Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III

 PC
User Score
4.6

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 499 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 164 out of 499
  2. Mixed: 70 out of 499
  3. Negative: 265 out of 499

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Hellspeller
    Apr 28, 2017
    4
    I am a huge biased fan of everything WH40k; loved the first RTS - DoW, and the RPG-ish DoW 2. (Also a big Moba fan, as it is relevant here).
    Sadly, I must say DoW 3 is a Huge miss here (and I worry my 4/10 rating is too much generous?).
    First off, the gameplay simply isn't there. The mix they tried to do between the two previous DoW doesnt work; it just isn't balanced and the epicness    I am a huge biased fan of everything WH40k; loved the first RTS - DoW, and the RPG-ish DoW 2. (Also a big Moba fan, as it is relevant here).
    Sadly, I must say DoW 3 is a Huge miss here (and I worry my 4/10 rating is too much generous?).
    First off, the gameplay simply isn't there.
    The mix they tried to do between the two previous DoW doesnt work; it just isn't balanced and the epicness isn't there. The worst is the small maps which are heavily restricted (corridors) and nullify all aspect of strategy which you want in a RTS.
    While there are positive like the graphics, audio, voice acting and the overall 40k universe;
    The worst is the content. If you dont care about multiplayer, the campaign is short and dull and again, very restricted (Feels like a never ending tutorial with never any freedom to play the mission like you want).
    Only 3 races and no game mode... (I mean the potential was there, they could have made another Last Stand mode with the heroes, which was a BLAST in DoW 2!)
    You will basically pay the highest AAA price, play the 10h-ish campaign, forget its dull story and never open the game again.    … Expand
  2. DontBeNasty
    Jun 17, 2018
    4
    Unfortunately, DoW 3 Sacrifices story, lore and a compeling campaign for a multiplayer focused cash in on the e-sports trend. But one can't just force a game into e-sports and certainly not in the expense of the universe. DoW has always been about story campaings on the DoW universe. Let e-sports to blizzard. These are not empty words either the game floped hard and is now consideredUnfortunately, DoW 3 Sacrifices story, lore and a compeling campaign for a multiplayer focused cash in on the e-sports trend. But one can't just force a game into e-sports and certainly not in the expense of the universe. DoW has always been about story campaings on the DoW universe. Let e-sports to blizzard. These are not empty words either the game floped hard and is now considered abandoned by relic. It joins star wars the old republic and simcity, not just by trying to ride the multiplayer trend just because, but also flopping hard.… Expand
  3. degrassinoel
    Apr 29, 2017
    4
    Disappointing 3rd installment of the Dawn of War Franchise.
    The bad -
    The changed cover system makes little sense. The cartoon-like units. The Moba feel. The interwoven singleplayer campaign meaning you have to play all three factions to continue the campaign, there is no single faction only campaign, similar to warcraft III. Every unit needs to be micromanaged. It doesnt take    Disappointing 3rd installment of the Dawn of War Franchise.
    The bad -
    The changed cover system makes little sense.
    The cartoon-like units.
    The Moba feel.
    The interwoven singleplayer campaign meaning you have to play all three factions to continue the campaign, there is no single faction only campaign, similar to warcraft III.
    Every unit needs to be micromanaged.
    It doesnt take itself as seriously as WH40K game should.
    It doesnt feel like WH40K.

    The Good -
    Fantastic soundtrack and sound effects.
    Above average voice acting.
    Plays reasonably stable with very few dips in FPS.

    Imagine if they had combined all the good elements of DoW and DoWII into DoWIII? Well, they didnt, sadly.    … Expand
  4. Orderan
    May 8, 2017
    4
    This game confuse me.

    Its quality is below other Dawn of War games. Narrated slides instead of CGI cutscenes, less varied and downright cheap animations, questionnable designs (those Space Marines legs). The story is the first Dawn of War reharsed, minus the Chaos faction (which could, SHOULD be here) The strategy is weird, even more skill usages than in DOW 2, with no micro for    This game confuse me.

    Its quality is below other Dawn of War games. Narrated slides instead of CGI cutscenes, less varied and downright cheap animations, questionnable designs (those Space Marines legs).

    The story is the first Dawn of War reharsed, minus the Chaos faction (which could, SHOULD be here)

    The strategy is weird, even more skill usages than in DOW 2, with no micro for cover/flanking. With the exisitng defending structures and those bushes, you end up with more a moba-like impressions than a RTS.

