Dawn of War: Difference between revisions

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The original ''Dawn of War'' takes place on the planet [[Meaningful Name|Tartarus]], which is under attack by a horde of [[Our Orcs Are Different|Orks]] that are tearing through the planet's population and [[Redshirt Army|Imperial Guard]] garrison. The player is in charge of [[The Cavalry|the reinforcements]], [[Super Soldier|Space Marines]] of the [[Blood Ravens]] chapter, but after a few missions slaughtering greenskins it becomes apparent that things on Tartarus are more complicated than they seem: the perfidious [[Our Elves Are Better|Eldar]] as well as [[Evil Counterpart|Chaos Space Marines]] of the Alpha Legion are working behind the scenes, and a [[Negative Space Wedgie|Warp Storm]] is incoming and expected [[Take Your Time|very soon]].

The first expansion pack, ''Winter Assault'', takes place on the [[Single Biome Planet|icy planet]] of Lorn V, and expands the Imperial Guard into a full-fledged fighting force of its own. In this story, two factions on each "side" [[Strange Bedfellows|team up]] temporarily to defeat the other two and secure the power of a massive wrecked [[Humongous Mecha|Imperator class Titan]] that is lost somewhere on the planet.

 

 

 

The sequel, ''Dawn of War II'', is a reboot of sorts. The player is a newly-promoted Force Commander, leading a few squads of Space Marines against an Ork invasion threatening the Blood Ravens' recruitment worlds, and therefore the future of the chapter itself. Once again, the [[Manipulative Bastard|Eldar]] are working behind the scenes to instigate the conflict, hoping to buy time against the incoming [[Horde of Alien Locusts|Tyranid hive fleet]]. While still an [[RTS]] the game eliminates [[Construct Additional Pylons|base-building]] altogether and greatly simplifies [[You Require More Vespene Gas|resource-gathering]], while focusing more on squad-based tactics rather than huge pitched battles, and also incorporating [[RPG]] elements in the form of unit experience, wargear, and skill selection. The game is built on the same engine used in Relic's [[World War II]] RTS, ''[[Company of Heroes]]'', with plenty of graphical enhancements and gameplay tweaks, mirroring ''Dawn of War's'' history with the ''[[Impossible Creatures]]'' engine.

 

An expansion titled ''Chaos Rising'' adds Chaos Space Marines to the multiplayer and as antagonists in the campaign, along with [[Artifact of Doom|powerful wargear that can be used by your Space Marines]], though they may lead to [[The Corruption|corruption]]. A second expansion named ''Retribution'' expands on the single player campaign system by reintroducing campaigns for all the playable factions, even (by the love of the videogame gods) the Tyranids, as well as bringing back the Imperial Guard as a playable faction.

 

Besides these official games, the ''Dawn of War'' series has spawned numerous [[Game Mod|mods]], from simple tweaks to damage and health values, to ambitious projects that add new units and factions (complete with voice acting and unit models), or even attempts to make the game more closely mirror the rules of the [[Tabletop Game]] it is based on.

 

 

By the Emperor's Grace, a character sheet has been established and grows every day. Adepts, do your duty to the Imperium and aid in this Holy charge when and where you see fit!

** [[Construct Additional Pylons]]: Averted from ''Dawn of War II'' onwards (you only ever have the HQ building you start with), but is present in all the previous games.

** [[Everything Fades]]: There is an option to avert this by turning on "persistent corpses", and in the expansions, some factions can use fallen bodies to their advantage. Played straight in ''Dawn of War II'' to save on memory.

*** Though somewhat justified in that most factions airdrop, teleport or otherwise summon more or less complete buildings into the battlefield, which simply need some final adaptations to become functional.

** [[You Get Knocked Down, You Get Back Up Again]]: Units who get knocked on their arse can't be targeted... directly.

** ''Dawn of War II'' gets a bit closer to the tabletop, focusing on tactics and combined arms while doing away with [[Command and Conquer Economy|base construction]] entirely. Buildings may still be present on a map as static objectives to capture, destroy, or defend, or as terrain to occupy for cover and firing positions (Just as in the tabletop game).

* [[Apocalypse Wow]]: {{spoiler|''Exterminatus''.}}

** ''Chaos Rising'' has a few creepy ones.

** The Tyranid ending in ''Retribution'' is done like this. {{spoiler|Ultimately, the Exterminatus fleet is driven away by the Hive Fleet, 94% of the Imperial Guard stationed in subsector Aurelia die before the surviving forces withdraw, and all loyalist Blood Ravens are killed while making a [[Last Stand]].}}

* [[Arbitrary Headcount Limit]]: Separate headcounts for vehicles and infantry, as well as caps on various units in ''Dark Crusade'' and ''Soulstorm''.

* [[Artificial Limbs]]: Lord General Castor of the Imperial Guard has an augmetic right arm, which he uses to hold and operate two-handed guns [[Firing One-Handed|in one hand]] while holding [[Sword and Gun|an officer's power saber in the other]].

* [[Artificial Stupidity]]: the Assassination victory condition causes loss if your [[Hero Unit]] dies, [[Meat Shield|so the computer will always attach it to the first squad it builds]]. However, it never switches them, keeping them attached to their weakest unit for the rest of the game.

* [[As You Know]]... most of our Battle Brothers are stationed in space, prepared to [[It's Raining Men|deep strike.]]

* [[Author Existence Failure]]: [[Exaggerated Trope|Exaggerated]]. When Iron Lore picked up the license for Soulstorm, they were already going out of business. Although the end product was [[Obvious Beta|obviously unfinished]], somebody had decided to [[They Just Didn't Care|release it anyways]] since it was still technically playable.

* [[Auto Doc]]: Eldar Webway Gates can be upgraded to provide a healing aura.

** {{spoiler|Gabriel Angelos and the chapter fleet couldn't have picked a better, more dramatic moment for their arrival, really.}}

** Lampshaded in an early mission in the same game; one of the squads you pick up introduces himself by dropping in via Jump Pack and slashing up a mob of Orks attacking you from a cliff. He then jumps down and properly joins your force.

'''Thaddeus''': ''"[[Sarcasm Mode|Good to see you too, Avitus.]]"'' }}

** While the Hive Tyrant isn't exactly difficult unless you're underleveled, seeing {{spoiler|Davian Thule, newly entombed as a Dreadnought, deep striking into the battlefield and absolutely wrecking the Tyrant's shit singlehandedly is undoubtedly impressive.}}

**** Pretty sure his predecessor was the one who did that, otherwise he wouldn't need to be told by the commissar.

* [[Beneficial Disease]]: In ''Retribution'', the healing of Chaos units is done through the powers of Nurgle, by means of Nurgle's Rot. The infected units get back to the fight as their senses get numbed to the pain and their wounds get sealed by cancerous growths.

* [[Big Bad]]: Generally one or two per game.

