Īs a Games for Windows - Live game, the game uses the Achievements system from Xbox LIVE, and is the first widely released, PC-exclusive game to use it. Other differences between Dawn of War II and its predecessors include improved unit AI (squads under fire seek cover, for example), more realistically sized vehicles, and an improved physics engine. Some weapons, such as grenades and other explosives, can destroy cover, while others, such as flamers, ignore cover bonuses completely. Accordingly, there is also new emphasis on methods of dealing with units in cover. Jonny Ebbert, the game's lead designer, describes the feel of the game by saying that it 'takes everything that was great about the original and combines it with the best that Company of Heroes had to offer.' There is a heavier focus on cover, which gives more substantial defensive bonuses. The gameplay of Dawn of War II is markedly different from that of Dawn of War and its expansions. The Chaos Space Marines and the Imperial Guard were later added to the game through its two expansion packs.
Playable armies at the initial release of the game include the Space Marines, Orks, Eldar, and Tyranids.
