In terms of difficulty, it's hardcore warfare from the word go, and while veterans of the series will relish the opportunity to try out their race-specific tactics, newcomers to the series may find things a bit of a struggle.įor the sake of balance, if I had to moan about something, I'd point out that the maps are still a bit bland. There's tons of replay value too, thanks to all seven races being playable, as well as the excellent multiplayer. There are other additions too, including upgradeable commanders and new units for each race, but above all it's the same fast and frantic action we came to love in Dawn Of War. Their sinister-looking units and ability to resurrect themselves provide endless opportunities for surprise on the battlefield. On the other hand, the Necrons are slightly easier to pick up and play, and are Dark Crusade's real highlight. The Tau are composed of a variety of ranged robotic warriors complemented by several melee races -an incredibly powerful combination, provided you're an astute commander who can keep your forces in order. Key to Dark Crusade are the two new races: the Tau and the Necrons, both of which are excellently implemented and balanced. Dark Crusade introduces a new metamap-based campaign mode playable with all factions as well as two new races the Necrons and the Tau Empire.
It is a stand-alone title, but license keys for Dawn of War and Winter Assault are required to play the five previously existing races in multiplayer. It's hardly a unique system but it works well enough, and serves to remind you that you're part of a much bigger conflict. Dark Crusade is the second expansion to the classic squad-based RTS game Dawn of War. Each race starts from their own stronghold, shown on a new campaign map which details every territory on the planet Once youve decided which territory to attack next, things transfer over to the more familiar real-time view. The action is set on the planet of Kronos, a seemingly popular destination which seven distinct races are battling to control. And while this standalone expansion contains yet more of the tried and tested formula, it contains so many new features that it feels more akin to a proper sequel.
Its combination of fast-paced action, beautifully detailed units and brutal animated violence turned thousands of us who'd never even seen the inside of a Games Workshop into instant fans. Return to the Game List, the FAQ, or the Home Page.Formerly the preserve of feverish enthusiasts huddled around tables comparing lead-figure painting techniques, the brutal futuristic world of Warhammer 40K was brought to the masses by 2004's excellent Dawn Of War. I'm forced to wait for Tier 3 to get Terminators and Deep Strike them right at the enemy base. The last mission required more than GKs, as I need to make my way through heavily defended guardsmen in order to reach the IG HQ. I complete all missions with basic strategy known as "fast GK" in which I'm building Grey Knights as fast as possible, along with Chaplain, and then rushing towards the enemy bases. The last mission, however is different, in that it's a scripted storyline encounter. The victory condition is the destruction of all enemy HQ buildings. New playable races, each with individual features Brand new Single Player Campaign experience, playable by all seven races Non-linear game-play: conquer an.
It took few dozens of retries before I got the desired result - one faction remaining with only 3 provinces to conquer.Īll missions, except the last one, are basic skirmish fights against two opponents. The results of this action aren't predictable as the enemies movements are very random. New Races Take command of two new playable races: Tau and Necron to unleash massive carnage across the frontlines of battle. I'm using this feature by spamming the "End Turn" button at the beginning. The factions may fight on a global map, between them, without direct intervention from the player. There are 6 strongholds at the beginning of the campaign. In order to complete the campaign, all enemy strongholds must be captured.