The journey towards 7.0 (Part5) news - Unification Mod - Dawn of War: SoulStorm for Dawn of War

Welcome back commanders, comrades and all. Your patience and zeal is now finally rewarded.
For our Crusade against the lapdogs of the Emperor has only just began!

And soon, on the battlefields themselves. As we have promised, this marks the very last Dev Blog we will be posting before Version 7.0 at last becomes available for download. And what best way to conclude this great journey than one of the most requested factions, Imperial Guard but Chaos.

Bah, we jest. If you have been following us, you know already it wouldn't be that easy.
Originally, the Renegade Guard race was indeed just that. While offering two paths, the only effective difference being the elected Main Commander you picked.

But as the Renegades are a vast faction in Warhammer 40k, encompassing many Chaos Regiments, we thought would be better to expand on the idea of having two separate paths, to represent better their broad array of the servants of the Ruinous Powers. One based on the more contemporary representation of the Renegades and the other of older, more classical interpretations of a Chaotic Guard, back when GW allowed for more fantasy to roam freely when creating them.

Without any further due, the first branch is the already confirmed(and definitely most missing from 6.9, when the Death Korps were added), the Vraksian Militia.

The main antagonists of the Siege of Vraks as well as the main representative of an Undivided Renegade Guard faction(unlike the Khornate Blood Pact, the House Glaw Slaaneshi and the Nurglite Moebian 6th), the Vraksian Militia was once a loyalist Regiment heiling from their namesake System, the Vraksian Cluster. All changed however when the System Arch-cardinal, Giuseppe Xaphan(voiced by the one and only, Caldaris) was enlightened to the truths of the Universe and the Immaterium and roused the masses of Vraks against the tyranny of the Corpse Emperor. Such was their might, that needed the combined forces(and a great death toll) of the Inquisition, the Death Korps of Krieg as well as several Astartes Legions, include a World Eaters Warband that turned against everyone, just to pacify them.

Pacify for a time, but not forever. For the Voice of Xaphan is echoed once again in the voxes all across the Imperium, calling the populous to rejoin the truth of the Warp! For Peace can only be achieved through Power! And Power, through Sacrifice!

Gameplay wise, this branch combines aspects of both the regular Imperial Guard and mirror their arch-nemesis, the Death Korps. As the Forges of Vraks, while somewhat rebuilt thanks to the assistance of other Warp Forges, like those of Xana II, they are still pretty outdated and limited in materials. Thus, the Vraksians have to make due with older but always trusty equipment, like the Malcador and Macharius tanks as well as their abundance in Autoguns over Lasguns.

However, what they can't do with technology, they do with numbers and human wave tactics. A revolution after is carried by the its own supporters. Expand your influence and reach and bring more and more revolutionaries to the fold. The People will draw the tyrants of the Emperor, in their own blood if they have to! For the Voice of Xaphanism can not be silenced!

That being said, it does not mean they are alone on this quest. The Ruinous Powers look with great interest this Great Trial, and are willing to accept a tribute and devotion, provided they are deemed worthy to make it to that stage.
Unlike the Prayer System introduced to their ideological allies, the Chaos Space Marines, at Tier 2 the Renegades can select one of the Five Marks of Chaos to devote themselves. Each Mark gives its own corresponding properties as well as unlocking certain new upgrades and researches. Study your enemy and use the gifts given to you accordingly. Glory to the Ruinous Powers! Glory to Xaphan!

Pictured: The Sire of Doom, the Tier 2 Titan of the Vraksian Militia, incredibly voiced by Gyle. You may recognise him from his YouTube channel Gylecast where he casts very entertaining Supreme Commander matches and we really thank him for doing this cameo for us for this version!

As usual by now, Xaphan, ehm, I mean Caldaris has prepared a preview of the Vraksian Branch. As always keep in mind until the actual release day, all you see are still a Work-In-Progress and not final!

Taking a short break, we would like to add that with 7.0, as you may have seen on our Server(or checked previous ModDB posts), we are adding new Game Modes.

These being Assault Mode, Space Hulk and Darktide. In particular for the later, it will launch in 7.0 as a more of a "testing" state, like gow Assault Mode was(which is now complete) and will be further expanded for future, taking always into account public feedback.
We can however confirm that multiple visual styles for the heroes(using the corresponding units from each race) will be available at the 7.0 version.

With that concluded, we now move to the great elephant in the room. The mysterious second branch, that we have been teasing all these months, both here and on the server. Which indeed, while the Vraksians represent the contemporary Renegade Guard, this branch goes back in the past(while still canon, do not worry). And something we have been really excited to show you, as we believe you like them as much as we enjoyed making them! And thus, with no other interruptions, we present th--

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