Dawn of War 4 Leaves Out Gabriel Angelos to Keep the Balance

Gamescom 2025 brought plenty of surprises, but for Warhammer 40,000 fans one detail stood out immediately: Gabriel Angelos, the face of the original Dawn of War trilogy, won’t be marching into Dawn of War 4.

King Art Games’ creative director Jan Theysen confirmed that the legendary Blood Ravens Chapter Master has been deliberately left out of the sequel.

Angelos has been at the heart of Dawn of War since 2004, rising from Captain to Chapter Master, wielding the iconic God-Splitter hammer, and leading the Blood Ravens against Orks, Eldar, Chaos, and more. But that steady rise also created a problem. By the end of Dawn of War 3, he was practically a demi-god on the battlefield. As Theysen put it, keeping him would mean either starting the game with an overpowered commander or inventing a contrived excuse to strip him of his powers – neither of which fit the studio’s vision.

King Art Games wants Dawn of War 4 to feel closer to the roots of the franchise, a return to the grittier, squad-focused strategy of the first game rather than the MOBA-like tendencies of Dawn of War 3. That means commanders should be powerful, but not god-tier. Instead of Angelos, players will see the return of Cyrus, the hardened Scout Sergeant last seen in Dawn of War 2, and Jonah Orion, the Chief Librarian whose psychic powers were central in Chaos Rising and Dawn of War 3. Both characters now appear as upgraded Primaris Marines, with refreshed designs that reflect the latest Warhammer 40K lore.

Theysen also hinted at more than ten commanders across four factions, suggesting plenty of room for both new faces and old favorites to re-emerge – just not Gabriel Angelos. For fans, it’s a bold decision, one that underlines the studio’s determination to reset the balance of its iconic RTS series.

While the absence of the Blood Ravens’ most famous leader may sting, Dawn of War 4 is shaping up to be a return to form: a strategy game about armies, not superheroes.