This page now references an out of date edition of the game. For Start Competing: Dark Angels in 10th edition and onwards, please click here.

Place yourself into a period of the before time. Before things like “Competitive” or “Transhuman” were found commonplace in Space Marine armies. Picture being the butt of every single joke made by your local gaming club as they mention how your beloved faction is traitor faction. This is just a small taste of what Dark Angel players have been dealing with for years, being the shunned little brother of the loyalist Space Marine Factions. But no more. 

We are now the ones who laugh, for we will not apologize for our Reign of Terror. 

Welcome to Dark Angels.

Note that this article is meant to be a companion piece to Start Competing: Space Marines Tactics. As such we’ll only be covering units and strategies that are more or less unique to the Dark Angels in this article. Finally, note that with any article of this type, these thoughts represent a specific time. This article was updated in early September, 2022, during the War Zone Nephilim season.

Chapter Overview

Since the release of the 2021 Codex Update for the Dark Angels and the introduction of the Inner Circle rules, Dark Angels have been a force to be reckoned with in the tournament scene and were initially something of a boogeyman in the meta owing to the durability of their Deathwing units. We are a long way from the days of Dark Angels being seen as suboptimal and these days they are one of the strongest options in the Space Marines’ arsenal, both in their base form and when taking successor chapters. From unstoppable Deathwing Terminator advances, the speed of our Ravenwing bike attacks, there’s a lot of power in the Dark Angels Codex. Since they’ve received the supplement treatment in 9th edition, you can now create successor chapters using their rules – a strategy that our own Chase “Gunum” Garber dubs The Outer Circle – and give up some of the Inner Circle rules in favor of going harder on another aspect of the army’s strengths.

Gunum Note: Hey everybody! So, you know I was going to have my hands -deep- into this SC. Throughout the article, I will be adding in a hot Outer Circle take to many of the categories here, so be ready for some fun, some would say heretical, takes. For the uninitiated, the Outer Circle is my beloved Successor Chapter of the Dark Angels. Successors do not get access to Jink or Inner Circle but are supplemented by a more offensive-based playstyle using Bolter Fusillades and Master Artisans.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Competitive Rating

Dark Angels are among the strongest chapters of space marines competitively, and while they aren’t a top-tier army, they frequently put up top 4 results at GT-sized 40k events. You can find more about their performance on 40kstats.

Special Rules

In addition to the special rules available to all Space Marine chapters – you can find those rules in Start Competing: Space Marines – the Dark Angels have a larger number of special rules for their chapter, owing to its unique structure and the way the first and second companies operate. Dark Angels get the Angels of Death rule like other space marines, which gives them the following rules:

• And They Shall Know No Fear
• Bolter Discipline
• Shock Assault
• Combat Doctrines

More on these can be found in Start Competing Space Marines, but we’ll be referencing them often in this article.

Chapter Tactic: Grim Resolve

1st Company

If every unit in your army is Dark Angels, and you have a Vanguard Detachment with only DEATHWING and/or INNER CIRCLE units in it, those units gain the 1st Company ability. This gives Deathwing Terminator Squads, Terminator Squads, Terminator Assault Squads, and Relic Terminator Squads in this detachment the Objective Secured rule and makes it so if your WARLORD is in the Detachment, the Detachment’s Command benefits are changed to “+3 Command Points.”

Essentially, this makes Deathwing armies viable as a Strategy, and a necessity in Nephilim where you only have 6 CP in a Strike Force game. Inner Circle Deathwing are incredibly hard to kill and giving them ObSec makes them particularly good at holding objectives in the middle of the table (Nephilim has lots of these). Add Armour of Contempt on top of that and Deathwing Terminators are one of the game’s most durable units – nightmarishly so when you give them an Apothecary.

2nd Company

If every unit in your army is Dark Angels and you have an Outrider Detachment with only RAVENWING units in it, they all gain the 2nd Company ability. Bike Squad and Outrider Squad units in that Detachment gain the Objective Secured Ability, and if your WARLORD is in this Detachment, its command benefit changes to “+3 Command Points.” This is what potentially makes all-Ravenwing armies viable, though they are not quite as viable as all-Deathwing. It does however mean that Ravenwing Detachments can pull of some neat tricks using minimum-size bike squads as fast objective holders, and recent changes to secondaries like Retrieve Nephilim Data and Engage on All Fronts are much more friendly to small bike units.

Chapter Doctrine: Sons of the Lion

As we covered a little earlier, there are three “super-doctrines” in the Dark Angels codex. GW really did their best to make the book feel like it has three separate fighting styles, all combined into one army via a special rule called Sons of the Lion.

Devastator: Speed of the Raven

While the Devastator Doctrine is active for your army:

• Add 3″ to the Move characteristic of RAVENWING models from your army.
• RAVENWING units from your army are eligible to shoot in a turn in which they Advanced. Each time a model in that unit makes a ranged attack in a turn in which it Advanced, that attack suffers the penalty incurred to the hit roll as if firing an Assault weapon.

Tactical: Fire Discipline

While the Tactical Doctrine is active for your army, INFANTRY models from your army (excluding DEATHWING models) can make attacks with Rapid Fire and Assault weapons (excluding Blast weapons) while within Engagement Range of enemy units but must target an enemy that is within Engagement range of its own unit when doing so. In such circumstances, the model can target an enemy unit even if other friendly units are within Engagement Range of the same enemy unit, and while making such an attack, it has a Ballistic Skill characteristic of 5+.

Assault: Implacable

While the Assault Doctrine is active for your army, each time a DEATHWING INFANTRY or DEATHWING DREADNOUGHT model from your army makes a melee attack against a CHARACTER unit or a unit that has any models with 8+ wounds, you can re-roll the wound roll.

With three super doctrines, the codex is really telling us what our army is expected to be doing. The Speed of the Raven wants our whole Ravenwing force to push forward with 4++ Invuls to set up for the next turn. While still being able to participate in the battle turning our heavy weapons into assault weapons. The Fire Discipline has not seen too much use, though the Tactical doctrine is one that both takes of Dark Angels enjoy, it is the weaker of the three doctrines. Finally, when we are looking at the Implacable special rule we get to some real meat. Rerolling all wounds is great, no matter what the cause, and when we are using lists full of Power fists and Thunder hammers, Magnus and friends better watch out.

Inner Circle

Note: Successor Chapters do not get Inner Circle unless they have the Grim Resolve or Inheritors of the Primarch chapter tactic.

The Stand-out special rule for the Dark Angels army. The rule that caused weeks and weeks of nerf calls, only to be stifled by the faction’s lackluster tournament performance (The release of Drukhari may have also had something to do with this). What does this incredible rule do?

