Factions — After Strategy

Dawn of War IV: Adeptus Mechanicus, Necrons, Orks & Space Marines — Which Faction Is Right for You?

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The July 9, 2026 multiplayer showcase from King Art Games did something the previous Dawn of War IV trailers hadn’t managed: it showed each faction actually playing differently, not just looking different. Dawn of War IV launches September 17, 2026 on PC — Commander Edition available September 14 — with a 70+ mission campaign, Last Stand mode, and competitive multiplayer. Ten weeks to choose your army.

Four Factions, Four Entirely Different Wars

The setting: Kronus, the iconic Dark Crusade planet, roughly 200 years after the events of Dawn of War: Dark Crusade. All four factions compete for Energy Zones — map control points that generate resources — but their approach to dominance couldn’t be more distinct. Developed by King Art Games (the German studio behind The Book of Unwritten Tales series) and published by Deep Silver, the game brings asymmetric faction design that the Warhammer 40K RTS genre hasn’t explored before.

Space Marines Blood Ravens — Elite That Can’t Afford Casualties

Blood Ravens operate with small squads of individually superior fighters. Units cost more energy, and the resource generation rate decreases as the army grows — spam is structurally penalized. In return, Space Marines can deploy via Drop Pod anywhere on the map, reinforcing positions or disrupting enemy formations without delay.

The consequence is direct: every casualty is a significant loss. No resurrection, no cheap replacement wave. Blood Ravens reward players who manage unit positioning carefully and punish those who throw squads at problems hoping numbers will solve it.

Orks — Win by Refusing to Think About Losses

Orks skip the precision. Their game logic centers on sheer numbers, fast construction, and the Waaagh! — a collective mechanic that amplifies offensive power when the tide is moving. Where Space Marines count every casualty, Orks absorb losses and push harder.

The most immediately accessible faction, but also the most punishing when momentum stalls. An Ork force that slows down quickly finds itself outpaced in resources. The objective: never stop.

Adeptus Mechanicus — Build the Network Before the Army

The mechanically novel faction of the showcase. Adeptus Mechanicus buildings can be linked together via the Noosphere Network: the larger the network grows, the cheaper unit production becomes and the stronger defensive turrets get. King Art Games describes their playstyle as establishing devastating firing lines backed by interconnected infrastructure.

The structural risk: destroying key network nodes before the grid reaches critical mass collapses the defensive advantage at once. Adeptus Mechanicus rewards systematic, patient expansion — not a faction for players who want immediate aggression or straightforward early game play.

Necrons — They Don’t Stay Dead

Necrons advance by methodically extending their Power Matrix across the battlefield. Their defining mechanic: Necron buildings automatically resurrect fallen units for free. Their metallic bodies resist damage, regenerate wounds, and can only be permanently eliminated through total destruction — pushing them back doesn’t count.

This resurrection system changes how you read the map: Necron-held territory remains actively dangerous long after the initial skirmish. It’s the faction for players who prefer sustained territorial attrition over fast decisive strikes.

Which Faction Fits Which Player

Four options, four commitments:

Space Marines: few units, each one critical — for players who manage micro carefully and want high individual unit value.
Orks: constant pressure, volume economy — for players who want to push and never stop pushing.
Adeptus Mechanicus: system-building before offense — for methodical players comfortable with a slower early game.
Necrons: territorial attrition through resurrection — for defensive players who want every gained position to stay gained.

The Match-Up Matters More Than the Roster

Those labels are useful only if the early game creates different decisions. Blood Ravens should be able to turn a well-timed Drop Pod into a local advantage, but a lost elite squad cannot be replaced by simply clicking a cheaper production queue. Orks have the opposite problem: pressure matters because their economy and Waaagh! reward movement, not because every fight is automatically favorable. The showcase establishes the contrast; it does not yet prove how forgiving either opening will be when an opponent interrupts it.

Adeptus Mechanicus and Necrons are the more revealing pair. Both appear to want time and territory, but their incentives are not identical. The Noosphere Network asks the Mechanicus player to connect buildings and defend the nodes that make production cheaper and turrets stronger. The Power Matrix instead makes ground already held by Necrons harder to take for good. One faction is building a firing grid; the other is making retreat less decisive. That is a meaningful strategic distinction, not a cosmetic one.

