Dawn of War Walkthrough: Part 1, the Original Tartarus Campaign (All 11 Missions)

This is part 1 of our full Dawn of War walkthrough. It covers the original campaign on the planet Tartarus, where you lead Captain Gabriel Angelos and the Blood Ravens. It is a linear campaign of 11 missions, from the first landing in Planet Fall to the final battle in All Out War.

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The whole walkthrough

How this campaign works

You play the Space Marines in every mission. The missions come in a fixed order and each one unlocks the next. Your army does not carry over: each map gives you a set of starting units and a list of objectives.

The enemies change as the story goes on: first Orks, then the Eldar, and finally Chaos.

Planet Fall

The first mission is a soft tutorial. You land on Tartarus while Orks attack the planet.

1. Build your base and capture the nearby Strategic Points. Put a Listening Post on each one.
2. Push out and destroy the Ork camps. This is the main objective.
3. Optional: secure the spaceport and save the Tartarus Defense Force soldiers.

Infiltration

This one starts with a small group of Scouts and no base.

1. Keep the Scouts on infiltrate so normal Orks can't see them. Watch out for the Nob leader, who can detect them.
2. Sneak to the first objective to pick up a sniper Scout squad.
3. Kill the Nob. Once he is down, Tactical Marines and your Commander drop in.
4. Build a base around the Strategic Points, then reclaim the waterworks and cleanse the valley of Orks. Optional: kill the Orks on the land bridge and upgrade your Listening Post and Stronghold.

Under Siege

The Orks have taken a city and you must retake the city and destroy the Ork structures.

1. Start on defense. Capture the two outposts your men stand next to and build turrets there.
2. Add heavy bolter squads for infantry and missile launchers for vehicles.
3. Optional: capture all Strategic Points and find the lost troop. Extra soldiers are always useful here.
4. When your line is stable, attack. Hit the Mek Shops first to slow down their tank production.

On high difficulty the Orks bring many Looted Tanks, so you will need Dreadnoughts or plenty of missiles.

Destroy the Xenos

Now you take the fight to the Orks. The goals are to clear the Orks, build a base, destroy the Ork clan's camps and kill the Warboss and his base.

1. You start with Whirlwinds and Assault Marines. The Whirlwinds begin on cease fire, so set them to fire before you rely on them to hit buildings.
2. Build up before you push. A strong group of Dreadnoughts with infantry behind them works well against the Ork camps.
3. When you reach the Warboss, focus fire with bolters, plasma and snipers.

A New Lead

The Eldar show up for the first time. You must move Gabriel and the Librarian Isador to the far end of the map, which means beating everything in the way.

1. Move as one group. Eldar Dark Reapers set ambushes along the route.
2. Look for Webway Gates. They let the Eldar teleport troops around, so destroy them fast. They are fragile, and heavy bolters are enough.
3. After the last fight on the ridge, walk Gabriel and Isador to the objective marker to win.

Into the Maw

You must destroy the Webway Gates across the map and reach an old dig site.

1. Build a solid base first. You will face repeated attacks, including vehicles.
2. Bring anti-tank weapons and kill enemy walkers first, because they do the most damage.
3. Be careful with your own vehicles near Eldar weapon platforms, which are deadly to tanks. Send infantry first.
4. Break through the defenses and reach the dig site to finish.

Sacrifice

The main goal is to capture the monument. A river splits the map and the only bridge starts closed, so this mission plays in two halves.

1. Turtle at first. Take the two Strategic Points inside your base, build generators and work toward vehicles.
2. Grab the free Relic early. Be careful with the Strategic Point on the left: taking it draws tank attacks, so wait until you can hold it.
3. Optional goals: destroy the Avatar, secure the Imperial relic and gain control of the bridge.
4. Once the way is open, move to the dig site to win.

The Eldar Avatar is a big melee monster. Shoot it from range with your heavy weapons and keep your Commander out of a one-on-one fight with it.

The Chapel

Chaos is now out in the open. Your goals are to stop the Chaos forces before they release a key, cleanse the traitor Imperial Guard, reinforce the outpost before Chaos overruns it, and break into the chapel.

1. A chasm splits the map. Secure the second Marine base on the far side first.
2. The Chaos base is to the north and west, behind the chapel. Push there once your outpost is safe.
3. You must go in through the chapel's front doors. You can't sneak around for the key.
4. Optional: cleanse the Chaos taint at the chapel.

Unholy Ceremony

To win you must capture all four Relics and hold them for a short time. You don't have to destroy the Chaos bases, but there are two of them and both will send attacks.

1. Do not rush the Relics. Push north first and break their base.
2. Kill their vehicle and daemon buildings early so the attacks get weaker.
3. When the enemy is crippled, sweep the map with tanks, take the last Relics and wait for the timer.

Old Friend

Isador has turned to Chaos. The goals are to destroy all Chaos forces and kill the traitor Librarian Isador. There are no optional goals.

1. Most of the map is free when you start. Take Strategic Points fast and fortify them.
2. There are three Chaos bases around the central Relic area. Expect mixed attacks, so build a strong defense early.
3. Kill the Daemon Pit early if you can. It stops the worst attacks before they begin.
4. One option: infiltrate Scouts close to Isador, then drop Dreadnoughts on him.

On higher difficulty Chaos may send Bloodthirsters, so keep a strong defense at home.

All Out War: the Daemon Prince

The final mission has one goal: kill the Daemon Prince. The Alpha Legion sorcerer Sindri Myr becomes the Daemon Prince during this level. The Eldar are on the map too, and they help you by drawing enemy fire.

1. Send a small force to cover the Eldar base early. If the Eldar survive the opening, the rest of the map is much easier.
2. Chaos uses Possessed squads and raids. Move in groups of two squads plus a vehicle or your Commander, not single squads.
3. Once you have a lascannon Predator, wipe out the small Chaos base, then take the centre and steal Strategic Points around the main Chaos base.
4. Your raids will often pull the Daemon Prince out of his base. Kill him in the open with everything you have. If he stays home, bring your full army to him.

Tips for this part

• Read the objectives often. New goals pop up mid-mission and some have timers.
• Reinforce, don't rebuild. Topping up a hurt squad is cheaper than training a new one.
• Kill production buildings first. Mek Shops, Webway Gates and the Daemon Pit decide how hard a mission feels.
• Build a missile answer early. Every faction you meet here brings vehicles or big monsters by the middle of the map.

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My take

I still think this is the best place to start with Dawn of War. It is short, it teaches you the Space Marines properly, and the jump from Orks to Eldar to Chaos keeps it fresh. Unholy Ceremony and Old Friend are the real tests, not the finale. Which mission gave you the most trouble?

FAQ

How many missions are in the original Dawn of War campaign?

Eleven. They run from Planet Fall to All Out War, and you play the Blood Ravens in all of them.

How long is the Dawn of War campaign?

It depends a lot on difficulty and play style. The early missions are short, but the later ones can take 40 minutes to an hour each, so plan on several evenings.

How do you beat the Daemon Prince in Dawn of War?

Protect the Eldar early, take the map with grouped squads and tanks, then wait for the Daemon Prince to chase one of your raids. Kill him in the open with your whole army.

Do I need to do secondary objectives?

No. Only main objectives are needed to win. Secondary ones help, especially on hard difficulty, because they often give you units or map control.

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