• Each time a Morale test is taken for this unit, it is automatically passed.
• While this unit is within Engagement Range of any enemy FALLEN units, unless this unit has the VEHICLE keyword, this unit cannot be selected to Fall Back.
• Each time you select this unit to Fall Back, unless it has the VEHICLE or CHAPTER MASTER KEYWORDS, roll 2D6: If the result is less than or equal to the unit’s leadership it can Fall Back, otherwise it cannot Fall Back and must Remain Stationary instead.
• And here is the big one – Each time an attack is made against this unit, if this unit has the INFANTRY keyword, an unmodified wound roll of 1-3 always fails, irrespective of any abilities that the weapon or the model making that attack may have.

This is amazing. Let us be honest. Free transhuman on entire armies and on every character in our book?! What to be said here, except it is just flat-out formidable. The automatic passing of Morale tests is also huge here, and underrated – even if your opponent has a particularly deadly turn, your 2-3 remaining ObSec terminators are still sitting on that objective. If we were grading this, we’d give it an A+

Jink

Note: Successor Chapters do not get Jink unless they have the Grim Resolve or Inheritors of the Primarch chapter tactic.

Models in this unit have a 5+ invulnerable save against ranged attacks. In your Movement phase, if this unit Remains Stationary, it loses this invulnerable save until the start of your next Movement phase. Each time this unit Advances, until the start of your next turn, models in this unit have a 4+ invulnerable save against ranged attacks. This combines well with the Speed of the Raven ability to encourage your Ravenwing units to advance on turn 1 while still being able to shoot and potentially score Death on the Wind. 

Stratagems

In addition to the stratagems available to them in Codex: Space Marines, Dark Angels also have their own Stratagems.

Battle Tactic Stratagems

• Wrath of the Lion (2CP) – Use this Stratagem in your Command phase if a combat doctrine is active for your army. Until the start of your next Command phase, each time a DARK ANGELS model from your army makes an attack with a weapon specified by the active combat doctrine, on an unmodified wound roll of six improve the Armour Penetration characteristic of that attack by one. This is cumulative with the bonus from the active combat doctrine. You can only use this Stratagem once. This is a very situational Stratagem and will see the most use in the Tactical or Assault Doctrines but needing to spend 2 CP to make sixes better is rough. D
• Intractable (2 CP) – Use this Stratagem in your Movement phase, when a DARK ANGELS unit from your army is selected to Fall Back. If that unit has the Inner Circle ability, you do not need to first roll 2D6 to see if it can Fall Back – it can automatically do so. Additionally, until the end of the turn, that unit is eligible to shoot. Being able to fall back and shoot with units like the Talonmaster or Hellblasters is great; other marine factions can also charge after Falling Back, but we will take what we can get. The 2 CP cost on this is brutal in Nephilim however, and if you’re running Oaths as a secondary you’re also giving up VP to Fall Back, but it’ll sting less if you can shoot afterward. C
• Deathwing Assault (1 CP) – Use this Stratagem in your Shooting phase, when a DEATHWING unit from your army is selected to shoot. Each time a model in that unit makes a ranged attack, if it was set up on the battlefield this turn because of a teleport homer or teleport strike, add one to that attack’s wound roll. Great ability for all varieties of Dark Angels. Gives a fantastic punch for a small investment, though it does require teleporting onto the battlefield, which may not be something you do most games. A
• Full Throttle (1 CP/2 CP) – Use this Stratagem in your Movement phase, after a RAVENWING unit from your army Advances. That unit immediately makes a Normal Move of up to 12” but is not eligible to shoot with or declare a charge with this turn. If that unit contains five or fewer models, this Stratagem costs 1 CP; otherwise, it costs 2 CP. This will be most useful when playing with ObSec Ravenwing bikers or needing to make a last-minute dash to an objective. Losing the ability to shoot makes this a tough strat, but it is especially useful in certain situations. C+
• Line Unbreakable (1 CP) – Use this Stratagem at the start of the Fight phase. Select one DARK ANGELS INFANTRY unit from your army. Until the end of the phase, that unit can only be selected as a target for melee attacks if the attacking model is within Engagement Range of it (note that this means that enemy models that are not within Engagement Range but are within 1/2″ of a model from their own unit that is itself within 1/2″ of this DARK ANGELS INFANTRY unit cannot target it with melee attacks this phase). This is one of the stand-out stratagems in this book. As an elite army that must deal with hordes of varying types, being able to drastically cut down on how many attacks your units take is huge. A 

Epic Deed Stratagems

• High-Speed Focus (1 CP) – Use this Stratagem in your opponent’s Shooting phase, when you allocate a ranged attack to a RAVENWING VEHICLE model from your army. Until the start of your next turn, that model has a 4+ invulnerable save against ranged attacks. Dark Angels players will use this very often. This Stratagem is key for protecting units such as the Land Speeder Vengeance or an overextended Dark Talon. The downside is that it only works on Ravenwing VEHICLES, not all Ravenwing units, which hurts its utility. Gunum’s Outer Circle Note: This is the only way we can get an Invulnerable save on our Ravenwing units – so I tend to use this on my Dark Talons almost non-stop. B+
• No Foe Too Great to Subdue (2 CP) – Use this Stratagem in the Fight phase, when a DEATHWING KNIGHTS unit from your army is chosen to fight. Until the end of the phase, each time a model in that DEATHWING KNIGHTS unit makes an attack with a mace of absolution against an enemy VEHICLE or MONSTER unit, add one to that attack’s wound roll and improve the Armour Penetration characteristic of that attack by one. It is fluffy. It is cool. But is it good? No – it’s a tad too situational and on a unit that is already tough to justify sometimes. If it were just DEATHWING units, I would be much more enticed to recommend this strat. Great if you are running into Morty or Magnus, I guess. C