    In the end, it's like they wanted to make a strategy game with the same competitive elements and designs you can find in a Moba. The result is "original" in the same way peanut-butter flavored yogurt is original. It aims to attract to more people, claims to be the new sensation while being just a mix that no one wanted, will end up with its fanbase, but most people will only taste it once or twice and never eat some again.    … Expand
  5. Figaro79
    May 3, 2017
    4
    Хуже, намного хуже чем Dawn of War. Плохо всё кроме графики и стабильности. Скучная кампания, нудный скирмиш, фракция эльдаров неинтересная, несбалансированная.
  6. Judaas
    May 1, 2017
    4
    I' am so disappointed! I was waiting for this game for so long and now what do I get? Buggy, unfinished repetitive, game similar to SC. U spawn a bunch of cheap units, use ur hero and destroy enemy. The one with bigger bunch wins. No strategy needed. No morale system, no cover system (the bobbles are OP or useless, no sync kill :(, I don't feel like I'am in charge of the battle. JustI' am so disappointed! I was waiting for this game for so long and now what do I get? Buggy, unfinished repetitive, game similar to SC. U spawn a bunch of cheap units, use ur hero and destroy enemy. The one with bigger bunch wins. No strategy needed. No morale system, no cover system (the bobbles are OP or useless, no sync kill :(, I don't feel like I'am in charge of the battle. Just moving units. I'am not connected with my units. When your hero has abilities that can devastate our army in one click its so unfair from competitive stand point. There is no story behind the game. its just tutorial for the MP. It's not WH DOW. I want my money BACK!… Expand
  7. elyh
    May 19, 2017
    4
    ohhh boy oh boy... I love 40k and I loved the first dawn I sort of liked the sequel dawn of war 2.... But yeah dawn of war 3 is so disappointing. The unit roster is ok, the graphics and animation is fine...
    But the gameplay is just pedantic, a snooooze fest, it's half RTS half MOBA but yeah it's not really a playable game.
    The campaign is the worst DOW campaign in the franchise and    ohhh boy oh boy... I love 40k and I loved the first dawn I sort of liked the sequel dawn of war 2.... But yeah dawn of war 3 is so disappointing. The unit roster is ok, the graphics and animation is fine...
    But the gameplay is just pedantic, a snooooze fest, it's half RTS half MOBA but yeah it's not really a playable game.

    The campaign is the worst DOW campaign in the franchise and honestly multiplayer games are just boaring (15 mission campaign to cover the 3 classes). The game is so flawed the mechanics are counterintuitive and you really need a very high APM to get things done in this game. Really not a game for the casual crowd and the multiplayer is so un-dynamic i don't see serious players getting involved either.

    I love 40k but in this case I should of kept my money. The total war games are much much better is a shame I really don't know what relic was thinking.    … Expand
  8. Lisowczyk3P
    Apr 28, 2017
    4
    How you will see the game depends on it how very much you are acquainted with the universe.
    Worst in my opinion:
    - Raping lore, even more than in previous games. - Graphical style not matching the universe generally speaking (Too polite, sterile, bright) - Simplification in terms of base construction and unit quantities - Applying some solutions from MOBA games (lines, towers,    How you will see the game depends on it how very much you are acquainted with the universe.
    Worst in my opinion:
    - Raping lore, even more than in previous games.
    - Graphical style not matching the universe generally speaking (Too polite, sterile, bright)
    - Simplification in terms of base construction and unit quantities
    - Applying some solutions from MOBA games (lines, towers, "inhibitors", "nexus" and bushes)    … Expand
  9. Omnipresence496
    Apr 28, 2017
    4
    I can imagine that this game may be fun for some people, but for me, its just odd. The overall design of the game makes playing through a match annoying, unrewarding and repetitive.

    -For the first 1 - 5 minutes, its a desperate rush for resource points and hero point generation, slow build of army and technologies (feels like a good solid RTS) -The next 5 minutes is re-enforcing    I can imagine that this game may be fun for some people, but for me, its just odd. The overall design of the game makes playing through a match annoying, unrewarding and repetitive.

