Dark Angels Preview

[pretre]

Posted 03/12/2017

Coming Soon: The Hunt Begins Anew

Next weekend, another First Founding Chapter of Space Marines will be brought fully into the Dark Millennium with new units, commanders and a codex. We are of course referring to the Dark Angels – a Chapter steeped deeply in mystery, betrayal, and vengeance.

The codex is absolutely packed with units never-before-available to the Dark Angels. Of course, you’ll be able to make use of the Primaris Space Marines, as well as following the story of how they were integrated into this famously suspicious and mistrustful Chapter. However, you’ll also be able to take advantage of units previously only available to more Codex compliant Space Marines. The Deathwing can finally be equipped with mighty relics from the Horus Heresy like Cataphractii and Tartaros armour, while you can destroy your enemy’s aircraft with the Hunter and Stalker tanks.

This isn’t just a book for gamers – for players who love the narrative of the Dark Angels, even the Stratagems are dripping with thematic flavour. Did you know, for example, that you can now represent the ritual duel fought by Dark Angels and Space Wolves champions before they fight together with The Lion and the Wolf Stratagem?

If you’re bringing your existing Dark Angels army into the new era, there’s a range of new kits designed to help you do that. As well as Lieutenant Zakariah, you’ll be able to pick up the Dark Angels Primaris Upgrades and a range of boxed units that come with them in the box, helping you tie your Primaris units to the rest of your collection. Our favourite piece is the hand resting on the Calibanite power sword, conveying the easy gravitas of the sons of the Lion.

 

If you’re looking to find out more, we’ll be discussing the new codex in detail right here on Warhammer Community, as well as on Warhammer TV, next week – in the meantime, let us know what you’re looking forward to most on the Warhammer 40,000 Facebook page.

[Guest]

So I like what I see, but I'm surprised to not see any anti-chaos stuff. Though I suppose the mechanical nature of the Fallen has changed now that they can be part of imperial soup armies. 

[InfestedKerrigan]

They are chaos. Why would they be anti themselves? They aren't sons of malice.

[peter.cosgrove]

You would think they would re-inforce more bikey stuff.

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, InfestedKerrigan said:

They are chaos. Why would they be anti themselves? They aren't sons of malice.

DA are anti-themselves. That said, i asked because they had a lot of anti-chaos in their last codex. 

[InfestedKerrigan]

No, DA are anti being exposed as traitors. 

[Psilence]

BLAM!

Heresy!

 

Someone get a mop...  Please?  These things make a horrible mes..!  Ahhhhh! I got it on my robe, for thrones sake!

Balairiphon get me a club soda before this sets.  Belairiph..

No? Whats that?  Oh you're "inner circle", good for you.

 Well  guess what..  I'm inner'er circle.  

Just get the club soda.

Deathwing...  -sigh-

 

;)

 

[Purajh]

Is it just me that finds it wrong that dark Angels have primaris? There is no chance in the warp that they would trust them in their ranks!

[InfestedKerrigan]

Not seeing any inner circle primaris at the moment. 

[Psilence]

With the various levels of information insulation built into the chapter and its successors I could see the Dark Angels fielding primaris in there ranks.

They could feature in almost all 'regular' engagements where fallen were not expected.

It could get tricky though as the unforgiven have multiple cross chapter operations, and still (veeeeeeery loosely) function as a modern legion.

The "we're bff's" explanation would get old quick for the primaris units.

[pretre]

Attention, Guardsman!

We have a rare privilege for you this week. As you know, you are about to be stationed alongside the Dark Angels, one of the most venerable and respected Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. We were initially going to write a report on fighting alongside these noble warriors, but Interrogator-Chaplain Zacharias had decided to honour us with some instructions of his own. Some annotation has been necessary for the sake of clarity.

---

Greetings, Mortal.

Be not afraid.* The Dark Angels are here to assist you.

Together, our faith** shall guide us to victory.

