Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition Tips & Tricks

Welcome to the front, Commander. The air here crackles with the promise of battle and the stench of xenos filth. Before you is a sector teetering on the brink of total war. This dispatch is your primer, your guide to turning the tide in the grim darkness of the 41st Millennium. Study it well. The lives of billions depend on your command of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition. This collection gathers the original classic and its three legendary expansions—Winter Assault, Dark Crusade, and Soulstorm—into one theatre of war. Now, let’s begin your briefing.

Part I: The Codex Astartes – Foundational Principles of Warfare

Master these non-negotiable basics. If you fail here, you will be just another casualty statistic, another forgotten name on a long list of the fallen. Pay attention.

Mastering the War Economy in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition

Your ability to wage war is dictated by two critical resources. Neglect them, and your armies will wither before they even see the enemy.

1. Secure Requisition to Build Your Army. Requisition is the lifeblood of your war effort. You need it for troops, buildings, and basic upgrades. Your Headquarters (HQ) generates a small trickle, but this is not enough to win a war.
2. Capture Strategic Points to Increase Requisition. The primary way to boost your Requisition income is to send infantry squads to capture the Strategic Points scattered across the map. The more points you control, the faster your income grows. This is the central pillar of the game’s economy.
3. Build Listening Posts on Captured Points. Once a Strategic Point is yours, immediately have a builder construct a Listening Post on it. This fortifies the point, preventing easy recapture by the enemy, and provides a significant boost to the Requisition it generates.
4. Upgrade Your Listening Posts. Listening Posts can be upgraded twice. Each upgrade further increases Requisition income and heavily armors the structure, turning it into a defensive emplacement. An upgraded Listening Post can hold off early-game squads on its own.
5. Construct Plasma Generators for Power. Power is the second critical resource. You need it for advanced units, vehicles, research, and powerful abilities. Unlike Requisition, Power is not generated automatically. You must build Plasma Generators to create a steady income.
6. Prioritize Slag Deposits for Thermo Plasma Generators. On most maps, you will find unique terrain features called Slag Deposits. You can build Thermo Plasma Generators on these, which produce substantially more Power than standard generators. Securing these is a top priority for your mid-to-late game dominance.
7. Understand That Aggression IS Your Economy. In many strategy games, you build an economy to fund an army. In Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition, you use your army to build your economy. By sending units out to capture territory, you directly increase your resource income. A commander who sits in their base is a commander who is starving their own army.
8. Destroy Enemy Generators. Power generators are fragile, expensive, and the backbone of every army’s late-game potential. A well-placed raid that destroys an opponent’s generator farm can be more devastating than winning a major field battle.

The Art of Conquest: Why Strategic Points Win Wars

Not all territory is created equal, Commander. Knowing what to capture and when to fight for it is the mark of a true strategist.

9. Capture Basic Strategic Points (Blue) Early. These are the most common points on the map. They appear blue on your minimap and provide a standard income boost of +6 Requisition. Your first objective in any match is to capture as many of these as possible, as quickly as possible.
10. Fight for Critical Locations (Orange). These points, orange on the minimap, are key contested areas. They provide the same +6 Requisition but cannot be built upon. In the “Take and Hold” game mode, controlling more than half of these for a set time will win you the game. They are magnets for conflict.
11. Secure Relics (Yellow) for Ultimate Power. Relics are rare points, yellow on the minimap, that are required to build your faction’s most powerful “uber” units. Whether it’s the Imperial Guard’s Baneblade or the Eldar’s Avatar of Khaine, you cannot build it without controlling a Relic. Expect fierce fighting over these locations as the game progresses.
12. Read the Map Before You Deploy. The layout of these points dictates the flow of the battle. A map with many chokepoints and standard points will favor early infantry skirmishes. A map with an easily accessible Relic will accelerate the match toward a late-game showdown. Formulate your strategy based on the terrain before the first shot is fired.

Steel Your Nerves: Understanding the Morale System

In the 41st Millennium, courage is a weapon. A soldier’s will to fight is as important as his health.

