DaPowerTaylors Guide To Everything Imperial Guard.

In this guide i shall attempt to detail everything possible about the Imperial Guard in DOW: Retribution, with a focus mostly on online play including unit strengths and weaknesses, viable tactics and what in particular to watch out for when fighting each faction in various sized games. Theres a reason people should fear the Hammer of the Emperor.

Whats in this Guide?

Mostly in this guide i will simply be outlining the various different units that the Imperial Guard have at there disposal, including the three different commanders they can use in Multiplayer. Aswell as this i will be outlining the way i belive they should be played online and different variations of tactics for situations you find yourself in. I will not however be outlining any stats other than costs as honestly its a stuipd amount of information. Please mind that this is the way that ME MYSELF & I choose to play this faction and as such this is simply opinion and not solid fact. If you want Solid facts and further indivudual information on each unit go look up:

http://dow.wikia.com/wiki/Retribution/Imperial_Guard

It'll give you the indivudal breakdown of units and tell you all the stuff you dont find ingame like courage values and damage types.

Also as a no-brainer im expecting you the reader (yes YOU) to have a basic knowledge of the way DOW is played online, that includes concepts like shooting 'blobs', tactical withdrawal and kiting. If you just got confused go look up a more basic guide. It'll do you much more good than listening to me drone on for the next 20 minutes.

The Hammer of the Emperor

(Fluff alert)


In the background of the 40k universe the Imperial Guard are the main force that keep the Imperium safe from aliens, heretics and pretty much anybody who holds a grude with the Emperor. Just ordinary men, massed into huge regiments of men and equiped with only basic weapons and armour they are told to hold the line or die trying. Infact the amount of Guardsmen in the Emperor's service at any one time is simply unknown, there is too many to keep track of.

The Imperial Guard very much adopts the strategy of overwhelming massed firepower at range and following up with massive infantry or armoured charges to rout the enemy, and this is very similar to how they play in DOW. Now while i wouldn't recomend charging mass amounts of Guardsmen into combat with space marines, i 110% recomend keeping your enemy at range and overwhelming him/her with mass amounts of firepower. Just being ordinary men they are very squishy and have a bad tendancy to die when hit by anything sharp. Particularly when in the face.

Ingame IG have perhaps the best synergy with vehicles of any facton in the game. They gain access to the only T1 vehicle in the game and Basic Guardsmen squads can heal any vehicle they happen to stumble across or be hidding inside of like the squishy cowards they are. Combine this with the most shooting orientated horde army in the game and you have a rather unique combination for sucess.

Plus you also get classic memes like this:

Commanders and Global Abilities

As with any faction in DOW you have access to three seperate commanders to lead your troops to victory, and the IG have some of the most unique and intresting to play as, each giving a seperate and distinct playstyle (as far as different variations of shooting your enemy with lots and lots of lasguns goes anyway)

(PS here's what each icon means):
Requisition
Power
Population Cap
Global Points

Lord General

The 'basic' IG commander and by far the easist to get you head around and master. His global and personal abilites are all based around augmening the men around him and adopting a more defensive playstyle through use of turrets and artillery. Upgraded he can also act as a soft anti vehicle unit or even a sniper. He is unique in that he is the only commander 'unit' in the game to have more than one model, and each upgrade further augments the whole squad.

Global Ablities:
Imperial Guard Bunker
Deploys a garrisonable bunker to the battlefield. Can be upgraded to a medical bunker which heals and reinforces infantry, a repair bunker which automatically repairs vehicles, or booby trapped to deny its use to the enemy.

150 75 5
Basilisk Creeping Barrage
Off-map Basilisks fire a wave of 7 artilley shells advancing in the direction of your choice, each doing 40 explosive damage and weapon knockback in radius 10. 90 second cooldown.

200
Heavy Turret
A heavy turret equipped with a Vanquisher cannon, effective against all targets but especially vehicles. Can replace the cannon with an Executioner cannon, less effective against vehicles but more effective against infantry.
300 40 100 5
Leman Russ Drop
A Valkyrie delivers a Leman Russ battle tank to the targeted location. 300 second cooldown.
600 275

Valkyrie Bombing Run
Calls in two Valkyries to perform precision strafing runs with their multiple rocket pods. Each Valkyrie fires 7 rockets along a line of length 40, each doing 50 explosive damage and ability knockback in radius 10. Cooldown 120 seconds.
500

Wargear Upgrades
Grenade Launcher (T1)
Equips the General and his two bodyguards with grenade launchers, effective against stationary and garrisoned infantry. Grants the Move! Move! Move! ability, which increases the speed of nearby infantry.
130 20
Sniper Rifle (T2)
Equips the General with a sniper rifle and reverts any bodyguard weapons to default. Grants the Fire on my target! ability, increasing the weapon range of nearby infantry.
75 35
Meltagun (T2)
Equips the General and his two bodyguards with meltaguns, short range weapons effective against all targets, especially vehicles. Grants the Fight Harder! ability, which increases weapon rate of fire.
100 25

Armour
Carapace Armour (T1)
Grants the Stand Firm ability, rendering nearby infantry immune to suppression. Also increases the Lord General's health by 100.
175 35

Stabilizers (T1)
Grants the Back in the Fight! ability, healing nearby infantry over time. Also increases the Lord General's health by 100.
150 30

Flak Jacket (T2)
Grants the Incoming! ability, decreasing damage taken by nearby infantry. Also increases the Lord General's health by 100.
150 35

Retinue
Sergeant (T1)
Adds a Sergeant to the Lord General's retinue, granting the Distribute Medi-kit ability that heals an allied squad. Also increases the command squad's health by 15%.
85 10

Commissar (T2)
Adds a Commissar to the Lord General's retinue, granting the Refractor Field ability that reduces incoming ranged damage. Also increases the command squad's damage by 15%.
100 10

Vox Operator (T2)
[/previewimg] Adds a Vox Operator to the Lord General's retinue, granting the Call Reinforcements ability that reinforces allied squads. Also increases the command squad's speed by +1.25.
120 25

As pre-mentioned the Lord General is an expect at supporting his troopers in a defensive manor, which means you should never be actively seeking to engage enemy units in close comat unless you 100% know you can kill them (aka: SM Scouts and Eldar Guardians). He is much more usefull in an annoyance and passive role as a commader, in particular equip grenade launchers and Carapace armour to be able to effectively harass at long range and break through suppression teams with your Guardsmen. Later game switch to a meltagun for anti-armour or the sniper rifle if you need to clear some buildings. His 'Unique' Global abilities are some of the best IG get access to; The Turret provides some much needed anti-tank to Tier 2, the Creeping Barrage is hands down the best disruption and knockback abilty in the game and airdroping a Leman Russ anywhere for no power costs is great fun. All in all an effective commander for a defensive playstyle.

