Relic Super Pack

Relic Super Pack is a digital compilation bundle released on Steam in 2008, published by THQ. It packages together four critically acclaimed real-time strategy games developed by Relic Entertainment. The collection includes the World War II-themed Company of Heroes and its expansion Opposing Fronts, alongside the futuristic Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Gold Edition and its expansion Dark Crusade. This pack offers a comprehensive strategy experience, spanning historical and science-fiction settings, all from a renowned developer in the genre.

Relic Super Pack: A Digital Monument to a Strategy Titan’s Golden Age

In the annals of real-time strategy history, few studios have carved a legacy as distinct and revered as Relic Entertainment. While many compilations are simple cash grabs or nostalgic repackagings, the Relic Super Pack, released quietly on Steam in November 2008, stands as something far more significant. It is not merely a bundle of games; it is a carefully curated time capsule, a digital monument housing the crowning achievements of a developer at the absolute peak of its creative and technical powers. This collection, comprising the foundational titles of the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series and the revolutionary Company of Heroes saga, represents a pivotal moment where the RTS genre was brutally, brilliantly reforged for a new era. To analyze the Relic Super Pack is to dissect the very DNA of modern tactical strategy.

Development History & Context

To understand the weight of this compilation, one must first appreciate the trajectory of Relic Entertainment. By the mid-2000s, the Vancouver-based studio had already proven its prowess with the critically acclaimed Homeworld series, demonstrating an unparalleled knack for 3D spatial combat and profound atmosphere. Their next project, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War (2004), was a bold departure. It took the dense, tabletop lore of Games Workshop’s grimdark universe and injected it with a relentless, aggressive energy that stood in stark contrast to the more methodical, base-building-focused RTS titles of the day, such as StarCraft or Command & Conquer.

Dawn of War was a success, but it was with its expansions and the subsequent pivot to a new setting that Relic truly cemented its reputation. Company of Heroes (2006) was a monumental gamble. Moving from the far-future Gothic warfare of Warhammer 40,000 to the gritty, well-documented battlefields of World War II was a risk. The market was saturated with WWII shooters, but a next-generation WWII RTS? Relic’s vision was not to create another traditional RTS but to engineer a “tactical simulator” that emphasized squad-based combat, environmental destruction, and resource management through territory control. This was a direct challenge to the genre’s established norms.

The Relic Super Pack, released in late 2008, arrived at a critical juncture. The digital distribution revolution, led by Steam, was in full swing, making comprehensive bundles like this both feasible and highly desirable for consumers. This pack wasn’t just a random assortment; it was a strategic anthology. It included:
* Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Gold Edition (2005): The base game and its first expansion, Winter Assault.
* Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Dark Crusade (2006): The second, groundbreaking expansion that introduced a persistent, turn-based meta-campaign.
* Company of Heroes (2006): The genre-redefining masterpiece.
* Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts (2007): The first expansion, adding two fully realized new factions with their own campaigns.

This selection captures Relic in a state of rapid, confident evolution, showcasing the refinement of their signature mechanics across two different, yet spiritually linked, universes.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

The Relic Super Pack offers a fascinating study in contrasting narratives. The Dawn of War series fully embraces the over-the-top, operatic tragedy of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Its stories are grand, linear sagas of faith, fury, and cosmic horror. The base game and Winter Assault focus on the struggle for the planet Tartarus and the crucial war machine known as the Titan, respectively, featuring the fanatical Space Marines, the barbaric Orks, the ancient Eldar, and the corrupted Chaos Space Marines. The dialogue is thick with imperial dogma and xenos menace, perfectly capturing the source material’s tone.

Dark Crusade, however, represents a significant narrative leap. It abandons linear missions for a strategic campaign map where the player chooses one of seven factions to conquer the planet of Kronus. There is no central plot; the narrative is emergent, generated by the player’s conquests and the unique faction-based vignettes that play out before each major battle. This was a revolutionary approach that gave the game immense replayability, allowing players to experience the war from the perspective of the technologically advanced Tau, the undead Necrons, or any other faction.

In stark contrast, Company of Heroes grounds its narrative in a more intimate, human drama. The campaign follows the Able Company of the 29th Infantry Division from the beaches of Normandy through the pivotal Operation Luttich. The storytelling is more subdued and cinematic, relying on character moments between soldiers like the weary Sgt. Conti and the green Lt. Wright to convey the brutality and sacrifice of war. The themes are not of galactic empire but of brotherhood, leadership, and the sheer, grinding cost of victory. Opposing Fronts expands this by telling parallel stories from the British Panzergrenadiers during Operation Market Garden and the German Panzer Elite defending against them, adding moral complexity by showing the war from the perspective of a competent, professional Wehrmacht officer.

Thematically, both universes are united by a core Relic principle: the value of the individual unit. Whether it’s a squad of Airborne troopers holding a battered farmhouse or a squad of Space Marines making a last stand against a Tyranid horde, the games force the player to care about their digital soldiers, investing them with a sense of identity through persistent experience and heroic actions.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

This is the heart of the Relic Super Pack’s enduring appeal. Every title within it is built upon Relic’s proprietary “Essence Engine,” and together they showcase a masterclass in the evolution of RTS mechanics.

