Steam is running a half-off sale on all Dawn of War games today, in addition to the unrelated half-off sale of the Civilization IV Complete pack. The entire Civ IV Complete pack--which includes Civ IV, the Warlords and Beyond the Sword expansions, and the Civ IV: Colonization spin-off--can be had for only $20. That sale runs through Friday, while the Dawn of War discount only lasts the rest of the day.

Relic's RTS Dawn of War II is getting a sizable boost tomorrow with "The Last Stand" update. The following video outlines the new multiplayer survival mode included in the patch.

While the update primarily adds the new mode, it also brings a number of balancing changes and bug fixes to the game. For a full list of the content, check out this post.

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Relic has released the patch notes for Dawn War of 2's 'Last Stand' update, which arrives tomorrow with a new multiplayer survival mode and continues to tweak the major multiplayer rebalancing brought about by the RTS's recent 'There Is Only War' update.

Relic recently announced a standalone expansion titled 'Chaos Rising,' bringing Chaos Space Marines to the Warhammer 40,000 real-time strategy in Spring 2010.

As well as tweaks to all races, you'll find AI and pathing improvements, bug fixes and two new multiplayer maps in the sizeable Last Stand changelog below... Read more

The Chaos Space Marines are coming to Relic's Warhammer 40,000 RTS-RPG hybrid Dawn of War 2 in a standalone expansion titled 'Chaos Rising,' THQ announced today.

Twenty missions once again star the Blood Ravens, continuing from a savegame or starting with a kitted-out squad. The level cap is raised to thirty and new wargear can be found, including powerful Chaos-tainted items with the risk of "dreadful consequences".

Chaos Space Marines will be playable in multiplayer, and each faction will pick up a new unit. New maps and "a suite of innovative multiplayer options"... Read more

The joys of cooperative survival are coming to Dawn of War 2 in a new mode titled The Last Stand, Relic has announced, celebrated with screenshots and a cinematic trailer.

Up to three players will face varied waves of enemies as an Ork Mekboy, Eldar Farseer or Space Marine Captain, with persistent levels to unlock new weapons and armour.

The Last Stand will arrive alongside two new multiplayer maps, balance tweaks and bug fixes in a free update to Relic's Warhammer 40,000 PC real-time strategy this October. Read on to treat your eyes with a Space-Mexican standoff... Read more

This week's Steam weekend sale sees the THQ Collector's pack discounted, while being simultaneously bolstered by the addition of Dawn of War II.

The pack, which includes 13 THQ games, is on sale for 25% off the usual $100--in other words, $75 total. For just over the price of a console game--or Modern Warfare 2, that is--you'll be playing Company of Heroes, Titan Quest, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Full Spectrum Warrior, and plenty of Warhammer RTS goodness. If you don't already own much of this, it's a tough one to pass up.

To celebrate the arrival of the anticipated Dawn of War 2 "There Is Only War" update, Steam has launched a 50% off sale on Relic titles.

All Dawn of War games will be 50% off on Steam this weekend, including Dawn of War 2, which knocks the great RTS title down to $25.

Company of Heroes games are also benefiting from the sale, with Company of Heroes Gold and the recent Tales of Valor expansion both set to $15.

The largest update to Dawn of War 2 yet, a patch dubbed "There Is Only War," goes live tomorrow according to Relic.

"There Is Only War" adds eight new maps, makes significant changes to the game's balance, and includes a new "observer" feature for match spectating.

Those looking for some dense reading material can check out the patch notes for a more detailed look at the changes.

Direct2Drive's got the best sale of the week, but there's a whole range of diverse deals out there competing for your weakened dollar. Let's get to it:

• Direct2Drive has marked down its THQ catalog by 50%, making Dawn of War II $25, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. $10, and Saints Row 2 $15.

• Steam is running a 75%-off deal on Men of War ($7.50), and 50%-off sales on Velvet Assassin ($25) and X3: Terran Conflict ($20).

• Impulse and GamersGate are offering all Paradox Interactive... Read more

The beta for the Dawn of War 2 update 'There Is Only War' is now live on Steam.

Users can participate by opting into the beta. In Steam, select "file," choose "settings," and then under the "beta participation" section, click "change." Select Dawn of War 2, restart Steam, and the patch will automatically download.

The beta brings eight new multiplayer maps, balance changes, bug fixes, and a multiplayer map editor to Relic's RTS.

The insanely long list of content is copied below:... Read more

Mere hours before it was slated to begin, the public beta for the impending Dawn of War II (PC) update "There is Only War" update has been briefly delayed due to technical snag.

Developer Relic now expects the public beta test to kick off tomorrow, July 2, at 2:00 PM PST. "We know you're all really excited to get your hands on the new maps, balance and features - so are we," reads a developer update. "Please bear with us."