Positives+
-Excels at keeping your men alive and unsuppresed early game
-One of the best annoyance units early game with Grenade launchers
-Some of the best Global abilites IG get

Negatives--
-Not very durable for a commander
-Lacks almost any meele skill
-Not as good later game as in T1

Lord Commissar

The Lord Commissar is the Imperial Guards melee 'tank' and is the best commander for this role availible. He excels at tying up enemy squads ment for your squishy Guardsmen using his shield, while also disrupting suppression squads and other ranged units. Later game he is a usefull anti-tank unit and excels at buffing and empowering your infantry. When used properly his 'None shall fall!' and 'Emperor's Wrath' abilities are probably some of the most overpowered commanders can access in the game.

Global Abilities
Imperial Guard Bunker
Deploys a garrisonable bunker to the battlefield. Can be upgraded to a medical bunker which heals and reinforces infantry, a repair bunker which automatically repairs vehicles, or booby trapped to deny its use to the enemy.

150 75 5
Off Map Basilisk Flare
Fires an off-map Basilisk flare at the target location. The flare lasts 10 seconds, has a vision radius of 35, and a detection radius of 30. All units within radius 30 of the flare have their weapon range reduced by 50%. 120 second cooldown.
75
Air Dropped Mines
Calls in a Valkyrie that air drops 12 self burrowing mines that infiltrate after 2 seconds. Each mine does 20 explosive damage and 500 courage damage in radius 7. Vehicles hit by the mines have are slowed by 50% for 5 seconds. 120 second cooldown.
150
Loyal to the End
Inspires your targeted infantry squads to fight harder as they lose men. For 30 seconds, every time the targets of this ability lose a squad member, their damage and health are increased by 25% for 12 seconds. 30 second cooldown.
125
Valkyrie Bombing Run
Calls in two Valkyries to perform precision strafing runs with their multiple rocket pods. Each Valkyrie fires 7 rockets along a line of length 40, each doing 50 explosive damage and ability knockback in radius 10. Cooldown 120 seconds.
500

Wargear Unlocks
Power Sword (T1)
Equips a power sword, effective against infantry and heavy infantry. Grants the Lead by Example ability, which increases the Commissar's speed and causes him to perform special attacks with every strike.
110 20
Power Fist (T2)
Equips a power fist, which is effective against all targets.
150 50


Fist of Brockus (T3)
Equips a legendary power fist and grants the None Shall Fall! ability, inspiring nearby infantry to fight on in the face of death.
200 50

Armour
Carapace Armour (T1)
Reduces the energy cost of Inspire Courage by 20 and lowers its cooldown by 45 seconds. Also increases the Commissar Lord's health by 125.
150 35

Flak Jacket (T2)
Replaces the Inspire Courage ability with Inspire Terror, allowing the Commissar Lord to execute enemy units to break their resolve. Also increases health by 150.
150 35

Bionic Eye (T2)
Replaces the Inspire Courage ability with Inspire Determination, adding further defensive and mobility bonuses to the offensive bonuses of Inspire Courage. Also increases energy by 100.
150 35
Accessories
Aura of Discipline (T1)
The Lord Commissar's presence inspires his men. Every time the Commissar Lord is hit by an attack, allied infantry in radius 25 are healed for 8 health. Cannot be triggered more than once every 0.75 seconds.
125 35
Stubborness (T2)
The Lord Commissar refuses to fall while his men fight. At 1, 10, 20, and 30 allied infantry models in radius 25, the Commissar Lord's damage is increased by 25/50/75/100% and he is healed for 10% his maximum health every 12/6/4/3 seconds.
175 30
The Emperor's Wrath (T3)
Grants the Off Map Artillery ability that calls down three Basilisk rounds from off map.
200 50


The Lord Commisar is essential the Imperial Guards early game meele commander and evolves later game into an infatry support unit through use of his wargear and globals. When playing as the LC you should be focusing on getting T3 as fast as possible to get the Fist of Brockus and unlock 'None Shall Fall!', which is to my knowlege the longest lasting ability in the game that makes units totaly Immune to death. The Emperor's Wrath ability is also very capable of killing squads one hit if directly on target. Droping mines can further help augment a defence in an area while the Off-Map Basilisk Flare is also one of the most underated abilities in the game as its effect to reduce enemy range can be used to great effect in an engagement aswell as its classic pairing with the Manticore.

Pros+
-Great ability usage synergy with all infantry
-Excellent suppresion and meele disruption unit
-Late game upgrades are extremly powerfull

Cons-
-Not as outright powerfull/durable in combat as say the Force Comander
-Upgrades are energy intensive
-Requires alot of micro-managing to be truly effective

Inquisitor

The Inquisitor is the Imperial Guard's support and 'spellcaster' commander, being an effective early game meele disruptor and following it up with powerfull abilities and weapons effective against most targets with the potential to become invulnerable, turn your men invisible and lock enemy units in place. Combine with a Manticore and the Banewolf which only she gets for fun results.


Global Abilities
Imperial Guard Bunker
Deploys a garrisonable bunker to the battlefield. Can be upgraded to a medical bunker which heals and reinforces infantry, a repair bunker which automatically repairs vehicles, or booby trapped to deny its use to the enemy.

