Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III

Die-hards might have something to say about some of Relics choices, but even they can't deny the excellent real-time strategy game that is Dawn of War 3. It is rich in choices, has great production value and offers an amazing campaign.

Maybe Dawn of War 3 isn't the greatest entry in the saga, but it's damn close. A great RTS in its own right, it lacks a bit of content and some gameplay adjustments to truly climb above its storied predecessors.

Quotation forthcoming.

For the fans this is the greatest gift imaginable. The Elite are great for both spectacle and tactical creativity. This game is tough, but it is so worth the struggle.

Bombastic battles, huge campaign, thrilling multiplayer. A triumphant comeback for Dawn of War.

Action oriented and a lot of fun, Dawn of War III is an excellent combination of the best elements in the franchise: epic scale combat with an intense micromanagement of unit.

Warhammer 40,000 : Dawn of War 3 is clearly a very good strategy game which follows in the footsteps of it's predecessors. The only drawback is the obvious lack of content which calls for future DLC.

Intense battles in which heroes and cannon fodder soldiers have to work together to achieve victory. Expect a surprisingly long and entertaining campaign plus brutal multiplayer skirmishes, which are in desperate need of more content.

Veterans of the original Dawn of War will take to this game like stepping into their old Power Armour. Exhilarating, over-the-top spectacle, and meeting expectations like only Dawn of War can.

It's challenging, fun and rewarding. A nice return of the series, with a great multiplayer and a very solid campaign.

Relic gets to mix the past two games of the franchise in an intense game but fails to create an intense campaign. The multiplayer will provide tons of fun to the players.

A solid third entry for the franchise that executes its mechanics very well. Sadly the lack of multiplayer modes at launch is disappointing but a great game that should please many.

Dawn of War 3 is a really good RTS game und should satisfy any fan of Warhammer with its epic campaign.

More than ten years after its initial release, Warhammer 40,000 series comes back with a third installment. Dawn of War 3 isn’t a perfect game, but it allows the saga to continue on a high note.

Once again, Relic has done a great job at bringing Warhammer 40,000 to the digital world.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III is a fast-paced RTS that delivers a good blend of the old and the new to make it a lot of fun for both newcomers and veterans alike. With powerful hero units to break the mold and addictive combat to fill in the cracks, Dawn of War III manages to deliver an RTS experience that lives up to the Warhammer 40K legacy.

Tough, intimidating, and powerfully gripping, Dawn of War III is the Power Fist of RTS sequels. [June 2017, p.74]

Overall I was very happy with it. My last Warhammer experience was with Eternal Crusade which really didn’t hit the spot for me… so Dawn Of War 3 is a pleasant scratch to that itch for some space melodrama. As mentioned, if you are a long time fan, don’t expect to get the same game you’ve played before… or even a mix of the two, it would seem they have taken a slightly different approach. On the other hand if you like a bit of RTS action, some fun storytelling, it’s a great bit of fun and visually quite pretty (epic opening movie especially). If in doubt, wait for a good sale… but there’s a lot of fun to be had here.

Despite being pretty different from the second chapter of the series, Dawn of War III is a proper strategic title, with a great campaign and an excellent balancing. Too bad, the multiplayer offering is pretty scarce.

The games that play out as intended - courtesy of the twists that Relic has brought into the franchise this time around - well, those will stay in your mind as some of the most intense RTS games you'll ever have. [Issue#188, p.74]

In the eight years since Dawn of War II, the RTS genre has evolved to include MOBA-like elements, but someone returning to the RTS fold will have no problem getting up to speed. The stalwart staple of three balanced factions has been enriched with Elite hero units, and the multiplayer mode clearly shows the influence of DOTA and its brethren. Dawn of War III's campaign is substantial -- if not always entirely entertaining -- and once mastered, its three factions offer extended fun in skirmishes with the game's capable AI or online against human competitors. While there is no longer a steady stream of RTS games, fans will be more than satisfied by Dawn of War III's fundamentally classic approach.

Dawn of War III brings with it a campaign that starts off on the slow end, but eventually warms up to be an enjoyable, if fairly standard, single player mode. It’s the inventive multiplayer that is the biggest change, and one that will upset traditionalists who wanted a return to the original game. The blend of both predecessors’ ideas to bring the mix of base building and hero powered Elite units goes well with the new focus on exhilarating, faster-paced multiplayer. But if you hate the idea of a game that promotes aggression, pushing hard and relying on having such powerful units that can turn the tide of battle, then your experience with the game is no doubt going to wane. While it won’t be a genre defining twist nor shape the future of RTS multiplayer, it’s still remains a unique take on the typical RTS conventions and one I’ve grown to relish more as I keep playing.