** Chaos Lord Bale for ''Dawn of War'' {{spoiler|until his role is usurped by SIIIINDRIIIII!!!}}

** {{spoiler|Kyras}} is once again the Big Bad of ''Retribution''. It is revealed that he has been collaborating with {{spoiler|the daemon released from the Maledictum in ''Dawn of War'', and they both have secretly manipulated the events of the entire series up to that point.}}

* [[Bigger Bad]]: Aside from the Chaos Gods, the [[Physical God|Nightbringer]] is mentioned fairly heavily with the narrations with the Necrons in ''Dark Crusade.'' {{spoiler|Kyras could be considered this during ''Chaos Rising'', we hear about him, but dealing with him is left as a [[Sequel Hook]]. Abaddon could also be considered this, being Eliphas' [[Bad Boss]] that stays in the background.}}

* [[Big Good]]: Gabriel Angelos in ''Dawn of War II'' and its expansions. In ''Retribution's'' Space Marine campaign, {{spoiler|he becomes the new Chapter Master of the Blood Ravens after Kyras is destroyed.}}

* [[Big No]]: Gabriel Angelos invokes this trope during the final mission of ''Dawn Of War''.

* [[Bling of War]]: Some of the higher level armor that the player can equip in ''Dawn Of War II'' and its expansions goes into this territory, such as having inlays of elaborate gold sculptures. The Force Commanders from ''Dawn of War'' and its expansions have this by default.

* [[Bolivian Army Ending]]: Played straight twice, and subverted once.

** When the Eldar stronghold is conquered in ''Dark Crusade'', Farseer Taldeer will have one of these. In a slight subversion, her fate is revealed to the player in all but one case.

** Subverted in {{spoiler|''Dawn Of War II'', when your troops, having succeeded in poisoning the Tyranid Hive Mind, are left in the center of an endless swarm of enemies with their evac ship blown up. They prepare to go out fighting when [[Big Damn Heroes|Gabriel Angelos, the hero from the first game, shows up with the Blood Ravens fleet, delivers some macho dialogue, bombards the hell out of the advancing horrors, then joins you to fight the last boss and take you home]].}}

* [[Bonus Boss]]: The Ork Warboss and Eldar Avatar of Khaine in ''Dawn of War II''. Notable in that they're ''very'' hard, far harder than the [[Final Boss]]! Also notable in that beating them give 30 Gamerpoints each in achievements, as well as two suits of Terminator armor.

* [[Boring Yet Practical]]: For all the awesome units the Space Marines can get throughout the series, you'll nearly always find yourself having a use for your Tactical Marines.

* [[Boss Arena Idiocy]]: In an early level in ''Retribution'', blowing up targeting cogitators causes nearby turrets to fire at the player's enemies. It might not be such a good idea to park your [[Tank Goodness|Baneblade]] in a potential crossfire between them.

* [[Bug War]]: The main plot of ''Dawn of War II''. Still happening on a smaller-scale in ''Chaos Rising'', which also has a classic redux of ''[[Space Hulk]]'', and ''Retribution'', which also lets you play it from the Bugs' point of view in the Tyranid campaign.

* [[Butt Monkey]]: The Imperial Guard, played seriously. Consistently low/bottom tier in the first game, they have in-game models in the second game but were not playable, except for the latest expansion pack, ''Retribution''. Cue [[Fan Dumb]], [[Broken Base]], and copious amounts of raging fans [[Blatant Lies|not expecting]] [[Monty Python|the Imperial Inquisition.]]

* [[Canon]]: The ''Dawn of War'' series' multiple endings have always been vague with its canon, but a few things are known.

** Gabriel Angelos [[Pyrrhic Victory|"won"]] the first game on Tartarus, releasing the Daemon in the Maledictum in the process.

** The Blood Ravens manage to stop the Tyranids in ''Dawn of War II''.

** In ''Chaos Rising'', the Force Commander slayed {{spoiler|Ulkair}}, then vanished. {{spoiler|Avitus despaired at his role in the Kronus campaign and betrayed the Blood Ravens. Tarkus killed him then took a vow of penance.}} Diomedes is not killed.

* [[Casting Gag]]: The fact that the Commissars in the first game are voiced by the same guy who did Bison in the ''[[Street Fighter]]'' cartoon is probably not a coincidence.

* [[The Cavalry]]: Played with in the canon ending of ''Winter Assault'', where Sturnn and the Imperial Guard show up with the full intention of stomping the Eldar, but Taldeer convinces them to help her fight the Necrons instead.

** Whenever a Leman Russ is deployed in ''Dawn of War's'' expansions:

* [[Character Exaggeration]]: The [[Memetic Mutation]] over Indrick Boreale - his accent is very obvious and a bit silly, but the jokes over it make it sound like his voice actor was on helium or something.

* [[Chunky Updraft]]: Tau and [[Space Marine]] orbital bombardments, followed by a [[Pillar of Light]] from the [[Kill Sat]].

** Also in ''Chaos Rising'': {{spoiler|One mission has you leading your squads against another company of Blood Ravens.}} How you choose to handle this can have grave repercussions on your [[Karma Meter|corruption rating]].

** In ''Retribution'', you will be {{spoiler|fighting your fellow Space Marines or Imperial Guardsmen who have (knowingly or not) turned traitor by following Kyras, or Eldar forces fighting against other Eldar.}} Chaos fighting against other Chaos forces and the Freeboota Orks fighting against other Orks won't be marked as a spoiler; Chaos is, after all, Chaos, and it's to be expected that Orks fight each other.

* [[Colon Cancer]]: ''Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Winter Assault''

* [[Combat Pragmatist]]: The Blood Ravens' approach to warfare is very much like those of good RTS players. Unlike the Space Wolves' or Blood Angels' ferocious charges, the Blood Ravens focus on [[Awesomeness By Analysis|analyzing and targeting weak points in enemy lines]], applying pressure where needed to break apart far larger forces with minimal casualties. The best example of this comes from ''Dawn of War II's'' campaign, where a strike force consisting of 11 Marines, 3 Scouts and 1 Dreadnought was able to hold off a sector-wide Tyranid invasion (with Ork infestations and Eldar interventions on top of that) by striking at key targets until the much larger relief force arrives.

* [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard]]: On "Harder" and "Insane" Skirmish difficulties the computer doesn't really get any smarter, it just gets bonuses to its resource acquisition rates. On "Hard" campaign difficulty, the computer gets extra HP on its units, although both are reversed in favor of the player in "Easy" or "Standard" for Skirmish and "Easy" or "Normal" for campaign. This was done because [http://community.dawnofwar2.com/blogs/?p=654 Jonny Ebert, lead designer of ''Dawn of War II'', believes that allowing the computer to cheat is necessary to close the gap between them and the player(s)]...

** Other examples include the Imperial Guard scanner having an uncanny ability to always hit your infiltrators dead on (despite the fact they're, you know... invisible).

