Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV vs HIRAETH

• Perspective: First-Person
• Multiplayer: Single-Player Only
• Setting: Desolate Alien Planet (Ahra Prime)
• Platforms: PC (initial), with Mac/Linux planned
• Early Access Release: 2025-09-03
• Unique Feature: A highly ambitious solo-developed survival game with a dual-mode structure, combining a hardcore survival sandbox with a deep, episodic narrative campaign.

• Servo-Skull Recon Drone: Hovers above the battlefield, illuminating hidden minefields and stealth units while directing orbital artillery fire.
  Mechanicus Cybernetic Construct
• Astartes Apothecary Retinue: Accompanies infantry squads, automatically deploying stimm-injectors to heal wounded battle-brothers and recover geneseed.
  Space Marine Medical Specialist

• Sacred Chapter Relics: Discovered in hidden subterranean vaults across Kronus; unlocks legendary hero passive doctrines and classic wargear.
• Necron Chrono-Cores: Salvaged by destroying dynastic tomb pylons in deep catacomb missions; unlocks forbidden resurrection protocols.
• Archeotech Data-Slates: Recovered from ruined Mechanicus research labs; unlocks custom weapon customizations in The Last Stand mode.

• Resources: Found by scavenging the environment and hunting alien wildlife. These are essential for the game's deep crafting system.
• Lore Notes: Scattered notes and logs that provide environmental storytelling, allowing players to piece together the history of the failed colony on Ahra Prime.

• Grimdark Sci-Fi
• Tactical Real-Time Strategy
• Warhammer 40K Lore
• Squad Tactics
• Planetary Conquest
• Base Building

• Sci-Fi
• Survival
• First-Person
• Open World
• Crafting
• Story Rich
• Immersive Sim
• Indie
• RPG
• Action
• Adventure
• Simulation

• God-Splitter Thunder Hammer: Master-Crafted Power Weapon
  Gabriel Angelos's iconic weapon; channels disruptive kinetic energy fields to shatter heavily armored vehicles and deliver area-of-effect shockwaves.
• Astartes Heavy Bolter: Heavy Suppression Firearm
  Fires rapid salvos of explosive .75 caliber mass-reactive bolts, pinning enemy infantry formations and shredding light vehicle plating.
• Necron Heavy Gauss Cannon: Molecular Disintegration Cannon
  Emits targeted electromagnetic flux fields that break down molecular bonds, rapidly vaporizing target armor and flesh.
• Mechanicus Eradication Ray: Directed Energy Weapon
  Focuses concentrated subatomic beams that intensify in lethality at close range, obliterating heavy infantry squads.
• Ork Kombi-Rokkit Choppa: Crude Heavy Melee / Ballistic
  Brutal serrated heavy axe outfitted with twin rocket thrusters for explosive cleaving power against Space Marine armor.

• Mark X Tacticus Power Armor: Armor Rating +50, Kinetic Resistance +40%, Environmental Sealing; elite ceramite powered suit worn by Primaris Space Marines.
• Indomitus Terminator Armor: Damage Reduction +70%, Heavy Weapon Stability +50%, Built-in Force Shield; walking tank armor worn by veteran 1st Company terminators.
• Living Metal Necrodermis: Self-Repair Rate +35%, Armor Penetration Resistance +45%; self-regenerating metallic skin forming Necron warrior bodies.
• Skitarii Fabricator Carapace: Energy Resistance +40%, Radiation Shielding +60%; reinforced cybernetic armor augmented with bionic organ replacements.

• EVA Suit: The Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) suit is the player's primary piece of gear. It serves as armor and a life support system. It can be upgraded with different modules to enhance its durability, power, and oxygen capacity.

• Blood Ravens Relic Cloak: Ornate crimson and bone-white chapter mantle featuring hand-stitched purity seals, scripture badges, and golden aquila embroidery.
• Adeptus Mechanicus Crimson Vestments: Ceremonial hooded red robes bearing the cog-and-skull heraldry of Mars, interwoven with electoo wiring.
• Dark Angels Calibanite Tabard: Deep forest-green robes and linen tabards adorned with winged sword iconography and heraldic prayer ribbons.

Dawn of War IV combines the macro-base building of DoW1 with the squad-level tactical depth and hero progression of DoW2. The strategic resource system relies on capturing and holding Requisition Points and Power Generators across the map. Faction mechanics are deeply distinct: Space Marines utilize orbital drop-pod reserves that can be slammed anywhere within line of sight, dynamic weapon squad loadouts (plasma guns, meltas, and heavy bolters), and Chapter Master doctrines. The Adeptus Mechanicus employ Canticles of the Omnissiah providing global battlefield buffs and servo-skull construction protocols. Necrons leverage Reanimation Protocols, living metal self-repair, and phase-shifting monolith tech, while Orks gather battlefield scrap from destroyed vehicles to dynamically upgrade infantry weaponry and construct custom battlewagons.

