home key to quickly focus on your base, for example), because they’re certainly not going to list those in the game itself. Their default hotkey layout isn’t awful or anything, but it’s such a weird, stubborn stance to bar any customisation. It can take a while to drill staples like WASD camera controls out of your mind (you can, admittedly, still use Alt + WASD to do that).
Retaining traditional mechanics while still seeking inspiration from (and successfully incorporating) popular genre developments is a skill akin to threading a Deffcopter through a maelstrom of Lascannon fire, but Dawn of War 3 has just about pulled it off. The RTS heart of long-term strategic thinking married to close-control of multiple units in situational encounters is still happily beating away. Integration of the MOBA-like aspects is strongest in the case of Elites (since MOBA ‘Heroes’ evolved from an RTS that shouldn’t be too surprising), and weakest when it’s restricting the game’s multiplayer victory requirements. Increased lethality of combat, and some difficulties in picking out units, also risks superseding some of the (otherwise rather neat) individual troop abilities. Eight multiplayer maps and one mode feels rather lean, but an entertaining single player campaign, distinctive faction design, and multiplayer mechanics which end up striding more often than they stumble give Dawn of War 3 a fortified beachhead from which to press forward.