Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising PC
  • Publisher: THQ
  • Release Date: Mar 11, 2010
User Score
8.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 209 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 187 out of 209
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 209
  3. Negative: 13 out of 209

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  1. FrankSauce
    Mar 26, 2010
    10
    Better than Dawn of War 2, shorter but definitely sweeter, and lots new content. Anybody who complains that the 8 - 10 hour campaign is too short (especially for $30!) are just spoiled and can't appreciate how packed and carefully crafted the whole experience feels. Especially if people generally agree that a 4 - 6 hour campaign for Modern Warfare 2 is worth $70.
  2. SteveM
    Mar 16, 2010
    10
    Chaos Rising is a great addition to DoW2. The single player campaign is very intense and really refelcts the Warhammer: 40, 000 lore. The RPG elements of it make u attached to ur units and the pursuit of better wargear really has u coming back for more. The option to be evil and become corrupt or noble and stay true to the Space Marines, also adds to the replayability of the SP campaign. The SP campaign has also ditched some of the tedious missions from the original, it has some really unique missions that are the best i've seen since Warcraft 3!!(none of that uninspired "destroy enemy base to win the mission" type stuff, really unique mission designs). l Multiplayer has been imrpoved w/ the addition of Chaos faction, which in itself is a badass and exciting faction to play. All users recieve the new units that come with CR for all the other factions, and the addition of new unis for last stand and free for all MP mode makes this a must have game. Relic is renowned for continuing to support its games after releasing it, unlike other developers, and DoW2 and Company of Heroes are testaments to that fact! Graphics are absolutely gorgeous and u dont need a power house of a computer to enjoy them, its without a doubt the best looking RTS on the market. Sound is exciting and heart thumping & add to the atmosphere. W/ all that said, this is without a doubt the best expansion i've played in ages. If u loved DoW2 this is a must buy, if u love RTS games this is a must buy, and if didnt care for the original it'll definitly suck u in w/ all the additions.… Expand
  3. PeterL
    Mar 24, 2010
    10
    The first game was great, but not worth a 10. However, ever negative element of that game is gone now - singleplayer is more creative, free additions to multiplayer, a new race, and its more balanced than ever. I highly reccomend this game if your computer can run it.
  4. Thunderkat
    Nov 25, 2010
    10
    Absolutely excellent. Fun game play, more fun from the 40k Dawn of War franchise. If you liked the first one, you'll probably love this one. Great story, great acting, fun game play. imaginative universe fully realized and very enjoyable!
    And best of all, a challenging and climactic ending!
    Enjoy!
  5. Pandarve
    Jul 28, 2012
    8
    Chaos Rising continues where Dawn of War 2 left off but leaves something behind in the process. It still attains the same quality and RTS/RPG-hybrid gameplay and even adds some new twists and turns which keep the game interesting but do cause the game to become slightly repetitive because of its more linear storyline and a lack of new unit types to play with. Now that the Tyranid threat has been dealt with, Chaos is introduced and instead of deciding what planets to save from the Tyranid threat, the player finds himself weighing the pros and cons of using "corrupted" items and performing "corrupted" deeds that will steer the squads away from purity and onwards to new, game-altering abilities. On top of that, a new unit called a "Librarian" is introduced which focuses heavily on casting offensive and defensive spells and the level cap has been raised to 30. Players are also allowed to import their old squads (and a part of their equipment) from a Dawn of War 2 campaign in order to play on with their old outfit. And if you're not satisfied with that setup, the game allows you to re-roll all your stats after the first mission. Loot rates have dropped drastically but that makes the lure of corrupted items all the stronger. A must-play for those who have played Dawn of War 2 as it is basically a continuation of the story.… Expand
  6. Sprogger
    Feb 3, 2012
    3
    The multiplayer is dead and it uses windows live. The campaign is fun but beyond that there's really nothing past that in this game. thank god i bought it on sale!
