Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III has just launched, and we can’t wait for you to get your hands on it. But this scale of battle isn’t to be taken lightly, and no one should head into the fray unprepared. To help, we’ve put together a few quick tips to help secure your path to victory!

New to RTS? Play the Tutorials!

Dawn of War III includes both beginner and advanced tutorial missions that will guide you through a range of objectives to get you set up. If you’re a beginner to the genre, we recommend completing both tutorials before matching up with other players. If you’re an RTS vet, the advanced tutorial will acclimate you to a few tactics and mechanics specific to Dawn of War III!

Try Different Factions and Elites!

The Space Marines, Orks, and Eldar all play very differently, and offer different strengths and weaknesses. Be sure to try them all! Similarly, Elite units can drastically shift the tone of your army, and offer a range of skills specializing in support, stealth, or brute strength! Test out different combinations to see which Elites complement each other, and your playstyle!

Don’t Forget Your Doctrines!

Doctrines offer a range of enhancements to your Elite units and armies. Doctrines come in two varieties; Elite Doctrines and Army Doctrines. Elite Doctrines can enhance the abilities of your Elite units in order to make them, and your overall army, more effective in battle. Army Doctrines affect a subset of your army as a whole with various buffs, effects, and abilities. Learn more about them here!

Your Army Must Work Together!

Elite units are powerful, but they aren’t armies of one (or three, in this case)! You need to make sure they’re supported by formidable armies of Space Marines, Eldar, and Orks. Capturing and upgrading resource points and building up your base are critical steps to help you build a large army that can take on any challenge. Dawn of War III offers the largest armies in franchise history, so make use of them!

Make It Your Own!

Customization doesn’t stop with what units and abilities you choose. Dawn of War III includes an expansive Army Painter that allows you to put a personal touch on your troops. Choose from a selection of paint sets faithful to Warhammer 40K lore, or create your own out of dozens of customizable colors! Check out all the details here.

Assemble Your Troops!

Once you’re comfortable on the battlefield, make sure to team up with friends or match with players from around the world in 2v2 and 3v3 matches! There’s nothing quite like forging a fragile alliance of Space Marines, Eldar, and Orks and working together to unleash all-out WAAAAAGH on your opponent!

We can’t wait for you to get your hands on multiplayer, and we hope it tides you over until Dawn of War III releases on April 27. For more on what to expect, don’t miss the Dawn of War III Multiplayer Tutorial and our dev analysis of a sprawling 3 vs. 3 match!

Until we see you on the battlefield: for the Emperor!!