    -For the first 1 - 5 minutes, its a desperate rush for resource points and hero point generation, slow build of army and technologies (feels like a good solid RTS)
    -The next 5 minutes is re-enforcing positions and generating armies
    -Then end game when you can afford your epic unit. At this point, all the amazing design work for the buildings and minor units is forgotten. You march your epic unit down a lane and destroy their towers (ignoring everything else)

    Pros:
    Voice acting for units and factions is good
    Vocal prompts for locations of skirmishes and information is useful and fun
    Animation is good. Unit design is good
    The faction specific mechanics are brilliant (scrap, warp, drop)

    Cons:
    -General flow of combat and game pace
    -Epic units, because they are so game changing, it becomes a rush to get them, stopping any appreciation of the other parts of the game that look and sound awesome
    -The MOBA style objectives. Because they are placed so far out, building defenses is close to pointless. They are generic so look and feel out of place compared to the brilliant faction buildings. You know where they are each map so rushing is made super easy.
    -The maps seem like they are the forgotten beta maps from every MOBA ever. Lanes, towers, patches of grass for cover. Jungle camps have been replaced with resource generators.
    -No exp generation for units for offline skirmish maps.
    -The AI and overall game intelligence seems poor. Attack move is needed for everything, if not then your troops just end up having chats with the enemy.
    -The tutorial
    -Music is forgettable    … Expand
  10. BigCy
    May 10, 2017
    4
    I am having a hard time understanding this new phase in the game industry of going away with the things that work perfectly. I dislike this game. Its pretty, but it has no soul. You know what is not pretty? Dark Crusade, and its soul its still here. Its heart still beating and all of us warhammer fans still go back to it for more fun.

    Why change a formula works? I would've zero problem    I am having a hard time understanding this new phase in the game industry of going away with the things that work perfectly. I dislike this game. Its pretty, but it has no soul. You know what is not pretty? Dark Crusade, and its soul its still here. Its heart still beating and all of us warhammer fans still go back to it for more fun.

    Why change a formula works? I would've zero problem paying the msrp price for a remastered Dark Crusade. Just imagine how amazing Dark Crusade would be with HD HDR/4k texture and added features.

    A Dota style game will only sell to Dota fans. I have bought every single warhammer RTS games since the first one ( The amazing Gabriel angelos vs. Isador Akios story). I bought into the idea of warhammer two even if I did not like the lack of base building.

    But this evolved warhammer 3? I played the beta for a few days and was so disappointed. If I wanted to play Dota or Heroes of the Storm I can play those cause they are best at it. there is no need for a dota style dawn of war if the old formula works and sell guys.

    I did not and will not buy Dawn of War 3. A Dark Crusade with new graphics? I will pre-order now.    … Expand
  11. rjggamer
    May 13, 2017
    4
    Risks taken on base building Real Time Strategy games doesn't save the game from its horrible controls, wonky UI, slow and unresponsive elites and frustrating animations.

    I threw away money because I didn't want to believe the negative campaigning. I could see past the somewhat different take on base building and 'lanes'. It seemed like these guys were just taking a risk to finally try    Risks taken on base building Real Time Strategy games doesn't save the game from its horrible controls, wonky UI, slow and unresponsive elites and frustrating animations.

    I threw away money because I didn't want to believe the negative campaigning. I could see past the somewhat different take on base building and 'lanes'. It seemed like these guys were just taking a risk to finally try to bring the Dawn of War games to the limelight.

    Unfortunately the troubles begin pretty early. Starting up the tutorial you can already tell that the screen is really too cluttered and I can't tell exactly what style of art they were going for with the aesthetic -- it's a little murky. After you finish the tutorial, which explains basically nothing of 'doctrines' or the skull 'currency' to BUY them, you go into the first mission of the campaign.

    Before I start on the campaign, I want to mention that I think it's a terrible, terrible design choice to gate your content behind ridiculous like a currency. Want to jump right into multiplayer? Nope. You better have your doctrines ready and to get them is going to take some tedious grinding.

    The campaign starts you off as Space Marines, or at least as Gabriel Angelos. Sure it's pretty evident when you should use your abilities -- he is one of the easier heroes in the game. But the first mission is INCREDIBLY boring and unwelcoming for newer players of the genre. That style of play has nothing to do with what you probably bought the game for in addition to a good single player game -- the multiplayer.

    Most of the game you DO NOT build any kind of bases or structures, or you're purposefully limited.

    The story is mediocre, not bad -- which is one of the reasons I'm not giving this a lower score. But come on, we know the motif for these games, don't we?

