Warhammer 40k Space Marine: The Dreadnought DLC

It isn’t often I’m glad I’m wrong, but today I am. Recently, I did a post about upcoming “Warhammer 40k: Space Marine” DLC which seemed to indicate that formidable Dreadnoughts would be coming to “SM” in some form or another. I speculated on several possibilities for this Dreadnought DLC and even though I postulated that it would ridiculous for Relic to craft a DLC like this and not let players pilot a Dreadnought, I eventually reached the conclusion that they would probably only be used as boss characters on new Exterminatus maps.

Well, it looks like thankfully I was wrong. The new DLC pack, titled “The Dreadnought,” is set for release on Jan. 24 and adds new maps as well as new game modes. The biggest addition of the DLC, though, is a new multiplayer mode titled Dreadnought Assault. In this mode, players fight to control a central point on the map and, once controlled, can spawn a player controlled Dreadnought to wreak havoc and continue to gain control points on the map. The Dreadnought will be equipped with Assault Cannon or Auto Cannon, a Meltagun and a Power Fist or Power Claw (depending on whether Space Marines or Chaos Marines capture it). The three new maps are titled “Desolation,” “Dome Mechanicus” and “Chem Refinery,” a new team-based mode called “Capture and Control” where players battle for locations across the map and score points for maintaining control. This DLC will also introduce new achievements to “SM.”

Even the ruinous powers of Chaos will be able harness

the power of the Dreadnought.

Releasing “The Dreadnought” at this time of the year was a great move by Relic. With nearly zero quality releases in the post-holiday season gaming climate and most gamers (like myself) running out of quality things to play (or just looking to take a break from Skyrim), “The Dreadnought” is the perfect way to draw people back to “SM.”

If you know anything about the “WH40k” universe, you know that there is a wealth of different vehicles and mechanized monstrosities that “SM” could’ve drawn on. Prior to the release of The Dreadnought, fans had to make do with just Imperium vs. Chaos Marine battles, with only a handful of non-playable vehicles making an appearance in the single player campaign. I’m very much looking forward to seeing how this new mode plays out and just how the Dreadnoughts will handle. From what I read, once a Dreadnought is destroyed a new capture point will spawn so that another can be summoned to the battlefield.

Hopefully this is just the first of many vehicles we see added to “SM.” Though the Space Marines themselves don’t make use of many vehicles (save for a few like the Valkyrie Gunship and the Land Raider heavy armor transport), the Imperial Guard have a wealth of vehicles such as the Leman Russ battle tank (and its variant the Chimera), the Sentinel walker and the Baneblade super-heavy tank that would fit perfectly in “SM” – especially now that Dreadnoughts are being introduced. Only time will tell about upcoming “SM” DLC because honestly, I’m too busy salivating over the possibility of crushing some heretical Chaos Marines with a Dreadnought power fist to think about much else.

For more info, visit the official Space Marine website