Dawn Of War Dark Crusade Necron Strategy

Warhammer twoscore,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade is the second expansion pack to the PC-based real-time strategy (RTS) game Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ. Based on Games Workshop'south pop tabletop wargame, Warhammer 40,000, Dark Crusade was released on October nine, 2006. The expansion features 2 new races, the Tau Empire and the Necrons. Including the Imperial Guard from Dawn of State of war'southward first expansion pack Winter Assault, this means a total of seven playable races in this expansion.

Dissimilar Winter Set on, Dark Crusade is a standalone expansion that does not crave prior installation of Dawn of War or Winter Assault to play, allowing the user to play every bit all seven factions in both single player Skirmish and Entrada modes, though not in multiplayer.

Parallel to the release of Dark Crusade, THQ besides released a triple pack of Dawn of War, Wintertime Set on, and Night Crusade, dubbed Dawn of War Anthology. The case is embossed with images of all the faction leaders of the campaign dressed in their respective wargear.

Gameplay

As with previous Dawn of War titles, Nighttime Crusade is focused on the conflict portion of gameplay; in order to obtain more resource players must fight for them. Each actor starts off with a base and wins by fulfilling mission objectives. There are multiple tiers of technology, with each allowing for more than powerful units and upgrades.

Units

The number of units a player may field at in one case is determined by population and vehicle 'squad caps'; these limit the number of infantry troops and vehicles a player may accept on the battlefield. Squad caps may be increased using methods differing betwixt races. Virtually units have a melee attack and a ranged assault. Units are oft specialized to be better using one set on type. All units as well take stances; these affect how the units respond to enemies. There are 3 types of units: commanders, infantry, and vehicles.

Commanders are hero units, and can ordinarily simply be built once. If they perish, they may be rebuilt. A sub-grade is the semi-commander unit, which has many abilities similar the commander unit but may exist built multiple times. Infantry are foot soldiers, and may either exist regular or heavy, with heavy infantry being much tougher than normal infantry. Vehicles are heavy weaponry and transports, and include tanks, artillery and troop carriers.

All units, aside from well-nigh heroes and vehicles, come in squads. These are groups of infantry that are commanded as a single entity. They may be reinforced with additional members, equipped with special weapons, or exist attached to hero units. Some squads take special abilities, such as grenades, teleportation, and stealth, unlocked with research or leader units. Unit longevity is determined by their wellness and morale points, which govern a squad'southward fighting effectiveness. Both are reduced by weaponry; morale recharges independently or due to unit of measurement abilities, while wellness is increased by healer units or repair.

Buildings

Bated from their initial headquarters, races may build research and resource centers, unit-producing facilities, and defensive fortifications. Research buildings may research special upgrades that increase the abilities of that race'south units, while resource buildings produce resource. Unit of measurement facilities produce infantry and vehicles. In order to access their next tier, a race must build sure buildings to unlock new technologies and buildings.

Multiplayer

Players may either connect directly by IP connection, play on their LAN or play through an online service offered by Gamespy. There are viii game modes bachelor for online skirmish play, such as Annihilate, which requires the histrion to destroy every enemy unit of measurement and building, or Sudden Death, which causes a player to be eliminated if another captures one of their strategic points. Multiple game modes may be enabled, calling for multiple winning conditions. Due to its nature as a standalone expansion pack, the player may only play equally the Tau or Necrons in multi-role player. They must enter their original Dawn of War CD central to gain access to the original four races. Likewise, a Winter Set on CD key is needed to access the Imperial Guard.

Campaign

The expansion features a "Risk-based strategic layer", which is a campaign including a "meta-map" of the world of Kronus, the game's setting, similar to those in Westwood Studios' Dune games as opposed to the old, programmed, linear storylines common in most real-fourth dimension strategy games. Due to this lack of linearity, at that place is no plot aside from the opening cinematic; rather, as the player conquers various opposing factions for control of Kronus the game provides a narrative specific to whom the player has conquered. If the actor wins the entrada, a cinematic is played that depends on which faction the player was controlling. With the release of Dawn of War Two, information technology is learned that the Blood Ravens (Space Marines) were officially the victorious faction, and that they were the army that both defeated the Majestic Guard present on Kronus at the city of Victory Bay and the Word Bearers Chaos Space Marines who had sought to conquer the world. Information technology is left ambiguous whether or not the Blood Ravens were the faction that eliminated the other combatants.