The Relic Formula:
1. Territorial Control: Gone are the traditional worker units harvesting resources from a mine. Instead, resources (Requisition and Power in Dawn of War; Manpower, Munitions, and Fuel in Company of Heroes) are generated by capturing and holding strategic points on the map. This forces constant, aggressive engagement and makes the battlefield itself the primary resource.
2. Squad-Based Combat: The fundamental unit of warfare is not a single soldier but a squad. These squads can be reinforced on the field, upgraded with weapons, and gain veterancy levels, becoming more powerful over time. This creates a tangible connection between the player and their troops.
3. TrueSight & Cover Systems: This was Relic’s revolutionary contribution. Units have a realistic line of sight, blocked by terrain. The cover system—with green (heavy), yellow (light), and red (dangerous) cover—adds a deep tactical layer to positioning. Flanking, suppressing fire, and using the environment are not optional; they are essential to survival.
4. Environmental Destruction: The battlefield is not a static diorama. Buildings can be occupied, fortified, and reduced to rubble. Walls can be blown apart by tanks. This creates a dynamic, ever-changing combat landscape.

Dawn of War‘s Iteration: The system is fast-paced and brutal. Factions are wildly asymmetric, each with unique mechanics like the Orks’ “Waaagh!” or the Eldar’s webway gates. Dark Crusade‘s strategic layer added a grand, Risk-style campaign that gave context to every skirmish.

Company of Heroes‘ Refinement: Here, the systems reach their zenith. The cover and suppression mechanics are more nuanced. The addition of directional armor on vehicles introduces a deep rock-paper-scissors element to tank warfare. The tech trees are tighter, and the emphasis on combined arms is absolute. Company of Heroes feels less like a traditional RTS and more like a digital wargame, demanding meticulous tactical thought over rapid-fire macro management.

The UI across these games is clean and informative, presenting a wealth of tactical data without overwhelming the player. The command bar, with its intuitive unit production and ability queues, became a genre standard.

World-Building, Art & Sound

Relic’s mastery extends beyond mechanics to impeccable atmosphere. The Dawn of War games are a riot of Gothic architecture, lurid energy weapons, and grotesque alien designs. The art direction perfectly translates the “grimdark” aesthetic of Warhammer 40,000 into a cohesive and believable (within its own logic) world. The sound design is equally impactful, from the satisfying crack of a Bolter to the guttural war cries of the Orks. The voice acting is hammy and perfect, filled with imperial zeal and xenos menace.

Company of Heroes achieves a different kind of brilliance through its stark realism. The sound design is arguably some of the best ever put to code. The ping of a spent M1 Garand clip, the terrifying whine of a German MG42, the crump of an artillery shell—every audio cue is authentic and visceral. The graphics, for their time, were photorealistic, with incredible attention to detail on uniforms, vehicles, and the war-torn environments of Normandy and the Netherlands. The music, composed by Jeremy Soule for the base game, is a somber and orchestral score that underscores the gravity of the conflict without resorting to melodrama. Together, these elements create an unparalleled sense of immersion, making the player feel like they are commanding troops in a living, dying world.

Reception & Legacy

Upon their individual releases, the components of the Relic Super Pack were met with widespread critical acclaim. Company of Heroes won numerous Game of the Year awards and is frequently cited as one of the greatest strategy games ever made. Dawn of War and its expansions were lauded for their faithful adaptation of the license and their innovative take on the RTS formula.

The Relic Super Pack itself, as a compilation, flew somewhat under the critical radar—bundles often do. Its significance is not in its own reviews (which are scarce to non-existent, as evidenced by the lack of critic reviews on MobyGames) but in the value proposition it represented. For a single price, it offered hundreds of hours of top-tier strategic gameplay.

The legacy of this collection is immense. The core mechanics pioneered and perfected here—territory control, squad-based tactics, realistic line-of-sight, and dynamic cover—have become the bedrock for nearly every major tactical RTS that followed. Games like Men of War, Iron Harvest, and even Relic’s own later sequels (Company of Heroes 2 and Dawn of War III) are direct descendants. The Relic Super Pack is a concentrated dose of this influential DNA. It preserved these landmark titles at the exact moment of their greatest impact, ensuring their accessibility for future generations of strategy enthusiasts.

Conclusion

The Relic Super Pack is more than the sum of its legendary parts. It is a historical document of a studio operating at its creative zenith. It captures the thrilling evolution of the RTS genre across two distinct but masterfully executed settings. From the galactic battlefields of the 41st millennium to the hedgerows of Normandy, the pack demonstrates a consistent philosophy: that strategy games are at their best when they emphasize tactical depth, meaningful player choices, and emotional investment over sheer scale or complexity.

While it may lack the unified identity of a single game, its value as a comprehensive anthology is unquestionable. For the strategy aficionado, the history buff, or any player seeking a masterclass in game design, the Relic Super Pack is not just a recommendation; it is an essential pillar of a modern gaming library. It stands as a timeless testament to Relic Entertainment’s golden age, a pack of relics that, far from being dusty artifacts, continue to pulse with strategic life.