Last week, Darren, David and Tim gave some general pointers based on what they see when playing Dawn of War III. This week, our Devtest dynamos drop knowledge on their favourite strats, combos, units and more!
We started with a bit of hero talk, asking the gang who they think the most underrated Elites are. “People have this thing where they know seven-point Elites are strong, but think they’re no way near a nine or ten point Elite so they don’t take them,” says Tim. “Seven-point Elites can get a lot done; you can use them to close out a game before the big stuff arrives.”
“Totally,” adds David. “Even if they do get a super walker on the field, seven-point Elites can really contest them with the right support.”
Moving on to their personal favourites, both David and Darren are big fans of Gabriel Angelos. “Gabe’s timing is just perfect. When he comes out at his four-point, there’s not much that can counter him, he can turn the tide, or even contest points on his own,” said Darren.
David says, “when Gabe goes out, that’s when I win. I love to commit to that Elite Resource Point to get Gabe early and go on an immediate push. It’s so effective, and quite often the enemy can’t recover from that.”
As a side note, David pointed out that some players aren’t paying enough attention to the Elite Timer, which is a great tool for planning and optimizing your attacks. For those not in the know, you can hover over the Elite resource icon to see the amount of time until your next Elite point.
Tim has a lot of time for Da Kommando. “I love setting up combos with him, like using the shotgun to knock squads into the Stuntrap before blowing them up. He suits my playstyle because I’m a micro player.”
Speaking of micro and macro, the team agree that players who rely more heavily on either style can still be successful in this game. For those of us who aren’t super dexterous APM lords, Darren points out that “you can make smart choices with Elite and Doctrine selection to get more out of your army while you focus more on the macro.”
Game size also has an effect on the micro vs macro balance. “I do feel that 2v2s and especially 3v3s are more about the macro game than 1v1,” says Tim. “Winning a 3v3 in less than 15 minutes is much harder due to the number of units and Elites in the game. This means your team has more time to focus on the macro than you would if you were playing alone.”
Darren adds, “any economy advantage you gain is two or threefold; killing some add-ons puts all three of your opponents behind by that loss, which is pretty huge. With good players, it really becomes a game of smart economy management, tiering up effectively, and picking the right counters.”
David, who’s probably the best 1v1 player in the studio says, “When I’m playing solo, I just want to finish it fast. I take early and mid-game Elites, and really focus on my micro to close out the game quickly. In my opinion, too many players go for end game Elites in 1v1.”
Speaking of micro, it all comes down to cool combos, doesn’t it? Darren has an outrageous late game combo that he crudely dubs ‘The Eldar Toilet.’ He kicks off by throwing Macha’s Spear and placing a chunk of enemy troops in stasis. Next, using a Ranged Wraithknight he casts Distortion Rift on top of the immobilized squads. Breaking the stasis with Macha, foes get sucked towards the center of the rift while the Wraithknight unleashes a devastating Focused Beam, removing the trapped units from existence.
Tim is an enthusiast for all things Orky. An Ork strat that he likes to roll with involves Gorgutz, scrap-upgraded Shoota Boyz, and the Tonz O’ Bombz Doctrine. Gorgutz whirls his Spinnin’ Klaw and walks down the enemy while the Shoota Boyz follow in close behind. Once inside grenade range, Tim slams Wreckin’ Klaw down, knocking all affected units to the center. Almost simultaneously, the Shoota Boyz fling a barrage of Stikkbombz overhead, incinerating the targeted troops.
Loyal servant of the Emperor that he is, David usually plays as Space Marines. He’s a fan of using Scouts for the valuable intel they provide and for their ability kick off disruptive stun combos. One way he likes to do this is have Scouts in position near an enemy anti-armour unit like Tankbustas or Wraithguard. He’ll then use the Scout’s grenade to blind and silence the target, before jumping them with Assault Marines and tying them up in melee combat. With the anti-armour units out the way, this tactic all comes together with the use of Land Speeders, who zoom in and wreak havoc on anything with light armour.
We hope you’ve enjoyed hearing from our best players, and that you’ve picked up a few helpful tips along the way. We’re fed up of getting roflstomped by these guys, so if any of you pros feel like giving them a taste of their own medicine some time, we’re rooting for you!