Force Commander (Dark Crusade)

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This article is part of the Dawn of War Player's Guide. From RelicWiki

Dawn of War Commander Unit

Force Commander
Race	Space Marines
Version	Dark Crusade v1.2
Build Info
Hotkey F	Build Cost 260 50  Build Time 57 s Built From Chapel-Barracks Unit Size 1 Requires Nothing Limit 1
Unit Stats
Hitpoints	1875/2
Armour	Commander
Morale	700/12/50
Morale Bonus	+200/+2
Death Penalty	-150
Unit Mass	25
Move Speed	16
Sight Radius	30 (cannot detect)
Attachable	Yes
Weapons
Ranged	Bolt Pistol
Melee	Power Sword

Contents 1 Force Commander 2 Tactics 3 Abilities 3.1 Inspiring Aura 3.2 Battlecry 3.3 Orbital Bombardment 4 Weapons 4.1 Bolt Pistol 4.2 Power Sword 5 Weapon Upgrades 5.1 Plasma Pistol 5.2 Daemonhammer 6 Researchable Upgrades 6.1 Commander Veteran Upgrade 6.2 Commander Hero Upgrade 6.3 Inspiring Aura Research 6.4 Battlecry Research 6.5 Wargear: Plasma Pistols 6.6 Wargear: Power Weapons 6.7 Wargear: Power Fist 7 The Dawn of War Player's Guide

Force Commander

"He who stands with me shall be my brother."

The Force Commander leads his brother Space Marines into the maelstrom of battle, wielding the mighty Daemonhammer, imbued with the righteous fury of the Emperor. Skilled in close combat, and capable of taking a lot of damage, his superior hit points allow him to serve as a shield for more expensive units, as his combat skill is less than that of some other Commanders, such as the Chaos Lord.

In Dawn of War, Gabriel Angelos led the Blood Ravens forces on Tartarus. Davian Thule led them in their purge of Kronus in Dark Crusade.

Tactics

The Force Commander is the primary hero for the Space Marines and his main function is to enhance the damage of surrounding troops. Used wisely, the Force Commander can outshoot and outmelee other commanders or even vehicles while boasting tremendous battlefield influence.

With an impressive 1875 HP from the beginning, the Force Commander is among the most durable commanders in the game. Only the Ork Warboss and fully upgraded Necron Lord have more hit points than an upgraded Force Commander. This impressive durability compensates for the need of the Force Commander to close in to deal effective damage and allows him to draw fire which would otherwise target Tactical Space Marines. In fact, due to this reserve of hit points, the Force Commander will win a direct shootout with the Tau Commander if both shoot to the death.

Impressive in melee, the Force Commander's distinctive trademark is the property of being able to stun his enemies. This effect is short-lived but extremely noticeable when it does trigger. The Space Marine Chaplain also shares this stunning property and utilizing both commanders together is very effective in triggering the stun properties. This stunning can apply to vehicles as well.

Vitally necessary for ensuring the most use out of your Force Commander are the Wargear: Power Weapons and Wargear: Plasma Pistols researches at the Armoury and Commander Veteran Upgrades at the Sacred Artifact. The Plasma Pistol is an incredible asset in ranged fire, while the Power Weapons upgrade grants the Force Commander the powerful Daemonhammer. The upgrades at the Sacred Artifact upgrade the Daemonhammer rather than the Power Sword, so having the correct weapon is essential. The Daemonhammer is also dramatically more effective versus vehicles and daemons, as well as having a 100% accuracy rate as compared to 80% accuracy on the Power Sword. The Daemonhammer retains the stunning properties of the Power Sword, so there is no loss in upgrading.

In the mid-game, the Force Commander is better left on ranged stance due to the large number of high-powered anti-commander melee units such as Khorne Berzerkers, Ork Nobz, and Necron Flayed Ones. Allowing the Force Commander to be caught by those squads will result in the loss of your 260 50  investment quickly. Attaching the Force Commander to a Tactical Space Marine squad or to Grey Knights is preferable during most of this time period.

Attaching the Force Commander to a squad of Grey Knights will also grant him morale immunity, which is extremely helpful in combatting super units of other races, who would otherwise break the Force Commander early into the battle.

