14 January 2026

Dawn of War 4 Just Convinced Me I’ll Be Playing Orks When The Game Drops

By newsgame

Between Total War: Warhammer 40,000, Dark Heresy, Space Marine 3, Dark Mechanicus 2, and two more expansions planned for Rogue Trader, it is a good time to be a fan of Warhammer 40K. However, among these announcements, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 stood out as a particularly exciting reveal. Though the original 2004 RTS wrote the book on successful Warhammer 40,000 games, Dawn of War 2 and 3 both held flaws that made a fourth entry seem like a pipe dream. Now, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 is officially coming, and it seems like a love letter to fans of the first game.

Four factions are making it into Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 at launch: Space Marines, Necrons, Adeptus Mechanicus, and Orks. The Space Marines come as no surprise, though the Necrons do, as the zombie-like robots haven’t been playable since the first one. The Adeptus Mechanicus also make their Dawn of War debut, having only appeared as a small part of the Imperial Guard faction previously. That being said, I will personally be hopping on the Ork battlewagon once Dawn of War 4 drops, and kicking off the Green Tide has never looked so amazing.

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The Orks in Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 4 Look Like So Much Fun

In the Grim Darkness of the 41st Millennium, There Is Only Waaagh!

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 was officially revealed during Gamescom with a trailer that unsurprisingly glazed the Space Marines. However, the RTS recently shared another CGI faction trailer that showed just how deadly the Orks can be. During the cinematic, an Ork Rok hits a Blood Raven ship, putting the Space Marines on their back foot. While reinforcements from Scout Sergeant Cyrus (voiced by Steve Blum) nearly broke the assault, the Orks eventually set the Blood Ravens into a full retreat with the arrival of none other than Gorgutz ‘Ead ‘Unter.

Long-time players will recognize Gorgutz from previous Dawn of War games. Indeed, besides Blood Ravens chapter master Gabriel Angelos, no other character has had more in-game appearances than Gorgutz, having starred as the Ork leader in Dawn of War 1: Winter Assault, Dark Crusade, and Soulstorm, and again in Dawn of War 3. The resilient warboss is back with a vengeance, easily shrugging off bolter fire with his Mega Armour and slicing Space Marines in half with his Power Klaw. Near the end of the cinematic, he also serves fans perhaps the most Orky line to ever be spoken: “Crash fasta!”

warhammer 40k dawn of war 4 ork trailer gorgutz space marine

Needless to say, this incredible display of brutality is exactly what I was hoping to see from the Orks in Warhammer 40:000: Dawn of War 4. Despite taking “heavy losses” from the Blood Ravens, the Orks operate by throwing an endless number of Orks at every problem until it stops moving, so this was a huge win. It is not often Space Marines can be set into a full retreat, and yet, Gorgutz and his Boyz did exactly that. I can’t wait to see what antics the Viridian Marauders get into this time around, but one thing is for sure: they’re gonna make it Orky.

Orks Are One Of the Most Important Factions in Warhammer 40K

Within the universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Orks are one of the most frequently-used factions, especially in Dawn of War. Outside the Adeptus Astartes, they are the only faction to appear in every single Dawn of War title from day one. In fact, while Dawn of War 4 and Total War: Warhammer 40,000 will likely get more factions in future DLC, Space Marines and Orks are the only two factions that will appear in both upcoming RTS games at launch.

Warhammer 40,000 Factions in Each Dawn of War Title

Game	Orks	Space Marines	Chaos Space Marines	Aeldari (Eldar)	Imperial Guard	Tau Empire	Necrons	Drukhari (Dark Eldar)	Sisters of Battle	Tyranids	Adeptus Mechanicus
Dawn of War 1	✔	✔	✔	✔	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Winter Assault	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Dark Crusade	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	❌	❌	❌	❌
Soulstorm	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	❌	❌
Dawn of War 2	✔	✔	❌	✔	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔	❌
Chaos Rising	✔	✔	✔	✔	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔	❌
Retribution	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔	❌
Dawn of War 3	✔	✔	❌	✔	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Dawn of War 4	✔	✔	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔	❌	❌	❌	✔

Though none can hold a candle to the Adeptus Astartes, only the Aeldari and Chaos Space Marines can compare to the Orks as far as attendance is concerned. However, while the Aeldari are in Total War: Warhammer 40,000, they broke their streak of appearing in every single Dawn of War game at the start of the upcoming sequel, and the Chaos Space Marines, who were added later in the Dawn of War 2: Chaos Rising expansion, were also absent in Dawn of War 3. The Orks, on the other hand, are always there when it’s time for a fight.

warhammer 40k dawn of war 4 ork trailer gorgutz approaching

However, the inclusion of the Orks is actually important for another big reason. The grimdark universe is filled with systematic brutality and Pyrrhic victories, and there are very few examples of true heroism in Warhammer 40,000. In a setting full of sadistic cruelty, emotionless utilitarianism, and mass destruction, the Orks bring a unique brand of slapstick levity that is desperately needed. While everyone enjoys watching a Space Marine clean house, there’s something uniquely delightful about watching the reckless enthusiasm, slapdash technology, and absurd humor of the Boyz when they are back in town.

What Do the Other Warhammer 40,000 Factions Have Going For Them?

Excited though I am to get stuck in wit’ the Boyz, the other launch factions in Dawn of War 4 look amazing, too. The Blood Ravens Space Marine chapter has had a rough time in the Dawn of War series, so it will be great to see how and if they bounce back. Their powerful and versatile squads are always fun to play – and being able to focus on a smaller number of units is always a plus when battles get really hectic.

warhammer 40k dawn of war 4 reveal trailer cyrus necron

Having only appeared in the Dark Crusade expansion and later Soulstorm, it has been over 15 years since the Necrons have been playable in Dawn of War, so their return is particularly exciting. Their new Power Matrix mechanic seems to work like Zerg Creep in StarCraft, which should be fun to play with. The ponderous and powerful Necrons promise a unique gameplay loop, and it will be interesting to see how they function in a modern RTS game.

Necrons Faction Dawn of War 4 Screenshot-1

However, the brand-new Adeptus Mechanicus of Warhammer 40,000 fame may be the most intriguing. Advanced vehicles, noosphere networks, and compact bases mean the Dawn of War newcomers might be the new kings of turtling in the RTS. The techpriests of Mars sound like they will provide a very different playstyle from any other faction in Dawn of War history, let alone the three others coming at the launch of the fourth game.

As for future factions, assuming Dawn of War 4 does well enough to get DLC, the Imperial Guard seems like a shoo-in, as they already appear in the game as NPCs. Likewise, the Aeldari and Chaos Space Marines would not be surprising, considering their importance to the setting and their track record in past games. That said, senior game designer Elliott Verbiest personally highlighted the Tau and Tyranids of Warhammer 40,000 as some of his favorite factions. Hopefully, Dawn of War 4 is a huge success, so all of these and more might eventually be added to the game in DLCs and expansions.