《战锤40,000：战争黎明4》前瞻：RTS 系列回归本色

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War has had something of an identity crisis. The original game established itself as one of the best real-time strategy games of the 2000s, and one of my personal favorites. Yet, its sequels struggled to build on its excellent foundation, almost arguing over where to take the series. Dawn of War 2 shifted toward smaller squads and tactical encounters, while Dawn of War 3 attempted to bridge the gap between its predecessors with mixed results. Nearly a decade later, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 is finally bringing the series back to its roots, and that’s exactly what it needed.

Developed by KING Art Games rather than series creator Relic Entertainment, Dawn of War 4 is much closer to the original game than either of its sequels. Base building, resource management, large armies, and the constant struggle for battlefield control are once again central to the experience. Despite being familiar ground, King Art Games has infused modern elements, likely learned from its own Iron Harvest, and created something that feels like a throwback to the original game while being something new.

ComicBook.com had the privilege of sitting down and playing an early preview that offered access to all four playable factions, their respective campaigns, and AI skirmishes, and more. The result is an RTS that feels immediately recognizable to longtime fans without seeming hopelessly stuck in 2004. Constructing bases, producing units, researching upgrades, and sending armies into increasingly chaotic engagements felt like I was a kid again. I fell right back into the natural rhythm of expanding my army, fighting for control, and leading my Necron armies to victory.

Dawn of War 4 Makes All Four Factions Feel Distinct

Dawn of War 4’s greatest strength is how differently its four factions play. The Space Marines, Orks, Necrons, and Adeptus Mechanicus all have their own identities, and these determine how each plays. Each faction features numerous different units, though the lack of the Flayed Ones for the Necrons is a personal grievance with me. But what may be the most pleasant surprise is the Adeptus Mechanicus making its debut in the series. The lineup is fantastic for the base game, even if classics like the Chaos and Eldar are absent.

The Space Marines and Orks provide excellent starting points, although for very different reasons. The former emphasize the power of elite soldiers and powerful military hardware, while the latter embody the overwhelming aggression and chaotic numbers fans will know well. Both are fun and viable in their own ways and demand different strategies. Both are satisfying to command, but perhaps more importantly, they feel authentic to their Warhammer 40K counterparts and just like a video game version.

Meanwhile, the Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus demand more patience. The slower-paced Necrons emphasize gradual expansion through their Tomb Citadel and interconnected Power Matrix. This army feels much more strategic than just throwing large numbers and big guns at enemies. Likewise, the Adeptus Mechanicus requires players to be more deliberate in how they operate. Both have noticeably higher learning curves than their counterparts, but neither feels unnecessarily complicated or weaker for the sake of it.

Dawn of War 4’s AI Can Be Surprisingly Brutal

For all the improvements and familiar strengths, Dawn of War 4 does have one particular issue: its AI can be absolutely merciless, almost unfairly. This is somewhat surprising because the campaign missions generally feel well designed. The campaigns provide room to learn how each faction operates without constantly punishing experimentation, which is especially helpful when trying to understand the more complicated factions and mechanics.

Jumping into AI skirmishes is another matter entirely. Even on medium difficulty, the computer-controlled opponents can be brutal, and I struggled to keep up. After the initial engagements, the battle soon turned into a desperate struggle to delay the inevitable defeat. There’s nothing wrong with this difficulty, but the AI feels a bit overpowered on medium difficulty, and I can hardly dare to imagine what it looks like on harder ones.

This stands out even more because Dawn of War 4 otherwise makes itself easy to understand and learn. The game has a substantial amount to learn, especially when switching between factions, but its readable visuals and familiar RTS foundation help keep everything understandable. A few tweaks to the AI can resolve this issue and continue building upon what is otherwise an excellent early build of a strategy giant.

What’s most encouraging is that Dawn of War 4 doesn’t seem interested in reinventing a series that arguably never needed such drastic reinvention in the first place. Its return to base building, resource management, and large-scale combat feels like a deliberate choice, showing what made the original so good. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 launches on December 3, 2026, and if the full game maintains the quality of this early preview, KING Art might finally deliver the sequel that fans of the original have been waiting decades for.