13. Monitor Both Health and Morale. Nearly every infantry unit has two bars: green for health and blue for morale. As a squad takes damage and loses members, its morale will drop.
14. Know the Penalty for Broken Morale. When a squad’s morale bar hits zero, it is “broken.” A broken squad suffers a catastrophic 80% penalty to its accuracy. It is effectively useless in a firefight.
15. Use the Retreat Bonus. A broken squad gains a minor speed bonus. This is not for charging the enemy. It is a signal from your men that they need to pull back. Use this speed to get them out of combat so they can recover.
16. Regenerate Morale by Avoiding Fire. A unit that is not actively taking damage will passively regenerate its morale. Pulling a squad back for just a few seconds can be enough to get them back in the fight.
17. Weaponize Morale Damage. Some factions and weapons, particularly those using fire, excel at inflicting morale damage. A squad of Sisters of Battle with flamers can break an Ork mob’s morale long before they kill them, winning the fight by shattering their will. This is a powerful and viable strategy; you can defeat a superior force by making them unable to shoot straight.

Know Your Terrain: Using Cover to Survive

A good commander uses the environment as a weapon and a shield.

18. Identify and Use Environmental Cover. Craters, ruins, and large structures can provide cover from ranged attacks. When a unit is in cover, you will see blue pips appear under its banner.
19. Understand Cover Levels. One blue pip provides a 25% bonus to ranged damage resistance for infantry. Two blue pips provide a 50% resistance for infantry. This can dramatically increase the survivability of your squads.
20. Use Cover to Rally Your Troops. Units in cover also regenerate their morale faster. If a squad is taking heavy fire and their morale is wavering, moving them into a nearby crater can be the difference between breaking and holding the line.
21. Turn Cover into a Stronghold. A piece of heavy cover near a Strategic Point makes that point exponentially more valuable. It is a natural fortress. Force the enemy to assault you while you are in cover; they will suffer heavy casualties for their foolishness.

Part II: Battlefield Stratagems – Universal Tactics for Victory

These are the core tenets of command. They apply across all factions and all warzones. Ingrain them into your tactical thinking.

The Aggressor’s Advantage in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition

Hesitation is death. In this game, the initiative is everything.

22. Never Turtle. “Turtling,” or hiding in your base behind a wall of defenses, is a losing strategy. As we covered, your economy is tied to map control. By staying in your base, you are ceding the map—and therefore the resources—to your opponent. They will grow stronger while you grow weaker.
23. Embrace the Snowball Effect. Early aggression that secures more Strategic Points creates a resource advantage. This advantage allows you to build more units and tech up faster, which in turn allows you to take even more of the map. This is the “snowball,” and your goal is to start it rolling in your favor as early as possible.
24. Keep Your Units Active. An idle squad is a wasted squad. If your units are not fighting, capturing a point, or moving into position, they are costing you resources without providing any value. Always be doing something.
25. Understand the Decisive Early Game. The first five minutes of a match in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition are often the most important. A successful early rush or a dominant land grab can create a resource gap that is impossible for your opponent to overcome. Treat the start of the match as the main event, not the warm-up.

Sight Beyond Sight: The Critical Role of Scouting

Knowledge is power. Guard it well.

26. Scout Early and Often. As soon as the match begins, send a fast unit or a dedicated scout squad out to see what your enemy is doing. Blindly building your army without intelligence is a recipe for disaster.
27. Identify Your Opponent’s Strategy. A single scout can tell you everything you need to know. Are they massing basic infantry? Teching quickly to vehicles? Rushing for a Relic? This information allows you to build the correct counter before their plan even materializes.
28. Scout for Economic Targets. Your scout’s most important target is not the enemy army, but their base. Locate their cluster of Plasma Generators. A swift raid on this vulnerable, high-value target can cripple their ability to build advanced units for the rest of the game.
29. Use Infiltrated Units for Persistent Vision. Some units can infiltrate, making them invisible to most enemies. Park one of these units near the enemy base or a key chokepoint to maintain constant, invaluable intelligence on their movements.

Preserve Your Forces: The Tactical Retreat

A strategic withdrawal is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of intelligence.

30. Reinforce, Don’t Replace. When a squad loses members, you can reinforce it to bring it back to full strength. This is always faster and cheaper than building an entirely new squad from your barracks.
31. Retreat Before You Are Wiped Out. The default hotkey for retreat is ‘X’. Use it. A squad that retreats can be reinforced and sent back into the fight. A squad that is wiped out is gone forever, a complete waste of resources. A good rule of thumb is to retreat any squad that drops below half health in a losing engagement.
32. Value Your Veterans. Units gain experience and “level up” over time, increasing their health and damage. A veteran squad is far more valuable than a fresh one. Keeping your experienced troops alive is paramount.
33. Use Retreats to Gain a Tempo Advantage. When you force an enemy squad to retreat, you have temporarily removed them from the battlefield. While they are running back to their base and then back to the front, your squad is still on the front line, capturing points and applying pressure. This creates a temporary numerical and economic advantage that you must exploit.