    After finishing the the eleventh mission of the game, I decided that I just couldn't take it. running a rat maze while one elite hits an alarm and stealths while your other two stand at a point is lazy design. There's no reason to play multiplayer at the moment without a ladder and who knows if this game is going to try to scam even more money from you. Why are doctrines gated behind this skull currency? Why couldn't I just decide to take a break and play a multiplayer game? Then again, why would I want to. Want to make changes on the fly to control groups? Nope - reselect everything you want and rebind it.

    The races feel almost identical with maybe an exception to orks.

    The game was rushed and every second after the first eleven missions I just wanted to play DOW1. I suggest that relic/CA whoever takes this game back like Final Fantasy fix the broken, unfinished garbage they rushed out and apologize to the fans.    … Expand
  12. Scorpion1980
    Jul 19, 2020
    4
    sigh, they ruined it, dammit, stupid rts moba combo, i truly hope if there ever is a dow4 that it is better, back to old school rts.
  13. RusMakh
    Jun 24, 2022
    4
    The players who wanted to get a full-fledged RTS did not get it. And the audience that likes to play the MOBA genre is not interested in a PAID game, when most games of this genre are FREE. The very spirit of the original from the previous parts is lost.
  14. Giero
    Jan 4, 2023
    4
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  15. canapi
    May 22, 2017
    3
    Worst edition of DOW ever, I owned and played every single version/edition/dlc of this game and I enjoyed it even in different way.

    Well I ordered this version as a pre-order, played the beta end part of definitive game then I asked for a refund. Maybe in the future I will buy it when it will be at a very strong discount, but at full price It is theft, really, worst, worst edition    Worst edition of DOW ever, I owned and played every single version/edition/dlc of this game and I enjoyed it even in different way.

    Well I ordered this version as a pre-order, played the beta end part of definitive game then I asked for a refund.

    Maybe in the future I will buy it when it will be at a very strong discount, but at full price It is theft, really, worst, worst edition ever, for almost everything, they ruined a great saga.    … Expand
  16. GameInquisitor0
    Apr 28, 2017
    3
    I refunded my game. This game is half ass everything it tries to be Starcraft, Warcraft and Company of heroes at the same time and the story is bad. Comeback is non-existence. Lose your first engagement> slow grind to inevitable doom, win your engagement>slow grind to victory. The story is half ass as well it's nothing more than a glorified tutorial which is a huge disappointment.
  17. crackajaxx
    Sep 13, 2017
    3
    I feel like I've played this game long enough to tell you that this game is in early access. It doesn't say it is, but believe me, it is. It lacks many basic quality of life features and there is a distinct lack of content and a busted meta that obviously wasn't tested enough. I know it's only been out for a little bit but the state this game launched in was simply unacceptable

    It    I feel like I've played this game long enough to tell you that this game is in early access. It doesn't say it is, but believe me, it is. It lacks many basic quality of life features and there is a distinct lack of content and a busted meta that obviously wasn't tested enough. I know it's only been out for a little bit but the state this game launched in was simply unacceptable

    It essentially acts like an early access title without saying it is, and it was blatantly rushed out of the door. It was missing a damn fullscreen option for emperor's sake and a surrender button in multiplayer! Give me a break! It STILL has framerate issues several months after release and general performance problems abound.

    The campaign was the definition of playing it safe. It wasn't bad per say but it wasn't very good either. Most mission are basically just tutorials. The jumping between different factions was very disorienting and was overall very forgettable. I wasn't asking for much here but I somehow got even less. I'll sum up the whole story really quick: gabe, macha and gorgutz fight each other a bunch then team up to fight a demon at the end, that's it. That's literally all the happens throughout the course of the campaign (minus the teaser at the end which ironically is more memorable than the entire game).

    What the game excels at in atmosphere and sound effects it fails in gameplay and polish. Units are far, far too fragile and 1 click army wipes are very common. Comeback mechanics do exist but the overall feel of the game revolves around cheesy tactics like backdoor dreadnaughts, spamming units en masse, and hiding knight sized units in grass (yes you read that right). I can look past the hiding knights thing, I can look past Gabriel somersaulting around in terminator armor, I can look past nit picky things like that but the gameplay overall is so volatile with how punishing it is for mistakes it really doesn't even matter. I recall particular low point heroes able to basically 1 shot entire legions of units it was that unbalanced. Isn't this what that beta test was for?