  7. OllieT
    Mar 14, 2010
    8
    As an RTS expansion this is a very good example. although one could be a lil critical as to say why couldnt there have been 2 new armies like the old dawn of war series instead of just chaos. there are plenty of nice additions such as weapons and upgrades. the new level cap feels like it could of been a little bigger than just 10 levels as you get to level 30 pretty fast. its obvious though that there will more expansions continuing with the blood ravens so a max level 30 is sensible. the corruption mechanics in the game are kinda cool although there arnt that many in game events where ur actions have consequences i would of hoped for more. it feels a lil half arsed. one could also complain at the fact there is no real benefit to keeping ur squads "rightious" where there is a plenty of cool abilities for being evil. i feel that thq have been quite clever in doin this as it makes the path of corruption much more appealing. overall the game is fun and well paced. the missions are all unique unlike dawn of war 2. the story is pretty good and leaves it on a cliff hanger for the next expansion. it you liked the first dawn of war 2 then u will like this. shop around though as it might not be worth the total £30 to some.… Expand
  8. ThomasP
    Mar 14, 2010
    4
    The multiplayer additions are great, but im seething over the addition of the tyranid to last stand.... that could have been done from the beginning. I'm also incredibly sore over the fact that no matter what you do, you are playing Codex Blood Ravens online. I DEMAND to know where my chaplain is. I can lay the same complaints against the other races; where is my brood-lord, where are the other eldar exarchs.... Obviously theres some legal reasons for this one, becuase lawyers are nice like that, but I really wish Slaanesh was there too. Overall, these complaints would give it a score of 8/10. So why am I being vitriolic with a 4/10? Campaign is awful. The story is miserable and the missions between beginning and end incredibly short. Even after having listend to everyone on the missions, I often found myself running around without a clue of what i was doing. And then theres my problem with the voice acting, which was bad in the last one, but in chaos rising its just plain awful. The onyl redeeming feature on the campaign is the corruption factor. I found the librarian incredibly useless. I had and still have no motivation for using him. bah, im done whining.… Expand
  9. JamesJ
    Mar 28, 2010
    7
    The multiplayer additions are brilliant, the new chaos race is incredibly cool, and the two new last stand heroes add new life to the mode. The singleplayer is short, very slow to start, and linear in the worst kind of way. I can't see how anyone could review the SP and come away with a positive rating, because it just doesn't deserve it. There are a couple of action packed missions towards the very end, but where the first campaign relied heavily on tactical strategy and abilities, the chaos campaign relies on drag selecting all your units and flinging them into battle. There's a bit more subtlety, but without the space to flank or cover to hide behind, the experience is mind numbing. Take into account that dow2 players without the expansion received all the new maps and new units for the other four factions free, and there isnt much motivation to buy this game. If you have $30 around and want to play chaos (its an incredibly fun faction) then go ahead and get it, but for everyone else, I'd recommend waiting till they sell the expansion and the original together in a 30$ deal.… Expand
  10. AndrewK
    Mar 26, 2010
    9
    This expansion pack to the already great Dawn of War II is (metaphorically) more icing on an expertly crafted cake. Dawn of War II had almost everything I like in video games: strategy, good pacing, character choice, and involving characters. The story in DOW II was good, and Chaos Rising doesn't disappoint in that regard. The new chaos race is a blast to play as and the upgrades to the other races are very welcome. In the single player, 10 more levels and the corruption system add depth and more choices. So while the campaign is pretty freaking short, it's easily replayable. I guess the shortness of the campaign could be the only weakness in this package, but come on people, it's an expansion pack! A company with a more renowned name might have released something like this as a sequel. Accept it for what it is: an expansion pack. For half the price of a regular game, I say this is a good deal. If you liked Dawn of War II, you will love Chaos Rising.… Expand
  11. BrianD
    Mar 20, 2010
    0
    The game is broken and is not able to be completed by many users. There is a bug at the end of the game that causes a crash after a very annoying and long boss fight. If you jump on the Relic forums, you will see 5 pages of people posting about this with no solution from Relic. There is absolutely no point in playing a game that you cannot beat. I can deal with a bug here and there, but this game is broken to the point that it cannot be finished, which is a deal breaker for me.… Expand
  12. G4L_GAMMA_THREE
    Sep 11, 2010
    0
    This game holds none of the key elements of the table top game it is based after. The first dawn of war followed close with the elements and properly gave you the real felling of an rts as well as the table top game. All this game is an RPG placed under the wrong name and genre
  13. suneater
    Dec 11, 2012
    6
    The campaign for this expansion is superior gameplay-wise to the original DOW2's, albeit shorter. However it's still the same multiplayer (same awful matchmaking, no base management, etc.) so if you didn't enjoy DOW2 MP you won't like this any better. I love Chaos and all but I still prefer the original DOW because of its base management and faction diversity. Worth picking up if you liked DOW2 but won't win any new fans to the franchise.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 50 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 50
  3. Negative: 0 out of 50
  1. Multiplayer.it
    83
    Chaos Rising is the perfect expansion: everything you can expect from an add-on is there. A good single player with a story that follows Dawn of War II and several new things in the multiplayer starting from the new faction, the Chaos. The only negative aspect of the game is that the newcomers may feel it too complex, and only those who have played Dawn of War II will have the complete experience.
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  2. PC Gamer
    91
    Not everything is perfect, but you'd earn incompetence points by missing a refined and reduced-price version of Dawn of War II. [May 2010, p.72]
  3. Eurogamer
    90
    Chaos Rising is about as generous an expansion as you could possibly want. The single-player mode could stand to be a lot bigger, but it's gone to incredible lengths to address the main complaints about Dawn of War II.
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