Command & Control: Essential Hotkeys and Groupings

Speed and efficiency save lives. A commander fumbling with a mouse is a commander who is losing a battle.

34. Learn the Essential Hotkeys. You can play the game with just a mouse, but to play it well, you must use hotkeys. They allow you to issue commands faster and manage your army more effectively.

Action	Default Hotkey	Strategic Value
Create Control Group	Ctrl + [0-9]	Instantly select key parts of your army for focus fire or special abilities.
Queue Commands	Shift + Right Click	Order a unit to perform multiple actions in sequence, like capturing a series of points.
Cycle Idle Builders	. (Period)	Instantly find a builder unit that isn’t working to keep your production constant.
Cycle Idle Military	, (Comma)	Find any combat units that are not currently engaged or moving.
Attack Move	A + Left Click	Order units to move to a location and automatically attack any enemies they encounter along the way.
Retreat	X	Instantly order the selected squad to retreat to the nearest HQ.
Set Rally Point	Right Click on Ground	Set a location where newly produced units from a building will automatically move to.
Cycle Combat Stances	F1 – F5	Change unit behavior (e.g., Hold Ground, Stand Ground, Attack).

35. Use Control Groups for Army Management. Assign different parts of your army to different number keys. For example, put all your ranged anti-infantry squads in Group 1, your anti-vehicle squads in Group 2, and your melee units in Group 3. This allows you to command them independently and efficiently.
36. Master the Attack Move. Never simply right-click to move your army across the map. Use the Attack Move command. This ensures they will stop and engage any enemies they see, preventing them from being picked off one by one as they run past a threat.
37. Queue Commands for Your Cappers. At the start of the game, select your initial capturing squad, hold down the Shift key, and right-click on a series of Strategic Points. The squad will automatically move to capture each one in order, freeing you up to manage your base construction.
38. Set Rally Points on the Front Line. Right-click on a forward location or even one of your commander units with a production building selected. New units will now deploy directly to the heart of the battle, saving you precious time.

Part III: Know Thy Foe, Know Thyself – Faction-Specific Doctrines

Every army has its own way of war. Learn their doctrines, or they will teach you through defeat. This section is your guide to all nine playable factions in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition.

Faction	Playstyle	Signature Feature	Beginner Friendliness
Space Marines	Jack of all trades, adaptable	Drop Pods / Deep Strike	Very High
Chaos Space Marines	Aggressive, morale damage	Daemons	High
Orks	Melee swarm, overwhelming numbers	Waaagh! (Population mechanic)	High
Eldar	Hit-and-run, high mobility glass cannons	Fleet of Foot	Low
Imperial Guard	Defensive swarm, powerful vehicles	Cheap, numerous units	Medium
Tau Empire	Long-range firepower, combined arms	Extreme Range	Medium
Necrons	Slow, durable, unstoppable late-game	Resurrection / Unique Economy	Medium
Sisters of Battle	Morale-breaking, faith-powered	Faith Abilities	Medium
Dark Eldar	Fast, fragile, hit-and-run raiders	Soul Essence	Very Low

Tips for the Space Marines

The Adeptus Astartes are the Emperor’s finest, a balanced and adaptable fighting force capable of responding to any threat. They are the perfect faction for new commanders to learn the ropes of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition.