** {{spoiler|Thanks to your tireless efforts across two intense defensive campaigns, however, the chapter's recruiting worlds remain secure, which means that it will not die out completely, but will need a long (long, [[Rule of Three|long]]) period of recovery.}}

*** {{spoiler|Plus, the Blood Ravens have been shown recruiting Guardsmen who show enough promise, so there are plenty of battle hardened veterans available.}}

* [[Crippling Overspecialization]]: Normally avoided as described in the article but most units have a clear preference of using either melee weapons or guns and won't survive long when fighting in the wrong element. For a demonstration of this, try winning a firefight with [[Blood Knight|Khorne Berserkers]] or [[Authority Equals Asskicking|Nobz]], or a melee with [[Glass Cannon|Dark Reapers or Fire Warriors]].

** Faction-wise, Tau units can destroy nearly anything from afar, but don't last long in melee. While they do have auxiliaries decent at melee, they're not quite as good as the equivalent melee units of the other factions.

* [[Culture Clash]]: In ''Dawn of War II'', this is brought up by Administrator Derosa when you first arrive on Meridian.

* [[Crucified Hero Shot]]: The pilot of the Sisters of Battle [[Mini-Mecha|Penitent Engine]] is constantly in this position. Given that it's [[Church Militant|the Sisters of Battle]], this is probably not a coincidence.

* [[Cutscene]]: Mostly using the in-game engine, but there are [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|rather magnificent]] CGI cinematics at the beginning of both games and some of the expansions.

** When sync killing, units show abilities not normally seen (like Tau guns being rapid-fire, [[Boom! Headshot!]], etc.).

* [[Cybernetics Eat Your Soul]]: Subverted: When {{spoiler|Davian Thule}} is revived as a Dreadnought, he initially misidentifies teammates, believes he is fighting somewhere else, and is nearly catatonic outside of combat. This is not because of the cybernetics, however, but because he's delirious from a nearly fatal dose of Tyranid venom. Later in the game, he returns to mostly normal (mostly, since for some reason he has to....pause frequently...when he...speaks).

** Played straight with Thomas [[Meaningful Name|Macabee]], a.k.a. the Necron Pariah spokesman from ''Dark Crusade''.

* [[Dancing Mook Credits]]: In ''Dawn of War'', if you replace "dancing" with "getting viciously sync-killed".

* [[Danger Deadpan]] : The Chaos Hell Talon from ''Soulstorm'' always talks like this, sounding like a servitor, rather than screaming loudly like every other Chaos unit. Amusingly, this is because it ''is'' piloted by a servitor according to its fluff from the ''Imperial Armor'' books.

* [[Dark Secret]]: The Blood Ravens have [[Badass Creed|a motto]], "Knowledge is power, guard it well." They fulfill this, first by having a scholarly bent that drives them to seek out and record information, particularly as relates to the [[Mysterious Past|lost knowledge of their chapter's origins]], and second by guarding that information jealously, hence a great deal of secrecy. In particular, some of the uncovered knowledge about their chapter is implied to be things that the Blood Ravens would rather nobody know. Captain Thule, for example, found relics and information about the early days of the chapter on Kronus, which he promptly destroyed and would share with no one except Captain Angelos.

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Taldeer in ''Dark Crusade'' is this trope incarnate:

'''Taldeer''': ''"You should have looked ''beyond'' your mirror then."'' }}

** Avitus takes this role in the team in ''Dawn of War II''. Most of his lines are one-liners of various kinds, most of them snarky as Warp.

''"Those who fear death can emerge from beneath their beds now."'' }}

* [[Death Is Cheap]]: For Eliphas the Inheritor, at least. Canonically killed at least twice, neither of which stuck. He's offed a third time in the Space Marine campaign of ''Retribution'', but that probably won't stick, either.

** Killing a Hive Tyrant or another vital or large Tyranid creature will disrupt a Tyranid swarm and cost the Hive Fleet valuable biomass. [[We Have Reserves|They'll just keep making more large Tyranids to replace them.]] Very true for [[A Million Is a Statistic|the smaller Tyranids]].

* [[Death of a Thousand Cuts]]: While really hard to do, possible from ''Dawn of War II'' onwards. Very upsetting should your [[Made of Iron|Terminators]] get offed by mere Shoota Boyz via [[Scratch Damage]], although it is very easy to retreat from them.

** {{spoiler|Considering the [[Damage Sponge Boss|ridiculous amounts of health]] the final bosses of ''Chaos Rising'' and ''Retribution'' have, this is probably what you do to them.}}

** [[Fluffy the Terrible|Daisy the Battlewagon]] in ''Retribution'' is definitely going to have you performing this trope on it, since it has almost as much health as the [[Final Boss]]. Luckily, it doesn't do as much damage (and [[Crosshair Aware|helpfully indicates where and when it makes its big attacks]]) and isn't periodically invulnerable.

** Bringing up the {{spoiler|Maledictum Daemon}} seems to have [[Jossed]] the [[Discontinuity|C.S. Goto novels]].

* [[The Ditz]]: The Ogryn definitely count if their selection and order quotes, and [[Stop Poking Me|general battlefield chatter]] are anything to go by:

<'''Capturing a point'''> ''"We got the, uh... *[[Beat]]* [[Buffy-Speak|thing!]]"'' }}

** That said, what they lack in minds they overcompensate in [[Dumb Muscle|brute strength and durability]], resulting in some of the toughest troops in multiplayer.

** A trait that Tarkus can learn allows him to avert this with special weapons like Plasma Guns, though it's still not very accurate.

* [[Drop the Hammer]]: The [[Space Marine]] Force Commanders along with Assault Terminator Squads can get access to Thunder Hammers that can stun victims.

** Captain Angelos from ''Dawn of War'' gets a special variant called a Daemonhammer, named [[Named Weapons|God-Splitter]], which is highly effective against Daemons.

* [[Early-Bird Cameo]]: Before the release of ''Chaos Rising'', ''Dawn of War II'' received a new game mode called "The Last Stand". Those who managed the feat of reaching the final wave would find themselves facing {{spoiler|a Chaos Lord and Bloodletters, which would not make an appearance until ''Chaos Rising''.}}

** Don't forget the final mission of ''Winter Assault'', where you must face off against the Necrons before they became a playable race in ''Dark Crusade''.

* [[Enemy Mine]]: In both ''Dawn of War'' and ''Winter Assault'', the Imperial forces temporarily ally with the Eldar. In ''Retribution'', Inquisitor Adrastia is willing to enlist the help of the Eldar and hire Bluddflagg on as a mercenary in order to prevent the Exterminatus.

* [[Even Evil Has Standards]]: Regardless of who the traitor is in ''Chaos Rising'', and regardless of the fact that he freely gives Galen the vox codes for his company, he explicitly tells Galen not to use the vox to set up an ambush, saying that if he winds up being exposed, he'll gladly expose Galen (and presumably all the other traitors they know of).

* [[Expansion Pack]]: Three of them for the original: ''Winter Assault'', ''Dark Crusade'' and ''Soulstorm'', [[Fanon Discontinuity|as much as some would like to forget that last one]].

** The sequel has ''Chaos Rising'', which, as if the name didn't give it away, adds Chaos to the list of playable races, and ''Retribution'', which includes playable Imperial Guard and one campaign, playable as any of the 6 races with different dialog and altered mission details.

