Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution

 PC
  • Publisher: THQ
  • Release Date: Feb 28, 2011
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 280 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 181 out of 280
  2. Mixed: 73 out of 280
  3. Negative: 26 out of 280
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  1. SargeGO
    May 25, 2011
    7
    While this is still a good expansion to Dawn of War 2, it isn't nearly as good as its last expansion, Chaos Rising. The good things about this one are that there are multiple different campaigns depending on the race you want to be. The problem is that the campaigns are not nearly as good as the original or Chaos Rising. Gameplay is still great though.
  2. mt2e
    Mar 10, 2011
    7
    This is my first 40k game and from a fresh eyes looking at it, it does have a lot of positives. First the price. Second the items/skills 3rd the characters personalities. The finding cover aspect seems very intuitive. The combat is nice. But I did not enjoy the way the game loads, it seems to be a black screen right up till the game scenario started. Combat consistency seemed lackingThis is my first 40k game and from a fresh eyes looking at it, it does have a lot of positives. First the price. Second the items/skills 3rd the characters personalities. The finding cover aspect seems very intuitive. The combat is nice. But I did not enjoy the way the game loads, it seems to be a black screen right up till the game scenario started. Combat consistency seemed lacking when it came to control, I couldn't put my finger on it but I was not able to get certain units to do what I wanted and was left wondering why. That might be a buggy aspect because it was not always the case, just at certain times, hard to pinpoint because I was not willing to take the time to do so as so much action is always going on. I love the character regeneration of HPs and energy, gives you the ability to retreat. That is also a feature I like. All in all I love most of the detail in this game, it just feels a need to be refined and polished. Map layout bothered me personally, they do mix it up but i felt constrained to a very narrow corridor at all times, zig-zaging up the map in a tunnel like fashion till the end of the scenario. I love the choice of races but I could never repeat the maps over and over in order to experience each race and its abilities, thus it seemed like a lost feature for me in terms of re-playability… Expand
  3. HighwayUK
    Apr 21, 2011
    5
    Having played through all the DOW1 and DOW2 series... this new release left me cold, new factions are always a good idea, but the game just feel like a bunch of dlc maps rather than something that should have been released as a full game. The only thing they got right is dumping the multiplayer server and using steam... after that... sorry but Chaos and vanilla dow2 were better and you canHaving played through all the DOW1 and DOW2 series... this new release left me cold, new factions are always a good idea, but the game just feel like a bunch of dlc maps rather than something that should have been released as a full game. The only thing they got right is dumping the multiplayer server and using steam... after that... sorry but Chaos and vanilla dow2 were better and you can pick them up for under a tenner.… Expand
  4. karmasleeper
    Aug 12, 2011
    7
    While Retribution is a stand alone game and does not require the original Dawn of War 2 or Chaos Rising to play, it is not the best place for players to jump into the series if they are looking primarily for a single player experience. Retribution allows you to play the campaign through as any of the six factions (Space Marines, Chaos, Eldar, Orks, Tyranids, and now Imperial Guard) butWhile Retribution is a stand alone game and does not require the original Dawn of War 2 or Chaos Rising to play, it is not the best place for players to jump into the series if they are looking primarily for a single player experience. Retribution allows you to play the campaign through as any of the six factions (Space Marines, Chaos, Eldar, Orks, Tyranids, and now Imperial Guard) but the missions and story are the same no matter which army you choose. The campaign is, however, a decent length and while easier than the original game or Chaos Rising, will still be sufficiently difficult on higher difficulties for most players. In previous games, the focus was on leading a small group of hero units through a variety of missions, outfitting them with a vast variety of wargear based on how you spent points in their abilities. Retribution shifts the focus from collecting large amounts of wargear to fielding a larger force or small army. There are far fewer wargear options for heroes and leveling hero units has changed significantly. There are fewer abilities to unlock and many simply upgrade non-hero unit health or damage. Eventually, once you've unlocked the army options, the missions become simply clicking attack move with your huge force and wasting whatever you come across. There is little strategy or tactics in the campaign compared to the original or Chaos Rising. Retribution does, however, come with many new multiplayer options. GFWL is finally gone (thank God) and the game now has chat rooms to better find opponents. A Free For All mode is now included which plays similar to the Victory Point based take and hold mode of previous installments except without teams. First player to capture victory locations and amass the requisite amount of points wins. Multiplayer stats and rankings can now be tracked through Steam and are viewable outside the game. Many well designed new multiplayer maps are included. There is also a new Last Stand arena which is slightly more difficult and which seems to throw a lot of vehicles at you. Very fun. I also purchased the last stand DLC which provide fresh ways to play the various hero units. The new Last Stand hero, the Imperial Guard Lord General, is similar to the Hive Tyrant in that he relies on summoned troops. He also has the ability to summon turrets to the arena to create choke points or kill zones. A lot of fun. If you're new to Dawn of War 2, Retribution might not be the best place to start even though it is a stand alone expansion. If you've played either of the previous titles and are into the multiplayer, Retribution is a must have as it adds lots of new content for both Last Stand and ranked play in addition to the new Imperial Guard faction and dispenses with the terrible GFWL.… Expand
  5. LynxLynx
    Dec 29, 2014
    7
    It's not the best game in the DoW2 subseries. The elements that made DoW2 campaign are gone with the style from multiplayer for each fraction as a campaign [fairly repetitive and the same for all fractions save for dialogue] and it leaves the story unfinished.