39. Embrace Versatility. The Space Marines’ greatest strength is their lack of weakness. They have a solid answer for every situation. Use scouting to identify your enemy’s strategy, then build the appropriate counter.
40. Follow the Standard Build Order. Start by building a Chapel-Barracks. Queue up two Scout Marine squads and a Servitor builder. Use the Scouts to capture points while your Servitors build Listening Posts and Plasma Generators. Get your Force Commander out early to support your Scouts.
41. Utilize Sniper Scouts. Upgrade your Scout squads with sniper rifles early on. They are infiltrated and can deal immense damage and morale damage from a safe distance, giving you a powerful early-game advantage.
42. Specialize Your Tactical Marines. Tactical Marine squads are your backbone. Do not mix their heavy weapons. Dedicate one squad with four Heavy Bolters for anti-infantry and another with four Missile Launchers for anti-vehicle. Specialization is key.
43. Dominate the Late Game with Deep Strike. Once you build the Orbital Relay, you can deploy—or “Deep Strike”—units anywhere on the map you have vision. Use this to drop Dreadnoughts and elite Terminator squads directly into the enemy’s base or behind their army to shatter their lines.
44. Lead with the Force Commander. Your commander is a tank. Attach him to a frontline squad to absorb damage. Upgrade him with a Daemonhammer and Plasma Pistol to make him a threat to both infantry and vehicles. His Orbital Bombardment ability can wipe out an entire enemy base.

Tips for the Chaos Space Marines

The servants of the Ruinous Powers trade versatility for raw, aggressive power. They excel at breaking enemy morale and unleashing powerful daemons.

45. Apply Constant Pressure. Chaos thrives on aggression. Use cheap Cultist squads to capture the map and harass the enemy from the very beginning. Never let your opponent feel safe.
46. Break Their Will with Fear. Many Chaos units, like Raptors and Possessed Marines, are excellent at dealing morale damage. Focus on breaking enemy squads first, then destroying them once their accuracy is impaired.
47. Unleash the Horrors. Horror squads are your dedicated anti-vehicle infantry. Their daemonic fire melts through armor. Keep them protected behind your Chaos Space Marine frontline.
48. Embrace Possession. Possessed Space Marines are arguably the best elite melee infantry in the game. They are fast, durable, and immune to morale damage. A fully upgraded squad of Possessed can tear through almost anything.
49. Ascend to Daemonhood. The Chaos Lord is a powerful melee hero. In the late game, he can transform into a mighty Daemon Prince, a monstrous unit capable of single-handedly turning the tide of battle.

Tips for the Orks

WAAAGH! The Orks are a tide of green-skinned destruction. They win by overwhelming their opponents with sheer numbers and relentless aggression.

50. Expand to Increase Your Population. The Orks have a unique population mechanic. Your unit cap is not fixed; it increases for every Waaagh! Banner you build. This rewards rapid, aggressive expansion across the map.
51. Swarm with Boyz. Your basic Slugga Boyz are cheap and effective in melee. Use them to capture territory and tie up enemy ranged units. Follow them up with Shoota Boyz, who lay down a surprising amount of firepower (or “dakka”).
52. Bring in the Nobz. Nobz squads are your elite heavy infantry. They are incredibly tough and hit like a truck in melee. Use them to lead your charges and break through the toughest enemy defenses.
53. Unleash the Squiggoth. The Ork Relic unit is the Squiggoth, a colossal beast that can walk through enemy bases, smashing buildings and trampling units. It is the ultimate siege engine.
54. Lead from the Front. The Ork Warboss is a melee powerhouse who only becomes available in Tier 3. Attach him to a Nobz squad and use his “Power of Waaagh!” ability to make your nearby boyz temporarily invincible and more killy.

Tips for the Eldar

The Eldar are a race of elegant, highly advanced aliens who fight with speed, precision, and psychic power. They are the quintessential “glass cannons,” requiring intense micromanagement to succeed.

55. Master Hit-and-Run Tactics. Eldar units are fast but fragile. Never engage in a prolonged, static firefight. Strike hard, then use their superior speed to retreat before the enemy can effectively retaliate.
56. Abuse Fleet of Foot. This crucial early-game upgrade allows your infantry to sacrifice accuracy for a massive boost in movement speed. Use it to rapidly capture points, reposition your army, or escape from a losing battle.
57. Build a Specialized Army. Eldar units are highly specialized. Fire Dragons melt vehicles and buildings. Howling Banshees disrupt and destroy infantry. Warp Spiders teleport behind enemy lines to cause chaos. Build the right tool for the job.
58. Establish a Webway Network. Webway Gates allow you to teleport units instantly across the map. Build them near the front lines to reinforce your army quickly or to execute surprise attacks on the enemy’s flank.
59. Support with the Farseer. The Farseer is a powerful psyker commander. Use her abilities like Eldritch Storm to devastate enemy infantry blobs and Mind War to neutralize enemy commanders.

