Dawn of War 4 just made Warhammer 40,000 history. On December 4, 2025, KING Art Games revealed that players will control Lion El’Jonson, the Primarch of the Dark Angels Legion, in one mission of the upcoming RTS. This marks the first time a Primarch has ever been playable in any Warhammer 40k video game despite hundreds of titles spanning nearly 40 years. Game director Jan Theysen explained the decision to IGN, emphasizing that The Lion appears in two cutscenes and one playable mission where he’s deliberately overpowered because, well, he’s essentially a demigod.
Why This Is Such a Big Deal
Primarchs in Warhammer 40k lore are the 20 genetically engineered transhuman sons of the Emperor of Mankind. Think demigods who don’t age, can’t get sick, and were designed to be perfect generals, warriors, and statesmen. The Emperor created them in secret gene-labs beneath the Himalayas using his own genetic material, intending each one to lead a Space Marine Legion during the Great Crusade to reconquer the galaxy. They’re larger, stronger, faster, and smarter than any normal human could ever hope to be.
Despite their importance to Warhammer 40k’s setting and storyline, Primarchs have never been playable characters in video games. They’ve appeared as NPCs, bosses, or characters in cutscenes across dozens of titles, but developers have always shied away from making them controllable. The reason is obvious: these beings are so absurdly powerful that balancing them for gameplay becomes nearly impossible. How do you create a fun game when your main character can single-handedly obliterate entire armies?
How KING Art Solved the Problem
The solution is refreshingly straightforward: they didn’t try to balance The Lion at all. Theysen told IGN that the team focused on making the Primarch fun to play rather than worrying about balance or whether he’d work in multiplayer. “We didn’t really care about if this is balanced or if this is something that you could theoretically do in multiplayer. Who cares?” he said. The Lion appears in exactly one mission, accompanied by two cutscenes, and then he’s gone for the rest of the game.
This limited approach makes perfect sense both from a gameplay and lore perspective. Primarchs are too powerful to be regular units you command throughout a campaign. They’re strategic assets that reshape entire wars just by showing up. By restricting The Lion to a single mission, KING Art gets to deliver the power fantasy of controlling a demigod without breaking the entire game’s balance or making the rest of the campaign feel underwhelming by comparison.
Who Is Lion El’Jonson
Lion El’Jonson is the Primarch of the First Legion, the Dark Angels, and one of the most enigmatic figures in Warhammer 40k lore. His name means “The Lion, son of the forest” in Calibanite, a reference to where he was discovered and his fierce nature. After being scattered across the galaxy as an infant by Chaos, he landed on Caliban, a death world infested with warp-corrupted beasts. He survived in the monster-filled forests alone until a knight named Luther found him.
The Lion rose to become master of The Order, a knightly organization, and led campaigns to exterminate Caliban’s great beasts while uniting the planet’s knightly orders. When the Emperor arrived, The Lion immediately recognized his father and took command of the Dark Angels Legion. Fast forward to the Horus Heresy, where half the Primarchs turned traitor. The Lion remained loyal, but when he returned to Caliban after the war, he discovered his planet had fallen to rebellion led by his adoptive brother Luther.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Legion Number | I (First Legion) |
| Legion Name | Dark Angels |
| Homeworld | Caliban (destroyed) |
| Allegiance | Loyalist |
| Status | Awakened after 10,000 years |
| Notable Traits | Strategic genius, master swordsman, secretive |
During the confrontation with Luther, warp energies destroyed Caliban, leaving only a fragment called The Rock (which became the Dark Angels’ fortress monastery). Luther survived but his mind shattered, while The Lion disappeared entirely. For 10,000 years, the Dark Angels believed their Primarch was dead. Then in recent lore developments, The Lion awakened and returned to lead his sons, though he now works with some of the “Fallen” Dark Angels who were previously hunted as traitors.
The Dawn of War 4 Story Setup
Dawn of War 4’s campaign returns to Kronus, the iconic planet from Dawn of War: Dark Crusade that’s now in ruins. Players can choose between missions for the Blood Ravens (the series’ traditional protagonists) and the Dark Angels, with the press release describing these choices as “non-linear.” This branching structure explains how The Lion fits into the narrative, appearing during the Dark Angels portion of the campaign.
The December 3 story trailer showed Blood Ravens and Orks fighting, Adeptus Mechanicus exploring Necron tombs, and various new units including a Chaplain on a bike, Necron Skorpekh Destroyers, and an Ork Beastboss. The four playable factions are Blood Ravens (Space Marines), Orks, Necrons, and Adeptus Mechanicus. The Dark Angels appear as a sub-faction within the Space Marine faction, similar to how Company of Heroes 2 handled different armies.
