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The “other Space Marines” confirmed alongside the Blood Ravens in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV are the Dark Angels. Both chapters appear in the campaign, but official material so far establishes their story roles and some featured units—not a detailed gameplay or multiplayer comparison. The game’s four announced headline factions are Space Marines, Orks, Necrons, and Adeptus Mechanicus.
Which Space Marine chapters are confirmed?
The Blood Ravens and Dark Angels are the two Space Marine chapters specifically presented as playable forces in different campaign missions. The official story announcement names Blood Ravens characters Captain Cyrus and Jonah Orion, and Dark Angels Company Master Astoran and Chaplain Ezrael. It does not establish how many missions each chapter receives or whether either chapter is separately selectable in every mode.
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Games Workshop’s original announcement listed four factions: Adeptus Mechanicus, Blood Ravens Space Marines, Orks, and Necrons. It also described a campaign of 70+ missions, playable solo or with a friend, alongside Last Stand, Skirmish, and multiplayer. Games Workshop’s announcement does not say that every tabletop Space Marine chapter will be playable. The currently confirmed “other Space Marines” in the campaign story are the Dark Angels—not Blood Angels or Ultramarines.
Blood Ravens vs. Dark Angels: what’s actually different?
| Comparison | Blood Ravens | Dark Angels |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign role | The returning chapter has a history on Kronus, a Blood Ravens recruitment world. Captain Cyrus and Jonah Orion are named; the chapter’s forces are cut off from reinforcements after the Great Rift and return hoping to replenish their ranks. Deep Silver’s story summary | They join the Blood Ravens as allies. Company Master Astoran and Chaplain Ezrael are named in the campaign announcement. Games Workshop’s story announcement |
| Highlighted forces or units | Captain Cyrus is associated with the Blood Ravens forces in the announced story material. | The 30 September 2026 trailer highlights a bike-mounted Chaplain and Deathwing Terminators. That is a selection of featured units, not a complete roster. Games Workshop’s trailer article |
| Disclosed Dawn of War IV mechanics | Chapter-specific mechanics: not stated in the official material cited here. | Chapter-specific mechanics: not stated in the official material cited here. |
The distinction supported by current announcements is narrative and visual: the Blood Ravens are the returning chapter tied to Kronus, while the Dark Angels arrive as allies and have certain units featured in a trailer. Those details do not establish relative strength, a complete unit roster, or availability of every shown unit in campaign, Skirmish, or multiplayer.
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- Real-time strategy game based on the popular table-top war game
- Vie for the survival of mankind or its ultimate destruction
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Do the chapters play differently?
That has not been established in the cited official material. Neither chapter has a sufficiently disclosed Dawn of War IV mechanics profile for a reliable verdict on how it plays, and featured units alone cannot show how a faction performs in multiplayer.
Games Workshop describes the Dark Angels in broad Warhammer 40,000 lore terms as mysterious, merciless in attack, and stubborn in defence. That is setting characterization, not proof that the Dawn of War IV Dark Angels will have an aggressive or defensive gameplay style. Likewise, the developers’ stated aim for factions to be lore-faithful and have distinct playstyles is a design goal, not a published Blood Ravens-versus-Dark Angels breakdown. Games Workshop’s Dark Angels army page and the KING Art Games Adeptus Mechanicus design notes provide broader context, but not that chapter comparison.
What the other announced factions tell us—and don’t
The Adeptus Mechanicus is the one non-Space-Marine faction for which the cited developer notes give a more specific playstyle example: it is described as quick and ranged-oriented, with a Noosphere Network linking buildings, static weapons, and units. That network can strengthen units and reduce production costs. This demonstrates the kind of faction-specific information disclosed for at least one faction; it does not reveal equivalent Blood Ravens or Dark Angels mechanics. The other two announced headline factions are Orks and Necrons.
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As of 4 October 2026, official pages give conflicting dates. The latest dated faction article in the available material, published 30 September 2026, says the game is set to release on 3 December 2026. PLAION’s FAQ and an earlier Games Workshop roadmap page instead state 17 September 2026. Treat 3 December as the latest dated official statement, rather than assuming the disagreement is resolved. The FAQ identifies Steam for Windows PC. Latest dated Games Workshop faction article · PLAION FAQ · Games Workshop release-date and roadmap article
Rank #3
- Real-time strategy game based on the popular table-top war game
- Vie for the survival of mankind or its ultimate destruction
- Control 1 of 5 unique races
- Improved resource model makes it easier to focus on frontline action
- Single player campaigns; Multiplayer for up to 8 via LAN or Internet
The roadmap also announces paid Blood Ravens Story Prologue DLC and paid Aftermath DLC planned to introduce a new faction. The faction has not been named in the cited announcement, so its identity should not be treated as confirmed.
Quick Recap
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- THQ 49298 Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War PC
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
