Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade
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| Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade | |
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| Developer(s) | Relic Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | THQ |
| Latest version | 1.11 |
| Release date(s) |  October 6, 2006
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| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Mature (M) PEGI: 16+ USK: 16+ |
| Platform(s) | PC |
| Media | 1 DVD |
| System requirements | Windows 98/2000/XP/ME, 2.0 GHz Pentium IV or equivalent AMD Athlon XP processor, 512 MB RAM, 3.5 GB free hard drive space, 4x DVD-ROM, 32 MB DirectX(R) 9.0b compatible AGP video card with Hardware Transform and Lighting, DirectX 9.0b compatible 16-bit sound card |
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade the second expansion to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War for the PC developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ. Based on Games Workshop's popular tabletop wargame, Warhammer 40,000, Dawn of War: Dark Crusade was released in 2006. The expansion features two new races, the Tau Empire and the Necrons. Including the Imperial Guard from Winter Assault, this means a total of seven playable races after the expansion.
Unlike Winter Assault, Dark Crusade is a standalone expansion that does not require prior installation of Dawn of War and Winter Assault to play, allowing the user to play as all seven factions in single player both in skirmish and campaign modes. Multiplayer is limited to Tau and Necron factions if Dark Crusade is installed alone, with the other factions 'enabled' with the installation of Dawn of War and Winter Assault.
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[edit] Tau Empire
One of the new races included is the Tau Empire. The Tau are designed to be powerful in shooting, but weak in close combat, much as they are in the tabletop game. To protect themselves, the Tau rely on slowing down enemy advances, and using the Kroot to engage enemies in close combat before they can reach other Tau units. Also, unlike the other races, the Tau have no defensive structures other than fortified Listening Posts, nor do they have the ability to lay mines like the other races , though the Tau Commander does have the ability to deploy stealthed snare traps along the ground, which explode and stop nearby enemy units from moving for a period of time.
However, they have the ability to produce units which act as turrets and mines. XV88 Broadsides have the ability to "Entrench", whereby they become stationary but deploy dual rail guns which deal devastating amounts of damage. Their Drone Squads have the ability to bury themselves, and become infiltrated. They explode violently when they have taken critical damage. However, Broadsides and Drone Squads take up Squad and Vehicle Cap respectively. In both cases they can revert to moveable forms to act as normal units.
Another difference between the other races is that the Tau's tech tree branches along two separate paths. During a game, the player is given the choice of one of two buildings to construct, which are called the "Mont'Ka (Killing Blow in the Tau language) Command Post", and the "Kauyon (Patient Hunter in the Tau language) Command Post", respectively, of which only one type can be placed in a single battle. The placement of this building allows a different selection of units and upgrades to the player, depending on which building is chosen.
Once a Relic is obtained by the Tau, a Greater Knarloc may be created. The Knarloc is a creature similar to the Squiggoth but smaller and slightly weaker. A main Tau fighting strategy is utilizing the Krootox which unleashes a whirlwind of damage when used.
[edit] Necrons
The other new race is the Necrons. The Necrons have a different economy model than the other races. They do not require Requisition to gain more units, only Power. Capturing Strategic Points and building obelisks on them (the Necron version of a listening post) allows them to build units faster, also increases their vehicle and infantry cap. Necron players are able to balance their forces between units to protect their base and attack the enemy, or upgrade their central HQ to eventually become a powerful Monolith.[1]
The Necrons, unlike other armies, use their Scarab builder units to capture strategic points, critical locations and relics, and their other Necron units cannot capture Strategic Points, Critical Locations, or Relics. The Wraith is an exception, as it may uncapture them but not claim them for the Necrons.
Only the monolith can summon more troops, while other buildings are needed for upgrades and unlocking Necrons to summon into battle.
The Necron Lord can be given various artifacts through the "Forbidden Archive" building, and can have up to three unique artifacts that heighten its power. It also gains hitpoints for Monolith upgrades.