    The UI is sloppy. Nobody likes interfaces that fade in and fade out. It feels sluggish and unresponsive that way, this is basic design and they inexplicably chose to have the menus work this way. It's not cool! Nobody likes an unresponsive UI! The in-game UI is all over the place. I do like seeing my heroes on the side ala Warcraft 3 and it is customizable like you can have your map on either side and your command card on either side which is good. I know there are a lot of units to deal with. The battles get huge in this game, but the little cards that pop up at the bottom for each individual unit sucks. Not saying I know of a better way but there has to be a more user friendly way to view your selected units than having them all clustered up at the bottom like that.

    There's a currency system. You collect skulls to unlock hero units and doctrines for multiplayer. The problem is that it's unfair to newcomers who don't have access to these units and doctrines until they either get stomped a bunch of times by players who DO have these things, or slog through that boring singleplayer. The other problem is there really isn't anything to buy with these skulls, after you unlock all the hero units and some choice doctrines you like there isn't anything to buy. You just keep accumulating them for no reason. It's almost as if they wanted to implement a cash shop of some kind but didn't have time to do it or something!

    This game isn't bad because its a MOBA, it's bad because it's just plain unfinished and overall not very fun. What is there is high quality stuff don't get me wrong, but there's not nearly enough of it and there's just so many bugs and untested things it generally feels very bare bones and experimental and certainly not worth 60 dollars or hell, not even 30, not in its launch state and certainly not now. I simply can't recommend this game. It breaks my heart to do it but I can't recommend it. It's just not very good.

    And that's surprising, baffling even, that Relic would release Dawn of War III in this state after their previous titles had so much polish and were great! Why would they waste their time if they weren't going to put any effort into it? What the heck happened? Player numbers are very low (like 600 max) and that's because the game isn't very well thought out or polished. You can't tell me after how much polish their previous titles had, and after a trailer like that the game would come out in this state?

    There isn't much hope for this game, it needed about another year of development but at this point I would say Relic really blew it with this title. Bottom line: don't rush your damn games out before their finished. Go early access if you have to but don't release it barely working and certainly don't charge 60 dollars for an incomplete mes    … Expand
  18. kamaroff
    Apr 28, 2017
    3
    Glad to see that Relic have punished themselves for COH2. But, i'm quite disapointed that they ruined one of my favorite game series.

    RIP Relic /// RIP Bioware
  19. HanselTW
    Dec 2, 2018
    3
    The soundtrack is great. The game has probably the best intro trailer ever made. However, the game itself is a massive disappointment. It is inferior to original Dawn of War, and one of the few games that made feel like refund was justified.
  20. northernlad
    May 2, 2017
    3
    all i can say is wow its not a moba when u have to defend something saying its not a moba it normally means theres some weight to the claims it feels like a mix of rts/moba/ i was gonna say rpg but no very little customization no leveling up relic should be taken off the next dawn of war game this is just dumbed down crap blob on blob gameplay no cover system its a bubble system whoeverall i can say is wow its not a moba when u have to defend something saying its not a moba it normally means theres some weight to the claims it feels like a mix of rts/moba/ i was gonna say rpg but no very little customization no leveling up relic should be taken off the next dawn of war game this is just dumbed down crap blob on blob gameplay no cover system its a bubble system whoever thought that up should never work again in the games industry what a stupid idea one multiplayer mode a tutorial 17 missons long at least give us a proper decent campaign last relic game i ever buy dow 1 fantastic plus expansions dow 2 ok spoilt the game franchise in my opinion but this is garbage… Expand
  21. Mikethewolf
    Apr 27, 2017
    3
    Tl:Dr - They dumbed the game down to make it more like a MOBA , while retaining its RTS/RTT roots. The End Result is a GAme that is a MOBA/RGP/RTS hybrid and tries to do to much and doesnt do any of it well. If they wanted a MOBA they should of went full MOBA, not forced MOBA elements into an RTS just because its the trendy thing to do.

    WTAF? I have been a DOW fan long before the    Tl:Dr - They dumbed the game down to make it more like a MOBA , while retaining its RTS/RTT roots. The End Result is a GAme that is a MOBA/RGP/RTS hybrid and tries to do to much and doesnt do any of it well. If they wanted a MOBA they should of went full MOBA, not forced MOBA elements into an RTS just because its the trendy thing to do.