Progression is based on a deep crafting system and progressive skills and perks. The core of survival is managing the player's EVA suit, which requires maintaining oxygen, power, and durability. Players must also manage personal stats like health, stamina, fatigue, and hydration, and can suffer from afflictions like radiation sickness.

The campaign and skirmish maps recreate the iconic territories of planet Kronus with modern scale and verticality. Key regions include Victory Bay (a fortified coastal industrial city lined with massive seawalls and heavy defensive artillery), Thur'Abis Catacombs (a subterranean labyrinth of luminescent green Necron necro-architecture and resurrection chambers), the Pavonis Spaceport (a sprawling orbital transit hub covered in shipping containers and landing gantries), the Ironworks of Mars Forge Complex (a towering Mechanicus industrial sector filled with molten conduits and cogitator towers), and the Deimos Peninsula (a rugged wasteland of basalt canyons, toxic tar pits, and fortified Ork shantytowns).

The game features a large, explorable open world with a full day-night cycle and dynamic weather, including snow and sandstorms. The world includes both surface and underwater environments. The playable area is planned to be gradually expanded throughout the Early Access period.

• Primaris Repulsor Tank: Grav-Skimmer Armored Fighting Vehicle
  Heavy anti-grav battle tank armed with heavy onslaught gatling cannons, lascannons, and automated ironhail stubbers that transport Space Marine squads.
• Redemptor Dreadnought: Cybernetic Walker
  Towering mechanized war engine housing a fallen hero, delivering overwhelming heavy firepower and crushing melee strikes.

• Ork Attack Squig: Fungal Beast
  Ferocious multi-toothed fungal carnivore deployed by Ork Runtherds to disrupt enemy firing lines and maul light infantry.
• Canoptek Scarab Swarm: Necron Bio-Mechanical Construct
  Airborne swarms of robotic insectoids that break down battlefield debris and consume enemy vehicle hull armor.
• Cybernetica Mastiff: Augmented Cyber-Canine
  Skitarii tracker hound outfitted with olfactory sensors to detect stealth units and pin fleeing targets.
• Canoptek Wraith: Phasing Necron Construct
  Serpentine mechanical stalker capable of phasing through solid walls to assassinate rear-line artillery crews.
• Bomb Squig: Explosive Fungal Beast
  Suicide squig strapped with crude high-explosive ordnance, trained to charge enemy tanks and detonate upon impact.

• Gabriel Angelos: Chapter Master / Supreme Commander
  Heroic leader of the Blood Ravens Space Marines; cybernetically rebuilt veteran warrior dedicated to safeguarding humanity and uncovering his chapter's truth.
• Magos Dominus Faustinius: Tech-Priest High Commander
  High-ranking Adeptus Mechanicus scientist and commander of the Skitarii legions, obsessed with cataloging and reclaiming archeotech on Kronus.
• Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter: Ork Warlord
  Notoriously cunning and unkillable Ork Warboss who has waged wars across multiple planetary sectors, uniting scattered tribes for a mega-WAAAGH!.
• Overlord Szarekhan Vhol: Necron Dynastic Sovereign
  Ancient Necron warlord awakened from stasis within the Thur'Abis Catacombs, determined to purge all organic life from Kronus.
• Belial: Grand Master of the Deathwing
  Stoic Dark Angels commander leading the 1st Company strike force on Kronus, secretly hunting suspected Fallen across imperial lines.

• The Defense of Victory Bay: Campaign Fortress Defense
  Hold the main seawall ramparts against overwhelming Ork battlewagon charges until Imperial Titan reinforcements arrive.
• Cleansing of Thur'Abis: Subterranean Assault
  Descend into the subterranean tomb complex, destroy four energy pylons, and eliminate the awakening Necron Monolith before it reaches the surface.
• The Fall of Pavonis Spaceport: Evacuation and Breakthrough
  Secure the primary launch silos and escort Mechanicus tech-priests to their escape shuttles amidst a three-way faction battle.

• ETERNAL Mode
  A pure, endless survival sandbox. The only objective is to survive for as long as possible against the harsh environment and deadly creatures of Ahra Prime.
• REVELATIONS Mode
  A five-chapter, narrative-driven campaign that follows the player's journey to uncover the secrets of the abandoned colony while being guided by the mysterious Charon.