Unlike the other races, Necrons cannot build minefields. Near the end of the Necron Tier Stages, the Monolith is able to be "re-activated". It becomes a moving base, and is extremely powerful although when it is destroyed the Necrons have effectively lost as it loses the ability to create vehicles, builders and warriors.
The Necron Lord is easily the strongest unit in the Necron army due to its ability to transform into the Nightbringer, a deadly being whom the Necrons worship. It also has the ability to revive the dead wherever they fell.
Necrons also appeared during the final mission of Winter Assault, where the player must defend a ruined Titan from them. The only units seen were Warriors and Monoliths; the latter are so powerful that only the Titan's cannons could destroy them easily, although it was possible to take them down with other means (specially evident during the Disorder campaign). Several Necron qualities were implemented especially for this race, such as "We'll be back!"(self resurrection) and "Phase Out".
[edit] New Units
- The Space Marines gain the Grey Knights, a mysterious chapter of Space Marines that specialize in hunting and killing Daemons. All Grey Knights are gifted with powerful psyker abilities, and these powers give them devastating special abilities.
- The Forces of Chaos gain The Daemon Prince. This is an end-tier research ability used only for Chaos Lords that allow them to "ascend" as a Daemon Prince. The Daemon Prince is very powerful and has a Demonic Roar ability that easily saps the morale of enemy units in range.
- The Orks gain the Flash Gitz. These are especially "Shooty" Orks that spend most of their time modifying their terrifying Kustom Shootas. They are extremely powerful in ranged combat but weak in hand to hand combat.
- The Eldar gain the Harlequin. These servants of the Laughing God are excellent at Melee Combat and disrupting infantry. They have two powerful abilities, Harlequin's Kiss, and the Dance of Death. The Harlequin's kiss instantly kills any unit (save for commanders, vehicles, and relic units), while the Dance of Death causes the Harlequin to leap around wildly, knocking down infantry and commanders alike.
- The Imperial Guard gain Heavy Weapon Teams, Imperial Guardsmen that can entrench into a stationary position to fire a prominent heavy weapon. They start with a Heavy Bolter, but can be upgraded to use a Lascannon (a large laser cannon effective against vehicles) or an Autocannon (a large-caliber repeating cannon, effective against light vehicles and heavy infantry).
[edit] New Campaign
The events of Dark Crusade take place on the planet Kronus, a world on the Eastern Fringe of the Imperium, where the local human population co-exists peacefully with the nearby Tau Empire. Unbeknowned to the locals, Kronus also happens to be a world with hidden secrets of interest to the Blood Ravens Space Marine chapter and to the Eldar Craftworld Ulthwé. To complicate things, the insidious forces of Chaos and an incoming Ork Waaagh! are approaching the planet as well. And unknown to all, Kronus also appears to be a Necron Tomb World, with its inhabitants starting to awaken.
The expansion features an "all new single-player experience", a campaign including a "meta map", similar to that in Westwood Studios's Dune games as opposed to the old, programmed, linear version.
Players pick a faction to play as, and they battle it out for supremacy on Kronus using that army. Capturing and holdings certain regions provides certain bonuses both on strategic map and in battle (e.g. capturing the spaceport allows the owner to attack almost any region on the map, while satisfying the Blood God will give 2 attacks/moves per turn).
Also, most other territories give the player "honor guard" units. These are small but powerful units, often made up of sergeants or upgraded troopers. For example, Space Marines get First Company Veterans, semi-hero singular marines; Eldar get units of Exarchs; Orks get 'Eavy squads; Chaos gets Chosen Champions (similar to the first company veterans); The Imperial Guard get stronger Infantry units; Tau get Fire Warrior Bodyguards and Kroot Alpha Packs; and Necrons get upgraded units. Of course, they get other units, commander units and some tanks as well. These units are deployed at the start of the battle alongside the commander. They must be trained, and if destroyed they must be re-trained. They allow for quick attacks or early defenses. Each faction gets twelve units in total, one for each region they conquer.
