Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II: Retribution Reviews

Played every single campaign. It's just too good and timeless!

This is nothing more then a single player MOBA meh not really my thing but I will finish the campaign.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution – Campaign DLC is the final major entry in the Dawn of War II trilogy, developed by Relic Entertainment and released as both a standalone expansion and a culmination of the series' evolution. Where the original Dawn of War II emphasized tactical squad-based combat and RPG-style progression with a narrow focus on the Space Marines, Retribution broadens the scope considerably, allowing players to experience the campaign from the perspective of six unique factions. This shift transforms the campaign from a character-driven story into a more factional, multi-perspective conflict that captures the brutal and diverse nature of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. While some narrative nuance is lost in the transition, the replayability and mechanical depth gained make it one of the most ambitious campaigns in the franchise. The most immediately striking feature of the Retribution campaign is the sheer variety it offers. For the first time in the Dawn of War II series, players can play through the full campaign as the Orks, Eldar, Tyranids, Chaos Space Marines, Imperial Guard, or Space Marines. Each faction has its own units, hero characters, and ability sets, and although the general mission structure remains the same across playthroughs, the dialogues, cutscenes, and gameplay styles are distinctly different. This multi-faction approach gives players a broader view of the sub-sector’s war-torn state and allows for a much deeper exploration of the game’s core mechanics, particularly in how different factions handle combat, resource management, and hero development. Mechanically, the campaign maintains the real-time tactical formula established in previous entries, with a focus on small squads, cover-based combat, and micromanagement of powerful hero units. Each faction's campaign features three main hero units that gain experience, level up, and unlock powerful abilities over time. Equipment drops from missions and enemies allow for customization of these heroes with wargear, and while the loot system isn’t as complex as in earlier campaigns, it provides enough variety to encourage experimentation. The Orks, for example, reward aggressive, in-your-face tactics with their sheer damage output and numbers, while the Eldar rely more on mobility, stealth, and precise ability usage. The Tyranids offer a completely different feel, focusing on swarm tactics and biomass-based upgrades, which provides a refreshing change of pace. The structure of the campaign leans heavily into modular design. While this allows for consistency across all factions and supports the game’s high replayability, it can lead to a sense of repetition, especially for players doing multiple runs. Many missions use recycled objectives, maps, and set pieces with minor alterations depending on the faction, which occasionally undermines the dramatic weight of the story. However, the faction-specific flavor—through briefings, voice acting, and faction goals—does a commendable job of making each playthrough feel narratively distinct even when mechanically similar. The writing, while not subtle, embraces the over-the-top grimdark tone of the Warhammer 40K universe, and is particularly enjoyable when it leans into faction stereotypes—the Orks are hilariously dumb and violent, Chaos is drenched in sinister zealotry, and the Imperial Guard offers a welcome glimpse into the human cost of the endless war. Visually, Retribution shows its age but still holds up well due to solid art direction and atmospheric design. The environments are grim and detailed, drenched in the bleak aesthetic of the 41st millennium. Character models are expressive, especially the heroes, and visual effects like explosions, psychic powers, and massive melee brawls still carry a weighty impact. The sound design is excellent, with punchy effects and faction-appropriate voice acting that reinforces the tone—every Bolter shot and psychic scream feels satisfying. The soundtrack continues the series’ tradition of blending orchestral themes with industrial grit, underscoring both the epic scale and personal desperation of the battles. Despite its strengths, the campaign is not without flaws. The AI can be inconsistent, sometimes posing a tough challenge and other times behaving erratically. Pathfinding issues, a recurring problem in the Dawn of War II series, can still plague tight corridors or chaotic battles. Furthermore, the lack of meaningful mission branching or divergent outcomes reduces the impact of the player’s strategic decisions across the campaign. There is a narrative illusion of choice and consequence, but in practice, most campaign outcomes converge toward a singular final confrontation. This doesn’t negate the enjoyment of the journey, but it may leave narrative-focused players wanting more. In conclusion, Dawn of War II – Retribution – Campaign DLC is a strong, content-rich finale that delivers on its promise of factional diversity and expanded gameplay while preserving the core tactical combat that made the series so beloved. The campaign’s flexibility, solid hero progression, and excellent faction flavor outweigh its repetitive structure and aging engine. It’s a must-play for fans of the franchise and a solid entry point for those curious about the Warhammer 40K RTS scene. While it may not have the tight narrative focus of Chaos Rising or the novelty of the original Dawn of War II, Retribution offers the most comprehensive and replayable campaign experience in the series, cementing its place as a standout entry in both the Dawn of War saga and the broader strategy genre. Rating: 9/10