Requisition Stratagems

• Marked for Command (1 CP) – Use this Stratagem before the battle. Select one DARK ANGELS Ravenwing Huntmaster or Knight Master model or a DARK ANGELS model from your army that has the word ‘Sergeant’ in their profile. That model can have one of the following Special-issue Wargear Relics, even though they are not a CHARACTER: Master-crafted Weapon; Digital Weapons; Atonement; Bolts of Judgement. Each Relic in your army must be unique, and you cannot use this Stratagem to give a model two Relics. You can only use this Stratagem once. This is cool when you use it on a Deathwing Knight Sergeant to make his Flail Master-Crafted and force some crazy splash damage. Other than that, there is not a ton of use for this Stratagem since you are often upgrading a big target and it does not get you any of the Wargear that makes you more durable. C
• Paragon of the Chapter (1 CP) – Use this Stratagem after nominating a DARK ANGELS CHARACTER model that is not a named character to be your WARLORD. Generate one additional Warlord Trait for them; this must be from the Dark Angels Warlord Traits table. Each Warlord Trait in your army must be unique (if randomly generated, re-roll duplicate results). You can only use this Stratagem once. Just a fantastic ability to apply to about any warlord you can think of. That is not named. My current favorite thing to do is use this on my Ravenwing Chapter Champion with The Armor Indomitus. Giving him the Iron Will Warlord trait (+1W and ignore wounds on a 6++), and the -1 to be hit Ravenwing Warlord trait. You can do a lot of zany things with this, and it will be something you use in most of your lists. A
• Honored by the Rock (1 CP) – Use this Stratagem after nominating a model drawn from a Dark Angels successor chapter to be your WARLORD. You can give one Relic of the Rock to a CHARACTER model from your army that is drawn from a Dark Angels successor chapter instead of giving them a Special-issue Wargear Relic or a Chapter Relic from Codex: Space Marines. If you do, replace the DARK ANGELS keyword in all instances on that Relic (if any) with that model’s successor Chapter keyword. You can only use this Stratagem once. This is insanely important for any successor chapter, as it gives us access to the primary relics from the Dark Angels. Outer Circle lists across the globe requires this stratagem. A

Strategic Ploy Stratagems

• Tactical Appraisal (1 CP) – Use this Stratagem in your Command phase. Select one DARK ANGELS unit from your army within 6″ of your WARLORDS, then select one combat doctrine. Until the start of your next Command phase, for the purposes of that unit, treat that combat doctrine as being active for your army instead of the active combat doctrine. You can only use this Stratagem if every unit from your army has the Combat Doctrines ability (excluding SERVITOR, AGENT OF THE IMPERIUM, and UNALIGNED units). You will see this used often for things like Outriders who are about to go into close combat or even bricks of Terminators or Bladeguard Veterans who need to push through more attacks early by getting to AP-4. Being able to put any unit you want into any doctrine you want is an incredibly useful tool. A
• The Hunt (2 CP/3 CP) – Use this Stratagem at the start of the first battle round, before the first turn begins. Select one RAVENWING unit from your army. That unit can make a Normal Move as if it were your Movement phase but must end that move more than 9″ away from any enemy models. If both players have units that can move before the first turn begins, the player who is taking the first turn moves their units first. If that unit contains five or fewer models, this Stratagem costs 2 CP; otherwise, it costs 3 CP. You can only use this Stratagem once. This stratagem can be useful, but it is expensive – especially in Nephilim – and you almost will have to make sure your list is designed with it in mind. Due to units like Outriders and Ravenwing bikers being unable to take too much in the way of close combat weapons, this is not as good as it could be. The best use for it is taking a max-size unit of Black Knights with close combat weapons, but even with point drops, that strategy isn’t particularly strong. C
• Targeting Guidance (2 CP) – Use this Stratagem in your Shooting phase. Select one enemy unit within 18″ of and visible to a RAVENWING LAND SPEEDER or RAVENWING STORM SPEEDER unit from your army. Until the end of the phase, each time a model in a friendly DARK ANGELS unit makes a ranged attack against the selected enemy unit, add one to that attack’s hit roll. This can be an especially useful Stratagem when trying to target aggressive units, especially with how often your list will include Talonmasters. Do you have some Ork Commandos pushing up to your front line? Make your whole army hit those bad boys on twos and make sure your deployment zone stays clear. Due to how great this is at keeping people out of your deployment zone, the 2CP seems like a justified cost. B+
• Swift Strike (2 CP/3 CP) – Use this Stratagem in the Fight phase, after a RAVENWING unit from your army has fought. If that unit is within Engagement Range of any enemy units, it can Fall Back as if it were the Movement phase. Otherwise, it can make a Normal Move as if it were the Movement phase. If that unit contains five or fewer models, this Stratagem costs 2 CP; otherwise, it costs 3 CP. This is a very situational ability but a neat callback to the Ravenwing of old. Unfortunately, without much melee punch in your average Ravenwing bike squad outside of the Power fist Sergeant or a big Black Knight unit, there is not a ton of use for it. That said, being able to move up, charge an enemy, then slingshot off them into a better position can have some value. Just be mindful that you’ll give up VP if you’re also taking Oaths of Moment. C+
• Secret Agenda (1 CP) – Use this Stratagem after selecting secondary objectives or Agendas. Do not reveal one of your selections to your opponent. The first time you score victory points or experience points for it, reveal it to your opponent. Note that you must still have a record of your selection. We recommend writing it down and concealing it until revealed. You can only use this Stratagem once. This Stratagem had a lot more play before Nephilim removed To the Last from the picture; now there are scant few End Game objectives you’d actually take with it and spend your precious CP on it. As it is, the only objectives that really work for it are Assassination, Bring it Down, No Prisoners, and potentially Martial Interdiction – most of the other end game objectives have actions that give them away pretty much immediately. D (Gunum: S+ Gold Ultra Tier)

Wargear Stratagems

• Stasis Shell (2 CP) – Use this Stratagem in your Shooting phase, when a RAVENWING model from your army shoots with an Astartes grenade launcher. That model can only make one attack with that weapon in this phase. If a hit is scored, the target is caught in stasis until the start of your next turn and the attack sequence ends. While a unit (excluding VEHICLE and MONSTER units) is caught in stasis, it cannot Fall Back. I have never used this. I have never met anyone who has used this. Being restricted to an Astartes Grenade Launcher with a Ravenwing unit is restrictive as the only units that can take it are the Ravenwing Command units and Black Knights. D
• Weapons of the Dark Age (2 CP) – Use this Stratagem in your Shooting phase, when a DARK ANGELS unit from your army is selected to shoot. Until the end of the phase, add one to the Damage characteristic of plasma weapons models in that unit are equipped with. The classic. The feared. The powerful. This is the stratagem that screams out “Fear us, for we are Fury” more than any other stratagem we have. Adding extra damage to our plethora of Plasma Weapons is amazing. From getting our Land Speeder Vengeance up to a whopping four damage to getting the withering fire of assault Hellblasters to three. This is a stratagem you will use very often. A

Warlord Traits

The Dark Angels have their own set of Warlord Traits, with six for the Chapter as a whole and another two each for Deathwing and Ravenwing Warlords. Note that with the change to Nephilim giving players fewer CP to start with and forcing them to pay for their first Relic and Warlord Trait. As a result, the only traits among these you’re likely to see used are Brilliant Strategist, Fury of the Lion, and Decisive Tactician. There are plenty of good options here and in the Ravenwing/Deathwing traits but ultimately the days of taking 3-4 traits on different units are gone.