** {{spoiler|''Retribution'' confirms Avitus was the traitor.}}

* [[Faceless Mooks]]: Pretty much every faction has them, most notably the Eldar, whose only unhelmeted unit before ''Dawn of War II'' is the Harlequin.

** And yet, played straight in multiplayer, as the [[Cosmetic Award|better looking rank unlock armor is purely decorative]].

* [[Fighting a Shadow]]: {{spoiler|Ulkair}} in ''Chaos Rising''.

** Avitus is The Cynic (scornful of civilians and Guardsmen, concerned only with killing the enemy)

** {{spoiler|Davian Thule}} is The Conflicted (confused at first, coming to terms with his new existence, slower than he used to be)

* [[Foreshadowing]]: A good case in ''Chaos Rising''. {{spoiler|In the opening trailer, the [[Big Bad]] shows its horrifying laughing face around the 'depositing untold horrors of the Warp' part, way before you find out anything about it.}}

** Or when above [[Humongous Mecha]] gets its sword stuck in said [[Walking Tank]] when it kills the pilot inside for good, forcibly removes his sword, sees that the [[Walking Tank]] is still standing, then gently tips it over.

** The Force Commander's sync kill against the Bloodthirster in ''Dawn of War'' and its expansions deserves special mention. He performs a [[Colossus Climb]] on the thirty-foot daemon, stands on its shoulders, pounds it into the ground with repeated whacks from his hammer, then vaults over its disintegrating corpse (which is [[Incendiary Exponent|on fire]]). In other words, a most excellent [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]].

*** In ''Dawn of War'' and its expanisions, the humanoid Relic Units also had their fair share of epic sync kills. If a Bloodthirster sync kills an Avatar, the Bloodthirster gets smacked around by the Avatar, but bats the Avatar's head off with its axe in the end. If the Avatar is the sync killer, it gets knocked down, but before the Bloodthirster can capitalize on this, the Avatar impales it with his giant sword. If the Nightbringer sync kills the Avatar (never the other way around due to the Nightbringer's invulnerability) after (now this troper is just going off of memory) a brief fight the Nightbringer scythes the Avatar's head off. While technically not a Relic Unit, if the Daemon Prince defeats the Greater Knarloc (pretty hard to do considering the differences in DPS and HP) it will leap up into the air with its sword pointed downward and impale the Knarloc's head and pin it to the ground before pulling its sword out and walking away.

** In ''Dawn of War II'', if a Chaos Aspiring Champion of Khorne (or the Force Commander) sync kills a Carnifex (really hard to do) he will perform a [[Colossus Climb]] and stand on the Carnifex's tusks, holding on to his melee weapon impaled in the side of the Carnifex's head, and blast it repeatedly in the face with his pistol before finishing it off with a blast to the mouth. This sync kill is featured in ''Retribution'' in the mission where you have to {{spoiler|escape Typhon as Exterminatus is being performed on it}}. When you get to a certain point the Deranged Chaos Champion (since this is his full title [[Up to Eleven|he must be crazy even by Chaos' standards...eep]]), will start roaring to the sky, enraged by the fact that people would be trying to {{spoiler|escape from Kyras's gift of death}} before doing this in the Typhon Arena.

* [[Fog of War]]

* [[Friendly Enemy]]: {{spoiler|If Tarkus is the traitor, he constantly refers to your strike force as "brothers" and offers tactical advice while you're making your way to him, and quotes from the Codex Astartes during the actual boss fight. He's basically acting completely normally, which utterly infuriates your sergeants.}}

** You can still pour small arms into a chaotic melee without any harmful consequences to your troops, on the other hand (though all units engaged in melee combat take 50% less ranged damage). This is one of the most obvious breaks from the tabletop game.

** Horribly averted if you don't back Cyrus far away enough from his Remote Detonator, which can kill him and his squad in one hit, even at full health, if the blast so much as wings him! It can also do the same to your other squads.

* [[Gameplay and Story Integration]]: A minor example. The Ancient from ''Retribution's'' Space Marine campaign has taken a vow of silence. He never speaks, not even to confirm the player's orders {{spoiler|until [[The Reveal]] of his identity on the Judgement of Carrion. Tarkus talks differently from his ''Dawn of War II'' and ''Chaos Rising'' self, but that is to be expected since he hasn't used his voice in a decade.}}

* [[Gameplay and Story Segregation]]: A Daemon Prince should, fluff wise, be basically immortal towards everything. It would not be balanced if building a Daemon Prince resulted in the Chaos player being undefeatable.

** Initially played straight with the [[Grim Reaper|Night]][[Physical God|bringer]], the god of Death, worshipped by a race that specializes in [[Omnicidal Maniac|killing everything]]. The Necron Lord can let the Nightbringer possess him for a short period of time, during which, he is invincible and floats around [[Sinister Scythe|chopping up enemies good]]. It seems a shame that he's not actually all that good at killing things - he doesn't have the raw killing power that some other units have. However, upon inspection of his in-game stats, he does vastly more damage to heavily armored vehicles and monsters... which includes every top tier unique unit in the game. While he won't be laying waste to entire armies, his damage output is such that during his brief stint on the battlefield he is capable of killing any single unit in the game that doesn't run away from him.

** In fluff, Necron Gauss Weapons (which are [[Disintegrator Ray|not]] Gauss weapons at all) are capable of eating through any kind of armor, and can inflict damaging blows on even the sturdiest target. In the game, they're about as effective as regular guns against armor.

** The Imperial Guard have an ability that air-lifts in a bunker in ''Retribution''.

* [[Gatling Good]]: Assault Cannons, Burst Cannons, etc.

* [[Genre Savvy]]: The Blood Ravens in ''Dawn of War II'' decide that to beat back a planet-wide invasion, they only need one [[Player Character]], a few squads, and no additional companies. Partially justified by the chapter being dangerously undermanned at the time, but seriously, it's spelled out in the first campaign loading screen - they expect you to turn the tide.

* [[Geo Effects]]: The cover system.

* [[Giant Space Flea From Nowhere]]: The Necrons will come off as this in the ''Winter Assault'' Disorder campaign. While they're mentioned earlier in the Order campaign, in Disorder they essentially show up out of nowhere.

** Eldar of ''Dawn of War II'' are, comparatively, the [[Glass Cannon]] faction (they even have near-literal glass cannons). In the ''Chaos Rising'' expansion this role is easily fulfilled by {{spoiler|the traitor House Vandis militia (using Imperial Guard equipment) you encounter in the beginning}} and the droves of Chaos cultists. Both of them can bear weapons with high damage output, but tend to die from a poke. They try to compensate by walking around in big numbers, but it doesn't help them much, it simply gets them [[Gorn|cut down by the dozen]].

* [[A Good Way to Die]]: The Imperial Priest that can be attached to Imperial Guard squads in the expansions for the original holds to this trope, if his battlefield lines are anything to go by:

* [[Goomba Stomp]]: Most melee units that are capable of flying or leaping. The Assault Marines in the ''Dawn of War II'' intro do it with such force that they [[Camera Abuse|shake the camera]].