Utilizing the Chaplain and Librarian together with the Force Commander is a powerful combination. Using the trio on ranged stance with Plasma Pistols is a formidable offense, while approaching them in close combat is tricky due to their immense close-combat power and the Chaplain's healing auras. Using the three heroes in conjunction with a Skull Probe's Sabotage ability, a walker unit can be easily dispatched of. Killa Kans in particular are vulnerable to assault by the Force Commander and other heroes. Stun from the Skull Probe or distraction by another squad is necessary for vehicle takedown, though, as otherwise your own commanders will either break or be killed swiftly.

Late-game, a Force Commander is generally best attached to the durable Assault Terminators, though Grey Knights are a better complement for taking down daemons. When Assault Terminators teleport, the Force Commander will go with them, allowing for covert delivery into position for a prime Orbital Bombardment. As well, the stunning properties on the Daemonhammer complement the stunning properties on Assault Terminator Thunder Hammers, further enhancing the ability for that squad to lock down a troublesome unit.

The Force Commander also excels in a support role in the late-game due to the Inspiring Aura and Battle Cry abilities. Attaching the Force Commander in the midst of a large cluster of Heavy Weapon-equipped Tactical Space Marines and then using the Battle Cry will dramatically tip the battle in your favor. Also, the Force Commander is very effective against monster high uber units, such as the Bloodthirster and Avatar of Khaine. If the Force Commander does kill the Bloodthirster, he'll perform one of the most impressive sync kills in the game.

Most notably and most familiar to players is the iconic Orbital Bombardment ability of the Force Commander. Available upon completion of the Orbital Relay, the Force Commander has at his disposal a salvo of 15 Plasma Lances with which to disrupt infantry formations and assault buildings in a large radius. Infantry hit by a plasma lance will take approximately 100 damage and be flung a significant distance, including your own troops. Vehicles hit will take at least 400 damage per blast. Buildings hit by the lances will take 100 damage on average, though light buildings will receive four times that amount. This means that a bombardment focused solely on any building besides a Generator, Waaagh! Banner, or Listening Post will do approximately 1500 damage total. Keep that figure in mind when gauging which building to target with the Bombardment.

Abilities

Inspiring Aura

	Inspiring Aura
	Requires	Inspiring Aura Research
	Target Types	All infantry, all heavy infantry, and commanders
	Range	None
	Area of effect	15	Cooldown time	Passive ability
Effects	The damage of all infantry within the area of effect is increased by 10%.

Battlecry

	Battlecry			Hotkey: B
	Requires	Battlecry Research
	Target Types	All infantry, all heavy infantry, and commanders
	Range	None
	Area of effect	15	Cooldown time	120 s
Effects	For 10 seconds the damage of all infantry within the area of effect is increased by 40%.

Orbital Bombardment

	Orbital Bombardment			Hotkey: O
	Requires	Orbital Relay
	Target Types	Everything
	Range	40
	Area of effect	10 per shot	Cooldown time	240 s
Effects	The Force Commander calls down a barrage from the orbiting Battle Barge. Over 30 seconds, 16 randomly distributed shots rain down in a radius of 12 around the targeted location. Each blast does powerful knockback (50-60 force). Orbital Bombardment has a 3.5 s setup time. Note that the initial shot does full damage to monster high, vehicle medium, and vehicle high, but all subsequent shots do the printed 25% damage.
Damage Values Infantry Vehicles Buildings Daemons Base Damage Low Med High H.Med H.Hi Cmdr Low Med High Air Low Med High Med High Morale Min Max Min.D 405-480 81-96 81-96 101-120 101-120 162-192 243-288 81-96 81-96 - 283-336 81-96 81-96 81-96 81-96 40 405 480 0
{{{ability_weapon2_name}}} Infantry Vehicles Buildings Daemons Base Damage Low Med High H.Med H.Hi Cmdr Low Med High Air Low Med High Med High Morale Min Max Min.D 7080 1416 1416 1768 1768 2832 4228 1770 1770 - 4952 1416 1416 1416 1770 {{{weapon_morale_damage2}}} {{{weapon_min_damage2}}} {{{weapon_max_damage2}}} {{{weapon_min_damage_value2}}}