1. Brilliant Strategist – In your Command Phase, you can select one friendly DARK ANGELS unit within 6″ of this WARLORDS. Until the start of your next Command phase: Each time a model in that unit makes an attack, if the Tactical Doctrine is active for your army, then the Devastator Doctrine is active for that attack instead. Each time a model in that unit makes an attack, if the Assault Doctrine is active for your army, then the Tactical Doctrine is active for that attack instead. This is a solid warlord trait that allows a unit of your choice to stay in the previous Doctrine for some time. A
2. Fury of the Lion (AURA) – While a friendly DARK ANGELS unit is within 6″ of this WARLORD, if this WARLORD has made a charge move, was charged, or performed a Heroic Intervention this turn, add one to the Strength characteristic of models in that unit. Another great warlord trait that rewards defensive play as well as offensive play. Not one you will see often but it’s easy to trigger and use and is valuable for helping fight off other bully units that might challenge your supremacy at midtable. B+
3. Calibanite Knight – Each time this WARLORD makes a melee attack against an INFANTRY or BIKER unit, an unmodified wound roll of 2+ is always successful. A niche trait that seems okay on paper, but for a lot of the units your Warlord could be engaged in combat with, you may already be wounding on a 2+ or 3+ anyway. C
4. Stubborn Tenacity – When this WARLORD is destroyed, if it does not explode, you can use this Warlord Trait instead of using any other abilities that take effect because of this model being destroyed (e.g., Astartes Banner). If you do, this WARLORD is not removed from play until the start of the next turn or the end of the battle (whichever comes first). Until that happens, it is still considered to be in play, but any further wounds this WARLORD would lose are not lost. I love this warlord trait in theory, but not in practice. Being able to act even though you have died is cool. This also is interesting because if you were performing an action, you technically can still complete it even though you died… though you’ll seldom have your Warlord be the model doing an action. D
5. Decisive Tactician (AURA) – While a friendly DARK ANGELS CORE unit is within 6″ of this WARLORD, add one to Advance and charge rolls made for that unit. Great warlord trait to slap onto a Deathwing Chaplain who is guiding a group of Terminators into combat from deep strike. Combines well with the 2″ ruins Engagement Range ruling (where events allow – some do not extend engagement range on charges for units arriving from Reserves) to get theoretical 7″ charges out of Deep Strike. B
6. Honour of the First Legion – This WARLORD is eligible to perform a Heroic Intervention if it is within 6″ horizontally and 5″ vertically of an enemy unit. Each time this WARLORD makes a Heroic Intervention move, so long as it ends that move closer to the closest enemy model, it can move up to 6″. All other rules for Heroic Interventions still apply. This is a warlord trait we see everywhere but rarely picked. It is just not great and we need our traits to be force multipliers, not small deterrence like this. Nobody wants to use their Talonmaster as a HI bully, and I would be hard-pressed to put this into a list. D

Ravenwing Warlord Traits

1-3. Lightning-fast Reactions – Each time an attack is made against this WARLORD, subtract one from that attack’s hit roll. Taking this as something to support a close combat Ravenwing character, like a Primarius Chaplain can be a solid tool to help their close combat game. B

4-6. Master of Maneuver – This WARLORD is eligible to either shoot or charge in a turn in which it Fell Back. Throw this on a Primarius Chaplain who has Armor Indomitus and the Iron Will warlord trait for an unstoppable biker man of close combat fury. This is a perfect warlord trait to toss on a unit as a secondary choice. Usable by most Ravenwing Warlords that find themselves in any tough situation. A

Deathwing Warlord Traits

1-3. Watched – Once per battle, in your opponent’s Psychic phase, this WARLORD can attempt to deny one additional psychic power, even if it is not a PSYKER and even if it is not within 24″ of the enemy models manifesting that psychic power. When taking that Deny the Witch test, do not roll the dice; it is automatically passed. Map wide, once-per-game “No” to any psychic power can be one of the best things you can bring. With abilities like Da Jump, Temporal Surge/Sorcerous Facade, and Onslaught floating around, being able to stifle a turn one double move or Advance and Charge could be invaluable. This is an “A” quality trait, but since it is not going to be used in every matchup, it loses some points. B+

4-6. Inexorable – Each time an attack is allocated to this WARLORD, subtract one from that attack’s Damage characteristic (to a minimum of 1). Subtracting damage can be great. Throw this on one of your Inner Circle Deathwing Captains, or even a Librarian of your choice to get some extra mileage out of them. B-

Rites of Initiation

In addition to the Chapter Command upgrades available to all Space Marine chapters, the Dark Angels have their own upgrades they can purchase for their units. Specifically, these are the Rites of Initiation, which can be given to one of the following units. Doing so gives them the DEATHWING keyword and increases is power rating by 1.

• CAPTAIN (+15)
• PRIMARIS LIEUTENANT equipped with storm shield (+10)
• DREADNOUGHT (+10)
• LAND RAIDER (+5)
• REPULSOR (+5)
• STORMRAVEN GUNSHIP (+5)
• TRANSPORT unit that can transport TERMINATOR models (+5)

Why do this? Well the primary reason is to add these units to a Deathwing Detachment without losing the 1st Company rule, which requires everything in the Detachment have DEATHWING. Additionally, if a unit didn’t have INNER CIRCLE, they’ll gain it in a Dark Angels detachment if you’ve given them the upgrade.

But before you get super excited, it’s worth noting that the permanent transhuman ability of INNER CIRCLE only works on the Infantry units, not the vehicles. On the vehicles, there isn’t quite as much reason to do it. The area you get the most value here is on a Plasma Redemptor, the unit that most had the outside chance of making a competitive list among the non-Deathwing units. Having the DEATHWING keyword means the Dreadnought can benefit from the Implacable Super Doctrine, giving it re-rolls to wound in melee against Characters or enemy units with 8+ wounds. It can also benefit from Belial’s Deathwing-exclusive chapter master re-rolls ability. Otherwise, that’s it, and if you didn’t think that was worth it well, you’re probably not wrong. These rules don’t see a ton of use, but a Deathwing Redemptor or two as support for a large group of terminators isn’t out of the question.

 

Psychic Powers: The Interromancy Discipline

The Dark Angels have access to a school of magic called the Interromancy Discipline. This is a school of magic that is supposed to give us a feeling of battlefield manipulation, with a collection of four Maledictions that can really bring us an edge in close combat situations. The utility provided by some of these spells can be indispensable. Dark Angels have a better psychic game than most other marine chapters, but will struggle to find HQ slots for their casters.

