Once a mission is chosen, the player may still have to choose between various objectives, having to decide between saving civilians or obtaining a powerful piece of wargear, for example.

There is a strong narrative focus on the sergeants of these squads who can increase in experience and skills as the campaign progresses, and cannot ultimately be killed.

Squad leaders and commander units can be equipped with the wargear which is gathered from battlefields and slain enemies and by accomplishing objectives during missions.

The Tactical Marines are potentially the most durable squad and a great addition in any mission, and later in the game even capable of utilizing Terminator armor.

A veteran of countless battles, Tarkus' professional, confident, seen-it-all demeanor makes him a model Space Marine Sergeant.

Devastator squad ranks highest in terms of raw damage and suppression abilities, although they lack in mobility and melee combat capabilities.

A former ganger on Meridian, Thaddeus was the first recruit from that planet in decades, and, although over 80 years old, is considered young and inexperienced compared to his fellow Sergeants, all veterans of several centuries.

While Scouts are equipped with the ubiquitous bolters by default, and Cyrus can be trained to use flamers, their most effective weapons are unique to the squad - combat shotguns and sniper rifles.

Cyrus also gains a special ability depending on the weapon he wields, for example the "Headshot" skill for sniper rifles.

The camouflage ability allows the squad to scout ahead undetected and, when upgraded, to deploy traps and explosives without compromising themselves.

His default armament - a pair of arms ending in massive power fists, with a flamer fixed under one of them - is geared for melee.

The focus in the game is on frontline combat and unit-based tactics rather than the more traditional base-building style popularized in titles like Command & Conquer and the Age of Empires series.

Following heavy losses suffered in the Kaurava campaign, the Blood Ravens Space Marine chapter have returned to their home system, Sub-Sector Aurelia, to rebuild.

The game opens with the player and Sergeant Tarkus deep-striking onto the desert planet Calderis to aid Captain Davian Thule and his initiates.

Cyrus, noting the Orks are displaying unusual strategic skill when picking their targets, hypothesizes they are being directed by an unknown third part, a sentiment Thule agrees with.

As the Warlock dies he speaks of a greater foe threatening them all that the Orks might have been used to delay, but the heroes remain unconcerned.

They travel to the jungle planet of Typhon Primaris to stop Eldar activity, as a Warp Spider Exarch is stirring up the Orks into revolt and must be eliminated.

Afterwards, Thule asks the player to return to Calderis as Mek Badzappa is launching an attack against the capital, and citizens are reporting plants mutating and small purple creatures killing livestock.

The Space Marines arrive and finally kill the Mek, but they are soon attacked by a force of Tyranids, the greater threat the Eldar warned of.

After this they are voxed by Captain Gabriel Angelos (the protagonist of the first game) who tells them that he is bringing his company to aid them in their battle to stop the Tyranids, and gives them three primary objectives: gather a pure sample of Tyranid bio-toxin so that poison can be created (and an antidote to possibly save Captain Thule's life); secure a long-lost Astronomic Array on Typhon, which can find a weakness in the Tyranid Hive Fleet; and gain control of the Angel Forge on the hive world of Meridian, the sector capital, to mass-produce the poisoned weaponry to arm Thule's ships.

Meridian is the target of constant Eldar attacks and it is slowly revealed that Idranel, a Farseer of Ulthwé, has been planning to lure the entire Tyranid fleet to Meridian and then destroy it, thus stopping the Tyranid threat and protecting their Craftworld but destroying a planet with population in excess of 32 billion Imperial citizens.

However, Captain Angelos's ship Litany of Fury and the rest of his fleet are psychically assaulted by the Hive Mind and are in grave danger of becoming lost in the Warp.

The player's entire strike team deploys on the planet and administers the poison to the Hive Mind through its feeder tendrils.

As the poison takes effect, all appears lost as the strike team has no means of retreat and massive waves of Tyranids are preparing to attack.

[17] Only purchasers of the Soulstorm expansion pack to Dawn of War were allowed to take part in the first phase of the beta.

Most reviewers have praised it for its fast-paced tactical gameplay and impressive graphics, while criticizing its small number of multiplayer maps, and lack of variety in single-player campaign missions.

GameSpy praised its removal of base building and its "seemingly unlikely hybrid" of real-time strategy and role-playing genres.

[26] Prior to the announcement on PC Gamer, several moderators for various fan sites were sent Warhammer 40,000 Chaos Terminator Lord Miniatures in boxes bearing Blood Ravens chapter logo and the number MMX.