# Dawn of War 4 picks Adeptus Mechanicus over Death Guard

> King Art Games' creative director reveals why the new Warhammer strategy game chose one faction over others for its fourth playable army.
- Title: Dawn of War 4 picks Adeptus Mechanicus over Death Guard
- Summary: King Art Games' creative director reveals why the new Warhammer strategy game chose one faction over others for its fourth playable army.
- Keywords: warhammer 40000, dawn of war 4, king art games, adeptus mechanicus, jan theysen, space marines, orks, necrons, death guard, TechRadar
- Source: TechRadar — https://techradar.com/gaming/warhammer-40-000-dawn-of-war-4-creative-director-says-king-art-considered-adding-other-factions-to-the-game-like-death-guard-but-decided-on-adeptus-mechanicus-because-lore-wise-its-the-most-interesting-in-terms-of-gameplay
- Published: 2026-11-07T05:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: warhammer 40000, dawn of war 4, king art games, adeptus mechanicus, jan theysen, space marines, orks, necrons, death guard, technology
## Four factions confirmed for Dawn of War 4
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 will feature Space Marines, Orks, Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus as separate playable faction campaigns.
## Why factions matter to the game
Creative director Jan Theysen says choosing factions was the first decision because Dawn of War and Warhammer are fundamentally about how weird and cool the factions are.
## Why Orks and Necrons were chosen
Theysen says Orks were included because they are very Dawn of War and include the character Gorgutz. Necrons were added because they were promised for Dawn of War 3 but never came.
## Other factions considered but rejected
Before settling on Adeptus Mechanicus, King Art considered Death Guard and Leagues of Votann as the fourth playable faction for the game.
## Why Adeptus Mechanicus won out
Theysen says Adeptus Mechanicus is by far the biggest and lore-wise most important faction that never was part of a Dawn of War game.

> Adeptus Mechanicus is by far the like biggest and, lore-wise, most important faction that never was part of a Dawn of War
## Gameplay differences sealed the choice
Death Guard is slow and tanky like Necrons and Space Marines. Adeptus Mechanicus is fast with great gun lines and range, feeling very different from other factions.
## Game launches December 3
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 releases on December 3. Theysen also discussed the game's advanced animation system called Combat Director.
## Key takeaway

Dawn of War 4 will feature Space Marines, Orks, Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus. Creative director Jan Theysen says King Art chose Adeptus Mechanicus because it is the most important faction never before playable and offers unique fast-paced gameplay.