Tips for the Imperial Guard

For the Emperor! The Imperial Guard, or Astra Militarum, are the backbone of the Imperium’s armies. They win through massed infantry, powerful defensive positions, and overwhelming armored superiority in the late game.

60. Hold the Line. The Imperial Guard excels at defensive warfare. In the early game, use Guardsmen squads and Heavy Bolter Turrets to secure key positions and repel enemy attacks.
61. Upgrade to Grenade Launchers. The single most important upgrade for your Guardsmen squads is the Grenade Launcher. It has excellent range and its explosive rounds knock down enemy infantry, disrupting their formations and preventing them from firing. A mass of grenade-launching Guardsmen can stop almost any infantry rush.
62. Shell Them from Afar with Basilisks. The Basilisk is one of the best artillery units in the game. It can fire across the map, devastating enemy infantry and fortifications long before they can get into range of your own lines.
63. Roll Out the Tanks. The Imperial Guard’s true strength lies in its armored vehicles. The Leman Russ Battle Tank is a durable and powerful mainline tank.
64. Unleash the Baneblade. The Imperial Guard Relic unit is the Baneblade, the strongest vehicle in the game. A single Baneblade, properly supported, can win the game on its own.
65. Execute for the Emperor. Attach Commissars to your Guardsmen squads. Their “Execute” ability instantly restores the squad’s morale and temporarily doubles their rate of fire, turning a wavering line of Guardsmen into a disciplined firing squad.

Tips for the Tau Empire

For the Greater Good! The Tau Empire is a young, technologically advanced race that dominates the battlefield with superior long-range firepower.

66. Maintain Your Firing Line. The core of Tau strategy is the “gun line.” Position your Fire Warrior squads so they can focus their fire on approaching enemies. Their range is their greatest asset; do not let the enemy get close.
67. Create a Frontline with Kroot. Your Fire Warriors are terrible in melee. You must protect them. Use squads of Kroot Carnivores or Vespid Stingwings as a durable melee screen to intercept enemy chargers.
68. Harass with Crisis Suits. XV8 Crisis Battlesuits are highly mobile jump infantry. Use them to harass the enemy’s economy, hunt down isolated squads, and support your main army from the flanks.
69. Siege with Broadsides. XV88 Broadside Battlesuits are mobile weapons platforms that can entrench themselves to become long-range artillery, outranging most base defenses.
70. Lead with the Tau Commander. The Tau Commander is a powerful ranged hero equipped with a jetpack. Use his mobility to stay at the perfect range and use his Target Acquired ability to snipe high-value enemy units.

Tips for the Necrons

The ancient Necrons are a race of soulless machines. They are slow, relentless, and incredibly difficult to kill. They excel in a war of attrition.

71. Understand the Necron Economy. The Necrons use only one resource: Power. Their unit production and research speed are not fixed; they increase with the number of Strategic Points you control and have built an Obelisk on. Map control is everything for the Necrons.
72. Advance as an Unstoppable Wall. Necron Warriors are slow but absurdly durable. They also have a chance to resurrect on the spot after being killed. Advance across the map as a slow, inexorable wall of steel and gauss fire.
73. Use Destroyers for Mobility. Your main army is slow, so use Destroyer units for fast-response and flanking maneuvers.
74. Summon the Monolith. In the late game, you can upgrade your main HQ, the Monolith, allowing it to detach from the ground and become a massive, heavily armed, flying fortress that can teleport your entire army directly into the enemy’s base.
75. Resurrect Your Army with the Necron Lord. The Necron Lord is an incredibly powerful commander. His Mass Resurrection ability can instantly bring back entire squads of fallen Necron infantry, turning a lost battle into a decisive victory.

Tips for the Dark Eldar

The Dark Eldar are cruel raiders who strike from the shadows. They are the ultimate glass cannons, possessing incredible speed and damage output but virtually no survivability. They are the most difficult faction to master in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition.

76. Master the Hit-and-Run. Your units are incredibly fragile. You must use their superior speed to strike at vulnerable targets and disappear before the enemy can mount an effective counter-attack. Never take a fair fight.
77. Harvest Soul Essence. The Dark Eldar have a unique third resource, Soul Essence, which is harvested from the corpses of fallen units (both friend and foe). This resource is used to power devastating global abilities.
78. Harass with Mandrakes and Jetbikes. Use infiltrated Mandrake squads to raid enemy builders and generators. Use fast-moving Reaver Jetbikes to apply constant pressure to enemy infantry and capturing units.
79. Disrupt with Soul Powers. Use abilities like “Screams of the Damned” to halve the morale of all enemy units on the map, making them easy targets for your raiding parties.
80. Lead the Raid with the Archon. The Archon is a vicious melee commander. Use him to lead your Wych squads, tying up enemy units in close combat while the rest of your army strikes at their flanks.

