Are you staring at the screen as your base gets overrun by giant green aliens or power-armored super soldiers? Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War can feel chaotic and overwhelming when you first start. It’s a classic real-time strategy (RTS) game, and it throws a lot at you all at once.
But don’t worry. The secret to winning isn’t complicated. It’s about mastering a few key ideas that every new player needs to know. This complete Dawn of War guide is here to give you simple, actionable Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War beginner tips. We’ll cover everything from managing your resources to commanding your army in battle, so you can go from confused to confident.
Pressed for time? Here are the most important tips you need to know to start winning your first games right now.
| Core Tip | Why It’s Important |
| Capture Strategic Points | This is how you get Requisition, the main “money” to build your army. More points = more soldiers. |
| Build Listening Posts | Place these on captured points to make them stronger and generate resources faster. |
| Use Cover | Green cover symbols mean your troops take much less damage from gunfire. Always use them. |
| Build a Balanced Army | Don’t just build one type of unit. You need a mix of ranged, melee, and anti-vehicle troops. |
| Understand Your Faction | Start with the Space Marines. They are great all-rounders and the easiest to learn. |
Before you can build a massive army, you need to understand the two main resources in the game. Everything you do depends on them.
Requisition (The Yellow Icon): Think of this as your main money. You use it to build basic units, create buildings, and reinforce your squads. You get Requisition by capturing Strategic Points on the map. The more points you control, the faster your Requisition comes in.
Power (The Blue Icon): This is your tech resource. You use Power for advanced units, powerful vehicles, research, and big upgrades. You get Power by building Plasma Generators. The more generators you have, the more Power you generate. Balancing Requisition and Power is a key skill.
Many classic PC gaming strategy titles have similar resource systems, but Dawn of War’s focus on map control makes it unique.
The start of every game is crucial. A strong opening can set you up for victory. Here’s what you should do in the first few minutes of almost any match.
A big army is great, but a smart army is better. Focusing on improving army size Dawn of War style is about quality, not just quantity. Your army should have a mix of units to handle different threats.
Think of it like a game of rock-paper-scissors.
If your opponent is only building infantry, a vehicle like a Dreadnought can cause huge problems for them. If they have lots of tanks, you need to build units with anti-tank weapons to counter them. Pay attention to what your enemy is building and adapt! The fantastic character design in games like this means every unit has a clear purpose.
Winning fights isn’t just about having more units. It’s about how you use them.
One of the most important tactics is using cover in Dawn of War. When you select a squad, you’ll see green, yellow, or red shield icons on the ground.
Always try to fight from green cover. It can help a small squad defeat a much larger one. For more detailed stats on cover and units, the Dawn of War Wiki is an excellent resource.
There are four main factions in the base game, and each plays differently. For your first few games, your choice matters.
| Faction | Playstyle | Why They’re Good for Beginners |
| Space Marines | All-Rounders | Strong, versatile units. Easy to understand. Good at everything. The perfect starting faction. |
| Orks | Swarm / Numbers | Can build huge numbers of cheap units. Fun and chaotic. |
| Eldar | Specialists | Fast, fragile units that require careful control. More advanced. |
| Chaos | Versatile / Corrupt | Similar to Space Marines but with unique daemonic units. A good second faction to try. |
We highly recommend you start with the Space Marines. They will teach you all the core mechanics of the game without any confusing extra rules.
Clicking everything with your mouse is slow. Using Dawn of War hotkeys will make you a much faster and better player. You don’t need to learn them all at once, but here are a few essential ones to start with:
Using control groups is a habit that helps in almost all RTS game reviews you’ll ever read because it’s so fundamental to the genre.
Every beginner makes mistakes. Here are some of the most common Dawn of War mistakes and how to avoid them.
The Space Marines are widely considered the best and easiest faction for beginners. Their units are strong, straightforward, and don’t have complicated mechanics. They are a “jack-of-all-trades” army that can handle any situation, making them perfect for learning the game’s core concepts like cover, resource management, and unit counters.
You have two population limits: Squad Cap (for infantry) and Support Cap (for vehicles). To increase your Squad Cap, you need to build more of your faction’s population-increasing building, like the Stronghold or Plasma Generators. To increase your Support Cap for vehicles, you need to capture and build on special “Relic” or “Critical Location” points on the map. As gaming experts at PC Gamer have noted for years, managing these caps is a core part of RTS strategy.
Requisition (yellow) is your primary resource for building basic units and structures. You get it from controlling Strategic Points on the map. Power (blue) is your technology resource used for advanced units, vehicles, and upgrades. You get it by building Power Generators at your base. A good player constantly balances the need for both.
Capturing Strategic Points is the most important objective in the game. It is your main source of Requisition, which is the resource you need to build almost everything. The player who controls more points will have a bigger army and will almost always win the game. It is more important than getting kills in the early game.
Morale is a huge factor in Dawn of War combat. When a squad takes heavy fire or is hit by things like flamethrowers, its morale drops. If it hits zero, the squad’s morale is “broken.” A broken squad has a flashing broken shield over its icon, stops firing effectively, and takes more damage. You must pull them back from the fight to let their morale recover.
You now have the core Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War beginner tips you need to jump into your next match with confidence. Remember the basics: capture points, build Listening Posts, use cover, and build a balanced army.
Don’t be afraid to experiment and even lose a few games. Every match is a chance to learn something new. Now, get out there, command your forces, and claim victory on the battlefield. For more guides on the best sci-fi games and strategy, be sure to check out our other articles.
