Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War 3 Shows First Action
Meet Imperial Knight Solaria
Relic showed the first smidgen of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III [official site] in-game action during E3 while my back was turned and none of you simpering cowards thought to remind me? This is heresy of the foulest order. Right then! You rabble get to sit on the naughty warstep for the next millennium.
For the benefit of good warboys and wargirls, here's the not-really-gameplay-despite-what-Relic-say look at a grizzled Gabriel Angelos duffing up some Eldar with the help of his Space Marine chums and a 14-metre mech named Imperial Knight Solaria:
That's not bad, that. Not bad at all. Good bot. Relic say they'll show more of that mission in the next few weeks.
As well as dropping that video, Relic have started explaining more about Dawn of War III. Which is nice, as all we've really known before is that it's a bit Dawn of War II-y but with base-building and a greater scale.
Here is a short look at Angelos and the Space Marines and here is introduction to the game's 'Super Units' like Solaria there. Relic explain that dropping a honking great warbot from orbit isn't a no-brainer, as it is a trade-off against 'Elite Units':
"Both Elites and Super Units are selected before the game starts and are deployed using Elite Points, which are earned during the match. In general, Super Units have more health than Elite units, but are also slower and require more forethought when it comes to positioning. Super Units land on the battlefield in spectacular form, announcing their arrival so that your allies can aid you in battle... or so your enemies can ready their retaliation."
And they certainly can be countered. Relic say:
"Super Units provide overwhelming momentum to your late game strategy, but they are still susceptible to well-timed counterplay. That is, deploying Solaria onto the battlefield won’t automatically turn a fight in your favor. Without allied support to ward off enemy anti-armor units, she will be vulnerable to their attacks. Successfully countering an enemy Super Unit isn’t only about army composition - it is also achieved with smart battlefield strategy. Solaria is vulnerable to slow-moving, but high damage abilities such as Orbital Bombardment, and a well-timed stun or shield can negate the effects of her Gatling Barrage."
Or maybe you'll could make the correct plays, time attacks right, stop their counter-attacks, and then get your mech to dance gaily over the battlefield with Ironstorm missiles and Avenger gatling cannons going off like victory fireworks.
Dawn of War III is due to launch in 2017. Space Marines, Eldar, and Orks are the only factions confirmed so far and, honestly, I'd be okay if the Chaos Space Marines don't pop up this time around. I was a bit tired of their pantomime villain antics by the end of Dawn of War II: Retribution.
Do check out the rest of our E3 2016 posts, previews, odds, ends, and gubbins.