What the developers have said
The Army Painter is confirmed in the official Steam description:
“Wherever you’re waging war, use the Painter tool to stamp your own unique personality on your fighting forces, as well as the option to use existing factions from the Warhammer 40,000 universe.”
Two more official mentions:
- The October 23 Game Overview post lists “the awesome Army Painter” among the game’s features, next to Skirmish, Multiplayer and Last Stand.
- The November 2 closed beta developer message ends with: “Painter fans, we see you. You’ll get a closer look very soon.”
That last line is the strongest signal: a dedicated painter reveal is planned before the December 3 launch.
What is confirmed
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Painter tool exists | ✓ Confirmed |
| Custom colours / scheme for your forces | ✓ Confirmed (“your own unique personality”) |
| Use existing 40k factions | ✓ Confirmed |
| Works across modes | Not detailed |
| Dedicated reveal before launch | ✓ Promised |
What is not confirmed
- Which parts are paintable — infantry only, or vehicles and buildings too.
- Patterns and decals — chapter symbols, camo, weathering.
- Sharing or importing schemes.
- Whether custom schemes appear in campaign cutscenes — usually a limitation in RTS games, but nothing has been said here.
- Whether the painter is available from day one or unlocked through play.
Why it matters
Dawn of War has a long painting tradition, and the community’s reaction to painter news has been loud — the developers specifically acknowledged “painter fans” in the beta message. For a game with four factions and sub-factions like the Dark Angels, a good painter is the difference between “another RTS” and a game people keep opening between matches.
If you are mainly here for the painting side, the sensible plan is:
- Wait for the dedicated reveal — the developers promised one before launch.
- Check back on this page — we will update it with the confirmed options, not guesses.
- Watch the campaign and multiplayer pages for how schemes show up in play.
For the modes the painter applies to, see multiplayer, Last Stand and campaign.