Well presented and thumpingly over-the-top, Dawn Of War III combines elements from its two predecessors to mostly great effect. With a few more maps and modes, this could be a solid competitive title.

Dawn of War III certainly isn’t the type of sequel that fans of the series may have anticipated, albeit it is still a title that is faithful to the Warhammer franchise. However, Relic’s gamble of adapting their franchise in a way that more closely aligns with the popular MOBAs of the day has largely paid off, even if the game does suffer from a bit of an identity crisis in the process. It was a brave, risk/reward move – while it may disappoint some fans, it will certainly gain others and gives the series a fresh look rather than replicating more of the same.

A well-crafted RTS that eschews some of the tired old tropes for a faster pace and a tighter experience.

It feels good to be back in the base building, hard hitting, cool looking world of Warhammer 40,000. Winning early skirmishes before slowly building up your armies for a single massive engagement is still exciting, and very rewarding when you win. The single player campaign is good, if a little stale at times, and multiplayer has mostly gone back to what made it great in the first place. There are some issues to be found, but if you’re looking for a modern game akin to the popular origins of Dawn of War, this is certainly a good attempt.

Dawn of War 3 is a great next chapter in the Dawn of War franchise. The title pulls together the best parts of the last two games into an extremely worthwhile strategy experience, with a well-balanced single player and suitably frantic multiplayer. The title could do with a few tweaks here and there to perfect the experience, but this is one for strategy fans to look to for their next future war fix.

Dawn of War III is a solid entry into the series, the campaign is a refreshing and well-built return to form. I’ve had as much, if not more fun in multiplayer than I’ve had in the previous games. All that remains now is to wait for the inevitable expansions, desperately hoping they bring your favourite faction back (c’mon Tau and Necrons!)

Large scale sci-fi strategy is a genre that will hopefully be here for many years to come. And at its core that’s what Dawn of War III is, and what its campaign and multiplayer highlight – epic sci-fi strategy with armies of varied units fighting against different races in heated and intense battles. It’s no secret that developer Relic understands this genre well, which in turn means that the balance and differences to be found among the Space Marines, Orks, and Eldar -- not only in units but in presentation and characterisation -- shines throughout. Which makes the addition of MOBA-like elements less of an experiment, than it is a different and fun approach. And just like the action-RPG direction of the second outing, Dawn of War III once again has made us eagerly anticipate what’s next for the series.

Surely, the Inquisitor’s eye will be ever scrutinizing of this one, but I think the franchise has been spared the order of Exterminatus for now.

I approached Dawn of War III without prejudice - I was only curious if yet another change in style and gameplay would work well. DoW II was a shock to many fans of the original but in the end it stood tall and is now considered a better game than its predecessor. I think the same thing will happen here. DoW III is bigger and more explosive in every way and I love it.

Dawn of War III is really a tryharder. While we are years away from the RTS' former glory, it can't be denied that the guys at Relic know how to manage themselves in the genre and bring us a game that truly delivers.

Dawn of War 3 may not be revolutionary, but it's certainly an improvement on the previous iteration. Bringing in the best of Dawn of War 2 to the RTS elements of the first, the game is only let down by a rather boring campaign that acts more as a tutorial for the excellent multiplayer.

The story campaign is a bit of a chore, but the multiplayer is an exciting mix of RTS and MOBA – and may just be the next big thing in strategy gaming.

Dawn of War III is a Storm Shield-solid title carrying a few minor irritations. It can't possibly leave the blast crater its predecessors did, but it's still an absorbing, invigorating, chaotic RTS with the firepower to impress.

Dawn of War III is a beautiful marriage of successful technique and very pleasant gameplay. A true festival of pyrotechnics effects, it's one of more beautiful games in the strategy category. Nevertheless, the game is not without fault, and we regret the cruel lack of content in multiplayer (only one mode). But Relic has achieved its goal and the game is good mix between nostalgia and evolution.