Why KING Art and Not Relic
The biggest surprise when Dawn of War 4 was announced at Gamescom in August 2025 wasn’t that it exists, but that Relic Entertainment isn’t making it. Relic developed the original Dawn of War trilogy starting in 2004, establishing the franchise as one of the best Warhammer 40k RTS games ever made. When Dawn of War 4 was rumored throughout 2024 and early 2025, everyone assumed Relic would return to the series.
Instead, Games Workshop chose KING Art Games, a German studio best known for Iron Harvest, their 2020 diesel-punk RTS that won multiple awards including Best German Game at the Deutscher Entwicklerpreis. KING Art was founded in 2000 by Jan Theysen and Marc König, originally focusing on adventure games and RPGs before expanding into strategy titles. Iron Harvest proved they could handle large-scale RTS gameplay with strong narrative elements, which likely convinced Games Workshop they could do justice to Dawn of War.
FAQs
When does Dawn of War 4 release?
Dawn of War 4 is scheduled to launch sometime in 2026 on PC. No specific release date or even release window has been announced yet. The game is available to wishlist now on Steam, and KING Art Games is hosting a developer AMA on Discord on December 10, 2025, at 17:00 UTC.
What factions are playable in Dawn of War 4?
The four main playable factions are Blood Ravens (Space Marines), Orks, Necrons, and Adeptus Mechanicus. Dark Angels are confirmed as a playable sub-faction within the Space Marine faction, available during certain campaign missions with branching choices between Blood Ravens and Dark Angels objectives.
Will The Lion be available in multiplayer?
No. Game director Jan Theysen explicitly stated The Lion is only playable in one campaign mission plus two cutscenes. He’s intentionally overpowered and unbalanced, designed purely for the single-player power fantasy without any consideration for competitive multiplayer or skirmish modes.
Is Relic Entertainment involved with Dawn of War 4?
No, despite Relic creating the original trilogy, KING Art Games is developing Dawn of War 4. Relic recently released Dawn of War Definitive Edition in 2024, but they’re not involved with the new sequel. Some speculation suggests Relic is busy with other projects, though nothing official has been announced.
What other Primarchs might appear?
KING Art hasn’t confirmed any other Primarchs appearing in Dawn of War 4. Given how carefully they’ve balanced The Lion’s inclusion as a one-mission-only experience, it seems unlikely other Primarchs will show up as playable characters. They might appear in cutscenes or as NPC elements, but nothing is confirmed.
How does Dawn of War 4 compare to Dawn of War 3?
Based on previews, Dawn of War 4 appears to be returning to the RTS style of the original game and its expansions, particularly Dark Crusade and Soulstorm. Dawn of War 3 launched in 2017 with a MOBA-inspired design that alienated many fans. Early reactions suggest Dawn of War 4 is “the sequel RTS fans always wanted,” implying a back-to-basics approach.
What is Iron Harvest?
Iron Harvest is a 2020 RTS game developed by KING Art Games set in an alternate 1920s Europe with diesel-punk mechs. It won Best German Game and awards for Best Game Design and Best Sound Design. The game’s success with large-scale battles, strong narrative, and strategic depth likely convinced Games Workshop that KING Art could handle Dawn of War 4.
Can I play as other Space Marine chapters?
The campaign features Blood Ravens and Dark Angels as distinct playable options with branching missions. Whether other chapters appear or become playable in multiplayer/skirmish modes hasn’t been detailed yet. Historically, Dawn of War games have focused on one or two Space Marine chapters per game.
What This Means for Warhammer Games
Making a Primarch playable, even in just one mission, opens doors for future Warhammer 40k games. If KING Art pulls this off successfully and players love the experience, other developers might feel emboldened to experiment with Primarchs in different genres. Imagine a third-person action game starring Leman Russ of the Space Wolves, or a narrative-driven game following Roboute Guilliman’s return to lead the Imperium.
The challenge has always been that Primarchs are too powerful for traditional game balance. But as KING Art demonstrated, you don’t always need balance. Sometimes you just need a well-designed set-piece that lets players experience overwhelming power for a brief moment before returning to normal gameplay. If Dawn of War 4’s Lion mission becomes iconic, it could change how developers approach these legendary characters. After 40 years of Warhammer 40k video games, we’re finally getting to play as a Primarch. That alone makes Dawn of War 4 historically significant regardless of how the rest of the game turns out.