Dawn of War 4 Commanders: All 10, Faction by Faction

Commanders are the leaders of each army. In the four campaigns they are the named heroes of the story; in Skirmish and multiplayer you pick one before the match and bring it onto the battlefield. Your choice changes how the whole army plays, most of all for the Space Marines, whose two Chapters share many of the same units. Everything below comes from the developer's posts and the official website, checked on October 23, 2026. Nobody outside the closed beta has played them yet, so there are no stats, costs or rankings here.

How Commanders work in multiplayer and Skirmish

1. Before the match you pick your faction, your starting position and your Commander.
2. By default the Commander is not on the field at the start: you build it from your headquarters for a cost, usually mid-match once you have some unlocks.
3. The match settings can make the Commander a starting unit instead, or switch Commanders off for everyone.
4. Every faction has a powerful Stratagem, an ability that can wreck a large group of enemies, whichever Commander you pick. Space Marine Commanders each add a Stratagem of their own on top.

Outside the campaigns, the developer describes Commanders as faction units: you are choosing a kind of leader for your army, not replaying its story. Keep yours alive, too: the Necrons' Deathmarks are long-range snipers made to pick off enemy Commanders and elite infantry. Our Dawn of War 4 gameplay guide explains the rest of a match, from bases to retreat.

Space Marine Commanders: Cyrus, Orion, Ezrael and Astoran

The Space Marines are the only faction with four Commanders, two for each playable Chapter. The developer says the Blood Ravens and the Dark Angels share many of the same units, so the Commander is what makes the biggest difference to how they play.

• Captain Cyrus (Blood Ravens) leads the Vanguard: he wins through stealth and kills his targets from range. In the story he and Jonah Orion bring the Blood Ravens back to Kronus, their old recruiting world, to find new recruits.
• Chief Librarian Jonah Orion (Blood Ravens) is a psyker who throws enemy troops into chaos with psychic attacks.
• Chaplain Ezrael (Dark Angels) rides a Raider-pattern bike at the head of the fast Ravenwing, striking anywhere on the map at speed.
• Company Master Astoran (Dark Angels) fights in Terminator armour with the Deathwing: slow, very hard to kill, and strong against heavy units.

Space Marine Stratagems shown so far include the Thunderhawk Bombing Run, which sets half the screen on fire, and the Orbital Strike, which the developer calls one of the strongest Stratagems in the game. More in our Dawn of War 4 Space Marines guide.

Ork Commanders: Gorgutz and Guzcutta

• Warboss Gorgutz of the Bad Moons returns from the earlier Dawn of War games, still voiced by Brian Drummond. He wears Mega Armour: slow but very powerful, with options for close combat or shooting, and the developer admits he can be challenging to play. His “I'm Out of Here” ability teleports him out of trouble while his Gretchin leave a pile of bombs where he stood. The story opens with his ambush on the Blood Ravens in orbit.
• Guzcutta is a new Beast Snagga Boss who is already hunting the humans on the surface of Kronus. The developer calls him two units in one: on foot he is a very tough fighter, and later in the campaign you unlock a Squigosaur for him to ride, which makes him faster and adds a beast that fights beside him.

Guzcutta also gets new Last Stand and Crusade scenarios in a free Year One update. See the Dawn of War 4 Orks guide for the rest of the Ork army.

Necron Commanders: Thothmek and Ahmnok

• Chronomancer Thothmek leads the Necrons as they wake under Kronus. He bends time to strengthen his own legions and confuse the enemy, and wants the planet's hidden power for his dynasty.
• Ahmnok, the second Necron Commander, does the opposite: he would rather get into close combat than control the battle from afar.

A free Year One update, Lord Ahmnok, adds new Last Stand and Crusade scenarios for him. More in the Dawn of War 4 Necrons guide.

Adeptus Mechanicus Commanders: Delta-9 and Sek-Ix-23

• Potentia Delta-9 is a Technoarcheologist who sends a servo-skull to scout far corners of the map. Her upgrades are flexible: you can grow her into a melee or a ranged fighter.
• Skitarii Marshal Sek-Ix-23 strengthens every unit around him, not only the squad he joins, and fights with bodyguards: he is the only Commander in the game made up of several models. The developer suggests playing him in the thick of the fighting, where his buffs reach the most units.

The Adeptus Mechanicus are playable in the series for the first time; the Dawn of War 4 Adeptus Mechanicus guide covers the faction.

New Commanders after launch

The developer lists new Commanders among the free Year One updates, next to Crusade Mode, map packs and the Mission Editor. The two named so far are scenario updates: Lord Ahmnok and Guzcutta each get new Last Stand and Crusade content. An earlier post, from May 2026, had said five Commanders would have their own Crusade at launch; the newest posts move Crusade to after launch. Our Dawn of War 4 roadmap has the order, and the Dawn of War 4 factions comparison sets the four armies side by side. Commander Edition owners can try them all from November 30, 2026.

Questions

Lion El'Jonson has his own page: Dawn of War 4 Lion El'Jonson. Other questions are in the Dawn of War 4 FAQ.