Dawn of War is one of the best games ever for Warhammer 40,000 and will be playable as a remaster on Steam starting August 14, 2025. MeinMMO editor and Warhammer expert Benedict Grothaus has created a tier list for you with the strongest factions in the ranking.
What kind of game is this? On August 14, the remaster for Dawn of War will be released on Steam after over 20 years. According to reviews, the game is the best Warhammer game on Steam and has thrilled many fans for years – even to this day, evidently.
The Definitive Edition comes with all expansions, thus including all 9 factions that were available at the end of development. Each race plays uniquely with different strengths and weaknesses.
Dawn of War is also among the best strategy games overall on Steam.
Why the ranking? This list aims to show you which factions have proven to be the best in Dawn of War over the last 20 years. For the evaluation, I had threads and community discussions from the past 20 years analyzed by AI.
However, my personal experience is mainly taken into account. I have spent several hundred hours in Dawn of War, still actively play the strategy game today, and have experience with all races. However, as my main faction is the Adepta Sororitas, I have significantly considered the assessments of other players.
9. Dark Eldar
The Dark Eldar rely on a “Hit and Run” strategy: They strike quickly and then disappear again before the enemy can really strike back. In theory, this is a strong tactic, but in practice it often fails due to micro-management.
Dark Eldar units are quite fragile and susceptible to counterattacks. If you don’t perfectly evade every opponent, you often pay directly with high losses. Especially later in the game, when all factions bring their strong units onto the field, you have little to counter as Dark Eldar.
You can compensate for this by casting powerful spells. The building units also have the option to reach multiple buildings automatically at once, which gives you an advantage especially early in the game.
Dark Eldar are not suitable for newcomers to the genre. Veterans will feel comfortable with them if they enjoy rush tactics with fast and mobile units. In multiplayer, you are ideally a teammate for your team to annoy opponents and block their progress until your colleagues can come to clean up. Additionally, Dark Eldar have an exciting lore: Warhammer 40,000 has “evil Space Elves” that survive by torturing others
