With Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition, you’ll be able to experience the complete package of the RTS, including the iconic Soulstorm expansion. However, the game is a remaster and not a remake. So, while everything looks and runs better, there are still many features that were carried over from the original release that have not been streamlined — like playing with others.
Thankfully, the definitive edition of the game has removed some barriers that could make playing online easier. If you’re planning on using the multiplayer component of Dawn of War, there are a few things you should know.
How To Play With Friends
Initially, in the 2004 version of Dawn of War, you would need to use GameSpy to set up a multiplayer lobby with others. Now, for the definitive edition, you can do this from within the main menu of the game.
The multiplayer is still rather limited even in the latest release. You won’t be able to do the campaigns of Dawn of War with other players. But, you do have the option to matchmake PVP or PVE skirmishes.
To play with friends, navigate through the main menu of the game and click on multiplayer. After that, you’ll be sent to the Dawn of War Online screen. From here, you can send out invites to anyone on your Steam friend list.
Make sure the people you’re inviting have the definitive edition of the game. The original might not work, as it needed GameSpy for the multiplayer to function.
Then, after your friends accept the invites, you’ll be taken to a new screen showing you a list of all the available maps in Dawn of War.
The number beside each map reflects how many players can be in the match. For example, maps with the number two beside them can only have a two-player limit.
Once you’ve selected who to play with and what map to play on, you’ll be able to adjust the game’s parameters in the Online Game Setup screen.
Plus, you can change whether the game is a free-for-all or a team-based match from this menu.
How To Matchmake With Other Players
Dawn of War also lets you pair up with other players. But, again, you’ll only be able to play skirmishes since the campaign is reserved for the single-player experience of the game.
There are two ways to go about this. The first and fastest method is by using the Quick-Automatch option, located at the top of the menu beside the Automatch button. This puts you in a match based on the settings of the last game you played.
Alternatively, by pressing the Automatch button, you’ll get a new window that gives you some filters to narrow down the search for a match. If you’re looking to play certain modes and don’t want to manually look up games, consider using this method.
The second way is to use the Join Match button on the Dawn of War Online screen to find a specific match. Sometimes Automatch won’t place you in a match that’s suited to you, but rather one that has space.
By looking up the list of games available, you may be able to find a session that could help you get immersed in Dawn of War.