I have seen things. Not visions, mind you—memories. Flashes of holy war and righteous slaughter. The crackle of plasma fire against Tyranid chitin. The deafening laughter of Orks mid-charge. The quiet click of my commissar's bolt pistol as I considered leaving a retreating unit to the mercy of the Hive. All of it. All of that sacred carnage—I lived it again in Dawn of War II: Retribution. And I liked it. No—I gloried in it. ⚔️ The Emperor’s Will, Digitized They stripped away the base-building of the previous age. Some weak-hearted claimed this was heresy. But they are wrong. Retribution cast aside the dead weight of logistics and gave me war, pure and unfiltered, with boots in the mud, bolters in the breeze, and blood on every rockcrete slab. No more hiding behind factories like a cowardly Mechanicus datascribe. This was squad warfare—tight, brutal, glorious. I knew every name in my fireteam. I watched them level up through hell. I watched some burn, and I avenged them with orbital fire from the sky itself. 💀 Six Armies, One Truth: Only War You don’t choose a faction in Retribution—you swear allegiance. Every path is a gospel of violence in its own tongue: The Astra Militarum (known to the faithless as the Imperial Guard): underpaid, under-equipped, and absolutely unkillable unless you sneeze at them too hard. I led them personally. I watched conscripts drown Chaos in bodies. I wept with joy. The Space Marines: Angels of Death. Grim. Humorless. Perfect. Every sentence barked with uppercase righteousness. My Force Commander made statues weep from sheer purpose. The Orks: Barbaric. Illiterate. Perfect. Every encounter was a shouting match followed by a headbutt. I loved them like bad cousins. The Eldar: Pointy, smug, psychic degenerates. Still, I grudgingly admit their hit-and-run cowardice was effective. I respect any enemy who makes me this angry. The Tyranids: A swarm of teeth and stomachs, guided by something older than sin. Playing them felt like vomiting biomass and winning by sheer gravity. Chaos: Of course. Rot and fire and whispers in my comms unit. They make you strong, they say. They lie, of course. But you believe it while you’re melting Guardsmen with warp fire. Each campaign was its own flavor of bloodshed. Each ending—glorious, tragic, or treasonous—was earned through fire. 🎖️ Combat: Tactical. Personal. Beautifully Cruel. There is no zooming out. There is no safe high ground. It is you, your squad, and the enemy in the dirt. Every grenade you throw, every suppressive burst from a heavy bolter, every time you charge into melee and activate a power sword that bisects a WAAAAGH in progress—it’s you doing that. Not your factory. Not your economy. You. Cover matters. Morale matters. Retreats are admitted sins, but sometimes necessary. Except for the Orks. They don’t retreat. They just get louder. 🚀 Multiplayer & The Last Stand: You and Two Fools vs the Galaxy I remember The Last Stand. Me, a Librarian powered by hate and lightning. My allies? One Ork who only yelled “OI” into voice chat, and a Farseer who abandoned us in wave 8 to go "commune with fate." We died. Gloriously. I have no regrets. 📜 Final Benediction Dawn of War II: Retribution isn’t a game. It is a training simulation for the soul. It strips you of the illusion of safety, the lie of resource hoarding, and commands: “Fight. Bleed. Adapt. Or die forgotten.” And by the Throne, I did. I purged. I endured. I retributed. Final Judgement: 10/10 Would order an orbital bombardment on my own position again, just to spite a Chaos Sorcerer. For the Emperor. For the Guard. For the sheer, beautiful noise of war.

the real reason to play this is last stand. the campaign is, in my opinion, lesser than vanilla (and chaos rising, by extension). the former is still active with matches popping up over a decade later. if you really fancy it, the campaign is also right there and can be played as any of the races. but really the actual reason to get this is last stand. i'm not joking.

I enjoy the campains as well as The Last Stand mod. Ive had this game before and bought it again.

Enjoying the game but once again people who cant be patient lobby hop before the game can start and ruins the only good mode in this game. Lots of fun but dont get this unless its on sale and dont expect a lot from the multiplayer, its fun but zoltan and a few others keep you from playing by lobby hopping. Should have just made it co-op and single player last stand so trash cans like that cant keep the game hostage.

Great game. You can tell they cared about what they were making. Great campaign that can be solo'd or co-op. PVP and wave defense multiplayer. There is a "they don't make games like this anymore" feel that's really nice.

It's been 15 years and I'm still playing The Last Stand. It just hits all the right spots for me - perfect blend of comfy yet challenging and enough inherent variety that it never plays out the same way twice. I hope we can keep this game alive as long as possible. I quietly hope that one day we'll get The Last Stand 2, but I would pay hundreds just for a new map for this one.

With Elite Mod keeping it alive and updating it frequetly this is a gem to cherish. There is no other game that does RTS with melee and ranged units better.