Dawn of War III Announced

image courtesy of ars technica

My only experiences with Warhammer 40k or otherwise has been through video games. It started with a demo of Chaos Gate that came in a PC Gaming Monthly magazine back in the late 90's and built through Dawn of War and Dawn of War II. I've had my eye on Gothic Armada, but haven't pulled the trigger on it yet. I haven't ever done anything more than peruse the actual figures, though I know several people who play regularly and they have confirmed that mine is the less expensive way to play. Today, that hobby got a revitalization with the announcement of Dawn of War III.



The trailer doesn't contain any gameplay at all, but the imagery looks pretty impressive nonetheless. In a press release, Sega mentioned a few details about the game. Base building and the more traditional RTS layout of the first game is back, but they've included "elites" who are unique versions of some of the units who advance and improve similarly to Dawn of War II. Also joining the fray are larger war machines, termed Titans, in the 40k universe, and other super weapons like orbital lasers.

image courtesy of Sega

According to PC Gamer, the elites are key to shaping strategy in a match. Each of the elites has unique stats and abilities that suit particular playstyles, be it an early rush or a slower more powerful assault with advanced units. There is an elite for every purpose, though at the beginning of each match, players must pick three that they can deploy from their base structures, hopefully picking a trio that compliment each other's abilities well.

Three races have been revealed so far; The Space Marines, Orks and the Eldar (space elves). What we know of the story puts the three armies on a planet together after discovering a strange weapon. Presumably, other races will be announced later on, but I am personally hoping to see the Tyrannids return. I know they aren't exactly the most popular race in the 40k universe, but I've yet to face a more challenging enemy in the Dawn of War series. Seeing a few of the more enigmatic races like the Tau would be nice as well.

As more details on the new game emerge, we will be sure to keep you abreast. I'm excited for a new entry in the series, but I honestly preferred the small army approach in Dawn of War II to the huge army battles and typical RTS flair of the first game. I hope that the elites are implemented into the army structures well and that special care is taken to balance them. You can watch the announcement trailer here.