A constant theater of constantly renewed confrontations, the universe of Warhammer 40,000 is home to stories by the thousands. The one told to us today by Relic Entertainment starts on the planet Cyprus Ultima and features a mysterious relic that the Orks, the Eldars and the Space Marines are fighting over. You will therefore have certainly guessed that the single-player campaign puts us in control of these three races. We can regret that there are not four of them as in the previous parts, but let us remember that apart from the extensions, only the Space Marines were then playable in solo. We therefore rather gain from the exchange. For their first multi-race campaign, the developers chose the alternate route rather than separate episodes. Understand by this that you will carry out a mission at the head of the Space Marines, then one as an Ork leader, then one at the controls of the Eldars, and so on. This system has the defects of its qualities. We gain in variety and we immediately learn to master all the races, but we lose a little in immersion (our allies of the moment being the enemies of the previous half-hour) and confusion can settle between the different ways to play. Because just like StarCraft (which we regularly think of, but that's quite normal given that Blizzard was largely inspired by Games Workshop licenses ...), Dawn of War 3 offers significantly different races.
More beautiful than ever and still as strategic, Warhammer 40.000: Dawn of War 3 manages to remain faithful to its predecessors, while innovating slightly.
Relatively classic, the Space Marines can all the same more particularly plant banners in order to inspire the troops and deploy soldiers from an orbital relay. More rustic, the Orks improve their troops by recovering scrap metal abandoned on the ground or created by towers. Finally, the most refined race is obviously that of the Eldar. Relatively weak, their units are protected by shields that regenerate near base buildings, buildings that can also be moved over the course of the game, and connected to each other to allow the teleportation of troops. The evocation of buildings will not fail to be noticed by regulars of the series. Indeed, if the first episode was based on a fairly classic pattern (harvesting of resources, construction of buildings, production of troops), the second, on the other hand, ignored the creation of structures and focused on the heroes. Like a video game Macron, Dawn of War 3 tries to find the best compromise between the two formulas. But he actually manages to achieve his goal. Concretely, the harvest of resources is done on specific points whose location on the maps is predetermined. You can erect Requisition and Energy generators (the two resources dedicated to the creation of units) but also a defensive structure, the resource points being naturally interesting holds for all the forces present.
AT THE DAWN OF WAR
The maps also have specific slots where you can shelter a few units under a shield that protects them from ranged attacks. If the progress of the players remains framed by the level design, a good dose of freedom remains all the same in the possibility of creating the basic buildings where one wishes. But the game does not stop at these mechanics, it also emphasizes elite units, heroes with extremely powerful powers. Used in the right places and at the right times, their abilities can easily overwhelm an entire contingent of rank and file soldiers. The gameplay is therefore naturally oriented towards micro-management but, fortunately, the interface is as discreet as it is effective. The clever layout of the icons and the presence of numerous keyboard shortcuts avoid unnecessary headaches and missed acts. Note that super units can only be deployed by spending elite points, which can be earned over time, by destroying opponents' shield generators and turrets, or even on certain resource points. Sometimes, it will be better to wait before deploying a hero, just to save a little more and be able to afford another more powerful and more expensive elite.
If the first episode was based on a fairly classic pattern, the second, on the other hand, ignored the creation of structures and focused on the heroes. Like a video game Macron, Dawn of War 3 tries to find the best compromise between the two formulas.
In order to add yet another layer of strategy, each game begins with the prior selection of a hero, a specific improvement (called an elite doctrine) attached to it, and three army doctrines to choose from among a thirties. These can take the form of additional skills for certain troops or passive modifications. Interesting in solo, this system is even more so in multi since we don't know in advance against which configuration exactly we will have to fight. We feel there a slight influence of the MOBA phenomenon, an influence that is also found in the very nature of the only multiplayer mode available and in the design of the maps, generally articulated around three main paths. Moreover, the ultimate goal of online games is not to destroy the opponent's base in a classic way, but to bring down the enemy's Power Core. This cannot be damaged until another structure called Turret is destroyed. The latter can use a beam attack in a straight line and a shockwave that stuns all nearby enemies. It is therefore strongly discouraged to group its units too much when it is attacked. Additionally, this Turret is also invulnerable as long as a third key shield-generating type building is not destroyed.
HAMMER MINISTRY
By forcing troops to attack in a predefined order (generator, turret, core), the game concentrates combat in hot spots to avoid downtime. It's a good idea, but we regret all the same that it comes true at the expense of more classic features (of the deathmatch type) and more extensive (as it stands, the game is limited to three against three and offers only eight different maps). Dawn of War 3, on the other hand, achieves a flawless technical and artistic aspect. The graphics engine ensures the spectacle without requiring an oversized configuration, the artistic direction sublimates the universe of Warhammer 40,000, the units are all extremely readable and well animated and the differences in scale between the basic soldier and the most advanced troops are very important. In short, we take full eyes and it's a real treat to be able to participate in such beautiful fights. To sum up, we can say that Dawn of War 3 lacks a bit too much content, but the content available is really excellent. In these conditions, difficult to complain!
