Why Are the Eldar Missing From Dawn of War 4?
The Aeldari aren’t among Dawn of War IV’s four launch factions because the developers, King Art, chose their lineup around the story they wanted to tell on Kronus. They explained that Space Marines and Orks were considered essential to the series, while Necrons were brought back because of their connection to Kronus and the Dawn of War: Dark Crusade game. The fourth slot went to Adeptus Mechanicus as a faction making its Dawn of War debut.
“A universe like Warhammer 40,000 has a huge number of incredible factions to draw from, and it’s fair to say we found this a very tough nut to crack,” King Art said in an official dev blog. “We knew we wanted to have the Space Marines, because it’s Dawn of War - the Blood Ravens had to be in there! We were also starting to think of Dawn of War IV as a kind of reimagining of the first Dawn of War, so we all felt very strongly that we wanted to include the Orks too.”
“This left us space for two more factions that would go on to inform our story. The Necrons haven’t been playable in the series since Dark Crusade, so having the game set on Kronus gave us the perfect opportunity to bring them back. As for the last spot, we wanted to round off our cast with a faction that had never been part of a Dawn of War game and would be new for everyone - the Adeptus Mechanicus fit the bill perfectly!”
That doesn’t make the Aeldari any less important to Warhammer 40,000. Official Warhammer lore describes them as an ancient race whose empire once dominated much of the galaxy before its collapse during the Fall. Their surviving Craftworlds now struggle to preserve their civilization, with their speed, psychic abilities and specialized warriors making them one of the setting’s most distinctive factions.
The Aeldari have also been a familiar presence in previous Warhammer games, including the original Dawn of War series. Their absence from Dawn of War IV’s launch lineup therefore stands out, particularly for players who expected the sequel to draw from the broader history of 40K strategy games . There’s also another upcoming 40K strategy game taking a different approach. Total War: Warhammer 40,000 will launch with the Aeldari alongside Space Marines, Astra Militarum and Orks, making them a playable faction from day one in Creative Assembly’s game.
Will the Eldar Be Added to Dawn of War 4?
There hasn’t been any official confirmation that the Aeldari will be the next Dawn of War IV faction. However, King Art has confirmed that the game’s post-launch support will include a new faction as part of the paid Aftermath expansion. The developer hasn’t revealed which faction it will be, saying it wants to keep that information secret for now.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV is being published by Deep Silver on PC via Steam, and will launch on Dec. 3, 2026.
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