Tips for the Sisters of Battle

The Adepta Sororitas, or Sisters of Battle, are the fanatical military wing of the Imperium’s state church. They fight with faith, fire, and fury.

81. Generate and Spend Faith. The Sisters of Battle have a unique resource called Faith, which is generated by their units and Listening Posts. Faith is spent on powerful “Acts of Faith” that can heal your troops, make them temporarily invincible, or call down the Emperor’s wrath.
82. Purge with Fire. The Sisters of Battle excel at breaking enemy morale. Equip your Battle Sister squads with flamers and support them with Immolator flame tanks to send enemy infantry fleeing in terror.
83. Push Aggressively with Missionaries. Attach Missionary units to your Battle Sister squads. They provide a morale boost and can use Acts of Faith, turning a basic infantry squad into a powerful offensive tool.
84. Call Upon the Living Saint. The Sisters’ Relic unit is the Living Saint, a powerful angelic being. If she is killed in battle, she can resurrect herself, making her an incredibly resilient late-game threat.
85. Use Seraphim for Mobility. Seraphim squads are jump-jet infantry that can fire their weapons while moving. Use them to kite enemy melee units and harass the enemy’s flanks.

Part IV: Advanced Combat Engagements – Unit Counters and Matchups

Every weapon has a purpose, every armor a weakness. A true commander knows how to exploit them. Understanding how to counter your enemy’s forces is crucial for victory in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition.

86. Counter Infantry Swarms with Area of Effect (AoE). Factions like the Orks and Imperial Guard rely on large numbers of infantry. The most effective counter is AoE damage. Use units equipped with flamers, grenade launchers, and artillery like the Space Marine Whirlwind or the Imperial Guard Basilisk to inflict massive damage on tightly packed infantry blobs.
87. Break Heavy Armor with Specialized Weapons. To destroy tough vehicles and buildings, you need dedicated anti-armor weapons. Do not waste small arms fire on a tank. Build squads with Missile Launchers, Lascannons, or their faction equivalents like Eldar Fire Dragons or Ork Tankbustaz. Focus their fire to bring down one target at a time.
88. Disrupt Ranged Armies with Fast Melee. Against a gun-line army like the Tau or a defensive Imperial Guard position, the key is to close the distance and engage them in melee. Use fast jump-infantry like Assault Marines or Raptors, or teleporting units like Terminators, to get into their ranks and tie them up in close combat, neutralizing their ranged advantage.
89. Hunt Infiltrated Units with Detectors. If the enemy is using stealth units, you must build a detector. Most factions have a specific unit or upgrade for this purpose, such as the Space Marine Skull Probe, Imperial Guard Psyker, or Eldar Farseer. Keep a detector with your main army to avoid being ambushed.
90. Counter Commanders with Melee Specialists. Enemy commander units are tough and can often win fights on their own. Use dedicated melee specialist squads, like Howling Banshees or Possessed Marines, to engage and overwhelm them.
91. Break Formations to Break Synergy. The most effective counter often isn’t about damage types, but about disrupting the enemy’s strategy. For example, using a Deep Strike to drop a Dreadnought in the middle of a Tau gun line does more than just damage; it shatters their formation, forces them into melee, and completely negates their core strength. Attacking a Necron player’s Obelisks with fast units doesn’t win a fight, but it attacks their economy and production speed. Always think about how to dismantle your opponent’s game plan, not just their army.

Part V: Galactic Conquest – Campaign Strategy Guide

Skirmishes are but a single note in the symphony of war. To conquer a world, you must master the grand strategy of the campaign map. The Dark Crusade and Soulstorm expansions feature a “meta-map” campaign where you fight for control of a planet or system.

