It just really isn’t that good nah.

Trying to order your units around is like trying to play 4 dimensional chess as they run around in and out of cover while they’re being shot up from every direction.

The setting is great, that’s the most I can really give this game. WW1 with mechs? That shit rocks.

What doesn’t rock, however is every unit feeling horrible to control with almost zero spectacle even with the biggest units on the field.

The largest in the game fires puffs of smoke to emulate firing of massive cannons instead of doing anything dramatic or explosive even though it’s the largest and most intimidating model in game.

Dawn of war 2 generally tones things down from the first games and moves it towards more of a Company of Heroes direction with cover systems and more tactical planning for smaller engagements rather then doomstack armies colliding in a massive bolterfilled Rock Paper Scissors match.

I don’t think either style of RTS is better than the other because they’re both different and can’t really be compared but I really value dawn of war 2’s small scale approach to the genre, battles might not be as big but they’re just as intense due to heavier micro-management of your units that are likely spread across the map fulfilling different objectives.

Also being able to watch a baneblade fire it’s cannon at a Chaos Sorcerer causing him to go flying through a stone pillar to his death is worth buying the game for.

This is definitely the best game in the Dawn of War franchise especially when it comes to the campaign, which in this case is not linear and allows you to play as every faction from the Eldar to the Necrons with a map based system.

The 3 newcoming factions the T’au Empire, the Necrons, and the Imperial Guard. All add their own unique playstyles that are interesting to learn and master even if some factions are better then others (necrons)

The only real issue is the AI’s tendency to steamroll you with honor guard units making unfun meat grinder missions where they have incredibly powerful units roaming the map at the very beginning.

This would be less of an issue if the AI didn’t also give itself prebuilt bases whenever it attacks you, The amount of times I’ve started a defense just to see they already have 2 bases with nearly the entire tech tree unlocked at the beginning regardless of how defended yours even makes things a bit annoying.

But the positives of this game far outweigh the negatives in the end.

This is definitely one of the best RTS campaigns I’ve ever played. Everything is added in the right places and as someone who played this as a warhammer newcomer it all made sense and wasn’t convoluted at all.

The only true issue is by itself the game is a bit barebones outside of the campaign? I mean it’s got skirmish but it only has the Eldar, the Orkz, and Chaos. With Chaos being kind of a space marine reskin if anything but this isn’t a bit critique because the games expansions add way more factions.