    Still it's a lot of fun, just a bit disappointing at this point of the series.
  6. dyna79
    Jun 18, 2011
    6
    I'm a bit disappointed with this one. Don't get me wrong it's still good fun and has some good challenges but they have taken away some of the things that made Dawn of War II so brilliant. Instead of just having a few heroes to upgrade (which I loved) you now focus on bigger groups. The upgrading is also changed for the worse in my opinion .
    For me Dawn of War II was just a bit better.
  7. badbrush
    Aug 5, 2011
    6
    After playing DOW II I was very disappointed with the repetitive maps and travel to one end game play fight a boss, it put me right off the games. Thankfully this has been resolved and the missions keep you wanting to complete the game up to a point, I still enjoy the wargear upgrades and they have added the ability to field armies instead of just hero's allowing you play the game inAfter playing DOW II I was very disappointed with the repetitive maps and travel to one end game play fight a boss, it put me right off the games. Thankfully this has been resolved and the missions keep you wanting to complete the game up to a point, I still enjoy the wargear upgrades and they have added the ability to field armies instead of just hero's allowing you play the game in different ways. Two things that are really irritating me about these games though. The 1st is their complete lack of tactics involved once your characters are level 5 or above. So although the missions vary the invunrerability of your characters kills the motivation, [I played it on very difficult]. The second is the storylines, since dark crusade they have been pretty much none existant. Replayablity is so so. You do the same campaign but with different races, some are amusing such as the orks. Tyrannids are annoying to listen to but forces you to play a different way [army rather than heros] and the eldar just make you want to punch them. Co-op was enjoyable, but your playing it with a friend then, and multiplayer is fresh compaired to other RTS as they have a completely different system. Graphics are good when you consider how much is on screen, but the whole invunrable characters and lack of story wont push this above a score of 2 kittens for me or a plate of doughnuts, gamesworkshop have been around since the 80's and there background fluff puts dungeons and dragons to shame sometimes so why with that much material at hand can they not generate something that grips the player. Buy it if you enjoy multiplayer and like kicking bottoms, but don't bother if your looking for a deepish RTS like starcraft.… Expand
  8. MWSoapMactavish
    Nov 16, 2015
    6
    The game wasn't bad, but this expansion is pretty short, and still have something I hated from DoWII, the lack of building element, if there was something I loved from DoWI it was the building element, the ability to set up Forward Operating Bases to speed up the unit production, instead in this game we have a single stronghold that it's up to us to allow it's destruction or defend it, inThe game wasn't bad, but this expansion is pretty short, and still have something I hated from DoWII, the lack of building element, if there was something I loved from DoWI it was the building element, the ability to set up Forward Operating Bases to speed up the unit production, instead in this game we have a single stronghold that it's up to us to allow it's destruction or defend it, in DoWII the Unit Cap is even more limited unlike DoWI, every single soldier, squad leader and sometimes upgrades count towards the Unit Cap, something that makes the game way more limited, however I still could enjoy DoWII despite the lacking of building element, limited Unit Cap, and a dry and short campaign.… Expand
  9. sgb
    Mar 25, 2011
    7
    It seems a bargain at $30, but it's more of a case of you get what you pay for here. The campaign is well...lazy. Relic has not improved the AI since the original DoW2, and so missions are entirely scripted affairs. They basically consist of moving your heroes through corridors, killinge everything, repeat x10, fight boss. There's a campaign for each race, but each race plays the EXACTIt seems a bargain at $30, but it's more of a case of you get what you pay for here. The campaign is well...lazy. Relic has not improved the AI since the original DoW2, and so missions are entirely scripted affairs. They basically consist of moving your heroes through corridors, killinge everything, repeat x10, fight boss. There's a campaign for each race, but each race plays the EXACT SAME MISSIONS IN THE EXACT SAME ORDER. The only thing that changes is the occasional bit of dialogue. As noted, the AI is really bad so skirmishes against the AI are a joke. Even on the highest difficulty the just randomly send units to their deaths with no tactics or coordination of any sort. So single player is definitely not going to last you more than a few days here.