150 75 5
Hellfury Strike
Calls in a Valkyrie to fire a Hellfire missile at the target location, doing flame damage to all targets in radius 10 on impact. Burning prometheum lingers in radius dealing extra damage per second over 15 seconds. Cooldown 120 seconds.
150
Infiltrated Storm Troopers
Calls in a squad of infiltrated Storm Troopers at the target location. Cooldown 300 seconds.
300 150

Valkyrie Bane Wolf Drop
A Valkyrie delivers a Bane Wolf to the target location. The Bane Wolf is a short range assault vehicle effective against infantry and buildings. Targets struck by its chem cannon have their speed reduced by 40% for 4 seconds. Cooldown 300 seconds.
350 50 175
Valkyrie Bombing Run
Calls in two Valkyries to perform precision strafing runs with their multiple rocket pods. Each Valkyrie fires 7 rockets along a line of length 40, each doing 50 explosive damage and ability knockback in radius 10. Cooldown 120 seconds.
500

Weapons
Crossbow Bolt Pistol (T1)
Equips a crossbow pistol effective against infantry from range. Also grants the Crippling Volley ability, which immobilizes and damages enemy infantry in an area.
130 20

Holy Brazier (T1)
Equips an upgraded melee weapon, effective against heavy infantry. Also grants the Holy Pyre ability, which damages and debuffs enemies in an area.
100 20

Inferno Pistol (T2)
Equips a pistol effective against all targets. Also grants the Judgement ability, dealing heavy damage to a single target.
150 50

Armour
Interrogator's Armour (T1)
Grants the Silently ability, allowing the Inquisitor to infiltrate an allied infantry unit. Also increases energy by 50.
125 30

Excruciators (T2)
Grants the Assail ability, which immobilizes, suppresses, and damages a target over time. Also increases the Inquisitor's health by 100.
140 20

Purgatus (T3)
Grants the Purgatus ability, which unleashes a ring of flames that stuns and damages enemies. Also increases health by 100.
200 35

Accessories
Rosarius (T1)
Grants the Conversion Field ability that allows the Inquisitor to absorb damage at the cost of energy.
100 20

Liber Heresius (T1)
Grants the Assail ability, which immobilizes, suppresses, and damages a target over time. Also increases the Inquisitor's health by 100.
110 20

Inquisitorial Mandate (T2)
Grants the Impenetrable ability which makes the Inquisitor invulnerable and move with greater speed.
120 35

The Inquisitor is very much the Imperial Guards 'specialist' commander, filling a role that otherwise wouldnt exist. She is very much an early game disruption and anti infantry unit that evolves to become either a specialist in anti infantry and control with use of the Liber Heresius and Crossbow or a Melee tank through use of the Inquisitorial Mandate and Holy Brazier. Either way she is very flexible and can be easily upgraded as required due to her relativly cheap costing wargear. She further augments this flexibility with her unique global powers, the Hellfury strike is very powerfull against infanty and buildings, being able to deploy Storm Troopers anywhere is great for fast anti-tank and she is also the only commander to get access to the Bane Wolf, which is probably the best pure anti-infantry tank in the game, having great synergy with Guardsmen and Heavy Weapon Teams.

Pros+
-Wide range of abilities offer flexibility
-VERY effective at dealing with all forms of infantry
-The only IG commander realy capable of effectivly dealing with Super Heavy Infantry
-Cheap upgrades in comparison to other Commanders
-Crippling Volley/Assail+Manticore combo is borderline OP

Cons--
-Not very durable without Inquisitorial Mandate
-No abilities/upgrades a hard counter to vehicles
-Requires the most micromanagement of all the IG commanders
-Can lack the augmenting abilities to regular Guardsmen other commanders have

Unit Overview

Next i shall do an overview for all the regular units you get access to in the same style as above, sorted by Tiers. I'll also lay out a brief explanation of how the unit should be used, what they work well alongside aswell as some basic pros and cons.

Tier I

Guardsmen Infantry Squad
Basic ranged unit effective against other ranged forces but weak in melee. Can be upgraded with squad leaders that increase the squad size. Leaders will be the last to die. 230

Upgrades:
Sergeant: Adds a Sergeant to the squad. Also expands the squad with two more Guardsman models, grants an extra model for free whenever one is reinforced.
85


Flamer: Equips the squad with three flamers. Flamers are effective against buildings, units in buildings or cover, and light infantry.
80 20

Commissar: Adds a Commissar to the squad. Also expands the squad by 2 Guardsman models and grants an extra model for free whenever one is reinforced. Grants the Summary Execution ability, which will break a retreat in progress.
75 20

Plasma Gun: Equips the squad with three plasma guns. Plasma guns are effective against heavily armored infantry.
100 25

Abilities:
Deplyable Cover: Construct cover (30 health, building, small) in the field. Cover blocks enemy melee troops and grants directional (heavy/green) cover to units behind it. Build time depends on # of Guardsmen (up to 6 models).

Multi-Laser Turret: Construct a Multi-laser Turret; a light fire support turret that causes no suppression. Build time depends on the number of Guardsmen to build it (up to 6 models). Can be reclaimed for half build costs. Costs 5 Manpower.
150 5

Repair: Repair an allied vehicle or building for 10 health per second. Does not work on biological units. Cooldown 5 seconds.


Guardsmen Infantry Squads are the backbone of any T1 IG army and while individualy weak they are strong when grouped. Being particulary cheap allows for multiple squads early on and massed firepower can easily drive of enemies. The IG in particulary are unique for squad leader upgrades as they always die last and give you no excuse not to augment your men and make the squad bigger. A fully upgraded Guardsmen squad with plasma guns has a similar damage output to plasma armed Space Marines, don't underestimate the usefulness of upgrades.Turrets and Deployable Cover form the backbone of your defences and the repair ability gives great returns with vehicles and in particular with the Sentinel. Guardsmen are however extremely vulnerable to explosive and/or AOE damage aswell as melee, make grenade and melee armed squads a priority target early game.

Pros+
-Initialy cheap with good damage returns when upgraded
-Many defensive upgrades and key support in form of repair
-Massed firepower is utterly brutal
Cons--
-Individualy very weak and vulnerable to explosives, AOE and Melee
-Fully upgraded squads can be expensive and cost alot to maintain

Sentinel
Fast and maneuverable vehicle that is fragile and vulnerable to small arms fire. Ideal for contributing to ranged fire fights or kiting melee units. Can de-capture points.
350


Upgrades:
Extra Armour: Increases armor plating, restoring up to 125 health. If the Sentinel needed less than 125, the remainder is added to its energy instead. Energy does not regenerate, but absorbs 5 damage per point of energy. This upgrade can be purchased multiple times, each restoring up to 125 health/energy.
75 20

Missile Launcher: Replaces the Sentinel's multilaser with a missile launcher, capable of loading and firing either frag or krak missiles. Frag missiles are effective against stationary and massed infantry, while krak missiles are effective against vehicles and buildings.
100 40

Abilities:
Ground Pound: The Sentinel slams the ground, doing 20 melee damage and weapon knockback to enemy infantry in radius 7. Targets are stunned for 5 seconds. Cooldown 35 seconds.