    WTAF? I have been a DOW fan long before the games! I Loved the first one , still occasionally play it, Its depth and customization is amazing. A Pure RTS . I wasnt a big fan of the second one at First but ended up really like the RPG and RTT elements add to it. The Hero units were much stronger then normal units but not by an insane amount.

    DOW 3 however makes most the little guys useless , there feels like there is no character or depth to the other units anymore , their upgrades barely seem all that different or unique and their impact is no where near as significant as other games , they are just meat for the grinders that are the Elites . They made the game almost like all units are just these extra guys there to assist the Elites , which was never what DOW was about. Its more like a MOBA now where the game centers around an Elite and all the units are just puked out to help your Elite kill there Elite or building just a tiny bit faster.

    Everything is dumbed down for normal units , their skills their actions , even the graphics and their skins , seriously compare the tactical marines in 3 to either 2 or 1 and there is no comparison , all units are like afterthoughts to the game with the bare minimal effort put it. Relic normally hits it out of the park but they were catering to much to the trendy crowd so much im half surprised they didn't try to put some sorta overwatch mechanic into the game

    They removed all the depth and usefulness of regular units , the only thing i use them for it to take down buildings and to guard a Elite while he heals .

    The games feels so simple and so empty and soulless and the draw of the game at least for me has always been its tactical depth and the feel that every squad was important , not only that the whole game seem so much slower.    … Expand
  22. Saturday
    Apr 29, 2017
    3
    This game does not know what it wants to be and ends up being a boring mess that takes a steamer on the DOW ip

    Feels more like a lane game than a RTS Mechanics are fairly bland and less than previously titles (eg morale and suppression gone) Buggy Heroes are overpowered to the point that regular units are nearly worthless Recommend watching TB & Archs youtube reviews, they explain    This game does not know what it wants to be and ends up being a boring mess that takes a steamer on the DOW ip

    Feels more like a lane game than a RTS
    Mechanics are fairly bland and less than previously titles (eg morale and suppression gone)
    Buggy
    Heroes are overpowered to the point that regular units are nearly worthless

    Recommend watching TB & Archs youtube reviews, they explain it far better than can be said here.    … Expand
  23. Targetdrone
    Apr 28, 2017
    3
    This is a shell of an RTS at best, gutted by removing basebuilding, and silly design choices that stamp out certain strategies (good by early skirmishing/rushing) . DotA wants its gamestyle back...
    Not worth the full AAA asking price, thank god for steams refund policy....
  24. philb74
    Jun 18, 2017
    3
    I loved Dawn of War 2 and was very excited for the release of this game. I started watching gameplay videos a month or so before the release and while I had reservations, I went ahead and pre-ordered the game.

    The graphics are decent and the sound is not so great. The story is terrible and you won't feel connected to the characters at all. I feel like playing this game is a chore. I    I loved Dawn of War 2 and was very excited for the release of this game. I started watching gameplay videos a month or so before the release and while I had reservations, I went ahead and pre-ordered the game.

    The graphics are decent and the sound is not so great. The story is terrible and you won't feel connected to the characters at all. I feel like playing this game is a chore. I have kept coming back because of the happy memories I have from dawn of war 2 and the expansions expecially Chaos Rising. This game tries to do something new and it totally fails. The strategy element is weak with gameplay that offers no real depth. Add that to the lack of compelling story or likeable characters and you have a game that is not worth your money.    … Expand
  25. YoloSwag4Doge
    May 29, 2017
    3
    Lots of people have spoken on various aspects of the game so I'm just going to talk about the fundamental component that disappoints me the most. Non-elite units are squishy as f**k...

    One of the reasons I hated playing the imperial guard in DoW for the longest time was how easily your units died. You'd have these large squads spec'd out with cool laser pointers and noob tubes and then    Lots of people have spoken on various aspects of the game so I'm just going to talk about the fundamental component that disappoints me the most. Non-elite units are squishy as f**k...

    One of the reasons I hated playing the imperial guard in DoW for the longest time was how easily your units died. You'd have these large squads spec'd out with cool laser pointers and noob tubes and then stare in despair as they all got mowed down by heavy bolters, But I came to appreciating that that was the gaurdsmen signature. Lots and lots of eager yet easily broken cannon fodder. And that was great, because it made them unique and accentuated the awesomeness of their artillery and vehicles.

