Warhammer 40K: ‘Dawn of War IV’ Release Date And New Aftermath Campaign Revealed

Details emerge about the war for Kronus in Dawn of War IV – check out the return of Crusade Mode and the game’s first year road map.

It’s been a big week for Warhammer video games, but it’s not quite over yet. We now know that Dawn of War IV will be released on September 17th, but this video dives into what comes next.

Pre-Orders Now Available

Dawn of War IV will be available in two editions – both now available for pre-order.

• The Standard Edition ($59.99) includes the base game, will release on Sept. 17, and is available to pre-order with a 10% discount.
• The Commander Edition ($89.99) is also available at a 10% pre-order discount and includes a 3-Day Early Unlock, allowing players to begin their campaign on Sept. 14.

In addition, the Commander Edition includes all Year One content and the official digital soundtrack.

Crusade Mode Returns

Crusade Mode has been a fan favorite format for Dawn of War over the years, and it will return this fall. Precisely when is not yet established, but it looks to be not long after the game’s release on 09/17. This format, in which you must manage your army and the territory you capture, adds tremendous depth to a Dawn of War campaign and is the part I’m most excited about, for sure. Additional modes and map packs are also expected to be released alongside or around Crusade Mode.

Campaign Expansions

Excitingly, there are already two major campaigns in the works and planned for release in the game’s first year. Both of these expansions will be included in the Commander Edition “war bundle” as they are released.

• The Blood Ravens Story Prologue: Before war engulfs Kronus, a Blood Ravens strike force returns to their ancestral homeworld of Aurelia. Guided by a legendary commander, their mission sets in motion events that will shape the fate of the Chapter. Fight through pivotal battles ignited by ancient relics.
• The Aftermath Campaign Expansion: Players will command a powerful new faction as the war enters its next chapter. Aftermath continues the main campaign’s story in a narrative-driven expansion that explores the consequences of your victories — and the new threats set to reshape the battlefield.

This would be pretty exciting in and of itself but they dropped one last, tantalizing piece of info: a fifth faction is coming to the game! We’ve got Space Marines, Orks, Mechanicus, and Necrons but which force will be the fifth?! Aeldari would round out the iconic trio with Marines and Orks but maybe it will be something wild. Death Guard? Tyranids? Zoats? Oh man, zoats…

Zoats are coming to Dawn of War! You heard it hear first. (ed., There is no indication that Zoats are coming to Dawn of War)

Author: Simon Berman

Simon Berman has been a wargamer since 1993 and has worked in the tabletop games industry since 2008 as a staff writer for the first three editions of WARMACHINE and HORDES. These days he's the General President of the Brush Wielders Union, a worldwide organization of miniatures painters of all skill levels, a freelance games writer who has contributed to a number of roleplaying games like Eclipse Phase, Dune: Adventures in the Imperium, and The Hammer and the Stake. He runs his own small-press publishing company, Strix Publishing, and paints more miniatures than he can keep track of. Simon lives with his wife in Tacoma, Washington along with a number of cats and a pack of savage wiener dogs.