How are there any Blood Ravens still around...

[Bad Distraction Carnifex]

After Dawn of War 1,2 and now 3...each game has had a catastrophic chapter ending event take place...by now I can't imagine there being more than 50 Blood Ravens....

[Vandinar]

Postat inițial de Bad Distraction Carnifex:

I'm interested to see how this effects the events of the game going on from here, will the Blood Ravens even be able to contend with Necrons in their broken state?

The Blood Ravens still have many more companies left to fight, that being said it could also lead to the return of Tarkus, Cyrus, and the other veterans of the Aurellia Crusade.

Postat inițial de Legat Lucanus:

hm, the marines in the intro of the 1st campaing mission have a "IV" at thair shoulders and a "V" at thair bolter guns. I dont know why they have a different number at thair bolter guns but according tho the shoulder the marines which landed at the knight world was from the 4th company.

It could be done in reverense to the 4th Company which exposed the taint of chaos at the heart of the Chapter or it could indeed be 4th Company. If it is 4th Company, they were most likely the ones left in charge of holding the planet from the Orks as 1st Company went to Acheron. Fourth Company remaining on the planet would easily explain why many key personnel from the Aurellia crusade were not met in the DoW3 campaign.

[Paninya Naninya]

The same reason why eldar are still around despite getting rekt in almost every story they get featured in. There's as many blood ravens as the plot demands it.

[General Plastro]

The "canon" ending for Retribution is a mix of various endings of each race (of course, Tyranids and Chaos didint won).

Thats why the Blood Ravens arent completely wiped out.

But i assume they are VERY bloodied after DoW3 (unless gameplay representation has ZERO meaning to actual scale of casualties).

Postat inițial de Born A Beast:

I like that we have stuck with the blood ravens all this time because over the years we have seen this chapter evolve and become who it is today. A lot of people like the ultramarines but to me the Blood Ravens and their leaders have become my favorite chapter. I really wish tarcus was in here as a elite with a chainsword at 3 cost. Avintus betrayal still haunts me till this day, if not for Kyrus our brother would be in dow 3.

While i do respect your opinion, i find the Blood Ravens to still be pretty much a generic Chapter made up for the games, they still have less lore than most of the other chapters.

But then again, i am not a Space Marine fan at all (i love the Guard/Tau/Sisters), so i am bias towards them.

[Jack Deth]

Honestly?

It's Relics (very) slightly GW acknowledged fandom chapter.

For starters it allows them more flexibility than if they used one of the GW approved chapters. So we can have all the silly things Blood Ravens are known for. Secondly, it is called DoW3 which implies some form of connection with factions in previous games.

Had they named it say DoW: Full Metal Massacre! they could be more inclined to introduce a different chapter as it wouldn't have the number 3 to denote a progressive relation in the product. Though it would still fall under the umbrella IP of DoW.

There are other reasons as well...

In game?

Plot armor. Just like the vast majority of other characters, factions books across many diffeent genres and products. Plot armor, or the fact the story telling is more important than anything.

[Aelies von Saladir]

They lost half the chapter in DoW1, resulting in you controlling only a dozen marines in DoW2 and Chaos Rising campaign. I assume that during the 10 years between Chaos Rising and Retribution, they should have recovered somewhat, as the intervening years, while tumultuous, lacks any central main enemy that would require the Space Marines' attention. Then they of cousre, suffered another massive casualties in Retribution.
However, as far as I know, there's no canon information on how many years have pass between Retribution and DoW3, and as such, we can say that it has been a long and relatively peaceful time that allow the Blood Ravens to replenish their number somewhat.

[Sek]

Interviewer; ''What do you know about Dawn of War?

Postat inițial de Legat Lucanus:

i am not an expert at such things.

Interviewer; ''Welcome to Dawn of War 3's design team''

[Master Tang]

Yeah, the whole thing about that most space marine chapters consists of around 1000 loyal space marines seems thrown out the window.

[Mojo Jojo]

Nerds

[Exarch_Alpha]

Bloody Magpies always replenish because red uns go faster.

[Vandinar]

Postat inițial de Master Tang:

Yeah, the whole thing about that most space marine chapters consists of around 1000 loyal space marines seems thrown out the window.

DoW1 captured the Space Marine feel quite nicely as Space Marine squads were hard to take down and went well into late game as opposed to being Cannon Fodder in DoW3.

[Final Freefall]

If I recall correctly Blood Ravens are a loyalist offshoot of the Thousand Sons(?) who were trapped in the warp at one point. Every time a Blood Raven walks in front of a Land Raider another hops out of the warp and joins the chapter.

In other words, they're equally incompetent, replaceable, and expendable.