For players coming from Dawn of War II, base construction is the practical change to watch. It creates an opening choice between claiming an Energy Zone, securing a firing lane, and converting a small lead into production. A good RTS faction is not defined by a slogan such as “elite” or “swarm”; it is defined by what it asks you to do after the first plan goes wrong. Dawn of War IV still has to show that recovery phase in a real match.

What the Showcase Cannot Settle Yet

The July footage documents mechanics, not balance. We do not know the costs, build times, counters, or map layouts that will determine whether a Power Matrix is a durable territorial tool or merely a late-game visual. The same caution applies to the Noosphere Network: a connected base sounds powerful, but the important question is how many exposed nodes a player must protect while expanding. Those are the details that decide whether an asymmetric system produces choices or a single correct build order.

That uncertainty is not a reason to dismiss the reveal. It is the reason to read it as a faction guide rather than a verdict. The strongest signal so far is that King Art Games has given all four armies a clear strategic problem to solve. The next useful footage should show failed attacks, rebuilding after losses, and the way those mechanics survive outside a polished showcase.

For players choosing a first faction, patience is the sensible position. Pick the army whose trade-off sounds attractive, then wait for a match that shows its counterplay. A reveal can explain a system; only a full game can show whether that system remains enjoyable when resources, territory, and timing are under pressure.

What Still Needs Answering Before September 17

King Art Games hasn’t yet shown how Noosphere Network and Power Matrix mechanics play out across the 70+ solo or co-op campaign missions against AI. Multiplayer asymmetry is the headline selling point — whether that asymmetry carries into the campaign will define whether Dawn of War IV actually delivers on a promise that Dark Crusade last made in 2006.

The Commander Edition (September 14) includes unspecified additional content. Details expected before launch.

Follow all Dawn of War IV news on our Dawn of War 4 hub.

HoMM Olden Era faction tier list 2026 — which army should you pick?

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Six factions, six combat philosophies

Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era crossed one million copies sold within its first month following Early Access launch on April 30, 2026 — a milestone that confirms the enduring appeal of the HoMM formula. But with six factions offering genuinely distinct mechanics developed by Unfrozen, choosing your starting army can be decisive, especially in multiplayer or on the most competitive random maps.

This tier list ranks all six factions across three axes: raw power in the current meta, accessibility for players new to the game, and versatility against both AI and human opponents.

S-Tier: Dungeon
A-Tier: Necropolis and Grove
B-Tier: Temple and Hive
C-Tier: Schism
Which faction suits your playstyle?
Faction Laws and morale: two rules you can’t ignore

S-Tier: Dungeon — the power of the Alvar Pact {#h-s-tier}

Dungeon represents the Alvar Pact, an underground coalition of dark elves, minotaurs, medusae and dragons. It is the strongest faction in the current Early Access, and that dominance rests on a single defining principle: every unit can switch between two attack modes depending on the situation. This tactical flexibility — unique to Dungeon — lets you adapt in real time to enemy compositions, counter specific threats and maintain constant pressure across all stages of the game.

Onyx Dancers rank as the best starting units in the game according to most community tier lists: mobile, versatile, they let you set an aggressive pace from turn one. Their only weakness is low Initiative, which demands more forward planning when sequencing actions compared to other factions.

Mid-game, Dungeon deepens with high-damage units that benefit from faction synergies. A fully developed late-game army with dragons is simply overwhelming when the scaling goes to plan. Dungeon rewards players who want to dominate — and equally rewards mastery of its advanced mechanics.

A-Tier: Necropolis and Grove — powerful and more forgiving {#h-a-tier}

Necropolis (Shadowspire) is the undead faction, ruled by Necromancers and Vampires. Its signature mechanic: units that fall in combat rise again after each battle as skeletons or undead, generating a continuous stream of passive reinforcements. This accumulation mechanic makes Necropolis especially threatening in long campaign games where every engagement strengthens rather than depletes the army.

Its weakness is a slow early game. Opening turns are less explosive than Dungeon’s, and impatient players may feel at a disadvantage before the snowball begins. In experienced hands on longer maps, however, Necropolis becomes very difficult to stop.