The Dark Crusade campaign also features wargear that the characters can pick up and use in combat to give them extra abilities. This wargear is only available during the campaign. However, in multiplayer and skirmish matches, commanders are seen equipped with certain wargear items purely for cosmetic reasons.
[edit] Other Updates
In addition to the new units, the previous five races also receive a 'slight overhaul' to their tech trees, with many of the original units getting new abilities and/or appearances. For example, the Imperial Guard Hellhound tank gains an ability called "Let it Burn", where it spreads a wall of fire on the ground or the Chaos Aspiring Champions gains an ability called "Fear Aura". This increases the amount of maximum health of the Chaos Space Marines, Raptors or Cultists in the squad and also increases the Champion's health. Mad Doks from the Ork race have also gained a new ability called a "Burna Bomb", which places a crude bomb on the terrain, and has a set amount of time before it explodes catalysmically. Also, the commander units for the Space Marines, Chaos, and Imperial Guard factions get a new look, namely making them look younger (although the Chaos lord gets a large ornate helm).
The expansion also features "hard-caps" on various units, being strict limits on how many can be built. Previously some existed, such as 3 Basilisks in Imperial Guard armies. Further units have been given hard-caps, presumably to help deal with issues of imbalance and the "spamming" (producing many of one unit, generally a powerful unit that is either imbalanced or very hard to defeat) of too many powerful units, such as the infamous "Fire Prism" spam present in Winter Assault.
[edit] Reception
So far the expansion has received rather acclaimed reviews, citing its overhauled single-player campaign, balanced gameplay, stablized multiplayer and overall enjoyment. Most were quite surprised by the quality, and by the sheer size of the expansion. [1]
The expansion has an overall score of 87 (generally favorable reviews) on Metacritic [2].
[edit] Notable Characters
[edit] Brother-Captain Davian Thule
Brother-Captain Thule is the leader of the Space Marine deployment sent to Kronus in the Dark Crusade. When he arrived on the planet, he sent a message to Governor-Militant Alexander to evacuate all civilians and Imperial Guard personnel as as to allow the Blood Ravens to begin their purge of the planet. However, Alexander refused, and now the Blood Ravens must fight the other soldiers of the Imperium. Thule regrets having to kill his fellow brothers-in-arms, but orders are orders - Kronus must be purged. At this time, not much is known of him other than being part of the Blood Ravens. Thule is armed with a standard-issue Chainsword and Bolt Pistol at the beginning of the campaign, and when fully upgraded carries a daemonhammer and meltagun, as well as wearing heavily ornate artificier armour, with a backpack-mounted teleporter.
When the Blood Ravens finish off the other six races in Dark Crusade, they collect their spoils of war and preserve some of the Chapters' secrets on the planet. The Inquisition arrives to question their actions, but the commanding officers manage to finagle their way through the interrogations by claiming they were just 'following orders' from their Chapter Master. The narrator then states that the darkest time for the Chapter begins after they complete their Dark Crusade. The survivors of the shattered 1st Kronus Regiment bear a deep hatred for the Blood Ravens, even though Thule arranges safe transport for the Guardsmen who actually fought against his Marines, and Thule and the Blood Ravens Chaplain honour the dead body of Governor-Militant Alexander for following his orders so fervently. They also, however, execute every one of the soldiers of the Kronus 1st Regiment 5th Company for their rebellion against the rest of the Regiment.
Should another race successfully capture the Blood Raven Stronghold in North Vandea, it shows Captain Thule lying on the ground (dying), as one marine orders an apothecary to take Thule back into the taskforce Battle Barge to retrieve his gene-seed, before he calls down an orbital strike on the location, effectively destroying the remaining marines and the soldiers of the invading army unfortunate enough to be there at the time.
[edit] Warboss Gorgutz
The self-important warboss, who escaped from Lorn V in Winter Assault, returns in Dark Crusade.