1. Mind Worm (Blessing) – WC 6 – Select one enemy unit within 18″ of this PSYKER.

• That unit suffers one mortal wound.
• Until the start of your next Psychic phase, in the Fight phase, that unit is not eligible to fight until all other eligible units from your army have done so.

This is a great spell for when things like Mortarian, Bladeguard Vets, or any other scary close combat thing is approaching you JoJo style. Give them a brain worm and make them fight after all your friendly guys. B

2. Aversion (Malediction) – WC 6 – Select one enemy unit within 24″ of this PSYKER. Until the start of your next Psychic phase:

• While that unit is within 6″ of this PSYKER, subtract one from the Attacks characteristic of models in that unit.
• Each time a model in that unit makes an attack, subtract one from that attack’s hit roll.

This is a very cool spell, partially due to its low cost, and is another great spell to use defensively as scary choppy lads are approaching you. The neat thing here is that this spell is something Ezekiel would like to use, as he is a Battle Mage who would want to be near his targets – he casts this spell on them and forces them to lose an attack before heading in to brawl. Also this power’s range means you can make a scary shooty unit -1 to hit, which is also useful. Low warp charge value, wide range, big B+

3. Righteous Repugnance (Blessing) – WC 7 – Select one friendly DARK ANGELS unit within 12″ of this PSYKER. Until the start of your next Psychic phase, each time a model in that unit makes a melee attack, you can re-roll the hit roll and you can re-roll the wound roll.

A fantastic spell that can really put the pain on any unit your boys will be rolling up on. Toss this on some Deathwing Knights and what units disappear in front of you. All our units can make wonderful use of this. A

4. Trephination (Witchfire) -WC 5 – The closest enemy unit within 18″ of and visible to this PSYKER suffers D3 mortal wounds. If the result of the Psychic test was greater than the Leadership characteristic of the enemy unit, that enemy unit suffers three mortal wounds instead.

This is a go-to spell for me, as I love having just a little extra damage coming out of Librarians. It is another smite that has a chance to do three mortals straight up. Low casting cost, fine range, and mix it with some of our -1LD tricks and we have a good chance of doing the three mortals. B 

5. Engulfing Fear (Maledictions) – WC 7 – Select one enemy unit within 24″ of this PSYKER. Until the start of your next psychic phase:

• Subtract one from the Leadership characteristic of models in that unit.
• That unit cannot use the Objective Secured ability or any similar abilities that allow them to control an objective marker regardless of the number of enemy models within range of an objective marker.
• If the result of the Psychic test was equal to or greater than that unit’s Leadership characteristic, that unit cannot perform actions (if that unit is currently performing an action, it immediately fails).

Speaking of extra leadership tricks, here we have a spell that doesn’t require line of sight, that turns of objective secured, stops them from doing actions, and makes them -1 leadership. A decent casting cost mixed with a vast range, and amazing utility, this is the stand-out spell in this school of magic. A

6. Mind Wipe (Malediction) – WC 7 – Select one aura ability that unit has. Until the start of your next psychic phase, that unit loses that aura ability. This is a spell that can find a lot of use, in the right kind of matchups. As this is a spell that needs to be chosen in list building, I have never been able to bring myself to use it. The casting amount is fine, and the range is also fine, but the effect of taking up a heavily contested magic slot is a miss for me. C

Relics

In addition to the stuff available to every marine chapter, Dark Angels have their own relics to pick from, both for the chapter proper and Successors. Note that Vehicles cannot be given any of these relics unless explicitly stated, so Talonmasters can only take a few of these. Note that in Nephilim we’re forced to be choosier with relics, as now even our first relic will cost precious CP.

Relics of the Rock

• Mace of Redemption. This replaces a power maul or Crozius with one that’s Sx2 AP-3, 2 damage, and each time you make an attack against a FALLEN or HERETIC ASTARTES unit a wound roll of 4+ inflict 2 mortal wounds and the attack sequence ends. This is cute but that Chaos ability is not going to be relevant in many of your games and you have better things to spend CP on most of the time. C
• Pennant of Remembrance. This goes on Deathwing Ancients. In your Command phase you can pick a Deathwing Infantry Core unit from your army within 6″ and until the next Command phase, each time an attack is allocated to a model in that unit, subtract one from the Damage of that attack. This is a massively useful relic and lets you double down on one of your strongest units’ strengths, making Deathwing even harder to kill every turn. In a meta full of 2- and 3-damage weapons, this is a must-take if you are taking Deathwing. A
• Shroud of Heroes. Each time an attack is made against the bearer, subtract one from the attack’s hit roll. This is a fairly advantageous effect, but it is not so amazing on models that are protected from ranged attacks anyways thanks to Look Out Sir. You could do worse, but you do not need this. B-
• Reliquary of the Repentant. Goes on a Ravenwing Biker model only. While an enemy is within 3″, each time an invulnerable saving throw is made for the model in that unit, if their invuln was 4+ or better, the save is only successful on an unmodified 5+. The range on this is rough and having to go on a bike is not great but in a meta full of Custodes this can be an extraordinarily strong effect. B
• Foe-Smiter. Replaces a Storm Bolter with one that is Assault 4, S5 AP-1, 2 damage. This is OK. And that is about all it is. If you could take it on a Deathwing Sergeant, it might have more value. C
• Eye of the Unseen. The only Relic of the Rock you can take on a Vehicle, i.e. a Talonmaster, this gives the bearer an aura that gives enemy units within 6″ -1 to their Leadership, and at the start of the Fight Phase any enemy character units within Engagement Range fight last that phase. The fight last aspect is neat, but it is only on characters, and you are liable to be doing hit-and-run tactics with your Talonmaster on weaker/vulnerable targets anyways and you are giving him the Arbiters Gaze instead. B-
• Cup of Retribution. Goes on a Chaplain. Once per battle you can recite a special litany called the Feast of Malediction, which gives friendly Dark Angels Core units within 6″ +1 to their Attacks. This is a very cool and offensively powerful ability; the challenge is that this relic ends up being the odd one out since it will often be your second or third pick in an army. A-