92. Start with the Dark Crusade Campaign. If you are new to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition, play the Dark Crusade campaign first. It has a better tutorial for the meta-map mechanics and is a great introduction to grand strategy.
93. Never Use Auto-Resolve. When one of your territories is attacked, you have the option to auto-resolve the battle. Do not do this. The calculation is heavily weighted against you, and you will almost always suffer far greater losses than if you had fought the battle yourself, even if it’s an easy defense.
94. Fortify Conquered Territories (Dark Crusade). Dark Crusade features “Persistent Bases.” This means that any buildings you construct when conquering a territory (except for those right next to the enemy’s starting base) will still be there when you have to defend that territory later. After conquering a province, take the time to build a network of upgraded Listening Posts and turrets. This will make future defensive battles trivial.
95. Prioritize Key Territories. Some provinces on the campaign map grant powerful global bonuses. The province containing the Spaceport allows you to attack any other territory on the map, giving you incredible strategic mobility. The province that grants the “Fury” ability allows you to attack twice in one turn. Capturing these early is a massive advantage.
96. Amass Your Honor Guard. As you conquer territories, you unlock Honor Guard units. These are elite, persistent units that you can deploy at the start of any battle. They do not take up any population cap, allowing you to start with a significant force. Protect them, because if they are destroyed, they are gone for good.
97. Use Your Honor Guard to Rush 2v1 Battles. On higher difficulties, attacking a well-defended enemy province will often pit you against two AI armies at once. This is a war of attrition you cannot win. The solution is to immediately rush one of the AI bases with your entire Honor Guard at the start of the battle. By eliminating one opponent quickly, you can turn an impossible 1v2 into a manageable 1v1.
98. Equip Your Commander with Wargear. You will earn wargear points by completing objectives like winning battles, achieving a high kill ratio, or successfully defending territories. Spend these points to upgrade your commander with powerful equipment that provides permanent bonuses to their stats and abilities.

Part VI: The Final Chapter – Expert-Level Maneuvers

The basics will keep you alive. These tactics will make you a legend.

99. Automate Reinforcements. To reduce your micromanagement load, you can right-click on a squad’s reinforce button or a unit’s production icon in a building. The game will now automatically queue reinforcements or new units as soon as you have the resources, ensuring your army is always being replenished.
100. Queue Construction Orders. To have a builder construct multiple buildings in a row, select the builder, hold the Shift key, and place all the buildings you want them to construct. They will build them one after another without needing further commands.
101. Use Turrets for Tempo, Not Defense. Do not spam turrets around your HQ. Instead, think of them as tempo plays. Build a single turret on a contested Strategic Point in the middle of the map. This forces your opponent to either waste time and resources destroying it or cede the territory to you. That small delay can be all you need to gain map control and snowball to victory.
102. “Dance” or “Kite” with Ranged Units. When a melee squad is chasing one of your ranged squads, command your ranged squad to run away. After a few steps, order them to stop and fire a volley, then run again. This technique, known as “dancing” or “kiting,” allows you to inflict damage on the melee unit while taking none in return. It is an essential micro-management skill.
103. Focus Fire to Eliminate Threats. Do not let your army attack different targets at will. Select all your relevant squads and order them to attack the same enemy unit. By concentrating your firepower, you will eliminate that unit from the battle much faster, reducing the enemy’s overall damage output.
104. Tie Up Ranged Units with Melee. A ranged squad locked in melee combat cannot shoot effectively. If you are facing a powerful gun line, send a cheap, fast melee squad (even a commander unit) to charge one of the enemy’s key ranged squads. Even if your melee unit dies, it will have neutralized a high-damage enemy squad for a crucial period of time.
105. Be Mindful of Resource Decay. In long matches, Strategic Points and Generators will begin to decay after 15 minutes, producing fewer resources. This mechanic forces constant expansion and conflict, punishing passive play even in the late game. You must continue to fight for and capture new territory to maintain your economic advantage.

Debriefing

You have completed your briefing, Commander. You have been given the strategic knowledge passed down through millennia of war, from the foundational principles of resource management to the doctrines of every major power in this sector. You now understand the flow of battle, the importance of aggression, and the art of turning a tactical retreat into a strategic victory.

The path ahead will be paved with the bodies of your enemies and the wreckage of their war machines. But with this codex as your guide, you have the tools to achieve victory in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition. Now go forth and bring glory to your name. In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war. Knowledge is power; guard it well.

Disclaimer: This is an unofficial fan work, all trademarks and copyrights for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition belong to the developer Relic Entertainment.

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