In the long, grinding war of the forty-first millennium, the followers of the Omnissiah stand on the dust of Kronus and chase a secret older than their own orders, while the Necrons stir beneath the surface like a patient tide. This preview from IGN Southeast Asia, written before Dawn of War 4 reaches its December 3 release, suggests that these two factions are not merely metal soldiers in different colors, but two philosophies of power: one that grows through connection and must guard its fragile threads, and another that spreads like a slow lattice and trusts endurance over speed. Their clas
Dawn of War 4 Preview: Necrons and AdMech Carve Distinct Niches, Though Technical Rough Spots Linger
A slow-motion tide to wrap up the win decisively
Mark
Why does it matter that these two factions don't overlap, when both are machine armies?
Mimi
Because the preview says they handle space differently. The AdMech link buildings into a Noosphere network, while the Necrons spread a lattice that is their economy.
Mark
So the AdMech network is the weakness as well as the strength?
Mimi
Yes. Anything cut off from the main base loses all Noosphere bonuses, so flanking and deep strikes hurt them. Players choose between fast, fragile expansion and slower, redundant building.
Luke
Worth saying that's one reviewer's read of a pre-release build. He says both approaches can work, but that's his experience, not tested balance.
Mark
And the Necrons?
Mimi
Slow and durable. Scarabs grab points but can't hold them, Warriors can face Intercessors but crawl. Against Orks he accepted an early deficit and won late.
Luke
Again, that's his Skirmish experience. And we know nothing about the Necron campaign, since it wasn't playable. Calling them the big bads is his inference from how they're set up.
Mark
What about the AdMech story?
Mimi
He liked it more than the Orks: Potentia and Sek-Ix, a choice of perspective, same story either way. He avoids spoiling how they reunite.
Luke
Only six missions were seen, so how the whole campaign lands is open. And the load times over two minutes and cutscene hangs are real caveats, though the build wasn't final.
Der Puls
- The AdMech are only as strong as their Noosphere, and every cut-off outpost tears a hole in their power that enemies can slip through.
- Necrons spread a green-black lattice across the map, quietly claiming territory while their slow warriors march toward a reckoning.
- Players must choose at the start of each match between rapid, fragile expansion and cautious, redundant defense, with no certain safe path.
- The AdMech campaign's rival perspectives, Potentia-Delta-9 and Sek-Ix-23, pull toward a shared confrontation with the Magos Dominate's ultimatum looming.
- Load times over two minutes and client hangs during cutscenes threaten the release, with the Necron campaign still hidden in the shadows.
In the long, grinding war of the forty-first millennium, the followers of the Omnissiah stand on the dust of Kronus and chase a secret older than their own orders, while the Necrons stir beneath the surface like a patient tide. This preview from IGN Southeast Asia, written before Dawn of War 4 reaches its December 3 release, suggests that these two factions are not merely metal soldiers in different colors, but two philosophies of power: one that grows through connection and must guard its fragile threads, and another that spreads like a slow lattice and trusts endurance over speed. Their clash, the piece implies, will ask what it means to hold ground when the ground itself is alive with purpose.
The first six missions of the Adeptus Mechanicus campaign open on Kronus, where the Mechanicus are less concerned with Ork infighting than with the Necron presence that has begun to stir. IGN's previewer spent time with the two factions he had not yet explored, and came away convinced that the AdMech and the Necrons are far more than two versions of robot soldiers.
The AdMech campaign follows two perspectives. Potentia-Delta-9, a technoarchaeologist who values knowledge over orders, eventually meets Sek-Ix-23, a rigid machine cultist who distrusts her methods. Midway through, the Magos Dominate delivers an ultimatum: play as Potentia and go rogue, or take Sek-Ix and restore order. The story is not branching; both paths lead to the same events and converge before the end. The reviewer found it far more compelling than the Ork campaign, thanks to higher stakes and intriguing ancient secrets.
In battle, the AdMech rely on ranged units like Skitarii Rangers and Vanguards, backed by cloaked Ruststalkers and heavy Kataphron and Kastelan machines. Their Noosphere network strengthens with each connected structure, but isolated outposts lose all benefits and invite flanking attacks. The Necrons, by contrast, spread a machine lattice from their Nexus of Dominion, earning their resource from how much ground it covers. They are slow and durable, struggling with holding points but rewarding patient, overwhelming pushes. Their campaign remains unrevealed, though they are clearly positioned as the main antagonists.