1: Do not speak to us

Some of you may wish to ask questions. Engagement in combat will prevent us from answering.***

2: Be alert for teleport flares

During combat, watch out for teleport flares and endeavour not to be present when they arrive.****

3: Avoid making permanent records of our actions

For any reason. *****

That is all, Guardsman.

---

Blessed day, Guardsman! We give praise to the Emperor and to His servants for sharing their wisdom with us. Please note that, as this Regimental Standard now contains the words of a Space Marine, it is officially graded as holy scripture (Grade 4, Leciticias Class) and as such destruction of your copy, accidental or otherwise, is punishable as iconoclasm and defilation.******

Best of luck!

++ Thought for the day: “The Traitor Can Seek No Salvation” ++

---

* Reg. Standard Note: Be in constant fear of the Emperor’s judgement.

** Reg. Standard Note: Which is, despite contrary claims from certain seditious sources, completely religious and non-secular on the part of the Adeptus Astartes.

*** Reg Standard Note: Tales of the Dark Angels’ many victories can be easily accessed in great tomes such as [REDACTED], [REDACTED], The Destruction of Caliban by Xenos Agents, Volume 1, and [REDACTED].

**** Reg. Standard Note: The combustive physical dispersal caused by two objects simultaneously co-locating can take weeks for Chapter serfs to remove from the pale bone colour of Deathwing Terminator armour. Please note that manufacturing costs incurred by loss of material this way will be added to the manufactorum workload of your listed next of kin.

***** Reg. Standard Note: We understand that some of you may wish to make sentimental records and pict captures of this occasion, but we have been informed that it is imperative for the Dark Angels to be allowed to operate in privacy. Instead, our brave battlefield artists have risked life and limb to produce several speculative paintings depicting how we think the battles in the coming days may look.

****** We would recommend sealing your copy to your chest – we’re sure that the words of one of the Emperor’s own sons should be capable of deflecting enemy fire with the same effectiveness as your flak armour.

[dalmer]

22 hours ago, Purajh said:

Is it just me that finds it wrong that dark Angels have primaris? There is no chance in the warp that they would trust them in their ranks!

Keep your friends close...

 

 

... and they're not Chaos.  They have the super secret of all secrets that won't sit well with anyone and no one would even listen to their explanation if this super secret of all secrets got out.  The cover-up is always worse than the crime.

"Hey, just so everyone's on point... you know when the Heresy hit?  Yeah, some of our folks were gonna turn.  YOU KNOW, LIKE A LOT OF OTHER CHAPTERS' MEMBERS... but we got rid of those folks 'cuz us n' the Emperor are like this (intertwine fingers)."

[pretre]

The Dark Angels are among the greatest of all the Adeptus Astartes Chapters, with an incredible history of victories against the enemies of the Imperium – a record that will only further improve now that they have a new codex.

Codex: Dark Angels is your complete guide to the Unforgiven. Inside its 144 pages (or the digital equivalent, if you prefer your books binary) you’ll find all the rules, background and uniform guides you need to prepare your own Dark Angels strike force for the tabletop. It includes 76 datasheets covering the full range of options available to the Chapter, including all the Primaris Space Marines and exciting new additions such as Cataphractii Deathwing Terminators (they’ve clearly had a rummage around in the depths of the Rock and unearthed some suits).

The codex also includes six Warlord Traits to personalise your commander and six Relics of Caliban for your heroes. There are six new Tactical Objectives to use in Maelstrom of War games, reflecting the way the Dark Angels wage war, and the Interromancy discipline has been enhanced with three new powers. 26 Stratagems allow you to continue to tailor the way you play on the tabletop, giving you masses of unique tactical options that will help your army play like true sons of the Lion. Every unit and piece of wargear has points values for matched play, allowing you to craft an army list perfect for devastating your enemies – or hunting the Fallen, of course.

The rest of the book is devoted to background, artwork, uniform guides and glorious photographs of units and battle scenes, all of which is designed to immerse you in the lore and look of the Dark Angels and their Successors – including the Angels of Redemption, Angels of Absolution, Angels of Vengeance, Blades of Vengeance, Consecrators, Disciples of Caliban, Angels of Defiance, and Guardians of the Covenant.