    Multiplayer is quite a bit stronger, with a decent matchmaking system for 1v1 to 3v3 games as well as non-ranked games. The game hasn't changed much from the original DoW2 though, so if you didn't like it then you still won't like it. The new race, Imperial Guard, add some building and defencive gameplay options badly lacking in the game. They're a fun and well designed addition. The removal of the hated GFWL is a big plus as well. The big surpise winner here is The Last Stand. It's essentially a hero surivial mode where 3 players fight waves of enimes. After each game, you can level up and gain new equipment that can both make things easier or even completely change how your hero plays. There's only 2 maps, but 6 different heroes to try out and level up. This is honestly interesting enough to warrant its own game IMO.

    On the matter of bugs and technical issues, there's current a major bug where loading times get worse and worse with each match you play. It gets really bad for people with lower end systems, which causes high end systems to sit a wait with them. Balance is...Relic balance. The game has always had issues, and it's no different here. Competitive players might want to hold off for a patch or two instead of being frusterated by cheese unit spam and OP abilties.

    All in all, if you're in it for the multiplayer it's worth $30. If you were thinking of getting it for the campaign...don't. As a final note, this is a Steamworks game. If you hate Steam, don't buy this.    … Expand
  10. Kelu
    Dec 25, 2011
    6
    I was expecting something along the lines of the Dark Crusade, but got quite disappointed, as it doesn't quite have the replayability of said DoW expansion. At least the story of the very first Dawn of War game finally gets wrapped up., and it's still a cheap standalone DoW2, so there sure are some reasons to get it.
  11. StumpBeefknob
    Mar 8, 2011
    7
    First off, I'm a big DoW fan, and I was eagerly awaiting this game, but I must say I am fairly disappointed in the final product. Game came out very buggy, some of which was fixed with the first patch, but it still has some polishing to do before its a complete product. I'm loving the ability to use all the races, but each campaign feels very similar to each other campaign, so this takesFirst off, I'm a big DoW fan, and I was eagerly awaiting this game, but I must say I am fairly disappointed in the final product. Game came out very buggy, some of which was fixed with the first patch, but it still has some polishing to do before its a complete product. I'm loving the ability to use all the races, but each campaign feels very similar to each other campaign, so this takes away a lot of replayability from the single player campaign. My two main beefs are with the still lame/predictable AI(!!!), and how vehicles still seem to want to destroy cover that they never even come close to touching... And while graphics are rarely a "deal breaker" for me, I was hoping for improved graphics and performance, but this hasn't changed one bit. The multiplayer is pretty fun, although the match making system is a bit wonky, but I'm sure much of that can be worked out with a patch or two.