Features an extensive suite of competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes: 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, and 4v4 Annihilation (destroy all enemy production structures) and Victory Point Domination (hold control nodes to deplete enemy victory tickets). Cooperative options include full 2-player campaign co-op across all faction story arcs, and the acclaimed 3-player co-op survival mode 'The Last Stand,' where three commanders choose hero units (such as a Space Marine Captain, Necron Overlord, Tech-Priest Dominus, or Ork Warboss) to repel 20 escalating waves of enemies.

The game is offered in two main editions: The Standard Edition ($59.99 USD, with a 10% pre-order discount at $53.99 USD) includes the full base game featuring all four launch factions, 70+ campaign missions, Skirmish, and multiplayer modes. The Commander Edition ($89.99 USD, $80.99 USD on pre-order) grants 3 days of early access starting November 30, 2026, the complete Year 1 Expansion Pass (including the Blood Ravens Story Prologue DLC and the upcoming 'Aftermath' expansion introducing a 5th playable faction), exclusive Dark Angels and Deathwing cosmetic skins for Space Marine units, an official digital orchestral soundtrack, and an interactive digital concept art book.

The game will be a single, one-time purchase. This will grant access to the full game, including the 'ETERNAL' sandbox mode at the start of Early Access, and all five chapters of the 'REVELATIONS' story mode as they are released over time. There will be no price changes during Early Access.

Deep Silver and KING Art Games have unveiled a comprehensive Year 1 Content Roadmap. Major additions include the 'Blood Ravens: Sins of the Father' narrative prologue campaign, the 'Aftermath' major expansion bringing a 5th fully playable faction (with leaks pointing toward Tyranids or Chaos Space Marines), a dynamic turn-based planetary 'Crusade Mode' meta-campaign reminiscent of Dark Crusade, free monthly Skirmish and Last Stand maps, and full community modding support through Steam Workshop.

The game will follow a phased release model. After the initial Early Access launch with the 'ETERNAL' sandbox mode, the five chapters of the 'REVELATIONS' story campaign will be released cyclically. The developer also plans to add vehicles and expand the world map.

• Q: What is Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV?
  A: Dawn of War IV is a real-time strategy game developed by KING Art Games and published by Deep Silver, returning the franchise to its classic tactical and base-building roots.
• Q: When does Dawn of War IV release?
  A: The game releases on PC via Steam on December 3, 2026, with 3 days of early access starting November 30, 2026 for Commander Edition pre-orders.
• Q: Which factions are playable at launch?
  A: Four factions are available at launch: Space Marines (Blood Ravens and Dark Angels), Necrons, Orks, and the Adeptus Mechanicus in their series debut.
• Q: Does Dawn of War IV include base building?
  A: Yes, the game returns to classic RTS base construction, territory requisition points, power generators, and deep squad upgrade trees.
• Q: Is 'The Last Stand' co-op mode returning?
  A: Yes, the beloved 3-player cooperative survival mode 'The Last Stand' returns with new hero commanders, customizable wargear, and 20 waves of enemies.

• Q: What is ☵ HIRAETH?
  A: HIRAETH is a single-player sci-fi survival game being created by a solo developer. It features two modes: a hardcore, endless survival sandbox and a five-chapter story campaign.
• Q: When will it be released?
  A: The game is scheduled to launch into Early Access on PC on September 3, 2025. The full 1.0 release with all story chapters will be at a later date.
• Q: Is it a difficult game?
  A: It is designed to be challenging, with deep survival mechanics. However, it will feature four difficulty levels, including an easier 'Wayfarer' mode for players who want to focus on the story.
• Q: Is the developer really just one person?
  A: Yes, the game is primarily the work of a single solo developer, Paweł Tomkowiak, under the studio name Jade Horse. This is a key aspect of its development.

Powered by an enhanced Unity rendering engine tailored for large-scale tactical simulations, Dawn of War IV showcases incredible visual fidelity: physically based rendering on ceramite armor, dynamic fluid blood spatter, realistic terrain deformation from artillery craters, dynamic smoke and fire propagation, and detailed squad-level sync-kills where Dreadnoughts crush Ork Nobz and Necron Flayed Ones violently dismember enemy infantry.

The sound design captures the immense, apocalyptic scale of the 41st Millennium. The musical score, recorded by a live European orchestra and choir, combines deep gothic monastic chants, industrial brass horns, and thunderous war drums. Weapon sound effects resonate with authentic ferocity—from the booming bark of bolters and deafening crunch of chainswords to the eerie electronic buzz of Necron gauss beams and screeching Ork war-wagons. Full voice acting brings every unit to life with dramatic chapter battle barks, Mechanicus binary chants, and guttural Ork banter.