The build is not final. Some missions took over two minutes to load even on an SSD, and the client occasionally froze during cutscenes. The reviewer hopes these issues are resolved before the December 3 launch.
The first six missions of the Adeptus Mechanicus campaign in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 open on the planet Kronus, where the followers of the Omnissiah are chasing a problem far deeper than the Ork infighting that dominated the first campaign. IGN's previewer spent extended time with the AdMech and the Necrons, the two factions he had not yet seen, and came away convinced that they are not simply two sets of "robot guys."
The Space Marine and Ork missions in the demo were the same ones IGN covered earlier this year in its exclusive IGN First coverage, now with more polish, so the preview sets them aside. The AdMech campaign is the second of four in chronological order, and choices from the Ork campaign can carry over. Whether you elevated the beastboss or the warlord from the stars might change which Ork enemies you meet, though in these six missions the Orks play a supporting role. The Mechanicus are focused on the Necron presence on Kronus.
The lead hero is Potentia-Delta-9, a technoarchaeologist who tends to put the pursuit of knowledge ahead of her superiors' orders. She eventually links up with Sek-Ix-23, a far more by-the-book machine cultist who dislikes her loose-cannon methods. Partway through, the Magos Dominate of Kronus, the highest-ranking Mechanicus commander, gives Potentia a final ultimatum. You can keep playing as her and go rogue, or take over as Sek-Ix and try to restore order. Unlike the Ork campaign, this is not a branching timeline: the same story unfolds either way, seen from different perspectives, and the two come together before the end. The reviewer enjoyed it noticeably more than the Ork campaign, citing higher stakes, more relatable characters, and intrigue involving ancient secrets.
In play, the AdMech are built around ranged combat. Skitarii Rangers and Skitarii Vanguards form the backbone, and both avoid melee. Vanguards are sturdier and strongest at medium range, with Rangers firing from behind them. Ruststalkers, permanently cloaked until they engage or get very close, provide the melee option. Specialists from the Cult of the Omnissiah add weight: tracked Kataphron cut through armor easily, and elite Kastelan Robot maniples turn the late-game front line into what the preview calls a chrome wall of death. The army is adaptable but can be shredded in close quarters.
Their buildings form the Noosphere, a network whose power grows with the number of connected structures and which buffs everything in it, from defensive turrets to unit production speed. Distant structures and resource points connect through cheap, defenseless Cogitator Relays or pricier Cognis turrets, and anything cut off from the main base loses all benefits. That leaves the AdMech exposed to flanking and deep strikes, and it poses a choice at the start of each match: expand fast along fragile single-path links, or go slower with redundancy and automated defenses. The preview says both approaches can work.
The Necrons have the most different economy of the four factions. The reviewer calls them a "goo faction," in the vein of Zerg creep in StarCraft or Undead blight in Warcraft 3. A green and black machine lattice spreads from each Nexus of Dominion, a fragile tower that also produces their only resource, dominion. Income depends on how much of the map the grid covers. Resource points still matter, since capturing them can reduce unit costs and speed production, but Necrons can bypass heavily defended points and claim uncontested corners instead.
They are slow by design. Scarabs can grab some control points early but cannot hold them, and the core Necron Warriors can stand up to Space Marine Intercessors yet march very slowly. Maps built around holding points are therefore difficult. Against a swarming faction like the Orks, the reviewer usually accepted an early deficit in capture points and aimed to wash over the enemy in the second half. Later fast units and limited teleportation help, but a committed wave of warriors or a teleport may leave no chance to pivot. Necrons were available only in Skirmish, so their campaign and characters remain unseen, though they are clearly set up as the main antagonists.
The build was not final, and the preview flags technical problems. Some campaign missions took more than two minutes to load even on an SSD, and several times the whole client hung for several seconds when a cutscene triggered mid-mission. The reviewer hopes these are fixed before launch on December 3, a little over a month away.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The reviewer says he enjoyed the AdMech campaign more than the Ork one, citing higher stakes, relatable characters and intrigue.— IGN preview
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