The Sentinel is one of the best units an early game Imperial commander gets access to, not only being fast with a decent gun as it is a walker it can smash through terrain to deny enemies cover, decap points and more importantly protect your guardsmen from melee units through use of its Ground Pound ability. As an added bonus as it is only a single model that can be repaired you can use your Sentinel to soak up enemy fire and just simply repair the damage with Guardsmen, meaning the enemy gets very little for their efforts. Later game you can upgrade the Sentinel with a Missile launcher effective against armour and infantry depending on the fire mode. Making sure your Sentinel doesn't die however is vitial and proper microing is neccesary.

Pros+
-Fast and able to decap points
-Very capable of being an early game damage soak
-The most effective means of protecting Guardsmen from melee infantry
Cons-
-Without doubt the most micro intensive unit in the game
-Infantry armour rating means it can be damaged by anything
-After T2 usefulness drops of significantly

Tier I (Continued)

Catachan Devils
Seasoned jungle fighters effective in close combat, who also carry versatile ranged weapons. Squad leaders are always the last to die. Can detect infiltrated units.
400 40


Upgrades:
Demolition man: Add a demolitions expert who has 150 health and comes equipped with a more powerful shotgun. Grants the ability to deploy satchel charges, which are effective versus all armor types. Also grants the Smoke Grenade ability.
75 20

Sarge: The Sarge has 225 health and carries a melta gun, effective versus vehicles and all infantry. He also grants the camouflage ability that allows the Devils to infiltrate when standing still.
75 25

Abilities:
Explosive shot: Fires a concussive shotgun shell, doing 200 courage damage and weapon knockback in a 90 degree, 20 radius cone. Rt time 1650 cooldown.


Fires a volley of three grenades that each deal up to 40 barbed strangler damage in radius 4. Units struck by Ol' Reliable do weapon knockback to all targets in radius 5. Cooldown 30s.


Improvised Explosives: The Demolition Man arms a remote bomb, considered infiltrated once set up. When detonated, the bomb does 60 detonation damage and ability knockback in radius 3 and a further 120 detonation damage in radius 6. Cooldown 60s.


Smoke Grenade: Throws a smoke grenade that covers a 15 radius area for 8.5 seconds, reducing both ranged ramage and received ranged damage by 80% and lowering received suppression by 90%.

Catachan Devils are the 'go to unit' when it comes to dealing with suppression teams, melee infantry and are generally effective against all enemy units. The excell at disrupting infantry formations and keeping units away from your squish guardsmen, they are also no pushovers in combat, having a melee resistance buff and respectable damage. VERY flexible and usefull unit.


Heavy Weapon Team
Equipped with a Heavy Bolter that suppresses large groups of infantry, has a limited firing arc and requires set-up time. Can be upgraded to a Lascannon or an Autocannon.
225 30

Upgrades:
Autocannon: Adds an autocannon to the squad, granting increased range and damage to all target types, but lacking suppression.
75 20

Lascannon: Upgrade the squad with a lascannon, which is effective against vehicles.
75


Sergeant: Adds a Sergeant to the squad, allowing the team to "entrench" when their weapon is set-up. Entrenched squads are immune to suppression and knockback, and the model manning the heavy weapon takes -50% ranged damage. Garrisoned squads cannot entrench.
65 25

Abilities:

Repair an allied vehicle or building for 10 health per second. Does not work on biological units. Cooldown 5 seconds.

Heavy Weapon teams are the Imperial Guards go to suppression unit, and it is unique in that it has four basic members and can be upgraded with a leader to increase survivability. Also it's range of weapons is very flexible and can be easily upgraded to deal with both heavy infanty and vehicles. However the the models not manning the gun are bugged and as such selecting a target with the squad may result in them charging into melee combat, as such place this squad in a buildng or simple just place them down and let the AI do the work.

Tier II

Chimera
Transports infantry units across the battlefield and allows nearby squads to reinforce. Loaded troops add to the Chimera's firepower.
300 60


Upgrades:
Extra Armour: Restores 100 health. If the Chimera needs less, the remainder is added to energy instead. Energy does not regenerate, but absorbs 1 damage per point of energy. Can be purchased multiple times.
90 20

The Chimera is one of the most flexible tools an IG player has at his disposal, as it packs respectable speed, firepower and the ability to transport Guardsmen across the battlefield. As Units can also reinforce from it is very usefull and keeping your guardsmen in the fighter longer and allowing them to relocate quickly. While extra amour esentialy doubles you HP, Chimeras are very vulnerable to anti-tank and will die very quickly if caught.

Banewolf (Inquistor only)
Equipped with a chem cannon, the Bane Wolf is a fast assault vehicle that belches toxic clouds of acidic poison gas.
300 75



Abilites:
Chem bomb: Fires a massive burst of chemicals that leave a 15 radius toxic patch on the ground for 10 seconds, reducing the speed of infantry by 60% and inflicting them with 10 damage every second. 30 second cooldown.

The Banewolf is very usefull for flushing enemies out of heavy cover and is often employed to lead the charge against fortified areas. It excels at killing enmemy infanty and its ability is usefull for forcing enemy setup teams to relocate or die. However only the Inquisitor get access to it and its main weapon is extremly shot range , also it isnt very durable so will die to anti-tank weapons quickly. Use Guardsmen to keep your Banewolf in fighting condition

Manticore
Mobile artillery unit that fires missile barrage.
300100


Abilities:
Storm Eagle: Fires 4 Storm Eagle rockets in quick succession at the targeted area. Each rocket does up to 180 Manticore rocket damage and weapon knockback in radius 10. 45 second cooldown.