Special-Issue Wargear

• Adamantine Mantle. Let us a model ignore wounds on a 5+. A solid boost in durability for a character, and best on characters who do not benefit from taking artificer armor. B
• Artificer Armour. Gives the model a 2+ save and a 5+ invulnerable save. Fantastic for models with power armor saves who need the durability boost, i.e., bike and jump pack characters, especially those that do not already have an Iron Halo. In an Armour of Contempt world, you don’t even need to tack on a Storm Shield. B
• Master-Crafted Weapon. Increases the damage characteristic of a non-relic weapon by one. There are very few cases where this is not useful and it is going to be most useful on the characters you want to take down bigger targets, especially since you can double-up by pairing it with Artisan of War. Also, the best pick for a squad Sergeant who wants a boost – master crafting a thunder hammer or lightning claw on a squad of Vanguard Veterans is potentially very spicy. A
• Digital Weapons. The model gets to make an extra attack every time it fights using the generic close combat weapon profile and if that attack hits, the enemy takes a mortal wound on top of the other damage. Not the best use of a relic. C
• Atonement. A souped-up plasma pistol that is range 18 S9 -4 3D. Very cheeky little shot, great as a backup weapon for a captain who needs a little oomph. B
• Bolts of Judgement. Give a special bullet that wounds any non-Vehicle or Monster or a 2+ at -2AP, 3D. Not too bad, is neat on something like an Eliminator Sergeant. B–
• Heavenfall Blade. Our classic close combat weapon makes a decent return to our armory. Replacing a Power Sword or a Relic Blade, we are given +2S, -4 AP, 2D sword that gives us an extra attack. It is not terrible but comparing to something like the Teeth of Terra is tough. It can be given to a Ravenwing Talonmaster, but I would recommend the next Wargear option for them more. B
• Arbiter’s Gaze. A near auto-take relic for our amazing shooting platform, the Talonmaster. It allows the unit to always hit on a 2+ (even when firing Overwatch!), and any targets it shoots don’t get the benefits of cover. This thing is crazy and should have been a Relic of the Rock. A+

Secondary Objectives

Nephilim changed things up big time for objectives and scoring, allowing factions to choose all three of their secondary objectives from those available to the faction. That means Dark Angels suddenly had a wealth of options open up, with the ability to take both their revised secondary objectives and the four available to all chapters of Space Marines. The marine secondaries aren’t amazing, but having a bunch of options can be incredibly helpful in its own right, particularly if you have a plan for scoring them.

Purge the Enemy: Martial Interdiction

During the Resolve Pre-battle Abilities step of the mission pick one CHARACTER model from your opponent’s army. At the end of the battle score VP as follows:

• Score 3 VP if the model is destroyed.
• Score an additional 3 if it was destroyed by a melee attack made by a DARK ANGELS model from your army.
• Score an additional 3 VP if it was destroyed by a melee attack made by a DEATHWING or INNER CIRCLE model from your army.
• Score 6 additional VP if unit of DARK ANGELS that model was from has not itself been destroyed.

This secondary received a major overhaul in Nephilim, letting you choose the character to hunt down, though even with that change it’s the weakest of the Dark Angels’ secondary objectives – players average around 6.2 VP per game with it. You getting to choose makes this much easier to control, but the secondary itself is very risky when they can just hide the model and deny you VP, particularly if your opponent has an army that can score easily. This can be combined with Secret Agenda to get some additional mileage out of secretly choosing the character – make sure to write it down and keep things above board – but even then you probably have better options, especially for Purge the Enemy (Either Bring it Down or Assassination will usually be a better pick).

No Mercy, No Respite: Death on the Wind

Score 2 VP each time an enemy unit is destroyed by an attack from one of your Ravenwing units that moved 12″ or more during the Movement phase that turn, or made a charge move that turn. You have to build around this secondary to score it but if you do it’s free points. It’s a gimme for Talonmasters and the faction’s flyers, where picking off weak or soft units for free VP is a great deal. This lost some value with the FAQ update to the core/rare rules requiring you to move to score – if you are not careful it can force you into moves which you are better off not making.

Battlefield Supremacy: Stubborn Defiance

In your first Command phase, you pick an objective marker that is not within your deployment zone. At the end of every Command phase after the first, if you control that objective marker with a Dark Angels unit in your army that has ObSec, you score VP based on the number of consecutive command phases you have controlled that objective marker with that unit.

Consecutive Number of Your Command Phases	VP Scored
1	1
2	2
3	3
4	4
5	5

This one changed form Nachmund as well, gaining the “not within your deployment zone” rider that dramatically changes the dynamics of it. In order to score all 15 points for this one you’ll need to hold an objective outside your deployment zone at the end of your first Command phase. That means that in order to max this one out you’ll either need to hold that objective with an ObSec troops unit that can forward deploy, such as Infiltrators or Incursors, or you’ll need to pregame move onto the objective with a unit of ObSec Ravenwing bikes… and sit there all game. That’s not amazing, but the secondary is fairly consistent for scoring otherwise, and you can do worse than something that’s an easy 10 victory points. We’ve started to see Deathwing lists bring a patrol detachment with Infiltrators in order to score this more easily.

The best times to pick this one are on missions where there are objective markers just outside your deployment zone – Recover the Relics and the Scouring are good picks, but Tide of Conviction and Secure Missing Artefacts might also get you there.

Other Space Marine Secondary Objectives

In addition to their own secondaries the Dark Angels get Space Marine ones as well. Though that particular list of secondaries is pretty dire – only Oaths of Moment has any real play, and chances are you can find a better option. Typically you can build a game around one of Banners/Retrieve Nachmund data and either Stubborn Defiance/Death on the Wind while letting your opponent’s army dictate your final objective. That said, Oaths will do its best work for you when you’re running a Deathwing-heavy army on missions that have a central objective you can occupy in order to satisfy Oaths’ 6″ of the center requirement while also just scoring primary objective VP.

 

Units

Gunum: The unique units of the Dark Angels are heavily focused on the two unique wings. We have a deep roster of named characters, as well as a very full Elite slot with ten unique choices. What we will be looking at here is what each of these units can bring to your own forces, how they have performed out in the competitive environment, and some fun alternatives if you are looking at doing a Dark Angels Successors build. As Successors are not a part of the Inner Circle, we will not get access to any of the amazing Characters. I will be talking a little about what a cool stand-in for this unit might be in your own successor chapters. Note that the infantry characters in the Inner Circle listed here come with the special rule of the same name, making them very tough to bring down.

HQ

Azrael

Asmodai

Belial

Ezekiel

Interrogator-Chaplain

Lazarus

Ravenwing Talonmaster

Sammael

Elites

Deathwing Terminators

Deathwing Apothecary

Deathwing Champion

Deathwing Command Squad

Deathwing Knights

Ravenwing Ancient

Ravenwing Apothecary

Ravenwing Black Knights

Ravenwing Champion

Bladeguard Veterans

Bladeguard Veterans aren’t exclusive to the Dark Angels or anything but they are notable for the fact that they gain the DEATHWING keyword in Dark Angels, giving them access to Inner Circle and the buffs that come with that. While storm shields aren’t nearly as useful post-Armour of Contempt, Bladeguard Veterans still back a nasty punch with their master-crafted power swords and it’s not uncommon to see a unit or two of them running alongside Deathwing Terminators in successful competitive lists.

