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I've added the details for the Beta to the original post.

The beta will be hosted via Steam and will launch exclusively to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War - Soulstorm owners on January 21st.

If you're not a Soulstorm owner, you'll be able to get in on the action on January 28nd, when the beta is opened to all worldwide.

THQInsider wrote:I've added the details for the Beta to the original post.

The beta will be hosted via Steam and will launch exclusively to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War - Soulstorm owners on January 21st.

If you're not a Soulstorm owner, you'll be able to get in on the action on January 28nd, when the beta is opened to all worldwide.

What if you own Soulstorm, but didn't buy it through Steam?

TragicNut wrote:What if you own Soulstorm, but didn't buy it through Steam?

We will be releasing a step-by-step guide on how to get the Beta up and running very soon

Original Post updated with links to a new Tyranid Trailer, the official Dawn Of War II Facebook Page and a new update from Relic on Space Marine Tactics!

Will there be IG!

Just watched the multiplayer video. Was that the white tree of Gondor?

Original Post updated with the direct download links for the exclusive Ork wallpapers:
1280x800: http://www.thq-games.com/uk/href/wallpaper/1011?wallpaperId=442

1680x1050: http://www.thq-games.com/uk/href/wallpaper/1012?wallpaperId=442

1920x1200: http://www.thq-games.com/uk/href/wallpaper/1013?wallpaperId=442

I have windows pro, will it work with that?

And will you be able to paint your own army? Because that would make this one of my favorite games EVER?

I was wondering about the Tyranid commander characters in multiplayer. It seems that the Hive Tyrant is an obvious choice, but the other two are simply "alpha" versions of normal units. What differentiates an "Alpha" Lictor from a normal one? I was expecting a couple of genetic "experiment" characters such as Old One Eye, The Red Terror and Death Leaper. Not that I'm lamenting over it, but it seems that their is plenty of scope to make unique Tyranids to fill the commander positions. Heck, the Red Terror IS a Ravener precurser and the Death Leaper was a special, extra stealthy Lictor. Can you give some insight into how these characters were chosen? Thanks.

I think partly beacause they wanted you to create 'your' own heroes. e.g. Death Leaper already has an interesting backstory but you weren't part of any of it, in DoW 2 they want you to be there from the start of the campaign and slowly watch as your characters grow and gain stature throughout the game. Doesn't really fit well with this idea when you have a 'pre-made' hero with his own tale and his own adventure. It has to be unique but personal to you.

Except that you do not play Tyranids in the campaign, and the other races heroes are not simply more powerful versions of units you can already make. I was citing the pre-existing creatures as examples. Surely it's possible to make new, unique character/creatures to fit the roles rather than simply re-skinning a standard unit glowing white.

Meh, you don't see Ghagzhkull, Abbadon or Prince Yriel in the game. Maybe they were just trying to create their own characters and heroes and not the standard GW stuff, something different.
And Tyranids can't really get heroes if you think about it.

But thats the thing:they didn't create anything unique with the bugs.It seems like they missed some real opportunities here with the Nid heroes. Other races have plenty of HQ units to use or iconic character types, whereas the Nids really only have Hive Tyrants and Broodlords. Why couldn't they use the Broodlord instead of a "Ravener Alpha"? Honestly they could make any sort of thing up, it isn't like Tyranids never have random mutations that lead to unique monsters.

Tyranids are bugs, Zerg are space bugs, Alien is a bug.
They can't have a leadership system, maybe the biggest have some control and the hive mind controls everything but it's like trying to say an ant with a unique mutation of having extra abdomens is their boss.

.......I don't think I'm getting across to you. Of course Tyranids have a leadership system. What do you think Synapse creatures are? Centralized focal points of hive-mind activity that for all intents and purposes mirror the commanders of other armies. But that isn't the point.

I am asking why 2 of the three multiplayer commander characters for the Tyranids are simply up-powered versions of units they already have access to. I think it is a missed opportunity to add character to the faction by creating unique versions of creatures for the role rather than re-skinning existing ones white. Especially considering the fact that the Tyranids have a history of spin-off creatures popping up galaxy wide. Catachan Devils, for instance. If other armies' leader units are divided as combat, support, and healing or some such division I don't see why they couldn't do something like Broodlord, Hive Tyrant, and Malanthrope as some sort of techmarine equivalent with bio-turrets and such. (I know they don't do that, I'm just using him as an example.)

Not to mention the fact that in the heat of battle it would be frustrating for the opponent to even find your commander when you have several other Raveners or Lictors running around.

Here's a long video walk through of a multiplayer game between SM and SM. Shameless stolen from Warseer.



CES09 Walkthrough Part 1



Railguns, consider that maybe they didn't have the freedom to create new creatures for the HQ commanders. Plus, other races have odd HQ choices. SM have apothecary and no chaplain or librarian. Orks have the kommando (plus the kommando unit). Eldar have Warlock for their offensive HQ. Makes no sense considering a warlock is way below a farseer in terms of power.