The player may pick a faction to play equally, and then engages in turn-based combat with the other A.I.-controlled factions. There are multiple provinces, which are conquered by fighting a regular skirmish match over them. These may give either a special bonus or supply special 'accolade baby-sit' units, which are powerful, non-trainable versions of regular units. They may only be made on the chief battlefield overview screen, and, like provincial reinforcements, cost planetary requisition, a resource gained on a per-turn basis based on how many provinces the player controls. Honor guard units transfer over provinces and may be used repeatedly. At that place are too seven 'Stronghold' provinces that function as bases for the corresponding factions; these are made like more traditional entrada games, with multiple secondary and primary objectives that vary from faction to faction.

Also, a race's commander unit may be upgraded with special "wargear", unique, customizable upgrades that vary by race. These are awarded at battle milestones, ranging from a certain amount of kills to conquering many provinces.

Campaign scenarios are persistent, meaning that all player structures are 'saved' when a game is won. For example, if a player builds a base and conquers a province, only to have a neighbouring faction attack aforementioned province, the player will start out with his previous base, with the exception of having no technology researched. Players may also cull to garrison provinces with units that are instantly available should the province be attacked. These are bought with planetary requisition.

Setting

All the factions present in Dawn of State of war - Dark Cause

All the pre-existing factions gained new units in Night Crusade, and two new playable races are made available, including:

Tau Empire

One of the 2 new races in the game, the Tau are unique in multiple means. Tau Fire Warriors and their anti-gravity vehicles are powerful in ranged battles, but have weak melee capability. To recoup, they fight aslope the alien Kroot, using these cardinal warriors as auxiliaries. Also, they are the only race with a 'choice' in their concluding technology choices; two final tier buildings are presented, which provide unlike terminate-game units and technologies. Only one may exist chosen. The Tau also practice non have whatever standalone defensive structures or minefields.

Necrons

The Necrons are unique, as they do not require requisition to build their army. Rather, ability is the only resource needed to make Necrons units. However, capturing Strategic Points and building Obelisks (the Necrons' listening post) will increase the speed of research and building, and volition too aggrandize the population cap. The Necron Monolith, their homebase, is restored as more buildings are built, while likewise unlocking new units (similar to how the Zerg role in Starcraft), and functions as the only vehicle- and troop-producing building for the faction. When fully restored, the Monolith becomes mobile (albeit very slow, though it can teleport) and is armed with very powerful Gauss weaponry. Many Necron units have the ability to resurrect, and nearly will leave persistent corpses on the battlefield that may either cocky-resurrect afterwards they die or be restored by specialized Necron units.

The Necrons were previously seen in Dawn of War - Wintertime Assault at the end of the single-player entrada, but were noticeably stronger.

Notable Characters

Dark Crusade features some reappearances by characters from the by games in the series, such as Farseer Taldeer and Warboss Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter, who were featured in Winter Assail.

Plot

The events of Nighttime Crusade take place on the former Imperial Civilised Earth of Kronus, a planet on the Eastern Fringe of the Imperium in the Segmentum Ultima, where the local man population has been absorbed into the nearby Tau Empire. It is as well an ancient Necron Tomb World, whose inhabitants are starting to awaken. Eldar from Craftworld Ulthwé soon arrive to end the ancient Necron threat from growing. In addition, Kronus happens to exist a world with a variety of hidden Imperial relics, left behind from the Horus Heresy, that are significant to the Blood Ravens Infinite Marines, the Imperial Guard and the Word Bearers Traitor Legion of Chaos Space Marines. In that location is also a local Feral Ork population in the southern jungles of Kronus who quickly mobilise against the new threats when the Ork Warboss Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter and his WAAAGH! arrive on the world in search of their adjacent battlefield. Faced with such opposition against the thriving Tau Sept, the world'due south Tau Governor Aun'el Shi'ores, knowing the planet must be kept within the Tau Empire, orders his Tau Fire Warriors into battle against the other factions.

Canonical Endings

The game has various endings for all the different factions, but Relic has stated that the Claret Ravens defeated both the Necrons and the Royal Guard in the canonical catastrophe. Through the dialogue in Dawn of War II, it is apparent that the Blood Ravens were able to conquer Kronus and return control of it to the Imperium. Davian Thule, the Captain of the Blood Ravens quaternary Company who likewise led the 1st and 2d Companies to the earth, as well bears scars in Dawn of War II which he received during the concluding battle with the Necron Lord of Kronus at the end of Dark Crusade. Also, Sergeant Tarkus received Terminator Honours after his struggle confronting the Necrons and Tau during the Night Crusade. The Blood Raven catastrophe reveals that the Blood Ravens went through 1 of their greatest trials after the Dark Crusade was over; the Inquisition launched a thorough investigation into the Blood Ravens' purity as a Loyalist Chapter after they fought confronting their ain fellow servants of the Emperor, the Imperial Baby-sit. Though non necessarily canonical, if the actor beats the Infinite Marines every bit the Imperial Baby-sit, it is shown that the Guard discovered documents on Kronus detailing secrets about the Claret Ravens' history that didn't lucifer upward with their official past as known past the Imperium, thus leading to the probing investigation of the Chapter by the Inquisition.

