Dawn Of War 3 Open Beta Launches Today

If you are totally geeked to play the upcoming real-time strategy game from Sega, Games Workshop and Relic Entertainment in the form of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3, you're in luck because you can actually get a small taste of the game for free this weekend.

Gamespot is reporting that starting today, April 21st, gamers will be able to hop into Dawn of War 3 over the weekend all the way up until Monday, April 24th. The free beta access will only allow you to try out the game's multiplayer mode, so you won't be able to deep dive into the single-player campaign.

The multiplayer will grant you access to the game's three main factions, the Space Marines, the Eldar and the Orks. Each faction will also allow you to play with a number of select special hero units who come with their own special abilities and gimmicks on the battlefield. In addition to this, players will also have access to the game's new doctrines, which can be used to customize hero units. These doctrines can be unlocked throughout the game, and they drastically alter how player strategies can be utilized in Dawn of War 3, particularly when it comes to various unit bonuses or opponent debuffs.

Relic decided to take a different approach with this newest Dawn of War in order to add some variance and unpredictability to the meta-game. This will surely give gamers a lot more to try out, especially during the multiplayer PvP rounds, where different doctrines for each faction can give a player an advantage or set them at a disadvantage depending on the faction and the hero they choose in the RTS title.

Not only will players be able to try out Dawn of War's new doctrines, but there will also be the ability to play in 1-vs-1, 2-vs-2, and 3-vs-3 matches during the trial, so you can see how the different types of PvP can be played out in the game.

For those of you who have been curious about the multiplayer as well as the gameplay of Dawn of War 3, you can sign up to participate in the open beta by visiting the Dawn of War website.

Unlike some beta programs or free trial weekends, the progress you make during your time in the upcoming Dawn of War title will not carry over.

This means that if you play through the beta weekend and you have yourself a jolly good time blasting down opponents and winning a ton of matches, none of that will translate over to your profile if you decide to buy the full version of the game. They don't really explain why the carryover doesn't take place, but usually they do wipes to ensure that everyone gets off to a healthy and even start in the game.

Relic sort of has a lot to live up to given that just last year Creative Assembly took some huge steps with really evolving and pushing the RTS genre forward with Total War: Warhammer, and now they have Total War: Warhammer 2 on the horizon. So We'll see if they'll be able to win over strategy fans by tapping into a different take on the futuristic Warhammer 40,000 franchise with their upcoming Dawn of War 3, which is due for release on April 27th.