Three Space Marines in heavy Terminator armour with red eye lenses advance through orange smoke and sparks in Dawn of War IV — Game image: Dawn of War IV © Deep Silver, cleaned up and sharpened with AI

Faction guide

Dawn of War 4 Space Marines: Blood Ravens and Dark Angels

The Space Marines are Dawn of War IV's elite army, and you play them as two Chapters: the returning Blood Ravens and, new to the series, the Dark Angels. Here is what each Chapter brings, every Commander and unit revealed so far, and how to play them and beat them.

Last updated October 23, 2026Game version: Pre-launch (official info, October 2026)

Play the Space Marines if you like a small army you know by name. They field fewer units than any other faction, but each squad is tough, costly and usually wins a fair fight one-on-one, so a match is about upgrading the right squads and keeping them alive. Both Chapters share most units; the four Commanders, two per Chapter, are what set them apart.

The Space Marines at a glance

Plays as	Elite army
Strong at	Elite squads that usually win one-on-one fights
Weak spot	A small army that needs a lot of Power
Commanders	Captain Cyrus, Chief Librarian Jonah Orion, Chaplain Ezrael, Company Master Astoran
Key mechanics	Reserves and Drop Pods, Thunderhawk Relay, Stratagems, Stealth pair

How the Space Marines play

The Space Marines field fewer units than anyone else, but each squad is tough and usually wins a fair one-on-one fight. You spend each match choosing upgrades and wargear for squads you want to keep alive for a long time. Two Chapters are playable: the returning Blood Ravens and, new to the series, the Dark Angels.

Reserves and Drop Pods: Units can wait in orbit as Reserves and drop in by Drop Pod where they are needed, including as reinforcements for a squad under fire.
Thunderhawk Relay: Units sent into this building can be redeployed elsewhere by Thunderhawk, which helps on large maps.
Stratagems: Each Commander brings a Stratagem. Two named so far: the Thunderhawk Bombing Run and the Orbital Strike.
Stealth pair: Infiltrators and Eliminators move unseen while they keep their distance: Infiltrators take points, Eliminators snipe from range.

Blood Ravens or Dark Angels?

The Blood Ravens, led by Captain Cyrus and Chief Librarian Jonah Orion, come to Kronus, their old recruiting world, to find recruits for a Chapter that is running short of men. Orks ambush them in orbit, and on the surface they fight without the support a full Space Marine force would normally have. Their missions lean toward small fights, scouting behind enemy lines and precise strikes, and the developer calls their style flexible.

The Dark Angels answer when the call for help goes out. Chaplain Ezrael and Company Master Astoran still have the heavy arms and armour the Blood Ravens lack, and their missions show it. Their style is shock and awe, with two elite formations of their own: the Deathwing, slow Terminators that hold the front and break heavy units with power fists, and the Ravenwing, bikers built for hit-and-run raids.

Because the Chapters share many units, the choice mostly comes down to which Commanders you want. Both are playable in the campaign, a first for Dawn of War, and the Dark Angels' Primarch has a small part in the story too: see Lion El'Jonson in Dawn of War 4.

Drop Pods, orbital buildings and Stratagems

New units do not have to walk out of a barracks. They can wait in orbit as Reserves and land by Drop Pod where the fight is, which also lets you reinforce a squad that is about to die. Buildings come down from orbit as well: you can drop them anywhere you can see, but the farther from your headquarters, the longer they take to land, and the enemy can see where they are coming. Upgrading a building unlocks more units and research.

Each of the four Commanders brings a Stratagem. The two shown so far are the Thunderhawk Bombing Run, which sets a strip across half the screen on fire, and the Orbital Strike, which the developer counts among the strongest Stratagems in the game. Every Space Marine unit revealed so far, with the other factions' units, is in our Dawn of War 4 units list.

Your own Chapter

Prefer another Chapter, or one you made up? The Painter tool changes colors, decals and wargear. It ships with ready-made schemes for the best-known Chapters, and your scheme shows in every mode except the campaign, where the Blood Ravens and Dark Angels stay as they are.

Space Marines Commanders

Captain Cyrus

Blood Ravens

Vanguard leader built around stealth and killing at range.

Voiced by Steve Blum.