The Dividing of the Ork Clans The Warboss Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter, who survived the Lorn 5 Campaign in Dawn of War - Wintertime Attack, began his new WAAAGH! in the feral Ork-infested Green Declension on Kronus. As is often the case with the Orks, Gorgutz'southward WAAAGH! was formed by uniting several weaker clans under his banners, which were used every bit symbols of his authority in his stronghold. The Blood Ravens used this dissent to their advantage by destroying Gorgutz's banners, causing the Ork clans of Kronus to begin fighting against each other and defying Gorgutz's reign. The Claret Ravens ultimately slaughtered their way through the infighting clans and killed Gorgutz's personal guard. However, he took his revenge on the Space Marines that bested him past detonating several warheads, killing his own minions and several Blood Ravens. In the confusion of the explosions, Gorgutz escaped through a cavern and was able to flee Kronus on a hidden Ork starship, returning once more in Soulstorm to continue to plague the Imperium.

The Necron Crypt's Collapse The Necrons, the original rulers of the planet Kronus, emerged from their stasis tombs in the Thur'abis Plateau. The Blood Ravens descended into the caverns beneath the plateau to discover a huge network of catacombs hidden within, property innumerable amounts of Necron soldiers. Despite the nighttime and fearsome location, the Blood Ravens fought their style through the catacombs, destroying Necron beacons (Which could cause different effects on the histrion or his enemies, such every bit reviving fallen Necrons or causing the player'southward vehicle units to turn on him/her) equally they worked their way into a primal structural point within. Captain Davian Thule placed a powerful explosive device which acquired the catacombs to collapse, thus ending the Necron threat on Kronus, though it is hinted that the Necrons were but slowed in their reemergence by the collapse, and not destroyed altogether.

Farseer Taldeer'south Gambit Farseer Taldeer synthetic her attack strength in the frigid northwestern reaches of the planet Kronus, and rather than risk her ain Eldar warriors in her stronghold's defence, positioned herself between a splinter cult of Chaos Space Marines and a small force of dissatisfied Orks that broke off from Gorgutz's WAAAGH! However, in doing then, she backed herself into a corner controlled by three Webway Gates that allowed her access to the rest of the Eldar army in space. The Blood Ravens fought their way through their onetime enemies, defeated the Ork and Chaos threat, and were able to concord the Webway Gates to forestall any possible escape for Taldeer. The Eldar Farseer chose to sacrifice her own life in order to permit her troops to flee, seeking refuge on the planet. It is unknown whether or not they eventually escaped or succumbed to the Blood Ravens' encarmine swath of destruction beyond Kronus.

Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander'southward Last Stand The Royal Guard, having set up their stronghold nigh a Hellstorm Cannon that had in one case been a function of an Royal Imperator-grade Titan that had fallen during the Horus Heresy, had claimed equally their forwards operating headquarters a city that they had wrested dorsum from the Tau after their landing and renamed Victory Bay, fully assertive that they could regain control of the planet for the Imperium, even if that meant facing Space Marines. The Blood Ravens, however, were able to fight their way through the heavily-defended Imperial stronghold at Victory Bay, and eventually took control of the Hellstorm Cannon itself and sparked a revolution amongst dissident Imperial troops who refused to fight Astartes after their Commissar was killed. The Claret Ravens added these troops to their own forces and fought their style through the heavy defences held by Lukas Alexander, and were able to end the Lord Governor'southward reign on Kronus. In the later boxing report given by Thule, it was mentioned that the Blood Ravens held Alexander in the highest regard, specially since he had stayed absolutely loyal to his orders and had defended Victory Bay with skill and honour. Despite his loss, Alexander and his troops were commended and honoured for their bravery in standing up to the Blood Ravens' assault. The one exception to this was the treacherous 5th Visitor, who were all executed without mercy for betraying their regiment, even though they had joined forces with the Infinite Marines after Anton Gebbett, the Commissar attached to their company, was killed.