Fast Attack

Ravenwing Land Speeder Vengeance

Ravenwing Darkshroud

Flyer

Nephilim Jetfighter

Ravenwing Dark Talon

Playing Dark Angels

So we’ve run through every unit and rule in the book, let’s talk about playing this faction. The strength of Dark Angels – and what makes them one of the stronger marine factions – is in their unique units and the abilities around those units, as well as their unique secondary objectives, which makes it much easier for them to score VP in games. Because of their Chapter Tactic, Dark Angels armies tend to favor shooting a bit more over charging (though they’re perfectly capable of going on the offensive), and instead punish an opponent for crashing into their ranks.

Building Lists

Most competitive Dark Angels lists start form the choice to build around Deathwing – the more competitive of the two options – or Ravenwing. Building with both isn’t a particularly viable option, as the army’s units are expensive and trying to build with both will mean giving neither the support it needs and splitting your army’s focus in unhelpful ways.

Deathwing

The Deathwing list is built around Terminators, plain and simple. The list usually starts with 3 units of 10 terminators, fully kitted out, but you can substitute one of those for a Command Squad if need by. Those will typically be supported by an Apothecary, either Ravenwing or Deathwing, and from there your big question is how you plan to fill out the reset of the list. Some lists run just a horde (50ish) of ObSec Terminators using the different options, while others supplement the terminators with Bladeguard Veterans. Add in some characters like Azrael, Lazarus, or Ezekiel depending on what threats you plan to face and you’ve already got an army. Note that if you’re taking Bladeguard Veterans they won’t get Objective Secured like the terminators, and as such you may still want to take Rites of War on a character to support them.

If you want some color variety in your list, you can support your 30 terminators with a small number of faster units. This can be a unit of Ravenwing Black Knights, or this could be where you opt for a second patrol detachment running a unit of Infiltrators with a helix adept to try and capture objectives early for Stubborn Defiance.

Ravenwing

If speed is more your thing, Ravenwing bikes – in particular black knights – have become much more viable in Nephilim thanks to another points drop. In this build you’re trading out ObSec Terminators for slightly less durable but much faster bikes at around the same price point. Here your goal will be more to score Death on the Wind early and often by killing units on the move, and that’s where the Black Knights’ plasma plasma talons will be doing a ton of work with support from a Talonmaster/Bike Captain/Ravenwing Apothecary. This is also an area where support from Dark Talon bombers can provide a lot of value.

Other Units

Of course there are plenty of other units that work well with the Dark Angels’ rules and Chapter tactic, and while marines aren’t necessarily super competitive you can get some real value out of combining the marine faction’s best units with the Dark Angels’ good stuff. The plasma Redemptor and Inceptors are great examples here, solid units (especially the former), which can make use of WeaponBuchs of the Dark Ages to get some excellent damage output. The aforementioned Bladeguard Veterans are also wonderful in Dark Angels (though they’re Deathwing and we mentioned them already), and Hellblasters live their best lives in Dark Angels, using Weapons of the Dark Ages and the stationary bonus to drop out heavy damage 2+ to hit plasma shots, ideally using a captain aura to re-roll the misses and rezzing any dead models with a Ravenwing Apothecary.

Finally it’s worth looking at a unit or two of Infiltrators as a way to get out ahead of Stubborn Defiance early. Note that you can “hand off” Stubborn Defiance objective on turn 1 – if you get a second unit of say, Deathwing Terminators on the objective and they sit there all game, if the Infiltrators die, you can pick up scoring with the Deathwing, using whatever their consecutive Command phase count is, potentially scoring 13 or 14 points for the objective.

Choosing Secondary Objectives

We’ve covered this already in the section on Objectives earlier, but it’s worth bringing them up here one more time. Any time you build an army, your goal should be to 1. plan around which objectives you want to score, and 2. minimize your exposure to your opponents’ kill secondaries.

Generally speaking, you’ll want to build your army around a plan to score one of Stubborn Defiance or Death on the Wind and from there figure out how you’re going to have a plan to do actions to score either Retrieve Nephilim Data or Raise the Banners High. For a third secondary, you’ll often look at the mission and the opponent and what’s feasible to score. Here picks like No Prisoners, Bring it Down, and Assassination will be relatively obvious for specific opponents; for Deathwing lists Grind Them Down might be an option (though it’s generally a very bad secondary pick), and you may want to include a psyker in order to make Warp Ritual or Psychic Interrogation an option. Behind Enemy Lines or Engage on All Fronts might also be options on some deployment maps if you can teleport a unit in. Oaths is also more of an option for Deathwing, particularly on missions with a central objective – they’re a unit who can comfortably sit on the middle of the table, scoring points.

On the other side, Ravenwing open up a few more secondary options than Deathwing, giving easier access to Engage on All Fronts and Behind Enemy Lines, and bike units can also score Retrieve Nephilim Data.

Sample Lists

Finally, let’s talk some lists. What we’ll be posting here are a couple of examples, but you can find more lists (and more up-to-date lists) on 40kstats, where we regularly track lists that finish in the top 4 at GT-sized events.

Marcelo G Lara Vega’s Deathwing

Marcelo took this list to a first place finish at the Bogota Grand Tournament in mid August. It’s a Deathwing list that runs incredibly heavy on Terminators and shows off just how far you can go down that route while still building something competitive.

+++ Dark Angels Deathwing Vanguard Detachment (-3 CP) +++

+ No Force Org Slot +

Deathwing Ancient: Chapter Command: Chapter Ancient, Pennant of Remembrance, Stratagem: Relic
Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield: Storm shield, Thunder hammer

Deathwing Apothecary: Chapter Command: Chief Apothecary, Selfless Healer, Stratagem: Warlord Trait, Warlord

Deathwing Command Squad
Deathwing Sergeant
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
Deathwing Terminator
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
Deathwing Terminator
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer

+ HQ +

Belial
Sword of Silence & Storm Bolter

Interrogator-Chaplain: 1-3. Watched, 1. Litany of Faith (Aura), 6. Canticle of Hate (Aura), Chapter Command: Master of Sanctity, Jump Pack, Litany of Hate, Stratagem: Hero of the Chapter, Thunder hammer

+ Elites +

Deathwing Knights: Knight Master, Watcher in the Dark
4x Deathwing Knight: 4x Mace of Absolution, 4x Storm shield

Deathwing Terminator Squad: Watcher in the Dark
Deathwing Sergeant
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
Deathwing Terminator
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
Deathwing Terminator
Cyclone Missile Launcher, Storm Bolter, Chainfist: Chainfist, Cyclone missile launcher
Deathwing Terminator
Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist
Deathwing Terminator
Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist

