Pick a faction
9 named · Orbital drops · 4 commanders
Space Marines
Blood Ravens and Dark Angels: few, tough units and buildings dropped from orbit.
8 named · Waaagh! · 2 commanders
Orks
The cheapest units and buildings; the Waaagh! meter fills as the horde grows.
11 named · Power Matrix · 2 commanders
Necrons
Slow, near-unkillable on their Power Matrix, and dead units return for free.
10 named · Noosphere · 2 commanders
Adeptus Mechanicus
New to the series: fast, long-ranged, stronger as the Noosphere Network grows.
How the four factions differ
A faction is a whole army: its own units, buildings, research and economy. KING Art's two rules were faithfulness to the lore first, then a playstyle that sets each faction apart.
Every faction has two commanders to choose from, and one powerful Stratagem, whichever commander you pick, that can wipe out a large group of units.
Cover works differently too: Orks build their own, the Adeptus Mechanicus build a garrisonable structure, and the Necrons do not use cover at all.
| Faction | Playstyle | Signature mechanic | Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space Marines | Few, tough units; flexible | Two Chapters: Blood Ravens and Dark Angels | Structures dropped from orbit anywhere in sight |
| Orks | Cheap, numerous, aggressive | Waaagh! meter | Almost any infantry builds; every building is armed |
| Necrons | Slow, resilient, snowballing | Power Matrix and Resurrection Galleries | Buildings spread the Power Matrix |
| Adeptus Mechanicus | Fast, long-ranged | Noosphere Network | Structures linked to the headquarters |
Firsts in the series
The Adeptus Mechanicus are playable for the first time in any Dawn of War; the Necrons return for the first time since Dark Crusade.
Space Marines come as two Chapters, the Blood Ravens and the Dark Angels, a first for the series. Lion El'Jonson, the Dark Angels' Primarch, has a small but pivotal role in the campaign.
Keep exploring
01 / Launch
Dawn of War 4
Dawn of War 4 launches December 3, 2026 on PC (Steam) with 4 factions and 70+ campaign missions. Every faction, commander and unit named so far, sourced.
02 / Database
Dawn of War 4 commanders
Dawn of War 4 commanders: 10 named across 4 factions, from Gorgutz to Sek-Ix-23. How picks work in multiplayer, abilities and voice cast.
03 / Database
Every unit named so far
Dawn of War 4 units database: 38 units, commanders, buildings and abilities named by KING Art, filterable by faction, with what each one does.
04 / Launch
The fifth faction
The Dawn of War 4 roadmap runs fall 2026 to spring 2027: free Crusade, maps and mission editor, then two paid DLCs, Aftermath bringing a fifth faction.
Confirmed so far
- Four launch factions, each with a campaign.
- Two commanders per faction.
- A fifth faction in the Aftermath DLC.
Still unknown: The fifth faction. Which two Space Marine commanders are available in multiplayer.
Factions: FAQ
- What is the best faction in Dawn of War 4?
- No one can say before launch: unit stats are not public and KING Art is still balancing. The tier list will come from real matches after December 3.
- Are Chaos Space Marines in Dawn of War 4?
- Not at launch. The four factions are Space Marines, Orks, Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus; the fifth, from the Aftermath DLC, is unnamed.
- Are the Tyranids or the Tau in Dawn of War 4?
- Neither is announced. The only faction to come is the unnamed one in the Aftermath DLC.In depth: Dawn of War 4 Roadmap: Year One DLC
Sources
- Steam news — Meet the new faces from our Story Trailer (Dark Angels, the Lion), Dec 12, 2025 · checked Oct 4, 2026
- Steam news — AMA Developer Blog: Multiplayer (Jan Theysen, Elliott Verbiest), Jul 24, 2026 · checked Oct 4, 2026
- Steam news — Faction Deep Dive: Orks, Jan 28, 2026 · checked Oct 4, 2026
- Steam news — Faction Deep Dive: Necrons, Jul 29, 2026 · checked Oct 4, 2026
- Steam news — Introducing Dawn of War IV's Adeptus Mechanicus, May 7, 2026 · checked Oct 4, 2026
- Steam news — Crafting an epic Dawn of War IV story (John French, Kronus), Nov 20, 2025 · checked Oct 4, 2026