    If it wasn't for the fact that it is a standalone, and that they haven't tried to gouge the consumer with a ridiculously high price, I would give it a 6 for some annoying persistent issues and the lack of creativity with the campaigns(at least the 3 that I have played so far), but with those two previously mentioned factors in mind I will give it a solid 7.

    The studio does, once again, deserve props for experimenting with new gameplay mechanics.

    All in all, a "must have" for big fans of the franchise and RTS multiplayer gamers, but otherwise I recommend waiting until it goes on sale on Steam.    … Expand
  12. baronb
    Mar 10, 2011
    7
    Dawn of War II: Retribution takes what DoWII already has going for it and adds on to it. The campaigns are enjoyable, especially in co-op, and the addition of two new factions adds some needed depth to the multiplayer game. Most importantly, the switch from the travesty that is Games For Windows Live, to the use of Steamworks for multiplayer, is excellent. Detailed stat-tracking isDawn of War II: Retribution takes what DoWII already has going for it and adds on to it. The campaigns are enjoyable, especially in co-op, and the addition of two new factions adds some needed depth to the multiplayer game. Most importantly, the switch from the travesty that is Games For Windows Live, to the use of Steamworks for multiplayer, is excellent. Detailed stat-tracking is available and playing online much less painful than the original game. However, for all these good points, Dawn of War II remains fundamentally a step back from Company of Heroes, mechanically and in terms of complexity and tactical variance. While a quality expansion, Retribution does nothing to change this and remains tinged with the disappointment that this is not the best Relic can do. If you already have the core game and enjoy the multiplayer, this is definitely worth the buy just to get away from GFWL. The solid content and nice bonus of a brief Relic intro cinematic for an expansion make it a good buy for those who prefer playing chill co-op campaigns with bros as well.… Expand
  13. Thunder5555
    Mar 15, 2011
    6
    In overall it's a good game. Campaign was good for first time but apparently developers ran out of ideas since it's basically same for all races. As for Tyranids, "hive mind" was absolutely dreadful. And the comments enemies make during campaign towards the player do not fit Tyranids at all.
    Return of the custom badges was really good tho.
  14. Gagacat
    Mar 15, 2011
    7
    As has been mentioned in many other reviews the campaign is very much a one-size-fits-all affair. Play through it twice and perhaps you'll need a couple of months break before you could do so again. But nevertheless the campaign is enjoyable, the skill levelling is improved and they are much more interesting than the previous games (perhaps because there's a diversity of factions?). TheAs has been mentioned in many other reviews the campaign is very much a one-size-fits-all affair. Play through it twice and perhaps you'll need a couple of months break before you could do so again. But nevertheless the campaign is enjoyable, the skill levelling is improved and they are much more interesting than the previous games (perhaps because there's a diversity of factions?). The VA work is what you'd hope for from a 40k game, hammy and fantastic, though some voices may grate on your nerves after a while (im looking at you Bluddflagg). A satisfying campaign in all I thought, not amazing, not awful, satisfying. The multiplayer is a bit difficult to rate though, I owned DoW2 but did not play Chaos Rising so alot of it is new to me (the chaos faction itself [Won't mention Imperial Guard because they'll be new to everybody], Ork wierdboy, Librarian, genestealers etc etc) so in the games I've played it's been a learning experience and a time of taking notes. It's not enjoyable to lose over and over so it will take time and effort to get into, but from my time playing the first game, i enjoyed it.
    The Last Stand, on the other hand, is great fun! Pitted with 2 other heroes (they introduced the Lord General as the IGs representative) against wave after wave of tyranids, orks, eldar, space marines and other things is much more fun than it may sound, and the more you play, the more you level up, the better equipment you have the more likely you are to get further. And yes, you can import your Hero levels and wargear from Dow2/Chaos Rising. They brought a new map in too called Khornes Anvil, which starts really, really, hectic. I'm talking about 14 squads of tyranids rushing in at wave one. Best to be prepared.
    So yes, in summary this is a GREAT expansion pack, but it does have its flaws and unless you intend to do a bit of multiplayer/ Last stand you may find yourself finishing the campaign and putting it on your shelf to collect dust.    … Expand
  15. Jintoss
    Oct 26, 2012
    6
    Don't be fooled by the campaign claims! Yes each race has different campaigns, but they are also mostly the same missions with different dialogue and reasoning. Campaign itself is extremely repetitive, and once you get the hang of unit compositions and micromanagement, each mission is a trivial a-move victory (albeit sometimes with twisting paths! to further prolong the inevitable lack ofDon't be fooled by the campaign claims! Yes each race has different campaigns, but they are also mostly the same missions with different dialogue and reasoning. Campaign itself is extremely repetitive, and once you get the hang of unit compositions and micromanagement, each mission is a trivial a-move victory (albeit sometimes with twisting paths! to further prolong the inevitable lack of challenge). Crazy W40K units also break the Company of Heroes tactical feel that relic tried to give the Dawn of War series, the whole thing handles like a mishmash of both - without the sweetness of either. Being a fan of Dark Crusade and Starcraft 2, the lack of any base management has taken out most of the challenge. Competitive play lacks depth and focuses on micromanagement and positional awareness. No tactics or overarching strategy required.

