Who they are
The Space Marines are the series’ defining faction, and Dawn of War IV brings two chapters:
- Blood Ravens — the chapter at the centre of the Space Marines campaign, returning from the earlier Dawn of War games.
- Dark Angels — an independent Chapter and a playable sub-faction. During the Space Marines campaign, players undertake missions in command of both chapters.
How to play Space Marines (official advice)
- Win the early one-on-ones. Space Marines are elite fighters and will usually beat comparable units in a straight fight. Use that in the early game to harass.
- Keep units alive. Upgrade them and use on-field reinforcements; retreat when a fight turns instead of feeding squads in.
- Fortify, don’t spread. You cannot be everywhere. Use fortifications to secure points, then use Reserves and the Thunderhawk Relay to move troops where they are needed.
- Mind your economy. Space Marine units are expensive and consume a lot of Power.
How to play against Space Marines (official advice)
- Force multiple engagements. Stretch their elite forces thin — they cannot answer every threat.
- Trade efficiently. Replacing losses is usually easier for you than for them.
- Deny Resource Points, especially Power. Their army depends on it.
What is confirmed about units and characters
- The Redemptor Dreadnought is confirmed as a Space Marine unit — Toby Longworth voices it among other Space Marine units (official cast announcement, August 5).
- Chaplain Ezrael is a named Space Marine character, voiced by Alex Jordan.
- The campaign includes a Space Marine prologue and missions with both Blood Ravens and Dark Angels (preview build, October 23).
Unit rosters, point costs and full stat lines are not published before launch. We are not building a unit database from guesswork; when the game is out and data is public, this page will point to what is verified.
Tips that hold up in multiplayer
- Do not trickle units. Space Marines lose value when fed into fights piecemeal; group up, then strike.
- Protect your Power income. If you are starved of Power, your elite units stop coming.
- Use mobility as a substitute for numbers. Reserves and the Thunderhawk Relay let a small army respond to more than one threat.
- Against hordes (Orks), avoid open-field attrition. Fortify chokepoints and make them attack into you.
For the other factions, see Orks, Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus.