Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV launches on 3 December 2026 with four playable factions: Space Marines, Orks, Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus. The Space Marines are split into two chapters, the Blood Ravens and the Dark Angels. Every faction gets two commanders, the Space Marines get four. Below you will find how developer KING Art Games describes each faction in its official Steam deep dives and on the game’s website: mechanics, units and commanders. The game is not out yet, so this is the developers’ description as of 10 November 2026, not a tested balance verdict.
Dawn of War 4 factions at a glance
Each faction is built to play differently, and the developers have spent a separate Steam post on every one of them. The comparison below is based on those announcements:
| Faction | Playstyle according to the developers | Key mechanic | Commanders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space Marines | elite army, fewer but expensive units, deep wargear upgrades | orbital reserves via Drop Pod, Thunderhawk Relay | Cyrus, Jonah Orion (Blood Ravens), Ezrael, Astoran (Dark Angels) |
| Orks | cheapest units and buildings, fast expansion | Waaagh!, fast Veterancy, free Stratagems | Gorgutz, Guzcutta |
| Necrons | slow but resilient expansion | Power Matrix, Resurrection Galleries, teleports | Thothmek, Ahmnok |
| Adeptus Mechanicus | fast and strong at range | Noosphere Network, Void Shield, Auger Vision | Potentia Delta-9, Sek-Ix-23 |
All factions share Stratagems, powerful abilities borrowed from the tabletop game and paid for with command points. According to the developers, every faction has at least one Stratagem no matter which commander you pick. Adeptus Mechanicus is playable in the series for the very first time, and the Dark Angels are new to Dawn of War too. Orks and Blood Ravens are series regulars, while the Necrons have not been playable since Dark Crusade.
Space Marines: Blood Ravens and Dark Angels
The developers pitch the Space Marines as the elite faction. You field fewer units, but each one is expensive and can be upgraded deeply with wargear. Part of your army waits in orbit as a reserve and drops onto the battlefield by Drop Pod. The Thunderhawk Relay moves units around the map. Stratagems include the Thunderhawk Bombing Run and Orbital Strike.
Units shown in the Space Marines deep dive include Eliminators, Infiltrators, who are invisible at range, and the Redemptor Dreadnought.
The commanders are split by chapter:
- Captain Cyrus (Blood Ravens) is a Vanguard focused on stealth and ranged combat.
- Chief Librarian Jonah Orion (Blood Ravens) relies on psychic powers.
- Chaplain Ezrael (Dark Angels) rides a Raider-pattern bike as part of the Ravenwing.
- Company Master Astoran (Dark Angels) wears Terminator armour and belongs to the Deathwing.
The official website’s advice for playing against Space Marines: deny them Power. In the Space Marines campaign you play both chapters, more on that in our campaign guide.
Orks: Waaagh! and cheap expansion
According to the developers, Orks have the cheapest units and buildings and are rewarded for expanding quickly. Their signature mechanic is the Waaagh!. The meter fills based on how many Orks you have on the field and how many enemies they kill, and once triggered your units hit harder. Ork units also gain Veterancy fast.
Ork buildings are armed and almost any infantry unit can build them. Orks can even build their own cover. Their Stratagems cost nothing. Units revealed so far include Flash Gitz, Squighog Riders, Meganobz with Kombi-Rokkits or Kombi-Skorchas, and Slugga Boyz.
- Warboss Gorgutz returns from the earlier games in Mega Armour with his “I’m Out of Here” ability. Brian Drummond voices him again.
- Beastboss Guzcutta leads the Beast Snagga and later rides a Squigosaur.
Necrons: Power Matrix and resurrection
The developers describe Necron expansion as slow but resilient. Everything starts with the Tomb Citadel and the Power Matrix. Necrons can only build on it, and the Power Matrix generates their Dominion resource and empowers their units. Resurrection Galleries bring back a fallen unit of your chosen type for free.
Necrons teleport a lot: through the Tomb Pylon, Canoptek Spyders, the Translocation Science Stratagem that moves up to five units, and the Monolith with its Eternity Gate. They do not use cover. Units shown so far include Scarabs, Deathmarks and the Doomstalker.
- Chronomancer Thothmek manipulates time.
- Ahmnok is the melee commander.
The official tip for facing Necrons: fight them away from their Power Matrix.
Adeptus Mechanicus: new to the series
According to the developers, Adeptus Mechanicus is fast and strong at range. Its core is the Noosphere Network, which links buildings and units. Higher network levels unlock new units and research, and units inside the network become stronger and cheaper. The faction also brings a Void Shield, Auger Vision, which hints at enemy movement under the fog of war, and can call in a Knight Castellan of House Raven through the Drop Keep.
Units include Ruststalkers, Skitarii Rangers, the Ironstrider Ballistarius, Onager Dunecrawler and Skorpius Disintegrator. Adeptus Mechanicus also builds its own garrisonable structures.
- Technoarcheologist Potentia Delta-9 comes with a servo-skull and is flexible at close and long range.
- Skitarii Marshal Sek-Ix-23 provides buffs and is the only commander made up of several models.
Against Adeptus Mechanicus, the official website recommends destroying their Cogitator Relays.
Commanders in multiplayer
In multiplayer, commanders are generic faction units rather than campaign characters. You choose them before the match and produce them from your HQ. Match settings let you have commanders available from the start or switch them off entirely. Which modes are available at launch is covered in our game modes guide.
Which faction to pick is a question of taste for now, not power. The game is not out and the developers plan to adjust multiplayer balance after launch based on data and feedback. The official “How to play” and “How to play against” tips for each faction are on dawnofwar4.com.
A fifth faction in the Aftermath DLC
The paid Aftermath DLC adds a campaign expansion and a new, fifth playable faction. The developers are deliberately keeping its identity secret, and we will add it here once it is official. Everything else planned after launch is in our DLC and roadmap article, and the big picture is in our game overview.
Join our Discord and talk factions with other players before the first battle: GamersTogether Discord.
FAQ
Four playable factions: Space Marines, Orks, Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus. The Space Marines have two chapters, the Blood Ravens and the Dark Angels.
Yes. The paid Aftermath DLC adds a fifth playable faction, but the developers have not said which one.
Two, while the Space Marines have four: Cyrus and Jonah Orion for the Blood Ravens, Ezrael and Astoran for the Dark Angels.
Yes, this is the first time Adeptus Mechanicus is playable in the Dawn of War series. The Dark Angels are new to the series as well.
Nobody can say yet. The game launches on 3 December 2026 and the developers will tune balance after launch based on data and feedback.
Information verified on 10 November 2026. We will update this article after launch. More guides are waiting in our guides section.