Gorgutz, in search for a new place to rebuild his Waaagh!, chances upon Kronus as a excellent starting point due to the fighting occuring there. 'Landing' his Rok upon the planet, despite the attentions of the Tau and Imperial fleets, Gorgutz established his leadership upon the local feral Orks, and prepared to launch the Waaagh! upon the rest of the inhabitants of the planet from his stronghold/'landing point' in the Green Coast. As a Warboss, Gorgutz is initially armed and armoured with a standard Mega-Armour suit and weapons, though as the Waaagh! gains momentum, his suit and weapons becomes more 'Kustomised' and powerful.
Should the Orks manage to defeat the other six races in Dark Crusade, the remnants of all the opposing races are eventually hunted down, and Kronus becomes a major staging point for Gorgutz's Waaagh! upon nearby systems. Gorgutz would use it for years to come, becoming a major annoyance to the bordering worlds of the Imperium.
Should the Ork stronghold be taken, it shows Gorgutz escaping with a Nob, just as the explosives he planted in his base/'landing point' go off, effectively taking out the attackers (this same fate is shown after the defeat of the Space Marines and Imperial Guard). As they were fleeing, Gorgutz promises that his Waaagh! will be rebuilt...on another planet. If defeated by the forces of Chaos, they claim the skull of Lord Crull that was formerly in Gorgutz's possession, and offer it as a sacrifice to Khorne.
[edit] Eliphas the Inheritor
A Word Bearers Dark Apostle who seeks the favour of the Chaos gods, he is the Warlord of the forces of Chaos on Kronus in the Dark Crusade, leading a full company of Word Bearers from an active Warp Gate in the Deimos Peninsula. What is known of him is that he seeks to restore Chaos' long-lost honour on Kronus after their defeat by the Loyalist Ultramarines during the Horus Heresy. Eliphas was but a mere Sergeant in the Horus Heresy then, but subsequently risen through the ranks. He is initially armed with a Power Sword and a Bolt Pistol in the beginning of the campaign, but once fully upgraded, carries a meltagun and an accursed crozius, wears the Helm of the Word Bearer's Primarch Lorgar, and is gifted with Daemon Armour sporting, among other things, a backpack-mounted banner made of human skin. Should Eliphas successfully obtain his other wargear, he ascends into daemonhood, becoming a fearsome Daemon Prince.
When the Word Bearers finish off the other six races in Dark Crusade, Kronus itself is transformed into a Daemon World, with most of the population being converted to Chaos or killed off. Eliphas ascends to Daemonhood with the favor of the four Chaos Gods, Warmaster Abaddon the Despoiler, and Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers. Eliphas rules over the Daemon World, and uses it as a stepping stone to launch further attacks against the Imperium.
Should the Chaos stronghold be taken, Eliphas is shown conversing with an unknown Daemon Prince inside the collapsing Warp Gate, who stated that Eliphas has failed beyond redemption, before he causes him to lift into the air, and making Eliphas explode into a spray of blood and viscera, possibly as a sacrifice for the god Khorne.
[edit] Farseer Taldeer
The overall commander of the Eldar forces on Kronos, Taldeer first appeared in Winter Assault.
Leading a strikeforce from Craftworld Ulthwé, she returns in Dark Crusade with a seemingly deeper voice, (much resembling that of Farseer Macha). As in Lorn V, Taldeer is primarily concerned about the re-emergence of the Necrons and will go to any lengths to neutralise their threat to the Craftworld, and to the rest of the galaxy in general, so much so that she is willing to attack anybody between them and the Necrons. As a Farseer, she is initially armed with a standard Eldar Power Sword and Shuriken Pistol. As the strikeforce progress deeper into Kronus, Taldeer is eventually equipped with, among other things, a dual-bladed Singing Spear, a dual-barrelled Shuriken Pistol, the Gauntlets of Isha, a Ghosthelm, a Rune Aura, and a full suit of Wraithbone Armour.