The massive update brings a ridiculous amount of tweaks to the action-RTS, including new multiplayer maps, balance changes, bug fixes, and a new multiplayer map editor.

Owners of the game will be able to obtain the beta patch by going into the Steam settings menu and choosing to participate in the appropriately listed beta. The patch can be removed by reversing those directions, with the final version expected later this summer.

Servants of the God-Emperor eager to get their power fists on the beta for Dawn of War 2's 'There Is Only War' update need wait only a little longer, a new blog entry reveals.

The beta will begin at 2pm PST on July 1 and run until July 13, handled by Steam's own beta participation system. "The more you tell us about your experience in the Beta," Relic urges, "the better the game will be when 'There is Only War' is fully released."

'There Is Only War' significantly rebalances Relic's PC RTS, as well as adding eight new maps and a multiplayer map editor. The gigantic full patch notes follow... Read more

Relic has released another Dawn of War 2 Battle Report, this time illustrating the 'There Is Only War' update's reworked balance with a Space Marine versus Ork matchup.

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'There Is Only War' also brings eight new maps and a map editor to the Warhammer 40K RTS. The patch is due later this summer, with an open beta beginning in early July.

Dawn of War 2 will indeed receive multiplayer map editor--as previously teased--in the PC strategy title's 'There Is Only War' update, Relic has confirmed in a blog post.

The editor will allow the creation of maps for 2, 4 or 6 players, with tools to "deform terrain, place cover objects, choose the weather, and define the size of the map."

'There Is Only War' is set to arrive this Summer, with an open beta starting in early July.

A screenshot of the Dawn of War II map editor posted on the game's blog with only the title "Incoming..." as explanation has sparked hopes that Relic will release the tool publicly.

"We haven't officially announced anything yet," wrote Dawn of War II producer Mark Noseworthy coyly in a forum thread. "The images are pretty interesting though. That is indeed a picture from our Map Editor."

Both the original Dawn of War and Relic's WW2 RTS Company of Heroes--built upon an earlier version of the Essence Engine DoW 2 uses--received editors soon after launch.

A huge Dawn of War II update titled "There is Only War" is currently the works, bringing eight new multiplayer maps and a large-scale rebalancing--as explained in a battle report. The update is due in the summer, with an open beta set to begin in early July.

Relic has released a lengthy new video showing off the many changes coming to Dawn of War II in the upcoming "There is Only War" update. The video, done in the style of Blizzard's StarCraft II battle reports, features Relic balancers Colin Hamilton and Braden Chan duking it out in a Tyranid/Eldar match on the new Outer Reaches map. Dawn of War II lead designer Jonny Ebbert and balance designer Clint Tasker narrate.

Check out the video below:... Read more

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II (PC) developer Relic today pulled back the curtain on the summer-due "There is Only War" update, said to bring "new features, major balance improvements, and new content" to the action-RTS.

In terms of content, eight new multiplayer maps (seen above), ranging from 1v1 to 3v3, and the ability to spectate custom multiplayer matches will be included.

To help test the various changes and bug fixes, an open beta for the update will be held in early July. The beta will be open to all Dawn of War II owners, according to a developer update, and more details are due in the coming weeks. Thanks to eonix for the tip.

Developer Relic has announced that it is already "hard at work" on a 1.4 patch for Dawn of War 2, which will include "many bug fixes, a balance update, new maps, and some awesome new features."

In addition, a 1.3.2 patch for the game will be out tomorrow. The continuous support is part of Relic's plan to improve its patch pipeline over the original Dawn of War.

The 1.3.2. patch notes follow:

• Adjusted the Orbital Bombardment ability to increase... Read more

More than a week of teases later, Dawn of War 2 developer Relic has revealed that the next patch for its PC RTS will arrive tomorrow, Tuesday May 12, at 11 AM PST.

The free download adds a new two-on-two multiplayer mode, complete with two new maps, along with AI fixes, user interface tweaks, and various other changes. For details on everything that tomorrow will bring, see the full patch notes below... Read more

The third post on the upcoming 1.3 patch for Dawn of War 2 details the improvements made to the game's AI.

"The AI can now balance its resources much better," writes developer Relic. "The AI also selects from its potential units in a more intelligent way, building counters to what the player is producing."

Additionally, Relic also noted that the AI now be smart enough to avoid blindly capturing points as you blast them to bits.

The post ends with a few notes on bug fixes: "The most noticeable one will be the targeting of abilities. The computer now knows how to stomp and kill with abilities like jump, grenades, AOE attacks, and even Orbital Bombardment and Eldritch Storm."