    The 'RPG element' was exciting for about 5 minutes, but quickly becomes not a big deal. It is deep enough to offer choices and you will have to think about who gets what, but considering that such choices are nice and have no impact on how easy missions are, it becomes a frivolous extra. You can literally do a 'one of everything' ability choice and item distribution and you will still a-move to victory.

    Protip: F1 selects closest building structure, rally to hero, learn the hotkeys of your favorite units, win the game.    … Expand
  16. MichMart
    Mar 5, 2014
    7
    You still can't build "normal" buildings in this version and the campaign and the normal battles aren't much better, but six civilizations are playable (fortunately as well the Imperial Army and the Chaos Space Marines) and there's a "last resistance", which I really like to play (unfortunately there are only two maps for it).
  17. Fidelitous_One
    Jul 13, 2015
    5
    A good expansion, however if you like traditional base-building Real-Time Strategy, then this will not be your cup of tea. Don't expect giant armies, but rather a small squad of which you command. Though if you're a Warhammer: 40,000 fan it may outweigh the huge drawback of gameplay as the campaign is pretty solid.
  18. delete013
    Jul 8, 2016
    6
    -: Very very lazy. Seemingly expanding campaign to all factions, which turns out to be the same thing! Even chaos ends up fighting chaos(?!). Similar nonsens as in Dark Crusade. Loot is horrible, missions are few with even less optional ones. I think there is no importing of previous equipment as in Chaos rising.

    +: it is possible to actually recruit units in the campaign and fight with    -: Very very lazy. Seemingly expanding campaign to all factions, which turns out to be the same thing! Even chaos ends up fighting chaos(?!). Similar nonsens as in Dark Crusade. Loot is horrible, missions are few with even less optional ones. I think there is no importing of previous equipment as in Chaos rising.

    +: it is possible to actually recruit units in the campaign and fight with some sort of an army, although the generic units die like flies. Game is really cheap now.
    And not to forget, a really funny ork campaign aand playable baneblade.    … Expand
  19. Kotofon
    Jun 6, 2020
    6
    Управляйте любой из шести уникальных фракций в отдельном дополнении к Dawn Of War II RTS-франшизе. Выберите: создать огромную армию или возглавить небольшой отряд элитных героев, и пройдите одиночную кампанию вашей любимой расы. Вступите в сетевой бой, чтобы помериться силами со своими врагами и почувствуйте на своей шкуре жестокие сражения 41. тысячелетия.Управляйте любой из шести уникальных фракций в отдельном дополнении к Dawn Of War II RTS-франшизе. Выберите: создать огромную армию или возглавить небольшой отряд элитных героев, и пройдите одиночную кампанию вашей любимой расы. Вступите в сетевой бой, чтобы помериться силами со своими врагами и почувствуйте на своей шкуре жестокие сражения 41. тысячелетия.
  20. Babutto
    Jan 10, 2022
    6
    Pros.:
    - Continuation of the previous story.
    - Simpler upgrade scenes.
    - Finally can have many units.
    - Different campaigns.