When the Eldar defeat the other six races in Dark Crusade, especially once the Necrons are defeated, the Eldar abandon the planet, leaving it to its fate. The planet Kronus turns into an unstable world in constant warfare and this state remains for centuries. Although the exact reasons for this behaviour are unknown, the narrator suggests that Taldeer might have foreseen a ruler of Kronus, who would have caused the universe great harm. The ultimate fate and whereabouts of the Farseer are not known, according to the narrator.
Should the Eldar Stronghold in Tyrea be taken, Taldeer is shown telling the remaining Eldar to evacuate and to find refuge in the wilderness. She renounces the title Farseer, saying her visions have failed them all, before she charges off into the charging attackers, taking a few down before being overwhelmed - her fate is unknown. One possibility is when the Imperial Guard are the victors, whereas Taldeer is taken alive, imprisoned and sent to the Inquisition to be "questioned". Another possiblilty is when the Tau are victorious, when various Eldar (who may include Taldeer) are captured and await trial while the Tau study their technology.
[edit] Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander
Lukas Alexander was initially sent to Kronus to track down and capture Farseer Taldeer after her actions on Lorn V (As shown in Winter Assault). His forces landed in an abandoned city, Ironworks Bay, and found traces of ancient relics scattered across the planet, including a "Hellstorm Cannon", a piece of weaponry from a Horus Heresy Era Imperator Titan. The city was renamed "Victory Bay", and techpriests began excavating the massive Hellstorm cannon. The Imperium then gave Lukas Alexander the title of "Governor-Militant" of Kronus, and tasked him with (re)conquering the planet for the Imperium from the Tau.
Alexander formed the 1st Kronus Regiment, which he named "The Liberators", since he believed his soldiers were fighting to 'free' the humans who were residing (relatively peacefully) on the planet alongside the Tau. Unfortunately, his goals soon put him at direct odds with a Blood Ravens task force that arrived on Kronus soon after "The Liberators", trying to uncover mysteries about the chapter's past. The Blood Ravens are then ordered to purge the planet in order to ensure their findings remain secret. They warn Alexander to leave, but he is determined to follow through with his orders and push the other factions off Kronus. Alexander is initially equipped with Lightning Claws and a wrist-mounted Bolter. As his campaign progresses, he eventually obtains a wrist-mounted plasma pistol and powerfists, as well as a full suit of carapace armour along with his Symbols of Office.
Should the Governor-Militant be successful in his task, he will become one of the most powerful men in the sector with an entire planet at his command. Most of the 1st Kronus Regiment are subsequently sent off to other nearby worlds as reinforcements, while the Governor-Militant himself remains on Kronus to oversee the administration of Kronus and the creation of the PDF. With the ancient Hellstorm cannon safely secured, the Adeptus Mechanicus were able to better study it, eternally grateful to Alexander. With the loss of Tau control on Kronus, the human population, with little encouragement, proceeded to massacre any Tau (or Tau-aligned humans) they could get their hands on, even though their former Tau overlords treated them decently. Finally, with the defeat of the Blood Raven taskforce, incriminating documents and artifacts from their Castellum Incorruptus was found and handed over to the Inquisition, calling into question the history and the 'True Nature' of the Blood Ravens.
Should the city of "Victory Bay" be captured, after the death of Lukas Alexander, the last of the 1st Kronus Regiment made a (futile) last stand near the Hellstorm cannon. To prevent the fall of the Hellstorm cannon to the attackers, the last surviving NCO orders a Techpriest to 'overload it'. The Hellstorm cannon begins to overload and explode, the blasts taking out the nearby combatants. However, if Chaos were the victors, it implies that pieces of the Hellstorm cannon still remain, as Eliphas' sorcerors released a daemon of rot and plague (which means it belongs to the Chaos god, Nurgle) from the cannon through a ritual of sacrificing the corpses from the attack. How the daemon was trapped in the cannon was not stated, but by doing so, Eliphas gained the favor of that particular god.