Weapons

Bolt Pistol

	Bolt Pistol
Damage Per Second Values Infantry Vehicles Buildings Daemons Morale Base Damage Low Med High H.Med H.Hi Cmdr Low Med High Air Low Med High Med High DPS Base Min Max Min.D Initial DPS: 30.4 42.2 29.5 45.6 29.8 21.9 17.0 8.7 2.7 NA 34.2 6.4 2.7 44.3 10.9 2.1 4 50.0 60.0 2.5
Cost	Default Weapon	Range	25	Setup Time	None
Build Time	Default Weapon	Accuracy	85%	Refire Rate	0.8 s
Area of Effect	None	Requires	Nothing

Power Sword

	Power Sword
Damage Per Second Values Infantry Vehicles Buildings Daemons Morale Base Damage Low Med High H.Med H.Hi Cmdr Low Med High Air Low Med High Med High DPS Base Min Max Min.D Initial DPS: 45.4 96.1 88.3 103.8 89.0 61.1 37.1 31.1 8.7 NA 38.9 15.6 17.3 113.5 113.5 8.3 25 236.0 288.0 1.0
Cost	Default Weapon	Range	Melee	Setup Time	None
Build Time	Default Weapon	Accuracy	80%	Refire Rate	1.5 s
Area of Effect	None	Requires	Nothing
Notes	When struck, there is a 50% chance to disable the target's movement for 2 s.

Weapon Upgrades

Plasma Pistol

	Plasma Pistol
Damage Per Second Values Infantry Vehicles Buildings Daemons Morale Base Damage Low Med High H.Med H.Hi Cmdr Low Med High Air Low Med High Med High DPS Base Min Max Min.D Initial DPS: 72.6 62.9 70.6 69.8 71.2 42.6 40.7 21.8 4.0 NA 41.9 14.5 4.0 71.0 25.9 4.0 10 167.1 182.0 2.5
Cost	See Wargear: Plasma Pistols	Range	25	Setup Time	None
Build Time	See Wargear: Plasma Pistols	Accuracy	80%	Refire Rate	1 s
Area of Effect	None	Requires	Wargear: Plasma Pistols
Notes	The Plasma Pistol permanently replaces the Bolt Pistol when researched

Daemonhammer

	Daemonhammer
Damage Per Second Values Infantry Vehicles Buildings Daemons Morale Base Damage Low Med High H.Med H.Hi Cmdr Low Med High Air Low Med High Med High DPS Base Min Max Min.D Initial DPS: 55.5 111.1 111.1 111.1 111.1 74.1 138.9 111.1 64.8 NA 46.3 27.8 18.5 129.6 129.6 13.3 40 250.0 305.5 25.0 With Commander Veteran Upgrade: 63.9 127.8 127.8 127.8 127.8 85.2 159.7 127.8 74.5 NA 53.2 31.9 21.3 149.1 149.1 13.3 40 287.5 351.3 25.0 With Commander Hero Upgrade: 76.7 153.3 153.3 153.3 153.3 102.2 191.6 153.3 89.4 NA 63.9 38.3 25.6 178.9 178.9 13.3 40 345.0 421.6 25.0 With Wargear: Power Fist: 66.6 133.3 133.3 133.3 133.3 88.8 166.5 133.3 77.7 NA 55.4 33.2 22.2 155.5 155.5 13.3 40 300.0 366.6 25.0 With Wargear: Power Fist + Commander Veteran Upgrade: 76.5 153.3 153.3 153.3 153.3 102.1 191.5 153.5 89.4 NA 63.7 38.2 25.5 178.8 178.8 13.3 40 345.0 421.6 25.0 With Wargear: Power Fist + Commander Hero Upgrade: 91.9 183.9 183.9 183.9 183.9 122.5 229.8 183.9 107.3 NA 76.5 45.8 30.6 214.6 214.6 13.3 40 414 505.9 25.0
Cost	See Wargear: Power Weapons	Range	Melee	Setup Time	0
Build Time	See Wargear: Power Weapons	Accuracy	100%	Refire Rate	1.5 s
Area of Effect	None	Requires	Wargear: Power Weapons
Notes	The Daemonhammer permanently replaces the Power Sword when researched. When struck, the following effects may be triggered on the target 25% chance to disable abilities for 3 s. 50% chance to disable movement for 2 s. 50% chance to disable combat abilities for 4 s.