Grove (Murmurwoods) brings together the creatures of the forest — elemental spirits, fey folk and spellcasters. It is the most accessible faction for beginners without sacrificing competitive viability. Its early advantage comes from ranged damage spread across multiple unit tiers: Fauns, Faun Archers, Aqualotls and Herbomancers provide consistent backline output that teaches positioning and rear-line management naturally.

Grove also forgives early mistakes more than most factions, particularly positioning errors in the opening turns.

B-Tier: Temple and Hive — solid but more specialized {#h-b-tier}

Temple represents humans guided by the High Inquisition. Its starting cavalry is strong, its economy scales stably and its buff mechanics are among the most intuitive in the game. For these reasons, Temple is the other faction recommended for beginners: it teaches HoMM fundamentals — frontline tanking, buffing key units, controlling resources — without throwing confusing mechanics at new players.

Its power ceiling is lower than Dungeon or Necropolis in advanced mid-game, however. Against experienced players, Temple lacks the flexibility to reverse unfavorable situations. A solid faction for learning the game, less ideal for pushing competitive ladders.

Hive plays on a swarm mentality: fast units, precise strikes, quantity over individual quality. The faction shines in aggressive early rushes and quick confrontations but struggles in long attrition games where the depth of other factions expresses itself fully. Its swarm interaction kit demands a learning curve that beginners may find counterintuitive.

C-Tier: Schism — promising, watch for patches {#h-c-tier}

Schism is a splinter group of the Alvar Pact that awakened eldritch monsters from the Plane Between Planes. It is the most thematically original faction and the least optimized mechanically in the current Early Access state.

Its eldritch units have unpredictable behaviors that can catch opponents off guard — but can also backfire against their own army. This asymmetry is fascinating in theory and difficult to master in practice. Unfrozen has confirmed balance passes in its 2026 roadmap; Schism is worth reassessing after each major update.

Which faction suits your playstyle? {#h-pick}

Playstyle	Recommended faction
Complete beginner	Grove or Temple
Aggressive, early tempo	Dungeon or Hive
Economy and long attrition	Necropolis
Map exploration, campaign	Necropolis or Grove
Advanced mastery, multiplayer	Dungeon
Experimentation, asymmetric play	Schism

Faction Laws and morale: two rules you can’t ignore {#h-tips}

Faction Laws are chains of upgrades unique to each faction, unlocked through points accumulated during combat. These progressive bonuses define your army’s identity from mid-game onward. Two players running the same faction can produce very different results depending on their Law choices — this is one of the layers of depth that sets Olden Era apart from a classic HoMM game.

Army morale: units from different factions within the same army suffer a Morale penalty that reduces their stats in combat. Prefer single-faction compositions or split factions across two distinct heroes if you want to leverage cross-faction synergies without the morale hit.

With 90% positive reviews on Steam and one million copies sold, Olden Era is one of the most successful strategy releases of 2026. Our full Early Access review and the breakdown of the 1 million sold milestone and 2026 roadmap give you a complete picture of where the game stands today.

Total War Warhammer 3 tier list 2026: which factions dominate Immortal Empires?

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Four years after Total War: Warhammer 3’s release, and with the Immortal Empires sandbox now universally recognized as the best Total War mode ever made, factions have found their balance. Some dominate, others are solid, others still frustrate. Our 2026 tier list ranks the 23 playable races (base + DLC) by their strength on Very Hard / Legendary solo campaign.

TL;DR:

S Tier (5 factions): Clan Skryre, Warriors of Chaos, Clan Eshin, High Elves, Chaos Dwarfs
A Tier (5-6 factions): Greenskins, Kislev, Dwarfs, Vampires, Empire
B Tier: rest of the solid, playable factions
C Tier: Norsca, Vampire Coast (under pressure since nerfs)
Competitive multi ≠ solo campaign: some S-tier campaign picks are mediocre 1v1

How to read this tier list
S Tier: the 5 factions that dominate
A Tier: strong with some movement
B Tier: solid without shining
C Tier: challenging on Legendary
Best picks beginner vs veteran

How to read this tier list

Criteria considered:

Starting position in Immortal Empires (hostile neighbors, resources)
Unit roster — depth, synergy, elite units
Unique faction mechanics
Main legendary Lord strength
Campaign difficulty Very Hard / Legendary

Tier evaluated on solo campaign in sandbox mode. Competitive multi has its own tiers (Sisters of Avelorn dominate 1v1, for instance, but are just one unit in a roster).