** The Assault Jump in ''Dawn of War II'' actually causes damage and also breaks various things usable as cover, making it much more effective.

* [[Gory Discretion Shot]]: The last image a non-Eldar player sees of Farseer Taldeer is her charging down a slope, surrounded by enemies. Then the camera tilts up into the sky...

** Subverted by the first few seconds of the intro movie for ''Dawn of War II''. And throughout the intro movie, for that matter, with one of the tamest deaths being a Warp Spider [[Boom! Headshot!|taking a Bolt Pistol round to the face]].

** Units in ''Dawn of War II'' can occasionally throw lines related to whatever they're doing. If in battle, this has the potential to turn into a literal example of ham-to-ham combat.

* [[Have You Seen My God?]]: The [[One-Winged Angel|Ascendant Daemon-Prince]] {{spoiler|Azariah Kyras}} claims that the Emperor's "soul was picked clean centuries ago." Captain Angelos points out that [[Unreliable Narrator|daemons are liars]], and that [[Shut UP, Hannibal|slaying them is the only way to avoid their influences.]]

* [[Hearing Voices]]: Chaos, naturally. Chaos Space Marines in ''Dawn of War'' and its expansions will occasionally ask you when you select them:

** ''[[Crowning Moment of Funny|"There's a buzzing in my com. Switching channels."]]''<ref>Delivered by Shas'O Kais, the commander of the Tau in ''Dark Crusade'', the [[Flat Earth Atheist]] race with a strong resistance to the Warp, [[Don't Explain the Joke|including telepathic communication]].</ref>

* [[Heroic BSOD]]: In such a [[Crapsack World]], this is only to be expected. Angelos has one when {{spoiler|Isador}} falls to Chaos, Taldeer has another when the (much larger) Necron second wave appears in ''Winter Assault'', and most of the commanders in ''Dark Crusade'' or ''Soulstorm'' have one as you batter inexorably through their stronghold.

** At the end of ''Dawn of War II'', {{spoiler|your Space Marines seem a little affected by the Armageddon being critically damaged and sacrificing itself, leaving them on the ground in the middle of an endless Tyranid swarm}}. {{spoiler|That is, until [[Big Damn Heroes|the chapter fleet]] comes out of the Warp just in time to save the day.}}

* [[Hero Unit]]: Especially in ''Dawn of War II,'' where the commander unit you pick determines what renown powers you get to use in a multiplayer game.

* [[Hey, It's That Voice!]]:

** Tarkus is obviously the British Lieutenant from ''[[Company of Heroes]]'' (which strangely makes sense).

** The Imperial Guardsmen and Storm Troopers from ''Retribution'' are the British Infantry Section from ''[[Company of Heroes]]: Opposing Fronts''.

** ''Dawn of War 2'''s Wraithlord is [[Mass Effect 2|Harbinger]]! Also noticeable, to an extent, with the Wraithguard. Extra special bonus points because some of the Wraithlord's lines are ''completely interchangeable'' with some of Harbinger's, with neither of them necessarily needing to break character to deliver them. A bonus in that Apollo Diomedes is ''also'' Harbinger!

* [[Hold the Line]]: The final mission of ''Dawn of War II'' has your small platoon of Space Marines and Imperial Guardsmen holding off thousands of Tyranids while poisoning the [[Hive Mind]] {{spoiler|[[Big Damn Heroes|until Gabriel Angelos and the chapter fleet arrive.]]}}

** The Librarian in ''Dawn of War'' and the Apothecary in ''Dawn of War II'' both have a power that can temporarily render their troops invulnerable, as do Ork Mad Doks. ('''''"[[Large Ham|I'LL BRING DA FIGHTIN' JUICE!]]"''''') and the Priests of the Imperial Guard (''"Rise up and strike them down!"''). Necrons of course go without saying.

* [[Insane Troll Logic|Insane Ork Lojik]]: The Nob piloting "[[Damage Sponge Boss|Daisy]]", exclamation point. When told that the needle is in the red, he shakes it off by saying that "Red goez fasta!" and when told that Daisy hit something it wasn't supposed to hit, he says there's nothing Daisy isn't supposed to hit.

** "Control Area" and "Take and Hold" victory conditions. The default mode of play for multiplayer in ''Dawn of War II'' is "Victory Point Control". Players can attempt to destroy the enemy's HQ(s) instead, but that is very unlikely if they aren't winning already as said HQs are ''very'' durable.

* [[It Amused Me]]: The reason why Eliphas is still alive {{spoiler|after [[Earthshattering Kaboom|the Exterminatus of Typhon Primaris]].}}

* [[It's Raining Men]]: Deep Striking. Also, to an extent, Assault Jumping.

* [[Karma Houdini]]: Gorgutz, who has managed to escape in each game upon defeat rather than face death, perhaps due to [[Popularity Power]].

* [[Karma Meter]]: A 'Corruption' meter in ''Chaos Rising'', which affects what abilities and wargear are available to your squads. The campaign also has multiple endings, based on your choices in-game.

** A number of factions have access to flamethrowers, though it is featured more prominently with [[Church Militant|the Sisters of Battle]], in much the same way that sunlight is featured more prominently on the surface of the sun.

** The most spectacular skill of the Librarian in ''Chaos Rising'' is throwing fireballs as big as himself that incinerate and scatter infantry about as effectively as the Dreadnought's Assault Barrage.

* [[Large Ham]]: Nearly every main character (except [[Magnificent Bastard|Eliphas]] and [[Deadpan Snarker|Taldeer]]), but especially the narrator. ''Dawn of War II'' makes everyone a bit more sedate and sinister (witness the new badass-sounding Eldar), but which angle is better comes down to personal preference.

** ''Chaos Rising'' compensated for that with the new villains ([[Magnificent Bastard|Eliphas]] [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness|remaining]] [[Deadpan Snarker|his old self]]) packing a ton of ham. The leader of the Chaos warband, {{spoiler|Araghast}}, seems incapable of saying anything without hamming it up to ridiculous levels. {{spoiler|The true [[Big Bad]], in turn, takes this to [[Incredibly Lame Pun|unholy]] lengths - every line packs twice the ham compared to Araghast's.}}

''"It all goes down in '''FLAAAAMES!'''"'' }}

** ''Retribution'' has [[Incredibly Lame Pun|the beefiest ham of all.]] {{spoiler|1=Chapter Master Kyras gives a ''spine-chilling'' speech praising Khorne and urging his followers to [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v{{=}}fmj0Vanuw4I let the galaxy burn.]}}

** Also, the sponson mounted twin-linked heavy bolters on the [[Tank Goodness|Baneblade]].

** [[Running Gag|Lasguns- oh wait,]] [[Cherry Tapping|they're actually firing.]]

** Tyranid music tends to have [[Drone of Dread]] and [[Psycho Strings]].

** Chaos music tends to have [[Ominous Pipe Organ]] with an occasional [[Dark Reprise]] of the loyalists marines' [[Ominous Latin Chanting|Ominous High Gothic Chanting]].

