The four factions at a glance
| Faction | Playstyle | Signature mechanic | Official counter-advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space Marines | Elite, low unit count, high quality | Fortifications, Reserves and the Thunderhawk Relay for mobility | Stretch them across multiple fights; deny Power |
| Orks | Numbers, aggression, map pressure | Waaagh! Banners, multiple strongholds, free Stratagems | Punish reckless advances; chip their armed buildings |
| Necrons | Slow, resilient, snowballing | Power Matrix, Tomb Citadel, Resurrection Galleries | Fight outside the Matrix; kill units outright |
| Adeptus Mechanicus | Ranged firepower, territory control | Noosphere Network and Noosphere research levels | Destroy Cogitator Relays; close the distance with melee |
Space Marines — the elite baseline
The series’ main faction returns with the Blood Ravens, and the Dark Angels are a playable sub-faction: during the Space Marines campaign you command both.
- How to play: win 1-on-1 fights early, upgrade and keep units alive with on-field reinforcements, use fortifications to hold points and Reserves / the Thunderhawk Relay to move troops.
- How to beat them: force multiple engagements to stretch their elite units, trade cheap units efficiently, and deny Power — their units are expensive.
Full page: Space Marines in Dawn of War IV.
Orks — more is more
Orks win by pressure: spread bases, build multiple strongholds, plant Waaagh! Banners, and use Stratagems freely — for Orks they cost nothing.
- How to play: keep the pressure on, overwhelm with numbers, accept that individual ranged units are weak.
- How to beat them: their buildings are armed but fragile; punish reckless advances and exploit the gaps aggression leaves behind.
Full page: Orks in Dawn of War IV.
Necrons — the slow avalanche
Necrons expand methodically, spreading the Power Matrix from their Tomb Citadel. Buildings must sit on the Matrix and extend it, and a bigger Matrix means more Dominion resource. Units on the Matrix heal faster and get tougher; Resurrection Galleries bring fallen units back for free.
- How to play: outlast opponents, advance the Matrix, use translocation to cover the faction’s slow movement.
- How to beat them: fight outside the Matrix, focus fire to kill units outright (wounding is not enough), and hit vulnerable positions while their army crawls across the map.
Full page: Necrons in Dawn of War IV.
Adeptus Mechanicus — the machine cult’s debut
The Adeptus Mechanicus makes its first playable Dawn of War appearance, built around the Noosphere Network: build it early, extend it to key resource points, and raise its level to unlock research and upgrades.
- How to play: protect your firing line with melee, keep units equipped with the best technology, spread the Noosphere toward important points.
- How to beat them: destroy Cogitator Relays to weaken the network, close the distance with melee, and do not try to out-produce them — they have both cheap units and powerful late-game ones.
Full page: Adeptus Mechanicus in Dawn of War IV.
Which faction fits you?
- New to Dawn of War: Space Marines. Fewer, tougher units and straightforward base building.
- You like pressure: Orks. Constant attacks and free Stratagems.
- You like planning: Necrons or Adeptus Mechanicus. Both reward map structure over speed.
- You want the new toy: Adeptus Mechanicus, the only faction that has never been playable in the series before.
All four factions appear in the campaign and in multiplayer.