The Ancient

The Ancient is a mysterious Blood Ravens veteran and one of the main characters in the Space Marines campaign of the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution expansion.

Background

The last figure in the campaign is the enigmatic veteran known as “The Ancient.” He gives no name, and instead is known by his rank of ‘Ancient’, the honorific title given to marines who serve as bearers to the Chapter’s sacred standards. He does not speak, having taken a vow of silence to atone for past sins, yet his actions speak volumes on the battlefield.

Abilities

The Ancient's abilities vary widely, a testament to his hard-earned experience and skill gleaned from many centuries of battle. He gains a unique ability when using different weapons depending on what kind of weapon he wields. When equipped with a Missile Launcher, for example, which is an anti-vehicle weapon, he gains the ability to launch a Frag Missile, which is very effective against clusters of infantry units. With a Plasma Gun equipped he gains a Charged Shot ability to deliver a more powerful, explosive superheated pulse of plasma. Equipping him with a Chainsword grants him Merciless Strike, a powerful close combat attack that can strike several enemies and send them flying.

To reflect his centuries of combat experience, the character can be built for widely varying roles. His Stamina skill tree is based on the combat style of Sternguard Marines (Tactical Marine Veterans) and allows him to become hardier, more skilled at defense, and becoming very difficult to kill. His Offense skill tree is based on that of Devastator Marines (heavy weapon specialists) and allows him to equip and use heavy weapons, raining down lethal firepower from extreme range. His Will skill tree is based on that of Vanguard Marines (Veteran Assault Marines) and equips him with a jump pack, allowing him to leap high in the sky before crashing down onto foes with devastating effect.

Truly, The Ancient’s versatility is difficult for any other character to match.

Identity

Later in the Retribution plot, the Ancient is revealed to be a Space Marine that players of the series will be familiar with.