As development on Dawn of War 4 gathers pace like the Waaagh! of a planet-cracking Ork stampede, we’re getting a better sense of exactly how the real-time strategy Warhammer 40,000 game will play. King Art Games has already published numerous gameplay videos showing off competitive multiplayer, which will be an important part of the game, but how, exactly, will the Space Marines work?
You know the Space Marines, right? The poster boys of Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 tabletop are more often than not the stars of the show when it comes to video game adaptations. From the Ultramarines to the Space Wolves, the Space Marines have been leading the Warhammer 40,000 video game charge from day one. Indeed, the Dawn of War series’ Blood Ravens, which were created by original developer Relic Entertainment, are now firmly entrenched within the Warhammer 40,000 canon as a legit chapter of Space Marines.
In Dawn of War 4 the Blood Ravens return, but this time they have help in the form of the Dark Angels and, briefly during the campaign, their primarch, Lion El’Jonson. In this exclusive interview with director Jan Theysen, we go into detail on how the Space Marines actually work in Dawn of War 4, explore some winning strategies, and find out what sets them apart from the Necrons, Orks, and the Adeptus Mechanics. We’ve also got a batch of exclusive screenshots showing off the Space Marines in all their glory, which you can view via the slideshow below.
IGN: How would you describe the Space Marine faction in terms of how it plays and how its different from the other factions at launch?
Jan Theysen: The Space Marines are definitely the most elite faction we have in the game. You control relatively few units that are pretty expensive, but also very good in what they’re doing. You don’t want to lose them. You want to protect your guys, you want to upgrade them. There are a lot of different equipments and abilities and so on. If you have your small, super well-equipped Space Marine Strike Force, you really want to care about it. So, especially in the early game, you really don’t want to lose one of your units.
But the good news is that in the early game no other early game unit can defeat a Space Marine. They are the big boys. But also there are few. And so that is the challenge: wherever you are you are winning, but you are not everywhere.
IGN: What would you suggest as a good strategy for the Space Marines in multiplayer?
Jan Theysen: In Skirmish and in Multiplayer, it’s very important in general to get out there quickly, to capture resource points and so on. But there’s a little bit of a disadvantage for Space Marines, right? Because, compared to other factions, they can’t quickly capture all the different points because you don’t have that many units.
But whenever you see an enemy unit, you know you can probably kill it. So one good idea would be to go out there, maybe try to recapture enemy points pretty quickly because they can’t get you off of the point easily again. Be aggressive and go after the enemy and only retreat if the enemy has like, two or maybe three units attacking you. You know that at some point you might think about retreating, or you might think about, just stand your ground, maybe auto heal your unit and wait until reinforcements appear, because that is also something you can do as Space Marines. You’re relatively hard to kill. And so you can basically outlast even an overwhelming attack for some time, and wait or keep everybody occupied until the reinforcements arrive.
In general, the Space Marines can build anywhere on the map and they don’t need a builder unit. They just call in the buildings from orbit. And so that is something you can keep in mind. You can maybe put some of your production buildings next to resource points, or almost build a little bit of a secondary base somewhere closer to the front line maybe, so that when you produce units they are already where you need them. And you can also produce units in reserve, which basically means that instead of producing the units and then having it on the battlefield already, you have the unit in orbit and can bring it down via Drop Pod or via Thunderhawk, which gives you a lot of flexibility. Because basically, if there is a surprise attack somewhere else, or if you spotted maybe a point that is not super well defended, you can just bring more units in and really quickly capture this point. These shock and awe tactics, so to speak, is really something that Space Marines excel at.
IGN: What are some of the little details you added to the Space Marines that players will notice?
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