The Manticore excells at laying down the hurt at extremly long range though use of its Storm Eagle ability, capable of seriously damaging/killing enemy units in an single accurate hit. However it is extremely weak close up and practicaly anything that gets close to it WILL kill it, so keep it protected and relocate after successful hits.

Tier II (Continued)

Stormtroopers
Elite ranged infantry equipped with hot shot lasguns. Can be upgraded to fulfill different roles. 400



Upgrades:
Assault Kit: Overcharges the Storm Trooper Squad's hellguns, increasing range by 40% and boosting rate of fire.
75


Anti-Armour Kit: Trades the squad's hellguns for meltaguns, short range weapons effective against all targets, especially vehicles. Also grants the Melta Bomb ability to slow and damage vehicles and other large targets.
75 25

Abilities:
Infiltrate: Become invisible. Attacking or using abilities will partially reveal the squad. Partially revealed units have received damage lowered by 20%. Can be fully revealed by detector units, capturing points, or getting too close to enemy units. Drains 1.5 energy per second.

Melta-Bomb: Throws a melta bomb at an enemy vehicle or monstrous creature. Melta bombs do 200 melta damage and reduce speed by 60% for 15 seconds. 48 second cooldown.

Stormtroopers excel in situations where throwing regular Guardsmen in wouldnt work, such as outflanking a turret, stealthy tank hunting or fast generator raiding. Their two upgrades allow them to specalise in dealing with either infantry or vehicles and they do both roles very well, just remember theres only four of them in a squad and they can't take as much damage as even a Guardsmen squad.


Ogryns
Ogryns are tough ogre-like brutes who excel in close combat and are excellent at disrupting enemy ranged units. Can be upgraded with a Bone 'ead.
450 90


Upgrades:
Bone 'ead:Adds a Bone 'ead to lead the Ogryn squad, enabling the Use yer 'ead! ability which increases speed and allows the Ogryns to knock down nearby units.
100 30

Abilities:
Use yer 'ead!: The squad charges head first for 7 seconds, increasing their speed by 3, crushing all obstacles in their way, and doing weapon knockback in radius 6 every 5 seconds. The Ogryns forget to fire their ranged weapons while charging. Cooldown Rt time 1645.


Ogyrns are an extremly effective melee disruption unit, that deal respectable damage and can take a fair beating. They are very usefull for coving your Guardsmen from melee units and attacking enemy groups to give your Guardsmen the advantage. They are however a large infantry target and as such enemies will focus them down fast when they see them coming straight for there suppression team. Only use Ogryns when supported by other units.

Tier III

Leman Russ
A multi-purpose battle tank. Can be upgraded with weapons more effective versus infantry or vehicles.
500 125


Upgrades:
Extra Armour: Increases the armour plating, restoring up to 150 health. If the Leman Russ needed less, the remainder is added to energy instead. Energy does not regenerate, but absorbs 1 damage per point of energy lost. Can be purchased multiple times.
100 25

Excecutioner Cannon: Replaces the main cannon with an Executioner plasma cannon, a shorter range weapon with a much larger area of effect and higher rate of fire. Effective against all targets, but ideal against infantry.
185 35

Vanquisher Cannon: Replaces the main autocannon with a Vanquisher Cannon, a longer range and higher damage weapon but without any splash damage. Effective against all targets, but ideal for combatting vehicles.
185 35

The Leman Russ is the go to unit when you need to go on an offensive with the Imperial guard, effective against pretty much anything your enemy can throw against you once upgraded, the Russ can also soak up a tremendous amount of firepower, especialy if being repaired by Guardsmen. Consider extra armour for a further defensive boost, but be wary that it isnt the fastest tank in the game so manage it with consideration.


Baneblade
Super heavy battle tank armed with numerous weapons. Autofire on the main cannon is disabled. Use its abilities to fire from the main gun.
1000 200


Abilities:
Fire Baneblade Cannon: Fires the Baneblade Cannon at the target, dealing up to 450 explosive damage in radius 4. Units struck by cannon do weapon knockback to all targets in radius 4. 30 second cooldown.


Fire Demolisher Cannon: Fires the Demolisher Cannon at the target position, dealing up to 400 explosive damage in radius 10. Units struck by the cannon do weapon knockback to all targets in radius 4. 30 second cooldown.


Weilding the most ranged firepower on any tank in the game, the Baneblade excels at gunning down any enemies that are foollish enough to be in range of its main guns. It can take a ferocious beating but is VERY slow, so consider repairing it with you Guardsmen to keep it in fighting condition, also it's abilites have a minimum range so keep units around to support the Baneblade and in particular keep enemies out of melee with it.

Tactics & Build Orders

I'll quickly go over general non-race specific tactics and key things to be on the look out for while playing as IG, and also highlight several build patterns that can help you spice your game up and keep you enemy guessing.

DEFINATE things to be avoiding/watching for as IG:
-Close combat: Pretty much should be a no brainer by now but seriously, just stay out of combat with anything that isnt Ogryns or Catachans. It wont be pretty. Sentinels stomp are your friend.

-AOE weapon spam: If your opposition starts fielding alot of flamers, grenades and other weapons that hit in a radius generaly dont try to match them one for one, them spending lots of resources on upgrades mean you should be able to tech up faster and get access to units like the Chimera which will totaly negate this advantage.

-Generator 'bashing': You should always be aiming to attack unprotected power nodes you find, particulary when the enemy army is already engaged. Stormtroopers and upgraded Sentinels make excellent raiding units and less enemy power means less weapons to be killing your Guardsmen. Protecting your own is also paramount and even just using Airdropped mines or a multi-lazer turret can force most light raiding units off.

-Late game anti-armour spam: Many people really fear T3 Imperial guard Tank domminance, and as such will no doubt be focusing alot of there army in an anti-vehicular role. Take advantage of this by using unorthodox techniques to isolate enemy squads and quickly elimnate them, such as infiltrating storm troopers and then manticoring using the line of sight. If you can successfully kill of anti-armour theres very little a Leman Russ can't take on 1v1.

Build Orders
Many different players love utilising different build orders in order to keep an eliment of supprise for the first engagement, and a bad build order really can cost you the game. heres a couple of my own and i'll identify what races you should be using each one against. Also i gave each one a cool name :)
(As a side note you start with a 'free' guarsmen squad and as such if i type 3 Guardsmen that mean you only need to build two extra)

Boots on the Ground:
Particulary usefull with the lord General or Lord Commisar this order emphasizes mass infantry and long range support.