Chief Librarian Jonah Orion

Blood Ravens

Psyker who disrupts enemy troops with psychic powers.

Voiced by Aaron Neil.

Chaplain Ezrael

Dark Angels

Rides a Raider-pattern bike at the head of fast-moving troops.

Voiced by Alex Jordan.

Company Master Astoran

Dark Angels

Slow but very hard to kill, in Terminator armour.

Voiced by Ashley Zhangazha.

In multiplayer and Skirmish you pick one Commander before the match and usually build it mid-match; match settings can also make it a starting unit or switch Commanders off.

Space Marines units revealed so far

Intercessors

The core battle-line squad. Swap their Bolt Rifles for Auto or Stalker Bolt Rifles, or add an auxiliary grenade launcher. Give the Sergeant a Power Sword and Hand Flamer against groups, or a Thunder Hammer and Plasma Pistol against vehicles and other heavy targets.

Infiltrators

Stealth troops that stay hidden while enemies keep their distance. Their job is taking capture points before the other player can react.

Eliminators

Stealth snipers that cover the Infiltrators from range and pick off anything that comes too close.

Redemptor Dreadnought

A huge walker that keeps a badly wounded Space Marine fighting inside it, armed with heavy weapons.

Deathwing (Dark Angels)

Terminators of the Dark Angels: slow, very hard to stop, with power fists for heavy units. They go into battle with Company Master Astoran.

Ravenwing (Dark Angels)

The Dark Angels' bikers, made for fast strikes and quick escapes, led by Chaplain Ezrael.

Costs, health and damage have not been published. We add them after launch, once two different players' matches agree. The buildings and Stratagems are in the full Dawn of War 4 units list.

How to play and beat the Space Marines

Playing the Space Marines

Use your early one-on-one strength to harass the other player.
Upgrade squads, reinforce them in the field and pull them back before they die.
Hold points with fortifications, then move troops with Reserves and the Thunderhawk Relay.

Playing against them

Make them fight in several places at once so their small army is stretched thin.
Trade units: losses usually cost you less to replace than them.
Take their Resource Points, above all Power: their units need a lot of it.

Voice cast

Captain Cyrus: Steve Blum
Chief Librarian Jonah Orion: Aaron Neil
Chaplain Ezrael: Alex Jordan
Company Master Astoran: Ashley Zhangazha
Lion El'Jonson: Alistair Petrie
Various Space Marines, including the Redemptor Dreadnought: Toby Longworth

The other factions

Compare all four side by side on the Dawn of War 4 factions page, or read the Orks, Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus guides. Commander Edition owners can play from November 30; the release countdown shows how many days are left.

Questions

Can you play the Dark Angels in Dawn of War 4?

Yes. The Dark Angels are a playable Space Marine Chapter next to the Blood Ravens, led by Chaplain Ezrael and Company Master Astoran, with the Deathwing and Ravenwing as their elite units. It is the first Dawn of War with two playable Chapters in the campaign.

What is the difference between the Blood Ravens and the Dark Angels?

They share many units and fight in a similar way, so the Commanders make the biggest difference: Cyrus and Jonah Orion for the Blood Ravens, Ezrael and Astoran for the Dark Angels. The Dark Angels also have the Deathwing and Ravenwing, and in the campaign they bring heavier firepower than the stranded Blood Ravens.

Can I play my own Space Marine Chapter in Dawn of War 4?

Yes, outside the campaign. The Painter tool comes with schemes for the most popular Chapters and lets you make and share your own colors, decals and wargear. The campaign keeps the Blood Ravens and Dark Angels.

Who voices Captain Cyrus in Dawn of War 4?

Steve Blum, the voice of Spike Spiegel in Cowboy Bebop. Chief Librarian Jonah Orion is voiced by Aaron Neil, Chaplain Ezrael by Alex Jordan and Company Master Astoran by Ashley Zhangazha.

Sources

Checked against the official posts on October 23, 2026. Until we have checked a page in the game itself, it follows the developer's own description; we update it as details are confirmed in play.

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A huge Ork in yellow and black mechanical armour with a large claw, a small goblin firing a gun from its back, and more Orks shooting behind it in the dark, in Dawn of War IV

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