* [[Lemony Narrator]]: The Narrator for ''Dark Crusade'' and ''Soulstorm'' was a bit of a [[Large Ham]], and had '''INDEED''' an unusual way of intoning his monologue.

** ''Dawn of War II'' at least gives you some pretty pictures and helpful advice to look at while you wait for your opponents to finish loading.

* [[Love Makes You Evil]]: In a non-romantic example, the traitor in ''Chaos Rising'' {{spoiler|if it's Thaddeus}} explains that {{spoiler|Ulkair}} began whispering to him a long time ago, and he was perfectly happy to completely ignore it...until the final mission of the campaign when it looked like a [[Bolivian Army Ending]] was inevitable and it told him, "Pledge yourself to me for later, I'll open the Warp right now so the Litany of Fury can get through the Tyranid interference." Given that this isn't a part of {{spoiler|anyone else's reason for turning should they be the traitor,}} it's likely this is a flagrant lie and the fleet made it through on its own, but {{spoiler|Sergeant Thaddeus}} believes it, and believes his bargain saved his friends.

** In ''Dawn of War II'', a number of ranged weapons (notably [[Gatling Good|Assault Cannons]] and [[Razor Floss|Web Spinners]]) turn anything they kill into giblets.

** A bit silly for the Tyranid Carnifex, who will tumble onto its stomach, curl up into a ball, explode outwards, and leave a wreck. (The game engine treats Carnifexes as vehicles.)

** When the Great Unclean One dies, his ribcage explodes outwards.

** As a ''relatively'' mild example, the simple Space Marine bolter in 'Dawn of War II'' tends to cause huge splashes of blood or blow off limbs when they kill enemies, unlike the original game where they act more like generic firearms. This is actually more faithful to the lore.

* [[Luke Nounverber|Lukk]] [[Funetik Aksent|Nounverba]]: Mostly Ork bosse[[Xtreme Kool Letterz|z]].

* [[Macross Missile Massacre]]: Provided by Tau Skyray Missile Gunships and their Missile Barrages, Sisters of Battle Exorcists and Space Marine Whirlwinds.

** In ''Dawn of War II'', Tankbusta Boyz and Cyclone Missile Launchers.

* '''[[Awesome Personnel Carrier|Metal Boxes]]''': The Orks have the Trukk, the Marines, Sisters of Battle, and Chaos Marines have the Rhino (''Dawn of War II'' and its expansions have the Space Marines using the Razorback variant, and the Chaos Marines stuck to foot-slogging), and the Imperial Guard have the Chimera. Space Marines also have the Land Raider (Redeemer variant in ''Dawn of War II''). Tau Devilfish, while invisible, are decidedly non-boxy, as are the jump-capable Eldar and Dark Eldar transports.

* [[Moral Myopia]]: The entire reason the story of ''Dawn of War II'' HAPPENS. {{spoiler|Fucking Eldar.}}

* [[More Dakka]]: An actual researchable upgrade for the Orks in ''Dawn of War'', while also applied to some weapons. The sequel instead has '[[More Dakka]]' as a multiplayer ability you can use if you chose the right Ork commander which makes weapons have no fire cooldown (but still have to reload, sadly), and an ability called 'Luv da Dakka' for Kommandos, whose tooltip is: "Hold down da trigga fer maximum carnage! Knocks over enemies hit by your shots.". It still does more damage.

* [[Musical Assassin]]: In ''Retribution'' Slaanesh's followers finally make an appearance in the form of Noise Marines, Chaos Marines who fight anyone and everyone with [[The Power of Rock]].

* [[Multiple Endings]]: One for each campaign/sub-campaign. That means four in ''Winter Assault'', seven in ''Dark Crusade'', nine in ''Soulstorm'', six in ''Retribution''.

** ''Chaos Rising'' has several, depending on how far you slid down the slippery slope, if you did at all. It also depends on some of the actions you take during the campaign, such as {{spoiler|killing Diomedes or Eliphas}}.

** For players who preordered ''Retribution'' with the Imperial Guard bonuses, General Castor gets a ''very'' spiffy hat that he can equip. When you see the bonuses it gives him, you'll never want him to take it off.

* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]: {{spoiler|The ending of the original ''Dawn of War''.}}

** {{spoiler|Before the final battle of ''Retribution'', Kyras proudly declares that the senseless violence committed by the followers of Khorne is the only way to truly be free, as life and the universe is ultimately meaningless.}}

* [[Nintendo Hard]]: So you tried 'Hard' mode in ''Dark Crusade's'' and ''Soulstorm's'' campaign mode? Good. Now try ''Dawn of War II's'' Primarch mode; the first few missions intended to get the player adjusted to the campaign's gameplay have the potential to KILL you outright if you're not careful. And [[It Got Worse|it only gets worse...]]

** The campaign for ''Chaos Rising'' officially ended with the second best ending, in which Martellus isn't the traitor, since he is a playable squadmate alongside Cyrus. While the [[Golden Ending]] was not the official one, it still counts for this.

** Maybe it has a vestigial (and very noisy) hammer which the Commissar cocks in order to get the entire squad's attention as an announcement that he's about to execute a Guardsman as an example because, y'know, the whole squad is sucking goa- '''[[Killed Mid-Sentence|*BLAM*]]'''

* [[No One Could Survive That]]: In ''Chaos Rising'', {{spoiler|Eliphas the Inheritor isn't quite as dead as his fate in ''Dark Crusade'' seemed.}}

** One ending cutscene in ''Chaos Rising'' might count as well. {{spoiler|If you killed Eliphas in the final campaign mission, he apparently can regenerate his body somehow.}}

** The Blood Ravens also get rather exasperated by Eliphas' ability to come back from the dead twice so far. Davian Thule lampshades this as he and Eliphas fight in {{spoiler|''Retribution's'' first Chaos mission.}}

* [[Non-Entity General]]: Some commander units, such as the Warboss and Farseer, will address the player when you select them.

** Mega Armored Nobz will occasionally lampshade this when clicked on:

** Averted big-time, however, by ''Dawn of War II's'' singleplayer. There, the Force Commander is explicitly stated to be the player's character.

** ''Dawn of War II's'' multiplayer still play this trope straight however. If you are playing as the Eldar, your units still refer to you as "Farseer" (even if the commander you chose, ''that is on the field'', is a Farseer); the Force Commander in the multiplayer acts if you are commanding him; while Orky players are still [[Funetik Aksent|da Boss of all da boyz.]]

* [[Obviously Evil]]: {{spoiler|Chapter Master Kyras.}} His portrait even has a demonic red aura around it along with the impression that something just isn't ''right'' with him. [[Honor Before Reason|Captain Diomedes]] is oblivious to this for a good chunk of the campaign. To be fair, though, this ''is'' the [[Crapsack World|41st millennium.]]

