Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition Review – Walk Softly, and Carry a Big Gun

As fun as it can be to rampage against thousands upon thousands of Tyranids in Space Marine 2, or even navigating the ruins of Graia while dispatching Orks, there’s something special about overseeing the conflict from high up. Relic Entertainment’s Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series has always hit different in that regard. Sure, several fans appreciated the more focused, squad-like approach of the second game. However, the original found that balance between frantic real-time action, unit management, heroes, and strategy that cemented its all-time status. And to think it was developed by just 30 people in over a year.

Dawn of War 3 admittedly lost the plot, sending the series into hibernation. While there have been other Warhammer titles, a real-time strategy game with an epic scale has yet to really eclipse the first Dawn of War, much less surpass it.

"Watching Gabriel’s camaraderie and conflicts with Isador is still as compelling as the original release, thanks in no small part to the dialogue and voice acting. I wish the lip syncing were better throughout these exchanges, but alas."

Cue Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition, an enhanced version of the original packed with all the content and improved visuals. There’s admittedly some trepidation, especially after Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition, but the graphical upgrades are much more significant and noticeable. The quality-of-life additions range from very good to decent, and the pre-release build has some noticeable placeholders (not to mention some iffy performance). But the gameplay and presentation still hold up, and the value for money is simply undeniable (especially if you own the Anniversary Edition).

The main campaign begins innocently enough, which, in 40K terms, often means a battle brewing and innocents slaughtered on a planetary scale. Such is the dilemma facing Tartarus as Orks assail it, until the Blood Ravens arrive and begin doggedly cleaning house. As Captain Gabriel Angelos, you lead the 3rd Company through ruined cities, dense forests, waterworks and more, sometimes infiltrating and other times relying on brute force. As usual, there’s more going on than meets the eye, and it’s up to Angelos to ultimately unearth and root them out.

Compared to the more realistic faces of the Space Marine series, Dawn of War’s characters look cartoonish, but it adds to the charm and never diminishes the atmosphere. Watching Gabriel’s camaraderie and conflicts with Isador is still as compelling as the original release, thanks in no small part to the dialogue and voice acting. I wish the lip syncing were better throughout these exchanges, but alas.

Dawn of War’s gameplay loop is what really makes it worth diving in, even if you’re not a huge real-time strategy aficionado. You build a Stronghold, then a Barracks for deploying different types of Infantry, and an Armory for Technologies like Bionics for more health. As you explore the map, different Strategic Points emerge, which can be captured to generate Requisition Points. You have a cap on the number of Space Marine squads that can be deployed, and some degree of orders from holding back and dealing range damage (which works well in conjunction with cover) or assaulting an enemy with melee attacks.

"The visual improvements are also something to behold with units, environments and vehicles looking far more detailed with crisper textures, sleek lighting and detailed shadows. "

The overall combat flow is streamlined, yet it never feels simplistic, even across the numerous campaign missions. As soon as you’ve gotten a handle on how everything works, multiple upgrades for specialized units become available, unlocking Flamers, Heavy Bolters, Plasma Guns and Missile Launchers. Depending on the objective, it may be better to have one squad specializing in Missile Launchers to easily destroy watchtowers, buildings, resource generators and enemy turrets at a distance. Alternatively, Plasma Guns are more effective against Heavy Infantry and offer more mobility. Want to merc a squad of Orks at range with Chainswords? Build squads of Assault Marines with jetpacks. Throw in some Power Swords to tear through heavies that were baited by other units.

That’s not including vehicles, especially the iconic Dreadnought, or options for increasing the amount of heavy weapons squads can carry, or Stronghold upgrades that afford even more unit and Commander options.

The ability to reinforce and upgrade squads on the go keeps the pace quick while Morale – which causes units, both enemies and allies, to break and run when depleted – ensures that you’re not Zerging every single encounter. As easy as it may seem to throw a horde of squads into the fray for initial battles, later conflicts make it essential to divide your forces, drawing fire with regular Space Marines while Missile Launchers flank and destroy buildings. Constructing Heavy Bolter Turrets and Mine Fields can help in defending chokepoints, and then there’s the ever-essential Scouts, who can turn invisible and recapture any Strategic Points that the enemy happens to retake when you’re not looking.

The Definitive Edition doesn’t alter this formula, which is a good thing, given how solid it remains, but it does facilitate more control. The increased camera zoom distance is fantastic, offering a wider view of the battlefield, and it works incredibly well on my 1440p display. I also appreciated how the user interface scaled to fit, though a means to increase text size would have also been great (especially in places where there’s clearly enough screen real estate for the same).

The visual improvements are also something to behold with units, environments and vehicles looking far more detailed with crisper textures, sleek lighting and detailed shadows. It’s not a massive overhaul over the original, and retains the same art direction, but the upgrade is significant and enhances the overall atmosphere and immersion.

"Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition is a clear love letter to a series that put Relic Entertainment on the map."

Granted, even with dozens of units running around and fights occasionally breaking out, I saw some performance drops, even after dialing several settings down to Medium. Again, this is a pre-release build, but I would think that an 11th-gen Core i5, 32 GB of RAM and an RTX 4060 would be able to handle it. It doesn’t happen too often, which makes the occasions that it does all the more annoying. Maybe I’m expecting too much, but considering the fidelity on display, I would think my hardware is capable enough.

As noted earlier, there were some placeholder elements – Bad FX popped up in a purple box on occasion – but the overall polish is solid. Pathfinding still has some quirks, especially when units occasionally take the long way or end up caught on each other in some instances. Having more options to distinguish between squads, especially from high up, would have also been appreciated.

Nevertheless, it’s hard to deny the appeal of the Definitive Edition. For $29.99, you’re getting the base campaign, which is already a must-play experience for fans and strategy enthusiasts, and three expansions. These add additional campaigns and more factions. Couple this with Skirmish, and multiplayer for up to eight players (which I sadly didn’t get a chance to try out), and you have a ridiculous amount of content for this price. And that’s before accounting for the in-game Mod Manager, which Relic promises is compatible with all the mods created over the decades.

While it could use some more optimization in places, not to mention a few more quality-of-life additions to really seal the deal, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition is a clear love letter to a series that put Relic Entertainment on the map. It’s an homage as much as an enhancement, bringing the classic RTS to a new generation but retaining everything that made it so appealing in the first place.

This game was reviewed on PC.