• A Two-on-Two game mode, with two new four player maps.
• Two-on-Two is a ranked game mode with leaderboard support.
• An improved, more challenging Skirmish AI.
• Push to talk voice chat and Company of Heroes style sub-selection options.
• New squad decorators and significant UI improvements.
• A performance test to help measure Dawn of War II performance.

Due to popular demand from the community, Relic is adding a ranked Two-on-Two game mode to Dawn of War II in the upcoming 1.3.0 patch. Two-on-Two will bridge the gap between Head-to-Head and Team Battle modes. With two players you get a balance between the knife’s edge gameplay of 1v1 and the epic slug fests of 3v3. Each map in Two-on-Two is custom built specifically to highlight particular aspects of this new game mode. You will need to work well both solo and with your partner in order to control the map and win the game. We are excited to see new strategies emerge from this game mode and these new maps.

Two-on-Two mode will be available in Ranked and Custom matches. It will launch with two new maps and have its own leaderboards, TrueSkill score and statistics tracking.

Medean Cliff Mines

Cliff Mines is an awesome looking map where one team begins in an Imperial mining facility and the other in the open desert. The center of the map contains one victory point and some resources and is blocked in with four choke points. Along the outside of the map lay most of the resources and two additional victory points.

Holding the exterior of the map is difficult and you can easily be flanked through the center, so teams will need to employ strong co-operation to control this map. Focusing too strongly on one side will surely lead to losing the other. Controlling traffic through the center of the map is the key to victory.

Ruins of Argus

Ruins has been referred to internally as a sledgehammer map because of its small size. This map is just slightly larger than a 1v1 map which means no matter where you go you are likely to encounter the enemy. Resources are split evenly between the lower and upper half of the map and the VPs lay symmetrically down the center.

If you look closely, the settlers of Argus have reinforced some of their walls with metal braces which means they can’t be destroyed. Many walls were left unreinforced though, so make sure to use environmental destruction to your advantage.

While dominating the center with long ranged fire and artillery may seem like the obvious strategy, there are many natural flanking opportunities. For example: D-cannons setup to cover the middle can be quickly flanked by an Ork Slugga units maneuvering through the walls in the south or the stairways in the North.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is set in the grim, war-ravaged world of Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 universe – a dark, futuristic, science-fiction setting where armies of technologically advanced warriors, fighting machines and hordes of implacable aliens wage constant war. Developed by critically acclaimed RTS developer Relic Entertainment, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II ushers in a new chapter in the acclaimed RTS series, as ancient races – including the dauntless Space Marines and savage Orks - clash across ruined worlds on a mission to claim the galaxy and preserve their own existence. Powered by the re-vamped Essence Engine 2.0, the next evolution of Relic's proprietary game engine made famous in the award winning Company of Heroes, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II will deliver fast-paced RTS action with ferocious melee and ranged combat in fully destructible environments. Immersing players in an in-depth non-linear single-player campaign and a fully-co-operative multiplayer mode, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is set to deliver the most visually-stunning Warhammer 40,000 setting ever created.

Each Tyranid is a living weapon, perfectly adapted to its designated function, but each creature is no more than a single cell in a galactic entity governed by a monstrous Hive Mind. As the Tyranid hive fleets drift through space they strip all life from the worlds in their path, leaving nothing but scoured rock in their wake…

Dawn of War II multiplayer will feature four playable races, twelve unique multiplayer heroes, five multiplayer maps, 240 online ranks to achieve, 110 visual armor upgrades, and 90 pieces of hero wargear. Throughout the multiplayer modes, any race combinations can be on the same team.

Game modes:

• Automatch: All games are victory point win conditions; you can win by victory points or by destroying the enemy base.
  • Head to head
  • 3 vs. 3 team games
• Custom Games: Custom games can be any size up to 3v3 and can be played on Live or on LAN. Custom games can be played with either victory point or annihilate only win conditions.