    In DoW 3 all your units are weak. Yes, they're necessary and have a significant impact on the game, but they die to most things in seconds. I've always been a big fan of the space marines. Their look, their weapons and their unwavering love of combat combined with fearless devotion to victory in the name of the emperor is what make them bad a$$ as f**king hell. They are pure awesome.

    But in DoW 3 they are mere cannon fodder. Forget their crazy heavy armor or their genetic enhancements. They drop like flies, literally. They seemed a bit weak in DoW 1 as well, but I came to appreciate their strength in relation to what they were up against. But in DoW 3 they're plain and simply weak against everything. And this applies to any unit, of any faction that isn't an elite unit.

    Vehicles were incredibly strong in the original. Dreadnoughts would tear through entire armies. Predators were tanky as f**k, which makes sense being as they're a friggen tank. And land raiders, avatars, blood thirsters and squiggoths were an insane force to be reckoned with. You were not putting those monstrosities down quickly.

    In DoW 3 a predator misplaced for even a split second will explode instantly to even a couple anti-vehicle infantry squads. It'll die in a few seconds to regular infantry weapons. This applies to any non-elite vehicle. They just die incredibly fast and this is how the game has been designed. When I built my first predator playing DoW 3 I felt really excited thinking it was going to wreck all these sh1tt3r infantry units only to be disappointed to my core when it exploded in seconds to what might as well have been a couple of snow balls.

    Elite units are godly and satisfying to use. But they're strong to the point of making regular units seem like mundane, mass produced, mindless creeps. 3 elite units can easily erase an entire army. And while I enjoyed using the crazy strong elites I unfortunately still had to use my sad, frail sh1t tier units instead of being able to just enjoy bashing all the side show tin foil wannabe tanks with my over 9000 hammer.

    Regular tac marines are especially pathetic, to the point that they quickly become irrelevant as the game goes on. They can no longer wield rocket launchers or bolters and are frequently out ranged and out damaged by the majority of units. Against melee units they get sliced like butter. They don't even remotely compare to the guardsmen of the first DoW in their strength or damage output. And in the end they just don't feel satisfying to use, because when I use them I don't feel like I'm using incredibly strong, armored up heavy hitting super soldiers. I feel like I'm using animatronic target dummies composed of butter, paper mache, tin foil and match sticks. And that's being generous. There are no appropriate words for their air particle destructed frailty.

    Also, there are army decimating super weapons. I mean sure, an orbital bombardment annihilating an entire army of anything seems perfectly plausible. In fact, it feels like the entire game was built around the strength of super weapons. But in all honesty, I'd rather weapons of that strength not even be available. So much so, that not only did I not enjoy using them, I actually felt guilty as hell when I used them on someone. The whole time I'm sitting there, sadly moving my cursor along, watching my opponent's units helplessly hovering in the air getting mushed to pulp, all I can think is, 'I'm sorry man. I'm so, so **** sorry. I am so, wholeheartedly sorry for making you watch as I slide a cursor across your screen decimating every unit you've built in seconds. I'm only doing this because I have to, and because I know you will do the same to me. Thanks to the devs, the cycle will forever continue. No unit shall be spared.'

    I can appreciate the kind of gameplay the devs were aiming for, and I think they nailed their intentions, but it's not what I was expecting from a DoW game and it doesn't really line up with what I know of the Warhammer universe. Because of the unit fragility it's a very hyper micro, zero macro, heavy hero kind of game.

    In a sentence, the game is no longer 'HOLD THE LINE BROTHERS FOR THE GLORY OF THE EMPEROR!', but instead just, 'Man, look at allllll the space pulp on my screen right now...'    … Expand
  26. harney
    May 3, 2017
    3
    yet another game ruined by SEGA ...what a load of crap .....shallow gameplay nothing like dow 1 such a shame .........................................
  27. Satanski
    May 4, 2017
    3
    Playing this game i feel more like im playing some advanced version of Cannon Fodder, then RTS. It feels more arcadey then strategy - battles are chaotic, super fast and require hell of micromanagement.

    Graphically, the game is imo quite pleasant. IRL it looks better then on streams.

