Introducing Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV’s Adeptus Mechanicus

Hi everyone,

When we were first planning our vision for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV, we knew we wanted to include a faction that had never been playable in the series before. The Adeptus Mechanicus was definitely the biggest and best known candidate in that sense, and the team here also had a real soft spot for these machine-worshipping Tech-Priests!

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Having made our choice, we followed the two important principles that have underpinned development of all four factions in Dawn of War IV. First, we have to make sure each one is as faithful as possible to the lore of Warhammer 40,000 - that’s the number one priority for the team. Second, each faction has to have a unique playstyle that really sets it apart from the others.

Let’s start with the lore basics. In very simple terms, you can think of the Adeptus Mechanicus as the manufacturing empire responsible for building the Imperium’s war machine. While Mars is their homeworld, they control a galaxy-spanning network of forge worlds where they produce all of the immensely powerful weapons, ships and buildings the Imperium requires.

While much of their work is dedicated to optimising the weapons and equipment they manufacture, they’re also busy optimising themselves at the same time. They replace parts of their bodies until some become more machine than human, all in the service of the Machine God, also known as the Omnissiah. They favour nimble long-ranged combat, and their powerful technology grants them unique insight into events on the battlefield.

So, very early on we knew that the Adeptus Mechanicus faction would be relatively quick, great at ranged combat, and armed with a tonne of combat tools that draw on their unique access to technology. They would still have close combat focused units such as Ruststalkers, but they wouldn’t be nearly as melee-focused as a faction like the Orks.

Their melee units instead rely on exploiting powerful ranged synergies. For example, you can use your Ruststalker units to lure the enemy into a trap and force them into close-quarters combat. While their attention is focused on this immediate threat, you can then order your powerful Skitarii Rangers to unleash a storm of powerful firepower from a relatively safe distance - a great combo!

For its sheer coolness factor alone though, we really love the Knight Castellan. In our game, the Adeptus Mechanicus work together with the Imperium’s House Raven, which gives them access to these colossal combat machines. Not only do the Knights provide an impressive injection of firepower, they also blast into battle using Drop Keeps, which make for a wonderfully cinematic entrance.

To support these and other units, we’ve also included a versatile selection of faction vehicles. The Ironstrider Ballistariusis quick and nimble, capable of reaching far-off sections of the battlefield quickly. Conversely, the Onager Dunecrawler operates as a hulking, heavily weaponised war machine, while the Skorpius Disintegrator offers the kind of long-range firepower that synergises perfectly with the faction’s overall playstyle.

Lastly, we want to talk a little bit about the Void Shield. This enormous structure expands to take up almost the entirety of your screen, allowing you to shield a huge number of buildings and units behind it. Enemies can move into the shield - and you can move out - but enemies cannot shoot through it. As you’d expect, you can make very creative use of the Void Shield to set up devastating chokepoints that are a lot of fun to defend!

It’s fair