Dawn of War is the one of the best if not the best RTS gaming series ever, for me it certainly is, will it stay like that after the latest game in the franchise, you can find out by reading this review. Warhammer 40,000 universe is gigantic and filled with constant war and endless chaos, all sorts demons, aliens and enhanced humans called Space Marines are fighting for the galactic superiority. Dawn of War games captured that brutality and endless imagination of WH40K universe nicely and that is the main reason why the series is so popular today, but let's talk about Dawn of War 3.
Campaign
Story takes us on a planet Acheron that is waking up from the warp storm and once in a millennium shows it's riches for the takers. Amongst it's riches is an artifact of immense power called Spear of Khaine, three main factions in game are trying to get a hold of it. Cunning and always amusing Orks with their famous warboss Gorgutz only want to loot and fight, Space Marine Chapter Blood Ravens are there to help the Inquisition aquire the spear and are lead by the chapter master Gabriel Angelos, mysterious Eldars are looking to obtain their ancient artifact and are lead by Farseer Macha. There are many returning characters that will be familiar to everyone who played DoW games.
Gorgutz never fails to amuse.
Eldar skimmer units are best used for hit and run tactics.
Some missions are squad based and will feel like DoW 2 while others are full scale battles from original DoW. There are no cool customization options and RPG elements that DoW 2 story had, it is a downgrade if want you to compare the two. Campaign is fairly short with only 17 missions to play, and just when things get interesting it is all over. I feel the story is a missed opportunity, but you can learn how to play the game to jump into multiplayer without getting stomped by more experienced players.
Beautiful vistas of Acheron.
Multiplayer
Game launched with only one multiplayer mode available with and only 8 maps to play it on, that mode is called Power Core and it took some elements from Moba games with three main buildings that you need to destroy in order to win, power generator, strong turret and the main core. Base building is back, but it is not as robust as original DoW, it is rudimentary and basic, you can place only 6 production buildings without no walls or turrets that will help you turtle up if you like that style of gameplay. Units are based on rock-paper-scissors mechanics and are good to use against some and bad against other units. Tanks and powerful walker units come in late game and are very power hungry, so you will need to take care of your economy first. It all comes together nicely in a crescendo of war and spectacular battle sequences, but as I said we only have one mode and not too many maps to play it on. However, the main DoW 3 selling point comes with Elite units.
Lady Salaria and Venerable Dreadnaught can wipe entire armies together.
Elite Units and Doctrines
They can be unlocked by ingame currency called Skulls which can be obtained by playing the campaign and by playing multiplayer games, it is a nice little meta game mechanic that adds to the overall game value. Elites are the strongest units in the game and can wipe out squads with ease, just imagine three of those elites clearing waves of enemies with their powerful attacks, never gets old.
Elite units are fun and very powerful.
Eldar Taldeer in her brand new form.
Doctrines are passive army abilities that can give you an edge with some units. There are 20 doctrines and 9 elite units per factions, so you can see there are are many options to chose from. You can only take 3 Elites and 3 Doctrines into the battle. Think of elite units as Warcraft 3 heroes without items and leveling. Late game elites are a sight to be seen as they tower over normal units and they are very detailed and nicely animated. Relic saved no expense in that regard. That part is a welcome addition the the franchise.
Doctrines make multiplayer games more interesting
Conclusion
Dawn of War 3 carries a heavy burden of unfinished game, one more year of development would improve this game considerably. Fourth faction, more game modes, more maps, larger campaign, features that are very much needed, and by the way previous games had all that at launch. Without those features I fear DoW 3 is a downgrade compared to other two games in the franchise. It is just not good enough. With all that being said Relic is always trying something new and every game in the series is completely different in design and gameplay. Compared to other franchises on the market today that is a big feat in itself. That is why I don't agree with all the bad reviews you can see on the internet today, but still even though I like the game it left strong unfinished taste in my mouth.