S Tier: the 5 factions that dominate

Clan Skryre (Ikit Claw) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ King of Immortal Empires since TWWH2 and still on top after 2025-2026 patches. Ikit Claw benefits from:

Warlock Engineers — incredible ranged infantry
Jezzails — long-range snipers
Doomwheels — devastating vehicles
Underground economy via Under-Empires
Starting position (Skavenblight) defensible and rich

Ikit’s campaigns are consistently ranked best in the game by every major guide.

Warriors of Chaos (Archaon) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Historically TWWH1’s worst race, turned monster in TWWH3 thanks to successive reworks. Archaon has:

One of the most forgiving starting positions — Northern Wastes with few immediate threats
Chaos Undivided roster — units from all marks (Khorne, Nurgle, Tzeentch, Slaanesh)
Chaos Gifts mechanics — your favorite boosts your power

Paired with Kholek Suneater as secondary, the best Chaos package.

Clan Eshin ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Skaven assassins. Asymmetric gameplay based on:

Extreme mobility — your army sprints everywhere
Stalking — invisible enemy approach
Death Globes and Gutter Runners — atypical elite units
Starting position — Lahmia accessible and interesting

Very fun to play, very strong mechanically.

High Elves (Alarielle / Tyrion) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Massive late-game. Before 1850 (turn 100+), High Elves struggle a bit. After, they’re a steamroller:

Sisters of Avelorn — best archers in the game, hands down
Silver Helms and Dragon Princes — unmatched elite cavalry
High Magic — very strong
Influence Court — unique elven diplomacy mechanics

Requires early-game patience but rewards massively.

Chaos Dwarfs ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ One of the best-balanced factions. No bad units, solid economy, well-paced campaigns. Specificities:

Demon summonings
Tauri Centaurs — atypical heavy cavalry
Hellcannons and K’daai Destroyers — artillery and monsters
Tower of Zharr — unique career mechanic

A Tier: strong with some movement

Greenskins (Grimgor / Azhag) — A+ The TWWH2 rework lifted Orcs to real force status. Black Orcs still as strong, Waaagh mechanics well integrated.

Kislev (Tzarina Katarin) — A Diversified roster, ice magic, strong in competitive multi too. Ice Guard excellent.

Khazalid Dwarfs (Thorgrim) — A Long but safe campaign. Dwarf artillery still legendary. Gyrocopters and Ironbreakers dominate.

Vampire Counts (Vlad) — A Less broken than before nerfs, but Zombie Dragons and necromancy remain powerful. Vlad > Mannfred > Isabella as Lords.

Empire (Karl Franz) — A Elite Reiksguard cavalry, devastating Demigryphs. Central position difficult but rewarding.

B Tier: solid without shining

Lizardmen (Mazdamundi) — strong magic but somewhat dated roster
Wood Elves (Durthu) — niche, specialized
Khorne Bloodbound — strong but one-dimensional
Nurgle (Ku’gath) — tanks but slow
Tomb Kings — solid roster but weird economy

C Tier: challenging on Legendary

Norsca (Wulfrik) — roster limited since Chaos changes
Vampire Coast — heavily nerfed since 2024
Bretonnians (Louen) — promised rework never really came, dated gameplay

Reminder: C-tier factions are not unplayable. They just require more skill to pull off.

Best picks beginner vs veteran

For starting Immortal Empires:

Karl Franz (Empire) — classic roster, central position, perfect tutorial
Thorgrim (Dwarfs) — slow but robust, few surprises
Grimgor (Greenskins) — aggressive and fun, forgives mistakes

For veterans / challenges:

Ikit Claw (Skryre) — learning the S-tier meta
Archaon (Chaos) — extreme asymmetric gameplay
Alarielle (High Elves) — political puzzle of Court Intrigue

For roleplay / flavor:

Eltharion (High Elves Yvresse) — very different gameplay via Prisoner
Morathi (Dark Elves Cult of Pleasure) — atypical economy
Settra (Tomb Kings) — pharaonic roleplay

For other Total War and Warhammer analyses, see our Tempest Rising review, our EU4 vs EU5 comparison, and our Crusader Kings III beginner guide 2026.

Creative Assembly patches regularly — this tier list will be updated every 6 months.