New Features

- Added an Observer Mode to the game to support the professional games circuit.
- Added a Friends List feature to support the growth of the Online community.
- Added an Arranged Teams Automatch feature to simplify the process of automatching games with Friends.
- Added Mod Manager to facilitate switching mod versions from the Main Menu. Mods are now also listed in the Join Game screens.
- Added support for Lobby News messages in non-Latin character fonts (full unicode support).

Improvements

- Game performance has been improved through the use of the Intel Performance Primitives library
- Enemy detection code has been improved for better performance in the late game on large maps.
- Selection focus key (') has been added to the defaul keybindings. NOTE: The keybindings file has been changed and is no longer compatible with previous versions.
- Improved the targeting priority system for vehicles and units with multiple weapons.
- Major update to game camera system, including fixing many bugs.

General Fixes

- Fixed several bugs with the Automatch system.
- Thorough overhaul of the Stance system which fixed many bugs with the Melee and Ranged stances. Overhaul includes the removal of Versatile Stance.
- Fixed several minor issues with the game camera, including increasing the default range for the limited camera so it matches the distance of the free camera.
- Fixed several minor issues with save games and playback files. NOTE: The save game format has been changed and will no longer be compatible with previous versions.
- Fixed several minor issues with the playback mode.
- Fixed several infrequent crash bugs in Online screens.
- Fixed rendering issues with the Intel 915 IGMA.
- Fixed Mission 4 bug where third Whirlwind disappears.
- Fixed bug where Toth was damaging himself with special attacks.
- Fixed occasional SCAR crash in Mission 7 when capturing bridge.
- Fixed NIS cameras for all missions.
- Fixed various bugs in game chat system.
- Fixed various bugs in Army Painter.
- Fixed bug where NIS speech wouldn't play under Windows 98 (unsupported OS).
- Fixed various bugs in Multiplayer Game setup system.
- Various cosmetic fixes to various screens.
- Fixed bug where the Ork Wartrack Twin Rokkit Launcher upgrades will get stuck in an infinite loop when overwatching the upgrade.
- Fixed bug where a Shroud button which has no function would appear in the build-menu of a Webway Gate while it is being built.

Ability Fixes

- Fixed bug where Word of the Emperor ability would not function.
- Fixed bug where Bad Doc Healing Aura ability did not heal commander units.
- Fixed bug where Bad Doc Healing Aura ability only affected the Mad Doc and attached squad.
- Fixed bug where Exarchs could not be added to Aspect Sqauds while the squad was moving.
- Fixed bug where Exarchs could be built while the squad was moving.
- Fixed bug where Howling Banshee War Shout ability would affect friendly units.
- Fixed bug where Eldar Plasma Grenade was inheriting incorrect attributes.
- Fixed bug where Stormboyz speed research effects only the Stormboyz leader.
- Fixed a range of bugs where abilities were incorrectly affecting friendly units as well as enemy units.
- Fixed bug where Grav Falcon Brightlance was invisible.

Balance Changes

Ork Changes

- Reduced damage of Trukk Big Shoota.
- Increased population requirement for Trukk/Mekshop from 31 to 46.
- Increased population requirement for Wartrakk from 46 to 61.
- Wartrakk build time increased.
- Decreased damage of Wartrakk Rokkit against all infantry significantly.
- Increased build time of Wartrakk Rokkit and Mortar from 9 to 20 seconds.
- Put a 46 population requirement on Ork Rokkit Launchers.
- Reduced Big Mek's Mega Blaster damage.
- Increased build time of Bad Doc to 15 seconds.
- Increased cost of Bad Doc by 10 requisition.
- Increased damage output of Nob Leader Power Klaws.
- Decreased build time of Ork Nob Power Klaws from 15 to 12 seconds.
- Increased damage of Ork Nob Leader Power Klaws.
- Big Mek now takes longer to build after researching Custom Tellyporta.
- Big Mek now takes longer to build after researching Custom Force Field.
- Big Mek now takes longer to build after researching Tank Bustin' Kit.
- Reduced range on Ork Listening Posts that have the first Listening Post upgrade.

