Introducing Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV’s Adeptus Mechanicus

Hi everyone,

When we were first planning our vision for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV, we knew we wanted to include a faction that had never been playable in the series before. The Adeptus Mechanicus was definitely the biggest and best known candidate in that sense, and the team here also had a real soft spot for these machine-worshipping Tech-Priests!

Having made our choice, we followed the two important principles that have underpinned development of all four factions in Dawn of War IV. First, we have to make sure each one is as faithful as possible to the lore of Warhammer 40,000 - that’s the number one priority for the team. Second, each faction has to have a unique playstyle that really sets it apart from the others.

Let’s start with the lore basics. In very simple terms, you can think of the Adeptus Mechanicus as the manufacturing empire responsible for building the Imperium’s war machine. While Mars is their homeworld, they control a galaxy-spanning network of forge worlds where they produce all of the immensely powerful weapons, ships and buildings the      Imperium requires.

While much of their work is dedicated to optimising the weapons and equipment they manufacture, they’re also busy optimising themselves at the same time. They replace parts of their bodies until some become more machine than human, all in the service of the Machine God, also known as the Omnissiah. They favour nimble long-ranged combat, and their powerful technology grants them unique insight into events on the battlefield.

So, very early on we knew that the Adeptus Mechanicus faction would be relatively quick, great at ranged combat, and armed with a tonne of combat tools that draw on their unique access to technology. They would still have close combat focused units such as Ruststalkers, but they wouldn’t be nearly as melee-focused as a faction like the Orks.

Their melee units instead rely on exploiting powerful ranged synergies. For example, you can use your Ruststalker units to lure the enemy into a trap and force them into close-quarters combat. While their attention is focused on this immediate threat, you can then order your powerful Skitarii Rangers to unleash a storm of powerful firepower from a relatively safe distance - a great combo!

For its sheer coolness factor alone though, we really love the Knight Castellan. In our game, the Adeptus Mechanicus work together with the Imperium’s House Raven, which gives them access to these colossal combat machines. Not only do the Knights provide an impressive injection of firepower, they also blast into battle using Drop Keeps, which make for a wonderfully cinematic entrance.

To support these and other units, we’ve also included a versatile selection of faction vehicles. The Ironstrider Ballistarius is quick and nimble, capable of reaching far-off sections of the battlefield quickly. Conversely, the Onager Dunecrawler operates as a hulking, heavily weaponised war machine, while the Skorpius Disintegrator offers the kind of long-range firepower that synergises perfectly with the faction’s overall playstyle.

Lastly, we want to talk a little bit about the Void Shield. This enormous structure expands to take up almost the entirety of your screen, allowing you to shield a huge number of buildings and units behind it. Enemies can move into the shield - and you can move out - but enemies cannot shoot through it. As you’d expect, you can make very creative use of the Void Shield to set up devastating chokepoints that are a lot of fun to defend!

It’s fair to say the Adeptus Mechanicus pack some serious offensive and defensive firepower, but what really sets them apart from the other factions is their Noosphere Network technology. This powerful network links buildings, static weapons and units together in a way that makes your Adeptus Mechanicus army far stronger than the sum of its parts.

The more structures you add to the Noosphere Network, the higher its level becomes. As it grows in power you not only gain access to new, immensely powerful units, upgrades and research options - your units within the network’s sphere of influence become both stronger and cheaper to produce. For your opponents, the objective is as much about dismantling and disconnecting this network as it is fighting the units within it.

The Adeptus Mechanicus also possess a powerful strategic ability called Auger Vision, which provides enhanced awareness of the battlefield areas that lie beneath the fog of war. You can think of this as a “heatmap” that hints at the enemy activity in a given area - not perfectly, but with just enough critical insight to help you eliminate a growing problem before it can spiral out of control.

Combining tech and firepower, your core strategy with the Adeptus Mechanicus is to grow your Noosphere Network, utilise the speed and range advantages provided by your lower-cost units, and keep a very close eye on how your upgrades and weapons are beginning to snowball in power over time. 

Naturally, we couldn’t finish our preview without talking just a little bit about our Adeptus Mechanicus Commanders. As with all the factions in Dawn of War IV you’ll be able to take control of one of two powerful leaders, each of whom provides a very different flavour to the overall playstyle.

First up there’s Potentia Delta-9, a Technoarcheologist who can dispatch a scouting servo-skull to scope out remote areas of the battlefield. Her upgrade paths are extremely flexible, and, you can grow her into either a melee or ranged monster with a lot of clever combat tricks up her sleeve.

Then there’s Skitarii Marshal Sek-Ix-23, who’s strong at buffing not only the units he's attached to but all units within range. You’ll want to play him right in the thick of battle, so he can provide as many buffs as possible and help overwhelm the enemy with devastating combined firepower.

Because of the bodyguards who serve to protect him, Sek-Ix-23 is also the only Commander in Dawn of War IV who’s composed of multiple models. Put him and his men in charge of a 20-strong Skitarii unit, and all of a sudden you’ve built a massive target that’s incredibly difficult for your opponent to neutralise entirely.

As for how these Commanders affect Dawn of War IV’s overall story, we don’t want to give away too much at this stage. Let’s just say that one of Kronus’ Magos Dominus overseers has a secret he’d prefer remains undiscovered. You’ll have to choose whether to side with the Magos Dominus by fighting as his subordinate Marshal, or break ranks and follow a different agenda as the Technoarcheologist Potentia.

There’s so much more to talk about between now and release, but we hope you’ve enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look at the Adeptus Mechanicus, and what a huge impact they have on Dawn of War IV. We’ll have more development blogs for you in the weeks and months to come, and thank you so much for all of your support so far. Don’t forget to wishlist Dawn of War IV if you haven’t done so already!

Until next time,

Everyone @ KING Art Games