* [[Oh Crap]]: One of the Orks in the intro movie of ''Dawn of War'', right before he gets shot in the face. Also Necron Pariah Thomas Macabee in ''Dark Crusade'', when he spots the bomb that your troops have planted at the heart of the Necron tomb complex.

** ''Dawn of War II'': This describes Cyrus' reaction when he realizes that communications are being impaired.

** Everyone shares this moment on Typhon {{spoiler|when it's subjected to [[Apocalypse How|Exterminatus.]]}}

** Eliphas has one when Abaddon decides to have a word with him the first time.

* [[One-Liner]]: Seems to be most of Avitus' dialogue from ''Dawn of War II''.

* [[Omnicidal Maniac]]: Taken [[Up to Eleven]] with {{spoiler|Chapter Master Azariah Kyras}} in ''Retribution''.

** Honorable mention goes to {{spoiler|Eliphas}} in the same game, who {{spoiler|lets Kyras's plan go through, just with him in Kyras's place in the end of the Chaos campaign.}}

* [[One-Man Army]]: Averted by ''Dawn of War II'' and ''Chaos Rising'': rather than a single [[Super Soldier|Space Marine]] facing hundreds of attackers, you're in control of nearly a ''dozen'' Space Marines facing '''thousands''' of attackers. This is still enough for the job at hand, [[Gameplay and Story Integration|as long as you use the same combined arms and defeat-in-detail tactics]] [[Fridge Brilliance|as the "real" Space Marines]].

* [[Papa Wolf]]: Cyrus. Gods help you if you mess with his initiates.

* [[Planetville]]: Averted throughout the first three titles of the series. ''Dawn of War'' and ''Winter Assault'' both take place on one single planet and in ''Dark Crusade'' the [[Narrator]] will describe just how the defending faction was defeated and killed/driven off the planet once you conquer their stronghold. ''Soulstorm'' plays it partially straight with the factions traveling through the webway between four planets and three moons, although the planets admittedly have multiple large, separately-captured zones each.

* [[Power At a Price]]: In ''Chaos Rising'', there are some very powerful items. [[Artifact of Doom|The catch is that they are tainted by Chaos and corrupt their users]].

* [[Pragmatic Villainy]]: Of course, [[Black and Grey Morality|WH40K being the place that it is]], this applies to [[A Lighter Shade of Grey|the protagonists as well]]. Lord General Castor in particular gets a moment of this:

* [[Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner]]: '''''"<big>ACCEPT OUR DOMINION.</big>"''''' [[More Dakka|RRRAAATATA]][[Ludicrous Gibs|TATA]][[Blown Across the Room|TATA]][[There Is No Kill Like Overkill|TATA]][[Stuff Blowing Up|TATA]][[Game Breaker|TATA]][[One-Hit Kill|TATA]][[Bullet Hell|TAT]][[Fist of the North Star|ATATATA]]~

** Jonah Orion also delivers one when he makes his entrance, ''"No more Blood Ravens fall this day, '''[[Shock and Awe|NO MORE!]]'''"''

** Araghast responds back to one of these with a one-liner of his own.

'''Araghast''': ''"Fearsome words, Blood Ravens! '''[[Large Ham|Now show me deeds!]]'''"'' }}

* [[Psycho for Hire]]: Chaos Space Marines. They won't even deny it.

''"I feel the Warp overtaking me...it is a good pain!"'' }}

* [[Ranged Emergency Weapon]]: Many melee specialists have a ranged weapon or an upgrade that gives them one.

* [[Rated "M" for Manly]]: In the grim darkness of space, there are only BIG MEN.

* [[Ret Canon]]: ''Dawn of War'' introduced and popularised the use of two-handed Thunder Hammers by Space Marine Commanders in power armor - at the time, not even doable in the tabletop.

** It may be a more recent version, but for players the planets themselves don't rotate: Only their clouds do.

** Also done in ''Dawn of War II'' and ''Chaos Rising'' (though the latter is rather more linear), where the player is tasked with traveling to different hotspots scattered across three different planets, as well as a Space Hulk in ''Chaos Rising''. Some of these have time limits attached, so it's the player's call as to what takes priority.

* [[The Reveal]]: The Ancient, the mute veteran sergeant you have as one of your hero Space Marines in ''Retribution''? {{spoiler|It's Tarkus.}}

** Ronahn, the sarcastic [[Cold Sniper|Ranger]] [[Ascended Extra|who was once part of Idranel's force and is now a playable hero]] in ''Retribution's'' Eldar campaign? {{spoiler|He's Farseer Taldeer's brother.}}

** Not only that, your units will gain experience and level up in ''Dawn of War II's'' multiplayer.

** ''Chaos Rising'' adds a [[Karma Meter]]. In an RTS, of all things. The scary thing is that it's actually well implemented.

** In the ''Retribution'' expansion for the second game, 'Inspiring Speech' is actually an equippable item for Imperial Guard campaign heroes. It restores energy to all nearby units.

* [[Royal Decree]]: The Exterminatus in ''Retribution'' is initiated with one of these.

* [[Rule of Fun]]: "The Last Stand" mode in ''Dawn of War II'' and its expansions, which has you and two other players survive against waves of enemies of... many different species, while the players themselves don't even need to be from the same faction. Relic doesn't even try to justify it, it's just for fun.

* [[Say My Name]]: '''''"SIIINDRIIII!"'''''

* [[Separate but Identical]]: Players are distinguished from each other with "army schemes". The default ones reflect existing sub-groups of the different factions, but the in-fluff differences between these groups are not reflected, not that this has stopped fans trying to make mods that reflect the proper way things are.

* [[Five-Man Band|Seven Man Band]]: In ''Dawn of War II'':

** [[The Sixth Ranger]]: Librarian Jonah Orion (introduced in ''Chaos Rising'')

* [[Shoot the Messenger]]: During the ''Dawn of War'' campaign, a Chaos cultist brings warning to Lord Bale and Sindri that the Space Marines approach. Bale goes out to meet them, telling Sindri:

* [[Shout-Out]]: To Prince, of all things, in the original game. Mouse over Sindri in the final mission and look at the bulletpoints in the description box.

** In ''Chaos Rising'', if the Ork Weirdboy gets a kill with the [[Goomba Stomp|Foot of Gork]] ability he'll usually say [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKZlcgOzi_E this].

** Bloodletters also say the above after killing a unit or a squad.

** Some of the loot you get in the Ork campaign in ''Retribution'' has names and descriptions similar to certain memes, and they're all written in Orky English, which at times bears more than a passing resemblance to [[LOLcats|kitty pidgin]].

'''Double Shootah Description''': ''Double Shootah All Dah Wayz! Worr, that's so intense...'' }}

** ''[[Monty Python|"My chief weapons are fear and surprise."]]''

*** This may be a bit of a stretch, but Lord General Castor also, at some points, says that perhaps the enemy will appreciate their ''"Devotion to the Emperor, and ruthless efficiency."'' Notably, he says this right after saying that they have lost the element of surprise and that the enemy doesn't fear them.