…In the war zones of Warhammer 40,000, the Tyranids are instinctive masters of swarm-tactics and close combat. Frequently appearing by the thousands across untold numbers of world, they always outnumber their opponents, a fact that often guarantees their victory. Each Tyranid is equipped with diamond-hard rending claws, razor-sharp teeth, and a variety of other bio-weapons suited to both close quarters fighting and ranged attacks. What’s even more fearsome are the monstrous creatures striding through a Tyranid swarm like Carnifexes and Hive Tyrants, true behemoths who tower over even the largest of tanks and mechanised units. In total, the Tyranids are a cold and brutal opponent to face. Even the best warriors in the galaxy can only hope to stall the Tyranids’ advance.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II Achievements (1000 points):

1. There Is Only War - Terminate 500 Enemy Targets. - 25G
2. Death from Above - Kill 20 enemies using Assault Jump. - 10G
3. Sweeping Advance - Kill an emey who is retreating. - 10G
4. Emperor's Champion - Kill a boss using only your Force Commander. - 10G
5. Lightning Assassin - Kill a boss in less than one minute. - 10G
6. Welcome to Calderis - Complete "Stand With Your Brothers" and "Retake the Hamlet." - 15G
7. Rant All You Will - Complete "The True Enemy." - 30G
8. The Cleansing Begins - Complete "The Defense of Argus Gate." - 30G
9. Astronomical! - Recover the data from the Astronomic Array. - 30G
10. Even In Death I Still Serve - Complete "Into the Hive." - 30G
11. Heroes of Angel Gate - Complete "Secrest of Angel Forge." - 30G
12. Fight to Survive - Complete Campaign on Recruit difficulty. - 40G
13. Hold back the Xenos - Complete Campaign on Sergeant difficulty. - 40G
14. Win the War - Complete Campaign on Captain difficulty. - 40G
15. Allies to the Cause - Complete a mission in co-op mode. - 10G
16. Allies to the Chapter - Complete 15 mission in co-op. - 25G
17. Battle Brothers - Complete the Campaign in Co-op. - 50G
18. Dug In - Successfully defend 5 Strategic Assets. - 10G
19. Massacre - Complete 10 missions in a row without failing. - 10G
20. Not one inch. - Defend a province without losing a single generator. - 10G
21. That's Close Enough - Complete a mission with only ranged weapons. - 10G
22. Rush 'em - Complete a mission under five minutes. - 10G
23. Purge the Xenos - Earn a 5 star Fury rating. - 10G
24. Feel No Pain - Earn a 5 star Resilience rating. - 10G
25. Fleet of Foot - Earn a 5 star Speed rating - 10G
26. The Book of Honor - Get 15 stars on one mission. - 10G
27. Fast Attack - Gain a second deployment in a single day. - 15G
28. Tireless warrior - Gain a third deployment in a single day. - 15G
29. Hero of the Imperium - Attain a Campaign Score of over 30,000 points. Earnable in Single Player and by the host in Co-Op. - 25G
30. Legend - Attain a Campaign Score of over 90,000 points. Earnable in Single Player and by the host in Co-Op. - 25G
31. In the name of the Emperor - Own all Strategic Assets in a Campaign. Earnable only in Single Player and by the host in Co-Op. - 20G
32. Elite - Max out a Combat Discipline on a squad. Earnable in Single Player and by the host in Co-Op. - 10G
33. Heavy Support - Reach Level 20 with one of your Squads. Earnable in Single Player and by the host in Co-Op. - 10G
34. Elite Strike Force - Create a 3 Player Party and Play a Ranked Multiplayer Game together. - 10G
35. Gladiator - Play 10 Ranked Multiplayer Games. - 25G
36. Wisdom of the Ancients - View a recorded game. - 10G
37. Veteran Victor - 100 ranked wins. - 30G
38. Aspect Warrior - 20 online ranked games completed with Eldar. - 20G
39. Angel of Death - 20 online ranked games played with Space Marines. - 20G
40. A proper Waaagh! - 20 online ranked games completed with Orks. - 20G
41. Great Devourer - 20 online ranked games completed with Tyranid. - 20G
42. Hail the Champion - Earn Champion rating 20 times during online ranked play. - 25G
43. Master of the Apothecarion - Revive your teammates 50 times during online ranked play. - 30G
44. Winning rush - Earn a 5 game Win streak during online ranked play. - 20G
45. Flawless victory - Achieve an online ranked victory with 500 victory points remaining. - 20G
46. Red Ones Go Fastah! - Create a Customized look for any race in the Army Painter. - 5G
47. Crush the Enemy - Complete Campaign on Primarch difficulty. - 40G
48. The Warboss - Complete "Raid Against the Warboss." - 30G
49. The Avatar of Khaine - Complete "The Wailing Doom." - 30G