Hey guys, I've heard good things about the DoW series, and since they are on sale on Steam, I thought I might pick it up. However, there are 3 different titles, and I don't know which one to get. I should also note that I have never played a real RTS before, but I would like to try one. So which one should I get that would fit me? Thanks!
DoW2 and Retribution are probably the best. Retribution for the single-player and hoard mode, and the RPG elements are cool so I hear (going to pick it up when it goes on sale this week). The original DoW2 is also good, decent campaign and good multiplayer. I think Chaos is the weakest from what I hear, but even that is pretty good.
The original DOW games are awesome and can be picked quite cheap from steam i would give them a go before DOW 2 , DOW2 just takes things up a few notches but costs a little more
I say try the first ones Dawn of War: WH40K - perhaps the Gold Edition first. If you like it, then proceed to get the rest of the expansions, Dark Crusade and Soulstorm. They have tutorials, so you'll be fine. DoW II is more of a tactical RPG (which is pretty good too) but haven't played Space Marines out side of the demo. The good thing about each of the games (DoW, Dow II and Space Marines) is that they have demos on Steam, so I suggest you give them a go first if you're still unsure.
Keep in mind that the Dawn of War 1 and 2 are actually very different in terms of gameplay. DoW1 is more of a standard RTS format (build up your base + army). Whereas DoW2 (at least the singleplayer campaign) is more of an action RTS with some RPG elements (gear + level + skills) with the focus on being small squad command. Both are very fun imho, I can't say that I like either series more than the other. - DoW and Winter Assault are standard story driven campaigns - Dark Crusade and Soulstorm are more open-ended, and you can choose any faction, not just Space Marines or Imperial Guard. They play out more like a conquest type thing where you have a world map with different regions, and you conquer each region by fighting things out on a skirmish map with whichever faction owns that region. If you start with the DoW1 series, just an FYI that the first few games do not play nicely with widescreen monitors / higher resolutions out of the box. Starting with DoW: Dark Crusade and DoW: Soulstorm, there's native widescreen support.
So I think I'm going to go with the Dawn of War II series. However, do I have to play them in order? Also I mostly care about the single-player, so is Retribution the best for single-player? Thanks again!
If you're mostly interested in SP, then play DoW2 and then DoW2: Chaos Rising, in that order, and you can skip Retribution. If I recall, the level progression / skill trees of your squad in DoW2 does carry over to Chaos Rising, but you can respec the skills or use pre-leveled characters instead if you're not importing a completed DoW2 campaign into Chaos Rising.
Chaos Rising is strongest in its singleplayer component, however Retribution has more variety in races for those not interested in something marine driven. Vanilla DoW2 isn't that good at all, best for multiplayer sides Wait for a sale this week and jump on it.
I think Chaos is the weakest from what I hear, but even that is pretty good.SerOlmy
Nah, CR's campaign is fantastic, it features the strongest mission design and a tremendously well executed RPG and morality system.
I'll probably pick up Retribution then. Is the campaign good? The hoard mode seemed fun.SerOlmy
its alright but its muh shorter and less developed than the other two.
i argue actually that chaosm rising and DoW2 are harder than retribution i breezed through 4 campaigns on medium. medium on chaos rising or the origional and im not as fortunate alot of close shaves.
It doesn't really matter if you play DoW or DoWII first, they both play differently & are both great. If you get DoWII first, you can always pick up DoW plus the expansions for a cheap price.
Yeah I own DoW2, but not Chaos or Retribution? Which one is more worthwhile?SerOlmy
Chaos Rising I'd say, it's singleplayer component is remarkably good. However if you're sick of marines and want much shorter variety (which can be repetitive), Retribution.
Heh, then I might just pick up "The Last Standalone". Or hold onto my money for Sword of the Stars 2.
SerOlmy
I wouldn't recommend that at all. Wait until Ret hits a sale then pick it up. Had a friend who did that recently (bought DoWII and CR prior) and regretted it immensely. The singleplayer is interesting. It's not as challenging or interesting as CR's however there's good variety in its sides to play as, and it's a good romp with nice level design.
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