** ''[[Predator|"Get to da Valkyrie!"]]''

** When an Ork vehicle kills a human, they sometimes say ''"[[Death Race 2000|Humie killed, dat's five points!]]"''

** One of the items Space Marines can unlock in ''Retribution'' is a [[Power Fist]] called [[Fist of the North Star|Polaris Fist]]. Unfortunately, it's just a shout out in name only without any special abilities.

* [[Sissy Villain]]: The sorcerer, not so much in the way he is dressed but his voice. (in some versions)

* [[Space Jews|Space Irish]]: Kaptin Bluddflagg's accent has distinct Irish elements to it.

* [[Space Pirate]]: Kaptin Bluddflagg, complete with pirate hat and pirate accent.

* [[Storming the Castle]]: Stronghold missions in ''Dark Crusade'' and ''Soulstorm''. Also the final missions of ''Dawn of War II'' and its expansions.

* [[Suddenly Shouting]]: When Chaos Lord Carron sees some Space Marine-

* [[Suicidal Overconfidence]]: ''"Squads Broken!"'' will ''"Keep Firing, Keep Firing!"'' nevertheless and won't ''"Fall Back And Regroup!"'' without player intervention. However, in ''Dawn Of War II'', a suppression mechanic was added, meaning that while the unit may be staying in the same spot, when under heavy firepower, they'll be pretty much ducking their heads and looking like they wish they'd be allowed to run. They will also move slower and attack less often. Some campaign heroes in ''Retribution'' add even more debuffs.

** Taldeer uses this mindset again as a justification for Ulthwe Eldar taking to the field of battle in ''Dark Crusade'', realizing that the forces on the planet already aren't going to be able to defeat the Necrons, in her [[Magnificent Bastard|not-so-humble opinion]].

* [[Tactical Withdrawal]]: Units whose morale have been broken in the first game are only good for this. ''Dawn Of War II'' gives most infantry a button to retreat back to their base with, a system from ''[[Company of Heroes]]''. However, now you have to make sure melee units don't get too close to your retreating units, since retreating causes them to take extra melee damage.

** Said word for word by the Space Marine Force Commander in ''Dawn of War'' if his morale is broken:

* [[Take Cover]]: Certain types of [[Geo Effects|terrain]] provided defensive 'cover bonuses' in the first game and it's a major feature of the series. Directly drawn from the tabletop game.

* [[Take That]]: Apparently the team that did ''Dawn of War II'' shared many players' opinions about ''Soulstorm''. Not only is Brother-Captain Indrick "[[Memetic Mutation|SPESS MEHREENS]]" Boreale confirmed as being killed in action, but Scout Sergeant Cyrus calls the entire Kaurava campaign a "mistake" that dangerously depleted the chapter's manpower.

** There's a slightly more subtle strike on one of the loading screen tips: Cyrus' highly successful tactics - based on ambush, planning and precision attacks - were fiercely resisted by Indrick Boreale, but Captain Thule ignored Boreale's complaints.

*** And yet... Boreale is namechecked in a specific piece of wargear in ''Dawn of War II''; a [[Sniper Rifle]] called Cold Mercy used by the man himself during his Scout Marine days, with the flavour text mentioning how Boreale remained unmoving for days in sub-zero temperatures for the opportunity to (successfully) take out his intended target. Perhaps it soured his view on such tactics, or he could have been a better commander had he learned more from Cyrus and that experience.

* [[Tragic Villain]]: Who the traitor is in ''Chaos Rising'' varies, but he always comes off as being rather sympathetic.

** {{spoiler|Tarkus feels he is being [[Necessarily Evil]] in order to save the Blood Ravens from extinction. An [[Evil Weapon]] isn't helping. But it can still be a [[Tear Jerker]] when he's questioned by Thaddeus.}}

{{spoiler|'''Tarkus''': ''"The power to save you."''}} }}

** {{spoiler|Thaddeus made a deal with [[Big Bad|Ulkair]] in order to help defeat the Tyranids by helping the [[Big Damn Heroes|chapter fleet]] arrive... or so he thinks. Jonah is convinced the daemon was only lying to him.}}

** {{spoiler|Jonah is [[Demonic Possession|possessed by a daemon]], and isn't in control of his actions. He's still [[Fighting From the Inside]].}}

** {{spoiler|Cyrus grew disgusted with the [[General Failure|incompetence]] of the Blood Ravens' command staff, and wants to reform it by any means necessary.}}

* [[Treacherous Advisor]]: '''''"SIIINDRIIII!"'''''

** {{spoiler|Eliphas in ''Chaos Rising''.}}

* [[Unreliable Narrator]]: The narrator in ''Dark Crusade'' is an Imperial scholar. For some reason, fans of the series disregard this (and the fact that this particular planet has a history of rebellion) and take his alarmist speculations about the human population drop on Kronus in the Tau victory movie as absolute proof that the Tau sterilize the non-Tau populations of their worlds.

* [[Unstable Equilibrium]]: You get resources for taking points. So whoever can take more points, for example by pushing his opponent off a point and capturing it for himself, has an advantage.

* [[We Can Rule Together]]: In ''Chaos Rising'', {{spoiler|if Cyrus becomes [[Face Heel Turn|the traitor]] he will make this offer to your team when you confront him, though it will be quickly rejected.}}

* [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]: {{spoiler|Tarkus, if he becomes the traitor in ''Chaos Rising''.}}

** Thule does show up {{spoiler|in the Chaos campaign, where he is the first boss and is killed.}}

* [[What the Hell Is That Accent?]]: The Chaos Cultists of the first game had such an accent, which coupled with a hilariously squeaky voice has become one of the Memetically Narmy things of the game.

* [[Who's Laughing Now?]]: Imperial Guard infantry start off weak, but then they start to roll out the [[Garrisonable Structures|bunkers]], plasma guns, morale upgrades, and [[Tank Goodness|lots and lots of tanks]]. One of the responses of the Baneblade, their most powerful unit, is literally ''"Who's dying now?!"''

** Do note though that "very young" is relative. Thaddeus left Meridian to join the Blood Ravens over ''eight decades'' ago.

* [[Wolverine Claws]]: Imperial Guard Generals in ''Winter Assault'' to ''Soulstorm'', and Space Marine Assault Terminators.

** There's non-cutscene case of this in the final Imperial Guard level in ''Winter Assault''. When the Necrons show up, they will outright slaughter the Chaos and Ork bases, giving a pretty good idea of what will happen if you try and fight without the Titan's guns.

* [[World of Badass]]: It's ''Warhammer 40K'', do you really need further elaboration on this?

* [[World of Ham]]: Nearly every unit that talks is as hamtastic as possible. ''Dawn of War II'' toned it down a bit, which some fans were disappointed by. Fortunately for them, the villains in ''Chaos Rising'' bring the ham. It's like a Saturday morning cartoon with blood and gore!

* [[You Call That a Wound?]]: The [[Trope Namer]].

* [[You Require More Vespene Gas]]

 

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[[Category:Science Fiction Video Games]]

[[Category:Video Game]]