[Vandinar]

Postat inițial de Final Freefall:

If I recall correctly Blood Ravens are a loyalist offshoot of the Thousand Sons(?).

Ssshhhh, the Dark Crusade on Kronus wasn't meant for nothing.

[Lockerd]

Postat inițial de Master Tang:

Yeah, the whole thing about that most space marine chapters consists of around 1000 loyal space marines seems thrown out the window.

nah, it's still around. But it's also a set of guidelines...which are also semi-enforced if they want to keep inputting their tithe to the geneseed vaults.

The game mechanics are very much forgiven here however, since being able to endlessly spawn anything would mean the Blood Ravens are not a chapter, but a Legion with numerous worlds under its belt.



but to OP, I'd think that only a company or two were badly damaged. The Blood Ravens lost much, but they did gain a lot more as well.

House Varlock seems to have allied itself with the Blood Ravens, might even be giving them some knights, or even transferring their entire force to fight alongside the Blood Ravens. They also recieved a lot of wargear over the years (ignoring the Dawn of War 2 custodes armor, and Retribution Primarch weapons).

Their recruiting worlds seem to have been left more or less intact, and might have even found some new ones. They must have had some geneseed stored over the years, so that might have also helped them.

i don't know where they keep getting battlebarges however...the Dauntless must have been the third they've ever lost.

It's also possible whatever other companies Angelos brought with him, were left on the planet to keep fighting the orks.

Oh...and it's very likely the inquisitor, in an attempt to reduce his shame of utter defeat, gave the Blood Ravens one or all of the remaining starforts, which would go well with the new Knight House that might have just allied itself with them.

If Guilliman suddenly makes additions, or strikes the Codex Astartes....we could see a new Blood Raven force.

[General Plastro]

Postat inițial de Roboute Guilliman:

Postat inițial de Master Tang:

Yeah, the whole thing about that most space marine chapters consists of around 1000 loyal space marines seems thrown out the window.

nah, it's still around. But it's also a set of guidelines...which are also semi-enforced if they want to keep inputting their tithe to the geneseed vaults.

The game mechanics are very much forgiven here however, since being able to endlessly spawn anything would mean the Blood Ravens are not a chapter, but a Legion with numerous worlds under its belt.



but to OP, I'd think that only a company or two were badly damaged. The Blood Ravens lost much, but they did gain a lot more as well.

House Varlock seems to have allied itself with the Blood Ravens, might even be giving them some knights, or even transferring their entire force to fight alongside the Blood Ravens. They also recieved a lot of wargear over the years (ignoring the Dawn of War 2 custodes armor, and Retribution Primarch weapons).

Their recruiting worlds seem to have been left more or less intact, and might have even found some new ones. They must have had some geneseed stored over the years, so that might have also helped them.

i don't know where they keep getting battlebarges however...the Dauntless must have been the third they've ever lost.

It's also possible whatever other companies Angelos brought with him, were left on the planet to keep fighting the orks.

Oh...and it's very likely the inquisitor, in an attempt to reduce his shame of utter defeat, gave the Blood Ravens one or all of the remaining starforts, which would go well with the new Knight House that might have just allied itself with them.

If Guilliman suddenly makes additions, or strikes the Codex Astartes....we could see a new Blood Raven force.

Lots of assumptions there.

But House Varlock is allied with the Imperium as a whole, DoW3 took a bit of liberty by putting them together with the SMs, as no Space Marine have no authority over a Knight world or a knight itself. By "giving their entire force" they would be breaking their millenium old oath of fealty to holy terra.

A Knight House authority is usually more imposing and actually older than the founding of any SM Chapter, so if anything, at this point in time, it would the be remaining surviving Blood Ravens around Cyprus Ultra that would have to squat around until help arrives.

Solaria is pretty proud and obedient of Imperial doctrine, i think her quote:

"Where kings thread, knights follow"

Pretty much sums up her view on the whole thing. If she doesnt question the death of Blood Ravens due to questionable tatics devised by the Inquisitor, i dont think she would be going out of her way to break millenium old tradition (and actual duty) to help the SMs.

We also dont know if Solaria even survived, so it would be up for the next lord to take the mantle of leadership.

Also, the Inquisitor didint end in "utter defeat", he was ready and dandy to also destroy the Spear of Khaine from orbit if meant no alien would touch it, which in the end, was exactly what happened.

The game makes no mention of him even sending IG troops to try to retrive it, it felt to me his mission was just quarantine the planet, getting the spear was secondary (and possibly utterly personal) reason.

Him giving entire stations to the Blood Ravens is not only unlikely but out of his actual power as they are liasoned to him from the Imperial Navy.

At any rate, as far as lore is concerned (SM ending of Retribution), it seems the Blood Ravens are still healing from the tynanid invasion, so they should indeed be in better shape by DoW3's time.