    Cons.:
    - Predictable.
    - Some plot twists are illogic or unclear.
    - Why just slaughter cool characters from the previous game?
    - The same problem as before - cannot connect to Steam while launching the campaign. Have to go offline.
  21. nw2010
    Jan 18, 2021
    7
    Well worth playing if you enjoyed Dawn of War II and the Chaos Rising expansion.

    Again introduces a few new mechanics, but this time they're easily understood. This felt easier than Chaos Rising and the original (Space Marine Assault Squads with flamers are overpowered against non-boss enemies). There are a few more cut scenes that move the story along nicely and the space map is    Well worth playing if you enjoyed Dawn of War II and the Chaos Rising expansion.

    Again introduces a few new mechanics, but this time they're easily understood.

    This felt easier than Chaos Rising and the original (Space Marine Assault Squads with flamers are overpowered against non-boss enemies).

    There are a few more cut scenes that move the story along nicely and the space map is better, although I personally didn't like the smaller squad of special characters (mainly because I disliked Cyrus as a character).

    Graphics are very good considering the age (although cut scene graphical quality is poor).

    Still very much enjoyed playing through this.    … Expand
  22. KilledShinigami
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    Retribution is a huge step-down and while offering a whole new faction to play by it offers nothing new (if not much less) contentwise. Really disappointing but playable title if you are a fan.
  23. Tabbou
    Sep 2, 2022
    6
    Je recommande mais juste un peu , le jeu est 1 DLC standalone de dawn of war II : Plus d'unités à gérer que dans les opus précédents, un côté stratégie en temps réel + prononcé avec acquisition de batiments et gestion de ressources. L'histoire est pas mal et il y a 1 mode multi (quasi vide)
    Gros points négatifs sur le prix du jeu et les DLC qui nous permettent de jouer d'autres races    Je recommande mais juste un peu , le jeu est 1 DLC standalone de dawn of war II : Plus d'unités à gérer que dans les opus précédents, un côté stratégie en temps réel + prononcé avec acquisition de batiments et gestion de ressources. L'histoire est pas mal et il y a 1 mode multi (quasi vide)
    Gros points négatifs sur le prix du jeu et les DLC qui nous permettent de jouer d'autres races certes, mais c'est exactement les mêmes missions dans les mêmes environnements, Les unités sont différentes et on a des dialogues inédits mais en gros c'est le même style de jeu et items qui on la même fonctionnalité, on est + proche de skins que de réelles races jouables    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

48
#48 Best PC Game of 2011
74
#74 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
92
#92 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 52 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 52
  3. Negative: 0 out of 52
  1. GamingExcellence
    Jun 6, 2011
    80
    Beyond that though there isn't much to say about Retribution. It builds on and enhances many aspects of the previous games while still using the same game engine. The graphics and sound quality are the same as they've ever been so it's really all about the gameplay changeups. The game unequivocally succeeds in giving people more of what they love but there is the real danger of stagnation here. The next games are going to have to do something impressive if they want to continue wowing gamers with each release.
    Read full review
  2. AusGamers
    Jun 6, 2011
    80
    Developer Relic also seems to be having a lot more fun with the loot this time around, as players can even equip some of their heroes with rare items that sound ridiculous but in practise turn out to be quite awesome. Like a machine gun that has a chance to call in an artillery strike.
    Read full review
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    May 22, 2011
    60
    It is surprising how fun it can be just dull mouse clicking, lots of violence, blood and death mingle in shadowy battles with soundtrack of stunning explosions and endless exchanges of energetic projectiles. [Issue#203]
See all critic reviews »