The interface combines the functional clarity of classic PC RTS titles with modern 4K scalable vector HUD elements. It features a tactical minimap with clear sector influence overlays, an intuitive bottom-command console displaying squad status, weapon upgrade slots, dynamic ability hotkeys, and an orbital command panel for off-map doctrinal powers. Full grid-key control schemes and customizable keybindings ensure competitive accessibility for RTS veterans.

KING Art Games has implemented a robust accessibility framework: fully rebindable keyboard and mouse commands with multiple default RTS profiles (Classic DoW, Grid, Modern RTS), scalable UI text up to 200%, colorblind filter presets (Protanopia, Deuteranopia, Tritanopia) for distinct tactical team colors, adjustable gameplay speed sliders for single-player missions, customizable camera zoom and tilt limits, and comprehensive subtitle customization.

• Built on a heavily customized Unity engine architecture engineered specifically for multi-threaded RTS army simulations, dynamic destructible terrain, thousands of ballistic projectiles, and visceral sync-kill ragdoll animations. Uses low-overhead DirectX 12 APIs. An SSD is strictly required for asset streaming and campaign map transitions. Pre-orders on Steam include a 10% discount and 3-day early access starting November 30, 2026 for Commander Edition owners.
• Laptop Performance Note: Massive 4v4 multiplayer army battles and particle-heavy orbital bombardments put continuous, heavy demands on both mobile CPU cores and discrete GPUs. Gaming laptops should feature at least 85W to 115W TGP and run on elevated cooling stands to avoid thermal throttling during prolonged skirmishes and multi-stage siege defense missions.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: Ensure mobile GPUs operate with at least 85W-130W TGP to prevent clock throttling when rendering high-density infantry swarms and volumetric plasma explosions.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: Multi-unit pathfinding, physics-based cover destruction, and particle simulations demand sustained multi-core CPU throughput; active laptop cooling pads help preserve max boost clocks.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: Set Windows Power Delivery to High Performance to ensure continuous high instruction execution rates during massive 4v4 army collisions.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: Enabling discrete GPU mode via internal MUX switch eliminates latency bottlenecks, ensuring instantaneous unit command response and smooth camera panning.
• Optimization Detail: Upscaling Tech: Supports NVIDIA DLSS 3 Frame Generation, AMD FSR 3, Intel XeSS, and native resolution scaling.
• Optimization Detail: Key Settings Impact: Unit Model Detail, Physics Destruction Quality, Volumetric Fog, and Dynamic Shadow Resolution have the most significant impact on rendering performance.
• Game Name: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV

• OFFICIAL PC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS from the game's Steam page. These specifications are for the Early Access version and may change. An SSD is recommended for higher tiers.
• Laptop Performance Note: Laptop performance will vary based on the specific model's cooling and TGP. The game's complex systems and high-fidelity world can be demanding, so a modern gaming laptop is advised.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: Maximum TGP for the laptop's GPU is essential to handle the advanced graphical features of Unreal Engine 5.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: The game's visually rich world and detailed simulation elements will require a laptop with a cutting-edge cooling solution to prevent thermal throttling.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: A powerful multi-core mobile CPU will be critical for handling the complex survival systems and AI.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: A MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus is a critical feature for reducing latency and ensuring the best possible performance.
• Game Name: HIRAETH

• Upscaling Tech: Supports NVIDIA DLSS 3 Frame Generation, AMD FSR 3, Intel XeSS, and native resolution scaling.
• Key Settings Impact: Unit Model Detail, Physics Destruction Quality, Volumetric Fog, and Dynamic Shadow Resolution have the most significant impact on rendering performance.

• G P U T G P: Ensure mobile GPUs operate with at least 85W-130W TGP to prevent clock throttling when rendering high-density infantry swarms and volumetric plasma explosions.
• Cooling Thermals: Multi-unit pathfinding, physics-based cover destruction, and particle simulations demand sustained multi-core CPU throughput; active laptop cooling pads help preserve max boost clocks.
• C P U Power Limits: Set Windows Power Delivery to High Performance to ensure continuous high instruction execution rates during massive 4v4 army collisions.
• M U X Switch Optimus: Enabling discrete GPU mode via internal MUX switch eliminates latency bottlenecks, ensuring instantaneous unit command response and smooth camera panning.

• G P U T G P: Maximum TGP for the laptop's GPU is essential to handle the advanced graphical features of Unreal Engine 5.
• Cooling Thermals: The game's visually rich world and detailed simulation elements will require a laptop with a cutting-edge cooling solution to prevent thermal throttling.
• C P U Power Limits: A powerful multi-core mobile CPU will be critical for handling the complex survival systems and AI.
• M U X Switch Optimus: A MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus is a critical feature for reducing latency and ensuring the best possible performance.