T1: 3 Imperial Guardsmen, 1 Catachan squad
T2: 1 Stormtroopers/1 Ogryns, 1 Manticore
T3: 1 Leman Russ/1 Baneblade

This build focuses on early game infantry suppremacy following into late game armoured support in the form of a Leman Russ/Baneblade. This is an idea build for being VERY aggressive as an IG player, moving large amounts of infantry around that by T2 can pretty much deal with anything. Ideal for use against most factions but particularly effective against Orks or Eldar. Stay agressive where possible but be very wary of well placed grenades or suppresion teams.

Mailed Fist
Usefull with the Inquisitor or Lord General, the build is all about the vehicles and using large amounts of mobile firepower to play either a quick defence or rapidly deployable offense.

T1 : 2 Imperial Guardsmen, 1 Sentinel OR 1 Imperial Guardsmen, 2 Sentinels
T2: 1 Chimera/ 1 Stormtroopers, 1 Manticore ( OR 1 Bane Wolf if Inquisitor)
T3: 1 Leman Russ, 1 Baneblade OR 2 Leman Russ

This build is all about teching up fast and utilising the fantastic array of tanks and armour the Imperial Guard get access to. Early game you should be aiming to capture as much as possible while pilling on the pressure with your Sentinel(s), while late game get out a Leman Russ ASAP. The two Sentinal build is EXTREMLY risky and requires more microing than even i'm capable of doing effectively. As such i'd only use this build if you feel comfortable with IG already and accept that your most likely going to get creamed early game, but late game will come quickly for you. Very usefull in 3v3's and particulary against Tyranids, Orks, IG and Eldar if they are using large amount of Infantry.

Giantslayers
All about killing things that are bigger than yourself, this build is usable with all three Commanders but the Inquistor is by far the best. Pile on the pressure with suppression teams, Manticores and globals, aiming to wipe enemy squads before they get a chance to know whats hit them.

T1: 2 Imperial Guardsmen, 1 Catachan, 1 Suppression team OR 2 Imperial Guardsmen, 2 Suppresion team
T2: 1 Stormtrooper/1 Orgyn, 1 Manticore OR 2 Manticores
T3: 1 Leman Russ or 1 Baneblade

This build focuses on equiping imperial guard to be highly effective early game, suppressing and disrupting enemy squads so they are unable to gain a decisive advantage. Placing a heavy weapon team covering a key point then placing another behind it covering the orginal team is a vert effective counter to melee units, while 2 manticores are devestating against Orks and Eldar players. Use in particular against Space Marines and Chaos, and switch to two manticores if facing a horde army.

The Brick Wall
The Lord General makes this Build shine, and is all about taking a key point on a map and refusing to let go off it regardless of what shows up.

T1: 2 Imperial Guardsmen, 1 Heavy weapon team/1 Sentinel
T2: 1 Manticore, 1 Stormtroopers/1 Ogryns
T3: 2 Leman Russ OR 1 Baneblade

Something i did not put above is how much you should be utilising multi-lazer turrets and Battle cannon turrets/Bunkers with how you play this, aggressively take a key point and fortify it using Barricades, turrets and Bunkers. Create a kill zone infront of you by destroying any cover you find with a Sentinel or the Manticore and aim to focus down melee and jump units before they can effectively disrupt you. Follow this up with 1/2 Leman russes depending on your Population cap for rapid counter attacks and generator assaults. Usefull against anything but in particular other IG players, Space Marines and Chaos.




As a final quick note i should point out that NO SINGLE APPROACH IS SET IN STONE, ingame circumstances change very quickly and as such you may need to adapt what you do depending on what you come across. Im not going to jump out of your Monitor and bash you over the head if you decide a Chimera is tacticaly better than some Ogryns in a situation your in. Use your brains; a good comander obeys, a fantasic one adapts.

Tough Opposition

The next few pages i'll go over each faction you'll come up against and give you some basic tactics i keep in mind when playing against them. Please bear in mind this are general pointers in what to watch out for and general 'shoot that unit first' tactics. Also maps are changing places from game to game and persoanl intelligence is a definate requirement.

Space Marines

Space Marines are a tricky prospect for Imperial Guard players as they can very easily switch between ranged and meele supremacy. Three units in particular that you should be avoiding like the a Nurgle plague are:



- SM Scouts with shotguns/grenade combo : Upgraded scouts with frag grenades/shotguns love nothing more than charging large masses of Guardsmen and blowing them up using explosive shot and grenades and at the very least blowing you out of and destroying buildings/cover. Fortunatly they are quite weak and focused fire from practicaly anything will swiftly take them down. Sentinals are also great for stomping and denying grenade usage. If they purchase Infiltration for there scouts definatly invest in Catchans with a sergeant upgrade aswell as keeping your eyes open for incoming grenade runs.



- Assault Marines : This is literaly the go to unit for marine playes when playing IG, if they dont have atleast one squad in there T1 line up they are either extremly brave/stupid. Assault marines will absolutly TRASH ANYTHING they get into combat with if its Imperial guard (yes even Ogryns if used properly) and as such killing of any squads you see are an absolute must. Honestly other than spacing your units out and having a sentinel/catchans nearby to use there abilitys is your only real defence early game, wait till they have jumped in, hit em with a stomp or Grenade barrage and then focus everyhting possible on them. Later game vehichles like Chimeras and the Leman Russ give them considerable problems but even then they have Melta-bombs. Kill these guys ASAP.

-The Dreadnought/Venerable : Dreadnoughts are scary enough as they are, but they excel at killing weak infanty like guardsmen as well as you tanks and as they come with a flamerthrower standard they can cause huge Issues mid game as you'll be lacking for anti-tank options. Guardsmen are next to useless against these armoured behemoths and as such stormtroopers with melta-guns are the go to choice. If possible use invisible troopers or flares to spot stationary ones and drop manticores on them aswell for maximum damage. If a venerable one turns up start praying your Tier 3 with a Leman Russ.