Eldar Changes

- Reduced damage of Fire Prisms Shuriken Catapult against Heavy Infantry (Medium). Also reduced damage against Medium Vehicles.
- Reduced damage of fire prism Prism Cannon vs. all buildings, all vehicles (slight), reduced morale damage, reduced minimum damage, reduced area of effect from 10-8.
- Reduced morale damage on Eldar D-Cannon Turret.
- Reduced damage of Vyper Missile Launcher against all infantry types.
- Increased time cost of Vyper Missile Launcher weapon upgrade.
- Increased vertical aiming ability of Brightlance platforms (slight).
- Increased range of Ranger Long Rifle from 32 to 35.
- Increased morale damage output of Ranger long rifle from 40 to 60 per hit.
- Removed charge modifiers from Howling Banshees.
- Created dependencies on Vyper/Wraithlord aspect stones before Fire Prism can be researched.
- Decreased time cost of Seer Council Witchblade weapon upgrade.
- Dark Reaper Exarch now does more damage to Heavy Infantry .
- Dark Reaper weapon upgrade now has the same range as its original weapon.
- Increased Time cost of Warp Spider Aspect Stone
- Increased Power cost of Warp Spider Aspect Stone.

Chaos Changes

- Reduced cost of tier 3 to 400/150 and 100 seconds. From 500/200 and 125 seconds
- Chaos Aspiring Champions and Space Marine Sergeants now benefit from the bionics upgrades (+20% health)
- Furious charge should now be giving +15% damage bonus to chaos_knife_cultist and chaos_knife_tactical.
- Chaos Heretic costs 0 supply cap, however there is a limit of 5 Heretics at any given time.
- Increased cost of Cultist, increased hit points, increased build time, decreased to starting with 4 units. Increased base weapon damages by 30%. Decreased min damage on Cultist Laspistol from 2.5 to 1.5.
- Increased time cost of Cultist Aspiring Champion.
- Reduced Cultist Grenade Launcher damage by 35%. Increased build time of Grenade Launcher.
- Increased damage output of cultist plasma gun, slightly increased cost.
- Defiler hitpoints increased from 2300 to 2700.
- Defiler now costs 2 Support cap.
- Reduced cost of Possessed marines, decreased attack/hp/build time accordingly.
- Reduced cost of Horrors, decreased attack/hp/build time accordingly.
- Reduced melee damage of Raptors against building low.
- Chaos Rhino now costs 1 Support cap.
- Smoke Grenade research time/cost reduced.

Space Marines Changes

- Reduced cost of tier 3 to 400/150 and 100 seconds, from 500/200 and 125 seconds.
- Reduced stun time of SM Force Commander from 4 to 2 seconds.
- Scouts do less ranged damage to infantry_low, infantry_med, and infantry_high.
- Reduced Scout accuracy while moving from .55 to .35. Reduced Scout morale damage.
- Reduced melee damage of Assault Marines against building low.
- Rhino now costs 1 Support cap.
- Smoke Grenade research time/cost reduced.
- Cultist reinforce time when in combat set to 12 seconds.
- Updated help text to reflect balance changes.

Mod Support

- Mods can now disable tutorials by leaving a blank field in the FEDefaults.lua file.
- Multiple fixes in the Attribute Editor.
- Game now validates more fields from the attribute files. Also validation of starting units and buildings has been removed.
- New binary file format for all attribute files.
- Added support for exclusive win conditions.
- Several unused attribute fields have been removed.
- Added flag for weapon line-of-sight being blocked by entities. We recommend not using it, as it is terribly slow.
- Added multiple flags to Scenario files in the Mission Editor, including being able to turn off sky, terrain and water rendering.