There’s still something a little old-school about Dawn of War III’s RTS action, but when it scratches those same old itches so well, there’s very little reason to complain. It’s a game that takes new influences from the MOBA and uses them well, mixing up powerful Elites with tactically interesting units to create great battlefield moments, while spinning an interesting yarn from three different perspectives.

This is the most conventional RTS in an historically unconventional series. While this fact alone may divide players, its quality of presentation and polished mechanics mean that, as it inevitably expands with more content, Dawn of War III may yet become the champion of a genre that remains stubbornly resistant to evolution.

For all Warhammer 40,000 fans, Dawn of War is back with deep gameplay and awesome battles.

Warhammer: Dawn of War III is a new starting point, with many new features in the gameplay, but not everyone will appreciate the changes made by Relic. Surely, no one will love the spare content.

After the pure RTS of Dawn of War and the RPG leanings of Dawn of War II, Relic Entertainment decides to settle in the middle ground with Dawn of War III. Base-building returns, heroes get an overhaul with Elite units, and combat becomes more aggressive and faster-paced. Dawn of War III is a game that pulls from its past, while taking some elements from modern day gaming to make something new in the franchise.

Where most game series can rest on their laurels, Dawn of War III is essentially the third reinvention of Relic’s Warhammer 40,000 RTS. As the game captures a sense of grand scale, it loses some of the strategic nuance in changes to the cover system, and it’s a disappointment that tried and tested multiplayer modes aren’t included as well. That said, the campaign makes for an enjoyable and challenging romp through yet another crisis in the 40K universe, and while some gameplay elements have been simplified, the three deeply contrasting races offer plenty for players to sink their teeth into online.

Dawn of War 3 makes an admirable attempt to nudge forward a genre that has struggled in recent years to progress. The addition of Elites offers intriguing and complex challenges for those who are prepared to put in the necessary practice. Relic has obviously thought long and hard about how realtime strategy might best be improved — even if true evolution seems out of the game’s grasp.

Dawn of War III builds and maintains an organic tension that yields huge pay-offs, and there’s nothing else quite like it.

Dawn of War 3 is a good RTS game in the Warhammer franchise. The races and units are well-balanced, as are the maps. Dawn of War 3 only has three races to play with, however, and the graphics are not that good.

Dawn of War III is a mixed bag, featuring a forgettable campaign and enjoyable multiplayer, assuming you are willing to make some compromises to the traditional formula. I’m glad Relic is attempting some new tweaks while maintaining the sanctity of the almost-untouchable legacy of Warhammer 40,000.

Dawn of War 3 has overly dominant elites, and a merely serviceable campaign, but it captures the power of mass battles well.

Quotation forthcoming.

Flashy and loaded with complex, micromanagement-heavy warfare. Its single-player campaign is long and challenging, but feels uninspired because it rarely makes creative use of the three factions’ abilities. In multiplayer it’s even more demanding and intimidatingly chaotic, but with only one mode and not a lot of maps, it seems limited. Relic deserves credit for not simply remaking the same game with prettier graphics, but this hybrid approach doesn’t feel as strong as Dawn of War 2’s memorable tactical focus.

Dawn of War III is a strong single-player campaign tied to an inconsistent multiplayer. It feels like a more ambitious game than it is able to be. Players who are looking for a single-player adventure will have a lot of fun rampaging through the 15-hour campaign, but those who are in it for the multiplayer may be frustrated by the new and somewhat muddled multiplayer mode. If the multiplayer clicks for you, Dawn of War III will be a delight, but it's a tough sell if you're looking for advancements on prior Dawn of War titles.

DoW III is trying to offer something to fans of both first and second installment in the series, but by implementing "half" and "in-between" solutions, Relic is stepping into a danger zone of satisfying none of them.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III is an enjoyable, challenging and rewarding RTS experience. Not everyone will be enamoured with its MOBA-flavoured gameplay, but there is no denying it makes for some frenetic and action-packed battle goodness much of the time. Just as with the game, fans will be divided into “factions” – players who like attack-oriented strategy will be completely in their element – while a minority (like me) who enjoy slower, defensive play will find that this game is more of an acquired taste.

Dawn of War III is the best looking RTS out there. It boasts graphics, art, and animations that are unparalleled within the genre. Its battles are beautifully crafted, wildly entertaining, smooth, and polished. However, the single-player experience suffers from predictable flatness and a drawn out tutorial phase, while multiplayer content is in need of additional content.