All in all Fighting Space Marines is all about focusing fire, avoiding meele combat and killing units off. Space marines are notoriously expensive with small unit sizes as such even killing a single squad can swing the game your way. Aim to go T2 as fast as possible and get yourself a Chimera or stormtroopers depending on the situation, but always be flexible, as SM players can switch playstyle ingame very easily and can catch you offguard.

Chaos Space Marines

Chaos Space Marines are very much like their Emperor loving couterparts, but are even more dangerous as they get access to alot more Area Of Effect abilities which can desimate IG squads in seconds. A few units/abilites to look out for in particular are:

- Touch of Nurgle (Plauge Marine) global ability: This ability in its form today as i type can kill any fully upgraded Guardsmen squad in under 8 seconds. It appears as a large green circle pulsating and im my own opinion is horrendously overpowered against pretty much anything that isnt a Baneblade. All you can do to stop this ability is make use of auto-reinforcements from a Chimera/Medi-bunker(Which costs a TON) or use the Lord Commisars 'None shall Fall! ability to stop units from dying. Well that or retreat, and even then it can simply follow you into your base if he's close enough when its cast. Theres not much else you can do against it other than being aware of what it does and be safe in the knowledge he can't spam it.

-Chaos Lord's 'Let the galaxy burn!' : This abilty is a huge ranged AOE that the Lord gets in T2, and my word it TRASHES light infantry, if possible avoid bunching units up and retreat if your squads get hit to badly. Be mindfull that flames persist on the ground so units will still take damage while retreating.

-Noise Marines : Upgraded Noice Marine squads with blastermasters do huge damage to anything they hit frankly, be it armoured vehicles or tightly packed IG squads . Use Catachans to knock them off there feet with a grenade barrage while driving around them in a Chimera or smacking them with a manticore. While they hit hard they have lower HP than your average Chaos Marine, three out of four direct hits with a Manticore in particular will kill the squad.

Fighting Chaos Space Marines is very much like fighting regular Marines, just be wary of there significantly more dangerous melee capabilities aswell as the large aray of area damaging attacks. Focus fire to kill units and dont be affraid to lose models in a squad if it means killing enemy squads, you'll always win a war of attrition. Every Chaos marine you kill is worth roughly 5-6 Guardsmen.

Orks

I'd say from personal experience orks are the most dangerous race to be playing against with Imperial Guard, purely because they work in a very similar way to you with large numbers but with excellent melee AND shooting units. Orks (along with Tyranids) are the factions in the game you wont be able to win a war of attrition against, and as such you very much have to fight down right dirty, using your own arsenal of AOE attacks, abilites and superior Vehicles. Again a few units to watch out for in particular are:





Looters: The ork suppression unit can be an absolute pain to deal with as it can stealth. Many times i've walked into an area i htough was clear early game, got suppressed and then swamped with sluggaboys and stormboys. Be very mindfull of stealthed loota teams and bring Catachans to knock them out of cover.

Shoota boyz 'blobs': By this i am refering to 3-4 units of shoota boyz with knobs and big shootas moving around in a tight 'blob' wrecking squads at range through use of there suppression ability and WAAAAAGH. They are very capable of outshooting even Guardsmen in large numbers, deal with them by using a manticore to force them to flee or hitting them with ogyrns/Embarked Guardsmen in Chimeras.

Nobs : Ork Nobs are very much a hot topic, as many times a single squad of Nobs has won the game for my opposite half in T3 as i have simply been unable to deal with them. Super heavy infantry that move at the same speed as sluggas when WAAAGH'ed, AND with an ability to break suppresion and become invulnerable??? Seriously if you see Nobs be prepared either fight it out to the bitter end in hopes of killing them once the invun has worn off or kill everything around them and try to force the Ork player into a mass retreat. Other than that the Inquistor has two abilites that can keep a Nob squad pinned nicely in place for a VERY long time.

Orks are the anti-christ when your playing as IG, gun down ANYTHING that looks remotely like its doing for close combat with you and make cleaver use of bunkers and buildings to deny Ork players easy Guardsmen kills. If he goes ranged against you early on save up for a Chimera/Manticore Other than that i would highly recomend a suppression team, aswell as any other weapons that do area damage like Flamers and Grenade launchers on the Lord General. Later game go for Leman Russes with Plasma Cannons for ultimate Ork Slaying.

Tyranids

Tyranids are a very tricky faction to play against as they can go either way when it comes to damage, either a full on horde of meele units that would scare most Ork players into submission or a ranged horde that is easily capable of outshooting even IG gunlines. As such when fighting Tyranids pay attention to what you enemy is building and build to counter it. Also burning them with fire is a good place to start.


-Tyranid Warriors : Warriors can either choose to a range suppression unit or a melee unit capable of doing heavy damage to most targets, and as such pay attention to there models, a big cannon on the middle warrior means suppression and you will be needing catachans and sentinels, extra claws means close combat and a suppresion team of your own is usefull. The 'hard counter' for these guys is generaly Catachans no matter which form there in.

-Tyrant guard : Armoured tyranids capable of soaking up ALOT of firepower and also regenerating health super fast, you'll need mass firepower (preferably plasma gun armed guardsmen) and a squad or two of Melta-Troopers to take them down, not particularly dangerous by it self but it EXCELS at disrupting weapon teams and Guardsmen, making openings of other Tyranids to exploit.

-Spore mines : Normaly just an annoyance to most factions, spore mine drops can really ruin your day as they do moderate damage to your infantry and also supress. If you see them droping(green icon on the floor)) try to move out of the way and then focus them down before they can exlode.

Killing Tyranids is definatly tricky, as you need AOE for the small creatures and heavy hitting guns for the big ones, as such i would recomend starting any game of against tyranids with two Flamer armed guardsmen and a Sentinel, moving into Catachans and either a suppression team or a fast Chimera. later game get some Plasma Gun armed Guardsmen aswell as a manticore or quick Plasma Leman Russ and focus on killing smaller units first, working your way up with size.

Eldar

I can't stress enough that you should NEVER underestimate you opponent, especialy if he's using Eldar. They are perhaps the only faction that can turn a surefire defeat into a spectacular win with a single play. However, there units rely heavily on each other for support and as such elimitating just a single link in the chain can allow you to crush them just as easily as they can you.