The Fall of Or'es Tash'n The Tau began their assail on Kronus by taking over the Imperial city of Asharis, and re-constructing it into their new capital of Or'es Tash'due north, a Tau stronghold of sizable proportions. Using both their own Tau units as well as the Kroot and their other xenos and homo allies, the Tau congenital upwards a powerful defence in the new city. Using the city'southward own communications tower, they were able to keep tabs on the invading Blood Ravens. After a hard struggle in which the Blood Ravens had to fight their way through Kroot and Tau akin, the Claret Ravens were able to impale the Ethereal Aun'el, effectively burdensome the morale of the Tau Army. Shas'O Kais, the Tau Commander, fled Kronus in gild to return the defeated leader's torso to his homeworld of T'au, and the surviving Tau were either killed in the ensuing rout or evacuated from Kronus, leaving Or'es Tash'n to be reclaimed for the Imperium by the Space Marines.

Eliphas the Inheritor'southward Sacrifice The Chaos Infinite Marines of the Give-and-take Bearers Traitor Legion, under the orders of their leader, the Dark Apostle Eliphas the Inheritor, were able to rip open a hole in the Warp and construct a gate around information technology to proceed it stable. This allowed Anarchy Daemons to pour through the rift and corrupt the state beneath their feet, also as construct large pillars designed to use Chaos sorcery and sacrifice any willing or unwilling beings that ventured also close to further power their arcane strength. In the defence of the Warp Gate, Eliphas the Inheritor decided to let his troops to defend their own sections of a long, twisted path to the gate instead of focus on the defense force as a whole. Nonetheless, because he was unable to command his defences finer, the Blood Ravens were able to cut their way through the encarmine gauntlet of Chaos Space Marines and demolish the Warp Gate. Eliphas, having failed his daemonic masters one too many times, was sacrificed past the will of the Ruinous Powers as a failed subject, his soul drawn wailing back into the Warp.

Notwithstanding Eliphas returned in Dawn of State of war II - Chaos Rising to bedevil the Blood Ravens once more subsequently having been resurrected following much penalty by the Anarchy Gods and placed in thrall to the Blackness Legion at the request of Abaddon the Despoiler, largely due to an unexpected level of fan popularity for the onetime Dark Apostle. Eliphas promised the Despoiler and the Ruinous Powers that his only mission in life after his resurrection was to destroy the Blood Ravens as a Affiliate.

Development

Dark Crusade uses the same engine as the original Dawn of War game, which allowed the game'due south programmer, Relic, to focus most efforts on revamping the single-player campaign and balancing out the two new races. By E3 2006, the two new races were demonstrated through an in-engine feature, though no playable version was showcased. New units were unveiled regularly later on August 11, 2006. The first available playable build was released on September xviii to GameSpot. Dark Crusade exited the development stage on September 21, and was expected to exist shipped worldwide by October 9, 2006.

Reception

The expansion was praised as an "fantabulous real-time strategy game", with its non-linear unmarried-player entrada, stabilized multiplayer and boosted features, and was selected by IGN and Gamespot as the best expansion pack of 2006. Most were quite surprised by the quality and size of the expansion, stating that the large amount of new content "breathed new life into the game". Critics cited the excellent balancing between races, saying information technology had a positive consequence on both single-player and multiplayer. Aside from new units and races, changes to the gameplay mechanics, such every bit reworking of the aristocracy unit system, were well-received, as critics felt that the changes "forced players to actually call back almost using real combined arms tactics in multiplayer and contributed to more games decided by genuine strategy and skill rather than just who tin spec out the proper build social club."

Some critics stated that the game's weak points included its complexity; some reviewers disliked how much micromanagement was required to finer field i race against another, saying that this complexity was detrimental to the game. As one reviewer mentioned "...when I stop having fun, I stop playing." The learning curve was also stated as beingness very steep for an RTS, due to each race being different. Another thing critics disliked was the player's disability to 'zoom out' with the in-game camera; this sometimes got in the way of large battles, and was particularly noticeable when playing as or against the Tau, as their long range weapons often resulted in them engaging their targets off-screen. While full general consensus on the revamped single-player campaign was positive, some critics felt that information technology was not particularly challenging; they plant that the AI was strategically weak, and there were no random elements in about skirmish missions that would enhance replayability. The usage of a random auto-resolve feature to determine which races won which territories was seen as a downside; also, one critic found that the AI never attacked his homebase, and that they would attack insignificant zones regardless of the opportunity to capture more pregnant ones. In terms of new additions, some critics felt that the races, in particular the Necrons, were overpowered. Despite these accusations (or perhaps because of them), the Tau and Necrons remain some of the least-used races in multi-player games.

External Links

Official Dawn of War Website

Sources

Dawn of War - Dark Crusade (PC Game)