Which Faction to Play

2:58 No one can say which Dawn of War 4 faction is best yet, because the game is out on Dec 3, 2026 and no tier list or win rate exists: choose by the style you enjoy. Pick Space Marines if you like a few expensive units you keep alive, Orks for cheap numbers and constant aggression, Necrons for a slow advance that is hard to stop, and Adeptus Mechanicus for fast ranged units tied to a network of buildings. If you are new, the evidence so far leans toward Space Marines or Orks. All of this comes from maker statements and preview builds. For a side-by-side of the systems, see Factions Compared. The clip is the official Game Overview Trailer.

Quick facts

Sources: KING Art on the Space Marines, ComicBook, KING Art's multiplayer AMA.

Pick by how you like to play

Sources: KING Art on the Space Marines, Orks, Necrons, Adeptus Mechanicus, Deep Silver's site, KING Art's multiplayer AMA.

Which is easiest for beginners?

No maker or critic has named an easiest faction, and balance is still being tuned. The clues point to Space Marines and Orks, which is this page's inference and not a ruling:

• Space Marines. Verbiest calls their structures "the most straightforward" of the four: upgrade them to unlock units and research. They also usually win 1-on-1 fights, per Deep Silver, so a mistake costs less.
• Orks. KING Art's advice, when in doubt, is to start building more stuff and plan the next expansion. Press Start also found buildings and basic units cheap, with upgrades arriving quickly, and suggests the Ork campaign right after the prologue.
• Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus. ComicBook found these the harder two to learn in its preview build.

Commanders matter too. KING Art calls Gorgutz challenging to play, slow in Mega Armor but powerful, so a beginner on Orks may prefer Guzcutta. See Beginners Guide.

Space Marines

4:40 Their strength is a small number of very effective, relatively expensive units, and their flavor is equipment, with upgrade choices that make you care whether a squad survives. Deep Silver's advice is to harass early, reinforce on the field, retreat if needed, and fortify points, because you can't be everywhere.

3:14 You also choose a Chapter. The Blood Ravens offer Captain Cyrus (stealth and killing at range) or Chief Librarian Jonah Orion (psychic warfare). The Dark Angels offer Chaplain Ezrael (mobile troops, on a bike) or Company Master Astoran (a slow one-man army in Terminator armor). The two Chapters share many units, and Commanders make the biggest gameplay difference. The clip is the official Space Marines trailer.

Orks

3:04 Waaagh!, cheap units and buildings, and quick expansion are the core. The Waaagh! meter fills from the number of Orks on the battlefield and enemies killed, and triggering it makes every fighting unit much stronger, so timing is the main decision. Orks gain Veterancy relatively fast. Stratagems are free for this faction, per Deep Silver, so use them whenever you can. Pick Guzcutta for a tough fighter who later rides a Squigosaur in the campaign, or Gorgutz for a slow, strong boss with both melee and ranged options.

Necrons

4:10 Necrons are about slow, steady expansion into a snowballing threat. Many buildings must stand on the Power Matrix, each building spreads it, and a bigger Matrix brings more Dominion while units on it heal faster and grow tougher. Resurrection Galleries bring fallen units back for free. The price is pace: with few exceptions, units are slow, and Necrons do not use cover at all. Pick Chronomancer Thothmek for time-bending powers or Ahmnok for melee. Choose them if you like long fights; Deep Silver tells opponents to fight outside the Matrix and kill outright.

Adeptus Mechanicus

3:28 The plan is to grow the Noosphere Network, use the speed and range of cheap units, and watch upgrades snowball. More linked structures raise its level, which unlocks units, upgrades and research, and makes units in range stronger and cheaper. Enemies will aim to cut it, so extend it to key resource points early. Pick Potentia Delta-9, who scouts with a servo-skull and grows into melee or ranged, or Skitarii Marshal Sek-Ix-23, who buffs units from the front and is the only multi-model Commander in the game. This is the faction new to the series.

What the developers and press say

Asked for their favorites in KING Art's Jul 24, 2026 AMA, creative director Jan Theysen said it's "currently probably AdMech," because their base building "feeds my inner city-builder." Senior game designer Elliott Verbiest chose Necrons, citing "oddball factions mechanically and spooky skeletons aesthetically." Both are preferences, not balance statements, and Theysen adds that his answer changes a lot.

Press impressions are limited to preview builds. Press Start played the Ork and Adeptus Mechanicus campaigns but not the Necrons, and held back any verdict on balance. ComicBook reports trying all four, and regrets that Necrons have no Flayed Ones. KING Art's Space Marine report notes Orks allowed to build numbers can turn the fight quickly. More on Previews and Reception.

Campaign or multiplayer?

The faction you like in the story may play differently online, because campaign and multiplayer are balanced separately. You don't need to commit either: there are four campaigns, and you can play them all. See Four Campaigns and Multiplayer. A new faction, still unnamed, comes with the paid Aftermath expansion, and Chaos is not in the game at launch.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best faction in Dawn of War 4? Nobody knows yet. Dawn of War 4 launches on Dec 3, 2026, the closed beta is under NDA, and KING Art says it will keep working on balance after launch. Any tier list published before then is a guess.

What is the easiest faction in Dawn of War 4? No maker has named one. In Dawn of War 4, KING Art calls Space Marine structures the most straightforward, and ComicBook found Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus harder to learn.

Which Dawn of War 4 faction is best for beginners? Space Marines or Orks look like the safest starts in Dawn of War 4: Marines forgive mistakes with strong units, and Orks are cheap to rebuild. Press Start's suggested order is Prologue, Orks, then Adeptus Mechanicus.

How many factions does Dawn of War 4 have? Dawn of War 4 has four factions at launch: Space Marines, Orks, Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus. Blood Ravens and Dark Angels are the two playable Space Marine Chapters.

What is the Dawn of War 4 developers' favorite faction? In a Jul 24, 2026 AMA, Jan Theysen said "currently probably AdMech," and Elliott Verbiest named Necrons.

Can you play Chaos in Dawn of War 4? Not at launch. Dawn of War 4's four factions don't include Chaos, and the faction coming with Aftermath has not been named.

Sources

• AMA Developer Blog - Multiplayer, KING Art (Steam news), Jul 24, 2026
• Faction Deep Dive - Space Marines, KING Art (Steam news), Oct 8, 2026
• Faction Deep Dive - Orks, KING Art (Steam news), Jan 28, 2026
• Faction Deep Dive - Necrons, KING Art (Steam news), Jul 29, 2026
• Introducing Dawn of War IV's Adeptus Mechanicus, KING Art (Steam news), May 7, 2026
• Meet the new faces from our epic Story Trailer, KING Art (Steam news), Dec 12, 2025
• What we're building with Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV, KING Art (Steam news), Nov 14, 2025
• Crafting an epic Dawn of War IV story, KING Art (Steam news), Nov 20, 2025
• Battlefield Report: Space Marines vs Orks, KING Art (Steam news), Jul 1, 2026
• Game Overview Trailer, Previews & Closed Beta, KING Art (Steam news), Oct 23, 2026
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV, Deep Silver, Oct 31, 2026
• Warhammer 40K Dawn of War IV Hands-On Preview - What Waaagh's Good For, Adam Mathew, Press Start, Oct 21, 2026
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 Is a Return to Form for the RTS Series, Justin Joy, ComicBook, Oct 21, 2026
• Dawn of War 4 interview, Justin Joy, ComicBook, Oct 22, 2026
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV - Official Game Overview Trailer, Dawn of War IV, Oct 21, 2026 (video)
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV - Space Marines Faction Trailer, Dawn of War IV, Oct 8, 2026 (video)