[edit] Shas'O Kais
The leader of the Tau forces on Kronus in Dark Crusade, Kais plans to reclaim the entire planet from the other six races. Initially sent to Kronus after receiving a distress call from the colony, under attack from the Necrons, his mission became more complicated as the colony came under attack from the other races. From the capital city of Or'es Tash'n, under the guidance of Ethereal Aun'el Shi'ores, Kias faces an uphill task in securing Kronus. Using a XV22 Battlesuit, like the Tau Commander Shadowsun, he is at first only equipped with a Burst Cannon in his right hand, but as the campaign progresses, at full weapon capacity, he carries a Fusion Blaster (replacing the Burst Cannon), subsequently replaced by a Plasma Rifle, a Heavy Flamer in his left hand and Missile Launchers mounted on each shoulder. He can also be equipped with Iridium armour, as well as a Cloaking Field, a Jetpack, and an Advanced Sensors Array that allows him to detect stealth units. A combination of Shield and Gun Drones can accompany him once they are earned in the campaign.
When his Tau Strike Force finishes off the other six races in Dark Crusade, the Tau colony on Kronus is slowly revitalized as more Tau and Kroot begin to move in from other worlds. The defeated Human Imperials that fought (and/or betrayed) the Tau were placed in re-education camps. Rumours of a sterilization policy upon the Humans abound - as (according to the narrator) the human population starts to dwindle very rapidly as the Kronus colony begins to thrive again.
Should the Tau stronghold of Or'es Tash'n be taken, it shows the Ethereal Aun'el Shi'ores being killed. Kais lands with some Crisis Suits, discovers the Ethereal's body, and tells the remaining Tau to evacuate the planet, and that he will return to T'au to give the Ethereal a proper burial. He is one of the few commanders who (definitely) survives after their faction is defeated.
Though there is no evidence to directly support or deny this fact, it is worth noting that he shares the same name as the Tau protagonist from the game Fire Warrior, and may indeed be the same Kais; however, it is also worth noting that "Kais" is the Tau word for "skillful", and it is itself a common name in the Fire Caste, borne by Commander Farsight for instance.
[edit] Necron Lord of Kronus
The leader of all Necron forces on Kronus. As it appears unable to speak, all external communications are made by one of his Pariahs, a former human (or Gue'la as Archives note) scientist named Tomas Macabee who was the sole survivor of an expedition he led to explore the catacombs of Thur'abis Plataeu. Due to unknown reasons, he was spared, and turned into a Pariah instead, and is now the 'spokeperson' for the Necrons. Dormant for millions of years, the Necrons of Kronus are now reawakening, like their compatriots on other worlds, and are determined to exterminate all other life on Kronus. In all likelihood, their actions could have precipitated the conflict leading to the Dark Crusade. The Necron Lord is initially equipped with basic equipment, but eventually gains more powerful equipment, as their global genocide against the living continues on Kronus.
When the Necrons finish off the other six races in Dark Crusade, they deploy their massive Obelisks from beneath the surface and proceed on to kill off every single living organism on the planet, eventually drying up the oceans, and turning the resultant lifeless planet into a Tomb World. The Tomb World of Kronus then becomes a thorn in the side of the Imperium for years to come, as more Necrons reawaken and continue their Great Work on nearby worlds.
On the other hand, if the Thur'abis Plateau is taken, it shows the Necron Lord near the Pariah Tomas Macabee, who discovers the planted bomb. He tries to warn the Lord, but the bomb goes off in a massive explosion, collapsing the catacombs of the Thur'abis plateau, and entombing the Necrons under tons of rock. Whether the Necrons of Kronus are truly defeated remains to be seen...
[edit] References
- (November 2004) "Index Astartes – Blood Ravens". White Dwarf: Australian Edition (298). ISSN 0265-8712.
- Goto, Cassern (2004). Dawn of War. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-152-8.
- Goto, Cassern (2005). Dawn of War: Ascension. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-285-0.
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] External links
- Official Dawn of War Website
- Official Dawn of War Forums
- Official Modding Forums
- Relic Forums Technical support
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War at MobyGames
- Gamespot article
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