Researchable Upgrades

Commander Veteran Upgrade

	Commander Veteran Upgrade			Hotkey: P
	Cost	100 25	Research Time	45 s
	Researched From	Sacred Artifact
	Requires	Monastery
Effects	</b> Increases Hitpoints of the Force Commander by 400 Increases Hitpoints of the Librarian by 300 Increases Hitpoints of the Chaplain by 250 Health regeneration of all commanders increased by 1 Ability recharge time of all commanders reduced by 10% Increases Damage of the Daemonhammer, Force Weapon and Crozius Arcanum by 15%

Commander Hero Upgrade

	Commander Hero Upgrade			Hotkey: P
	Cost	125 50	Research Time	45 s
	Researched From	Sacred Artifact
	Requires	Fortress Monastery, Commander Veteran Upgrade
Effects	</b> Increases Hitpoints of the Force Commander by 400 Increases Hitpoints of the Librarian by 300 Increases Hitpoints of the Chaplain by 250 Health regeneration of all commanders increased again by 1 Ability recharge time of all commanders reduced 10% (a total of a 19% reduction) Increases Damage of Daemonhammer by 20% (38% total) Increases minimum Damage of Force Weapon by 15% (32% total) and maximum damage by 20% (38% total) Increases Damage of Crozius Arcanum by 15% (32% total)

Inspiring Aura Research

	Inspiring Aura Research			Hotkey: F
	Cost	80 35	Research Time	60 s
	Researched From	Sacred Artifact
	Requires	None
Effects	Gives the Force Commander the Inspiring Aura ability

Battlecry Research

	Battlecry Research			Hotkey: F
	Cost	150 75	Research Time	80 s
	Researched From	Sacred Artifact
	Requires	Fortress Monastery, Inspiring Aura Research
Effects	Gives the Force Commander the Battlecry abliity

Wargear: Plasma Pistols

	Wargear: Plasma Pistols			Hotkey: L
	Cost	50 20	Research Time	30 s
	Researched From	Armoury
	Requires	Nothing
Effects	Replaces the Bolt Pistol of the Force Commander, Librarian, Chaplain, Sergeant and Assault Sergeant with a Plasma Pistol

Wargear: Power Weapons

	Wargear: Power Weapons			Hotkey: P
	Cost	50 20	Research Time	30 s
	Researched From	Armoury
	Requires	Nothing
Effects	Replaces the Chainsword of the Sergeant and Assault Sergeant with a Power Sword Replaces the Force Commander's Power Sword with the Daemonhammer Replaces the Librarian's Power Sword with the Force Weapon

Wargear: Power Fist

	Wargear: Power Fist			Hotkey: P
	Cost	50 20	Research Time	30 s
	Researched From	Armoury
	Requires	Wargear: Power Weapons, Monastery
Effects	Replaces the Sergeant and Assault Sergeant Power Sword with a Power Fist. Increases the damage of the Force Commander's Daemonhammer, the Librarian's Force Weapon, and the Chaplain's Crozius Arcanum by 20%.