[Lockerd]

Postat inițial de General Plastro:

Postat inițial de Roboute Guilliman:

nah, it's still around. But it's also a set of guidelines...which are also semi-enforced if they want to keep inputting their tithe to the geneseed vaults.

The game mechanics are very much forgiven here however, since being able to endlessly spawn anything would mean the Blood Ravens are not a chapter, but a Legion with numerous worlds under its belt.



but to OP, I'd think that only a company or two were badly damaged. The Blood Ravens lost much, but they did gain a lot more as well.

House Varlock seems to have allied itself with the Blood Ravens, might even be giving them some knights, or even transferring their entire force to fight alongside the Blood Ravens. They also recieved a lot of wargear over the years (ignoring the Dawn of War 2 custodes armor, and Retribution Primarch weapons).

Their recruiting worlds seem to have been left more or less intact, and might have even found some new ones. They must have had some geneseed stored over the years, so that might have also helped them.

i don't know where they keep getting battlebarges however...the Dauntless must have been the third they've ever lost.

It's also possible whatever other companies Angelos brought with him, were left on the planet to keep fighting the orks.

Oh...and it's very likely the inquisitor, in an attempt to reduce his shame of utter defeat, gave the Blood Ravens one or all of the remaining starforts, which would go well with the new Knight House that might have just allied itself with them.

If Guilliman suddenly makes additions, or strikes the Codex Astartes....we could see a new Blood Raven force.

Lots of assumptions there.

But House Varlock is allied with the Imperium as a whole, DoW3 took a bit of liberty by putting them together with the SMs, as no Space Marine have no authority over a Knight world or a knight itself. By "giving their entire force" they would be breaking their millenium old oath of fealty to holy terra.

A Knight House authority is usually more imposing and actually older than the founding of any SM Chapter, so if anything, at this point in time, it would the be remaining surviving Blood Ravens around Cyprus Ultra that would have to squat around until help arrives.

Solaria is pretty proud and obedient of Imperial doctrine, i think her quote:

"Where kings thread, knights follow"

Pretty much sums up her view on the whole thing. If she doesnt question the death of Blood Ravens due to questionable tatics devised by the Inquisitor, i dont think she would be going out of her way to break millenium old tradition (and actual duty) to help the SMs.

We also dont know if Solaria even survived, so it would be up for the next lord to take the mantle of leadership.

Also, the Inquisitor didint end in "utter defeat", he was ready and dandy to also destroy the Spear of Khaine from orbit if meant no alien would touch it, which in the end, was exactly what happened.

The game makes no mention of him even sending IG troops to try to retrive it, it felt to me his mission was just quarantine the planet, getting the spear was secondary (and possibly utterly personal) reason.

Him giving entire stations to the Blood Ravens is not only unlikely but out of his actual power as they are liasoned to him from the Imperial Navy.

At any rate, as far as lore is concerned (SM ending of Retribution), it seems the Blood Ravens are still healing from the tynanid invasion, so they should indeed be in better shape by DoW3's time.

Knight Houses are quite powerful yes, but they usually aren't bound to the imperium's every word. In most cases Knight Houses who aren't completely dependant on the AdMech are very much able to call the shots.

The fact that The imperium didn't come to the Aid of House Varlock, and the Blood Ravens did, would hint They'd ally themselves with the Blood Ravens if they'd want.

The inquisitors goal was very much a defeated one, his original plan was so horrendously set, and so miserably failed that even Solaria pointed it out to him. The inquisition has superior power over the Imperial Navy. Starforts aren't really bound to the Imperial Navy as such, but they are definitely jealously guarded by them, and are bidded on plenty (though yes, the IN does have several under its power). Inquisitors would say and do anything to keep their hides intact, an embarassment on this level would not only end his life, but very likely put him into
patiens edictus, basically forever suffering by other inquisitors.

The Imperium isn't a cohesive empire like when the emperor had control. it's basically a bunch of feudal states which pay tithe to the imperium as a whole. They mostly act autonomosly and utilize numerous forms of government.

Varlock can go wherever the hell it pleases as so far it seems there is no huge admech control on the planet. The Knight Houses can pledge to whomever they'd want to. and Freeblades are freaking powerful when allied with the astartes, i can only imagine how powerful a whole house would be.

and while we don't know she survived...I'd think that given her pivitol role in the game, she's going to survive, especially for when the necrons come.

also, I think the timeline is rather....different than we'd like to believe.

The blood ravens have their recruiting worlds back, and it seems there might have been a 250 year gap in Retribution to now I don't know as relic won't say. So there's likely enough time for the blood ravens to replenish their numbers.