- Guardians : Eldar Guardians are litteraly the definition of a 'glass cannon', they do AMAZING damage, move extremely quickly with fleet of foot and get access to plasma grenades that can kill even heavy infanty. Many Eldar players build three of these squads at the start of a game for massed firepower and they can sherd anything a IG play has access to very quickly, even a Sentinel. Stay onguard for grenades, try to stomp with your Sentinal and get Catachans out as fast as possible if you see a 'blob' of these guys, there weak but VERY dangeous at range against all infantry, but also next to useless against Armoured vehicles.

-Wraith Guard : Wraith Guard are are very troublesome unit for IG to deal with, they have area ranged attacks that can shred both infanty and Tanks with ease, and they are extremly durable for an Eldar unit. As such hit them with large amounts of firepower and try not to group units to closly together, many players consider multiple wraithguard squads overpowered and as such i would advise saving your powerfull global abilites like basalisk run and hellfury strike for groups of them.

-Fire Prism : The Fire Prism is very capable at killing both vehicles and infantry very easily when your playing as Imperial guard, using its speed to escape retribution once its fire off a few rounds. However It is extremly weak to return fire and as such using your own armour like a vanquisher Leman Russ or stealthed Melta-troopers can result in it being netralised very quickly.

Eldar units are very strong when used working together but become very vulnerable individualy and suffer from generaly lower armour, in some cases worse than your Guardsmen. As such AOE weapons like Flamers and the manticore are highly effect against eldar units, just be carefull of reprisals as Eldar are EXTREMLY mobile though use of webway gates and unit/global abilities.

Imperial Guard

Fighting the same faction as you in Dawn of war is always tricky, as generaly it comes down to whosthe better play rather than what you build. As such tackling an IG player requires you think about what your own army is capable of and weak against and mirroring it.

Ogyrns: I never realy use Ogryns myself, but i cant deny how well they can be at stomping Guardsmen into the ground. There 'Use yer ead!' ability in particular makes them VERY effective at dsirupting large amount of Guardsmen and as such keeping them at a distance is paramount. Use your own abilites to keep them knocked down and focus them while there at range.

Manticore: as you can most likely tell by now i have a HUGE love of this tank, but when its being used aginst me i fear it just as equally. A single manticore can essentialy wipe or force of an opposing IG army in a single good hit, so be VERY carefull if you see the red indicator and get out of the way. Fortunatly Stealthed stormtroopers with Melta-guns are THE prefect unit for hunting down a manticore behind enemy lines, and it should be your priority target if you know the enemy has one.

Leman Russ : You should know yourself by now that the Lema Russ is effective killer of practicaly anything when its upgraded properly, and as such facing one of your most powerfull weapons can be VERY problematic for an IG army that is generaly lacking in anti-tank options. Ironicaly your best defence against any enemy IG armour is a Leman Russ Vanquisher, but tip the ods in your favour using lascannon teams, Melta armed stormtroopes and Manticore hits. Leman Russes are dangerous but oftern they lack mobilty as they get easily tangled with large amounts of Guardsmen.

Fighting against yourself is all about knowing your weaknesses and strenghts and exploiting them equaly, against an enemy IG play simply use AOE weapons, explosives and focus down any armour you might come across with Stromtroopers and lascannon teams. Killing the enemy Sentinel as early as possible is also a priority.

Closing thoughts

I hope by now you have atleast a basic idea of how to effectively play the Imperial Guard in competative onlive play, but honestly experience is the best teacher. The more games you play the better you are bound to become and as such you'll learn to try out more complex arrangements of units, strategys and abilties.

The Imperial Guard are perhaps one of the more unique factions to play online, but the rewards for mastering them are very much worth it, as they are more than capable of fighting and winning against every faction on a 1v1 basis. They are also probably (alongside Eldar) the best support faction for 3v3s, so i would definatly also recomend playing with friends and aiming to learn how they can aid and assist factions when your playing alongside them.

If you have any further questions don't hesitate to pop a question in the comments and i shall endeavor to get back to you, also i am sorry for any grammar errors in advance i have spell checked but theres bound to be a few that crept in :)

For the Emperor!

[Imjustatourist]

Very nice read, thanks alot!
I am wondering how all this translates into ELITE MOD, would you say it's (atleast) still viable?

[mikejminer]

I would like to say, everything stated above is 100% true, Imperial Guard will literally curb stomp anything you put in front of it, save for Orks. The biggest Advantage of the Imperial guard as a whole is raw manpower. Ork and Nids are the only 2 factions who can stand up to IG in terms of body mass on the field. Infantry squads are easily the scariest Infantry unit in the game, multiplied tenfold when you see two squads rushing you with a chimera in between and Basilisk shells raining down.

[Martydi]

Who are you, the reincarnated Emperor? I literally prayed to Emperor (or you, if my first statement is true) For somethign like this. Now I know how to perfect my brick wall of bunkers and guardsmen. I often capture a few resource points, find a good spot, make a field hospital out of a bunker and defend with three guardsmen, often heavy weapons team and one more thing, usually Catachan, Leman Russ or Manticore. One more time thank you.

[DaPowerTaylor]

Aggro rushes particularly from factions like chaos and orks can be really problemeatic to deal with, especialy Chaos as they have so much damn AOE's. All i can recomend is fash rushing catachans and try not to lose anything to the aggression.

Use your Sentinel to harass req and power points constantly, just be everywhere that his army isn't and be unpredictable, rushes are powefull but they are VERY resource intensive and if they fail you generally lose the game. Like i say in the Guide IG are more powerfull as the game progresses and if you can survive untill your T2 and get out some anti-tank you'll do just fine.

Unless he's the plague marine in which case start praying for a quick death xD

[Baserton]

NEED HELP WITH CHAOS AGGRO BASHING MY FACE IN

[DaPowerTaylor]

Fixed the sniper description, been a while since i've looked at any of my guides ;)

[my.name.is.iso]

PURE GOLD, thank you
also as mentioned before here, can you fix the sniper rifle description?

[The Eldritch Raiders]

great guide, very useful

[Stuart the Minion]

This is an amazing guide

[Renee]

SNIPER RIFLE AND GRENADE LAUNCHER description are the same. PLZ FIX