The Dawn of War Player's Guide

The Dawn of War Player's Guide - Thought of the day: Knowledge is power, guard it well.
Space Marines	Chaos	Eldar	Orks	Imperial Guard	Tau	Necrons	Dark Eldar	Sisters of Battle
Infantry Servitor Scout Marine Squad Space Marine Squad Assault Marine Squad Grey Knights Terminator Squad Assault Terminator Squad Skull Probe Apothecary Force Commander Librarian Chaplain	Infantry Heretic Cultist Squad Chaos Space Marine Squad Raptor Squad Khorne Berzerker Squad Horror Squad Possessed Squad Obliterators Chaos Lord Chaos Sorcerer Daemon Prince Bloodthirster	Infantry Bonesinger Guardian Squad Ranger Squad Howling Banshee Squad Dark Reaper Squad Fire Dragon Squad Warp Spider Squad Harlequin Farseer Seer Council Avatar of Khaine	Infantry Gretchin Slugga Boy Squad Shoota Boy Squad Stormboyz Tankbustaz Nobz Squad Flash Gitz Mega Armoured Nobz Mad Dok Big Mek Warboss	Infantry Techpriest Enginseer Guardsmen Squad Heavy Weapons Team Kasrkin Ogryns Command Squad Commissar Psyker Priest Vindicare Assassin	Infantry Earth Caste Builder XV15 Stealth Team Vespid Stingwing Strain Fire Warrior Team Kroot Carnivores Kroot Shaper Pathfinder Team XV88 Broadside Battlesuit XV8 Crisis Battlesuit Kroot Hound Pack Tau Commander Ethereal Shas'Ui Bodyguard	Infantry Builder Scarabs Necron Warriors Wraith Flayed Ones Immortals Pariahs Necron Lord Essence of the Nightbringer Essence of the Deceiver	Infantry Tortured Slave Mandrake Squad Warrior Squad Hellion Squad Scourge Squad Wych Squad Warp Beast Pack Archon Haemonculus	Infantry Ecclesiarchal Servitor Missionary Battle Sister Squad Seraphim Squad Celestian Squad Death-Cult Assassin Sister Repentia Squad Canoness Avenging Angel Confessor Living Saint
Space Marines	Chaos	Eldar	Orks	Imperial Guard	Tau	Necrons	Dark Eldar	Sisters of Battle
Vehicles Rhino Land Speeder Dreadnought Hellfire Dreadnought Land Speeder Tempest Predator Whirlwind Land Raider	Vehicles Chaos Rhino Defiler Chaos Predator Hell Talon	Vehicles Falcon Grav Tank Vyper Wraithlord Nightwing Shuriken Grav Platform Brightlance Grav Platform Fire Prism	Vehicles Wartrukk Wartrak Killa Kan Fighta-Bomma Looted Tank Squiggoth	Vehicles Chimera Sentinel Hellhound Basilisk Marauder Bomber Leman Russ Baneblade	Vehicles Devilfish Troop Carrier Skyray Missile Gunship Drone Squad Drone Harbinger Barracuda Hammerhead Gunship Krootox Greater Knarloc	Vehicles Tomb Spyder Attack Scarabs Destroyer Heavy Destroyer Lord Destroyer Restored Monolith	Vehicles Reaver Jetbike Raider Talos Raven Ravager Dais of Destruction	Vehicles Rhino Transport Immolator Lightning Fighter Exorcist Penitent Engine
Space Marines	Chaos	Eldar	Orks	Imperial Guard	Tau	Necrons	Dark Eldar	Sisters of Battle
Buildings Stronghold Listening Post Plasma Generator Thermo Plasma Generator Chapel-Barracks Armoury Machine Cult Sacred Artifact Orbital Relay Heavy Bolter Turret Mine Field	Buildings Desecrated Stronghold Listening Post Plasma Generator Thermo Plasma Generator Chaos Temple Chaos Armoury Sacrificial Circle Machine Pit Daemon Pit Heavy Bolter Turret Mine Field	Buildings Webway Assembly Listening Shrine Plasma Generator Thermo Plasma Generator Webway Gate Aspect Portal Soul Shrine Support Portal Support Platform Mine Field	Buildings Settlement Da Listenin' Post Generator Bigga Generator Waaagh! Banner Da Boyz Hut Pile O Gunz! Da Mek Shop Mine Field	Buildings Field Command Listening Post Plasma Generator Thermo Plasma Generator Infantry Command Tactica Control Mechanized Command Mars Pattern Command Heavy Bolter Turret Mine Field	Buildings Cadre Headquarters Listening Post Plasma Generator Thermo Plasma Generator Tau Barracks Path to Enlightenment Kroot Shaping Center Vehicle Beacon Kauyon Command Post Mont'ka Command Post Coalition Center	Buildings Dormant Monolith Obelisk Plasma Generator Thermo Plasma Generator Summoning Core Forbidden Archive Greater Summoning Core Energy Core Gauss Turret	Buildings Kabal Fortress Tower of Loathing Plasma Generator Thermo Plasma Generator Slave Chamber Hall of Blood Haemonculus' Laboratory Dark Foundry Wych-Cult Arena Soul Cage	Buildings Ecclesiarchal Chapel Listening Post Plasma Generator Thermo Plasma Generator Adepta Sororitas Convent Pristine Sanctuary Manufactorum Holy Reliquary Shrine of the Living Saint Inferno Turret Purgatus Mine Field