And they have portraits of all your units at the upper right corner of the screen. I don't think confusing your HQ and another lictor will be an issue.

Well I understand that the hq choices can be odd, I'm fine with Ork commandos and Techmarines and such. I actually like how they expanded the techmarine into a support role with turrets and such. I just think it's a big missed opportunity.


I'm not concerned about confusing your own units, but rather your opponent not being able to tell which lictor inviso-porting around is the commander and which is normal. I suppose that can be considered a strength, but I can also see where it would be irritating.

Railguns wrote:But thats the thing:they didn't create anything unique with the bugs.It seems like they missed some real opportunities here with the Nid heroes. Other races have plenty of HQ units to use or iconic character types, whereas the Nids really only have Hive Tyrants and Broodlords. Why couldn't they use the Broodlord instead of a "Ravener Alpha"? Honestly they could make any sort of thing up, it isn't like Tyranids never have random mutations that lead to unique monsters.

Keep in mind that they are giving you extra wargear and goodies to change how your hq acts. That could mix up the hqs. And there are probebly going to be expansion packs too.

I see that the Hqs come with different sets of powers. Thats great, but I'm a bit disappointed that the character models for them don't seem to be any different than the stock models besides a small color change.

Tyranids are not individuals, they are just cells in a larger organism. A race has to have an ego before they start decorating their leaders, and that is absent from a hivemind.

I think we're arguing in circles.......

I mean like bigger, meaner, stabbier versions of the normal creatures. I don't think it would have detracted from the game to make the "commander" creatures look like evolved versions of their root creature.

Which is what they did if you look closely...closer!

......They look identical in the video to the normal ones on the wallpaper I have. The only difference I have ever seen visually is that the character Lictor in the single player campaign was white.

My biggest beef is








NO TAU!!!!!!!!

Yea, but they made up for it with Tyranids.

I dunno, they did a crap job of making the Tau be...Tau in DoW, and everything looks so badass in this game. It'd be hard to give Tau the same ferocity.

I have a problem. Whenever I try to load the demo it says "Couldnt find a compatible driver, please check for a compatible dirver and make sure Direct X is properly installed." I have direct X 9.c, so what could I do?

PLayed the Beta for a few hours, its really fast. Too fast for me. Hope the single player part of the game is more fun other wise I will have wasted my money. Wont be playing too much multiplayer. Thats gonna be reserved for the uber macro gamer who has every decision mathed out to the mili second. The game is beautiful but I saw very quickly if you waste any time or make one bad move its pretty much over for you. Hurry fast to the point towers, bulk up and wait till the time expires. Not too much fun.

As long as I'm playing on easy, I love the beta. I guess it just takes getting used to. Tyranids were great fun, although my Hive Tyrant was frustratingly slow. For a while I actually had trouble getting my units to do what I wanted though. I had to get my gaunts to restart getting a victory point 3 times before it "stuck" and they finished. I often had situations where my units would just sit there and not respond to enemies or my commands. The worst were my Warriors. I equipped them with a barbed strangler and they suddenly wouldn't attack anything. They just froze, but this may be that it is a heavy weapon that has to be set up facing the right way. After a few games it went much better so I think it may have been my inexperience.

Also it seemed like units were fairly expensive while capturing several requisition points didn't appreciably speed up production, but I suppose this is to make the games last longer and encourage smart play. You can't castle at all really as enemy units can slip out and uncapture points from you to turn the tide against you. This game definitely requires map awareness. Becase of this I quickly gravitated to the Techmarine and Mek so I could set up turrets to fire on open ground and hinder enemy movement. I like it so far.

Updated thread with new Orks video, where you can see them battling Tyranid forces - http://www.thq-games.com/uk/thqtv/index/2578

I've been playing the beta and making Screen-capture videos for my youtube page, in order to commentate on what is happening and show it to people that don't have the beta. I'm pretty critical of the game sometimes, that comes hand-in-hand with being an experienced rts player. But the videos have been quite popular, check them out here if you want:

www.youtube.com/user/vaulsc

Multiplayer strategy tips for Orks now available on the official Dawn of War II site: http://community.dawnofwar2.com/blogs/?p=481
Worth a look if you're playing Orks in the beta

There are some new wallpapers too:
Ork Warboss (dd)
1280x800: http://www.thq-games.com/uk/href/wallpaper/1047?wallpaperId=454
1680x1050: http://www.thq-games.com/uk/href/wallpaper/1048?wallpaperId=454
1920x1200: http://www.thq-games.com/uk/href/wallpaper/1049?wallpaperId=454

Mekboy and Kommando wallpapers can be found on the official site too: http://community.dawnofwar2.com/blogs/?p=481