Deathwing Terminator Squad: Watcher in the Dark
Deathwing Sergeant
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
Deathwing Terminator
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
Deathwing Terminator
Cyclone Missile Launcher, Storm Bolter, Chainfist: Chainfist, Cyclone missile launcher
Deathwing Terminator
Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist
Deathwing Terminator
Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist

Deathwing Terminator Squad: Watcher in the Dark
Deathwing Sergeant
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
Deathwing Terminator
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
Deathwing Terminator
Cyclone Missile Launcher, Storm Bolter, Chainfist: Chainfist, Cyclone missile launcher
Deathwing Terminator
Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist
Deathwing Terminator
Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist

Terminator Assault Squad
Assault Terminator Sergeant
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Thunder hammer
4x Assault Terminator w/THSS: 4x Storm shield, 4x Thunder hammer

Terminator Assault Squad: Teleport Homer
Assault Terminator Sergeant: Lightning Claw (Pair)
4x Assault Terminator w/x2LC: 4x Lightning Claw (Pair)

This one isn’t terribly complicated. You’ve got a ton of ObSect Terminators, with three large units of standard terminators supported by two assault squads and a Command squad, along with a unit of Deathwing knights. It’s all terminators, all the time. The list can put together a nasty ball of well-supported terminators to walk to midtable while the assault terminators can teleport in where needed. This list is slow, but it’s very, very hard to kill.

This list is not dissimilar to several other builds which also generated top 4 placings; those tended to replace the Assault Terminators with Bladeguard Veterans and a Ravenwing Apothecary over a Deathwing Apothecary, but the general principle is the same.

Wim Out’s Mixed Dark Angels

Wim took this list to a 3rd place finish at the Feast of Blades event in mid August, running lighter on Deathwing in order to run an additional Patrol detachment.

+++ Dark Angels Patrol Detachment (-2CP, 965 Points) +++

+ Agents of the Imperium +

Inquisitor [4 PL, 65pts]: Chainsword, Frag & Krak grenades, Hereticus – Scourging, Inferno pistol, Ordo Hereticus
. Psyker: Smite

+ HQ +

Ezekiel [7 PL, 115pts]: 1) Mind Worm, 2) Aversion, 5) Engulfing Fear, Frag & Krak grenades, The Deliverer, Traitor’s Bane

+ Troops +

Infiltrator Squad [6 PL, 130pts]: Helix gauntlet
. 4x Infiltrator: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Marksman bolt carbine
. Infiltrator Sergeant: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Marksman bolt carbine

Intercessor Squad [5 PL, 100pts]: Auto Bolt Rifle
. 4x Intercessor: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades
. Intercessor Sergeant: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades

+ Elites +

Ravenwing Apothecary [6 PL, -1CP, 135pts]: Bolt pistol, Chapter Command: Chief Apothecary, Frag & Krak grenades, Selfless Healer, Stratagem: Hero of the Chapter
. Black Knight Bike: Plasma Talon

+ Fast Attack +

Attack Bike Squad [4 PL, 120pts]
. Attack Bike: 2x Bolt pistol, 2x Frag & Krak grenades, Multi-melta, Twin boltgun
. Attack Bike: 2x Bolt pistol, 2x Frag & Krak grenades, Multi-melta, Twin boltgun

Inceptor Squad [14 PL, 300pts]: 4x Inceptor, Inceptor Sergeant, Plasma Exterminator x2

+++ Dark Angels Deathwing Vanguard Detachment (-3 CP, 1035 Points) +++

+ HQ +

Azrael [9 PL, 2CP, 160pts]: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Sword of Secrets, Warlord
. Lion’s Wrath: Lion’s Wrath – Master-crafted boltgun, Lion’s Wrath – Master-crafted Plasma gun

+ Elites +

Bladeguard Ancient [6 PL, -2CP, 105pts]: 5. Decisive Tactician (Aura), Chapter Command: Chapter Ancient, Frag & Krak grenades, Heavy Bolt Pistol, Pennant of Remembrance, Stratagem: Hero of the Chapter, Stratagem: Relic

Deathwing Knights [11 PL, 215pts]
. 4x Deathwing Knight: 4x Mace of Absolution, 4x Storm shield
. Knight Master: Flail of the Unforgiven, Storm shield

Deathwing Terminator Squad [18 PL, 385pts]
. Deathwing Sergeant
. . Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield: Storm shield, Thunder hammer
. Deathwing Terminator
. . Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist, Storm bolter
. Deathwing Terminator
. . Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist, Storm bolter
. Deathwing Terminator
. . Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist, Storm bolter
. Deathwing Terminator
. . Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist, Storm bolter
. Deathwing Terminator
. . Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist, Storm bolter
. Deathwing Terminator
. . Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist, Storm bolter
. Deathwing Terminator
. . Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist, Storm bolter
. Deathwing Terminator
. . Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist, Storm bolter
. Deathwing Terminator
. . Storm Bolter & Chainfist: Chainfist, Storm bolter

Relic Terminator Squad [9 PL, 170pts]
. Relic Terminator: Combi-bolter, Lightning Claw
. Relic Terminator: Combi-bolter, Lightning Claw
. Relic Terminator: Combi-bolter, Lightning Claw
. Relic Terminator: Combi-bolter, Lightning Claw
. Relic Terminator Sergeant: Lightning Claw, Lightning Claw

++ Total: [99 PL, 3CP, 2,000pts] ++

Here the Deathwing detachment still does the work of providing 20 ObSec terminators – one unit of 10, plus 5 knights and 5 relic terminators – supported by Azrael, Ezekiel, and a Bladeguard Ancient – but there’s plenty else to work with. The Infiltrators give the list a deployable forward option for Stubborn Defiance while the Intercessors make backfield objective holders. The Inceptors give the list a dangerous deep strike threat. Here the Inquisitor is mostly bringing one extra psyker body to the table for psychic actions, but in a pinch knows Smite and Scourging, which can further help protect the army’s terminator units.

Painting Dark Angels

If you’ve gotten to the end of this and are ready to start an army, we’ve got you covered with the painting advice you’ll need – check out How to Paint Everything: Dark Angels.

Where to Read More

Thanks for pushing through this read gang. I know it has been a long time coming but I sure hope it was worth it. This article is of course meant to be paired with the main Start Competing: Space Marines where you can find coverage of the core book, or check out other faction articles if you’re interested in multiple supplements and trying to make your mind up. As ever, if you have any questions or feedback, shoot us an email at contact@goonhammer.com.