Two of the developers behind Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV are settling faction arguments the direct way, with KING Art Games releasing a pair of Battlefield Report videos that pit the strategy game’s four launch factions against each other in 1v1 multiplayer. Creative director Jan Theysen and senior game designer Elliott Verbiest face off in both matches, giving players an extended look at how each faction demands a different approach to battle.
The newest video features the Adeptus Mechanicus taking on the Necrons, two factions with radically different paths to victory. According to KING Art, the Adeptus Mechanicus expand their Noosphere Network, strengthen key positions with superior technology, and excel at building devastating defensive firing lines, while the Necrons methodically push their Power Matrix across the battlefield, shrug off losses through resurrection, and grind opponents down with unwavering pressure.
Last week’s video covered the Space Marines against the Orks, a matchup the developer frames as overwhelming firepower against overwhelming numbers. The Space Marines lean on battlefield discipline and raw strength to obliterate anything in their path, but if the Orks get room to breathe, the swarm grows, surges, and becomes unstoppable. Dawn of War IV is the first new entry in the RTS series since 2017’s Dawn of War III, with the Adeptus Mechanicus making their series debut alongside the returning Space Marines, Orks, and Necrons.
Dawn of War IV launches September 17, 2026, on PC via Steam, with Commander Edition players getting in three days early on September 14 through the edition’s 3-Day Early Unlock. Both editions are available to preorder now with a 10 percent discount, and as we covered during Warhammer Skulls 2026, Year One includes free updates like the returning Crusade Mode, new maps, modes, Commanders, and a Mission Editor, plus two story expansions that deepen the conflict on Kronus and add a new playable faction. If you’re already picking a main ahead of launch, these two matches are a decent place to start.