    Regarding campaign, i don't like constant side switching. I prefer playing one faction.
  28. Hostani
    Apr 20, 2021
    3
    The disappointment of the year and the death of one of the most beloved series of games. F
  29. meskus123
    May 1, 2017
    3
    Must say that I'm very disappointed . DOW3 came out like trendy game for those who like MOBAs and most simple RTS games. Graphics are not that bad but cartoonish style simply doesn't cut it. There is no real tactical options, mostly because regular units on all sides die so quickly that you don't have time or need to manage them. Its total chaos and meat grinder all around. Elites are onMust say that I'm very disappointed . DOW3 came out like trendy game for those who like MOBAs and most simple RTS games. Graphics are not that bad but cartoonish style simply doesn't cut it. There is no real tactical options, mostly because regular units on all sides die so quickly that you don't have time or need to manage them. Its total chaos and meat grinder all around. Elites are on one side overpowered MOBA heroes with MOBA specials, yet need to micromanage couple of them at same time makes loosing focus and momentum easy. Relic tried to make hybrid of MOBA and light RTS and that is mistake from the start. Even worst mistake was to do away with anything that makes tactical combat an option. DOW1 had cover system way better and more intuitive. In MOBAs you control one hero, mobs come by themselves and you don't have to produce them like here, chaos is expected and welcomed. In DOW game it shouldn't be so but Relic did it in worst way possible with clear idea of making a game to try to lure players of MOBAs and simplified tank rush RTS games both. Game looks lot like StarCraft in level design (space platforms/space forts look almost identical) and even some race mechanics ( elder focus, unit shielding etc.) or story bits with MOBA twist. Campaign is somewhat interesting but it is in essence training for MP and they do not even hide it. Forcing you to play each mission with different race makes patching something lot simpler in a way of story and selling it. DOW1 Winter assault even had better solution for telling a simple but effective story and Dark Crusade or Soulstorm made it with almost no story but good competitive drive. I don't even want to comment Pokémon/Power rangers like flipping Chapter masters and Terminators, or Spiderman like antics of Orc Warlords and so on. You got that but no combat animations of slashing, crushing and dashing, sure sign who was target audience. Even MP is very rudimentary, in truth just somewhat more developed hybrid of MOBA and Clash Royal (lots of Giants and Skeleton/ Minion horde stuff) . Yes it can be light fun but it simply isn't good DOW game

    PS: I see that some reviewers are giving 10 to this game " to balance haters" even when they also think that lot went wrong with this one and because they expect that game will be patched and improved with DLC-s. I really honestly hope so but that's not the state of the game now and only that can be taken in account for review and scoring. Right now that's very low.    … Expand
  30. Flambinours
    Apr 29, 2017
    3
    Extremely dissapointing.

    I was A HUGE fan of warhamme 1 + all extensions and warhammer 2. This is absolutely not the same kind og game. The solo is easy, scenario is really lazy. Strategy is boring, too much units have capacity. The graphics are almost like cartoon, not at all like warhammer. Most of the animations (special mention to Angelos) are ridiculous. Colors are too    Extremely dissapointing.

    I was A HUGE fan of warhamme 1 + all extensions and warhammer 2.

    This is absolutely not the same kind og game.

    The solo is easy, scenario is really lazy. Strategy is boring, too much units have capacity. The graphics are almost like cartoon, not at all like warhammer. Most of the animations (special mention to Angelos) are ridiculous. Colors are too bright,
    Base construction is minimal and not interesting.
    I waited this game for years, and this is a big dissapointement. And this comes from a both of relic and warhammer.
    IDK what happened, this is just sad, sad and boring.

    If at least it would have advanced the story and background of the bloodravens... but it did not even do that.

    The only, little interest, is in the multiplayer, wich is acceptable. But i think most of the persons that plays dawn of war don't do it for the multiplayer. do they?

    I am just sad for this game, this studio, and this license...    … Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017
29
#29 Most Shared PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 76 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 76
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 76
  3. Negative: 0 out of 76
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jul 5, 2017
    60
    The new Warhammer is a classic strategy in core, but simplified to MOBA elements. It combines the gameplay of the first Dawn of War with the latter, and it certainly works nice. [Issue#275]
  2. GameOver.gr
    Jun 30, 2017
    65
    DOW 3 is trying very hard to satisfy many target groups -RTS players, online competitors, mobs fans- but in the end it fails to deliver something memorable.
    Read full review
  3. games(TM)
    Jun 23, 2017
    80
    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]
See all critic reviews »