Codex: Dark Angels is available to pre-order now in hardback, alongside a Collector’s Edition featuring alternative cover art, plus eBook and Enhanced iBooks digital editions.

Also available to pre-order now are a set of Dark Angels Dice and a deck of Datacards. The dice set contains twenty D6s with skulls replacing the 1s and the Dark Angels symbol where the 6s would be. They come in green, bone and black, representing the colours of the Chapter, Deathwing and Ravenwing, and are the perfect accessories to show your loyalty to the Lion. The Datacards set features 72 cards, covering all the Stratagems and psychic powers from the codex, along with a complete Tactical Objectives deck.

But what of models? Well, there’s a set of Dark Angels Primaris Upgrades out, designed to help you make your Primaris Space Marines look more at home in your Unforgiven army. The set contains enough shoulder pads to kit out a squad of Intercessors or Hellblasters, and more to cover a squad of Aggressors or Inceptors, along with three heads, two arms (one holding a power sword styled after the one in the Chapter’s symbol) and 12 accessories that will enhance the look of your models. To make it even easier to build your own Dark Angels Primaris Space Marines, there are also three boxed sets – Dark Angels Intercessors, Dark Angels Hellblasters and Dark Angels Aggressors – that come with enough upgrades in the box to add them to every model.

Lastly, we have the first uniquely Dark Angels Primaris Space Marine, Lieutenant Zakariah. Wearing Mark X armour and the distinctive robes of the Chapter, he wields a power sword and plasma pistol – a classic Dark Angels combination – and comes with both helmeted and hooded heads, along with lots of lovely details, including the Chapter symbol on his chest and shoulder.

You can pre-order all of these new releases now from the Games Workshop webstore, and they’ll be hitting store shelves next weekend.

The post The Eternal Hunt Begins Anew appeared first on Warhammer Community.

[Guest]

Calling it an "Eternal Hunt" does seem rather pesimistic....Don't they expect to ever catch all the fallen? 

[dalmer]

... salvation of one's soul takes a while.  Especially since it's being done by folks that can never forgive themselves.  But then again, why would they want the hunt to end?  If one's driving purpose is (x), and (x) is finally achieved, what's left to do?

Kind of like some of the soon-to-turn Astartes' feelings towards the end of the Great Crusade:  we're soldiers.  And what happens to us when the Imperium no longer needs soldiers?  I know, let's create something where we're always needed (/cue grimdark music)

[InfestedKerrigan]

4 hours ago, paxmiles said:

Calling it an "Eternal Hunt" does seem rather pesimistic....Don't they expect to ever catch all the fallen? 

I refer you to the wars on drugs and terror. 

[WestRider]

5 hours ago, paxmiles said:

Calling it an "Eternal Hunt" does seem rather pesimistic....Don't they expect to ever catch all the fallen? 

You gotta catch 'em all! Everyone knows that ;)

[dalmer]

 

 

[dalmer]

[dalmer]

... and I'm not good at cut/paste (sorry) so here's a link to the Codex review:

 

 

[pretre]

The Lexicanum loremasters return, and they’ve been delving into the shadowed past of the Unforgiven to find out more about the six orders of the Hexagrammaton, used by the Dark Angels during the Great Crusade. Here’s what they’ve uncovered.

In bygone days, the Dark Angels fielded six rare formations. Some remain in use to this day, while some have gone unused for millennia. Come and learn about the secrets orders of the Unforgiven.

Throughout the Great Crusade and down through the centuries, the scions of the First Legion have taken to the battlefield in many different ways, based on the ancient knightly traditions of Caliban. They fielded six specialised formations called ‘Wings’ during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. Four are lost to the mists of time, while some soldier on with the hunt for the Fallen.

The Survivors: The following orders are used by the Chapter to this day.

The Deathwing is unique among the Space Marines Chapters in that the entire Dark Angels First Company fights exclusively in Terminator armour. The company’s armour is a bone-white colour rather than the dark green of the majority of the Chapter, or the black of the original Legion. This alteration of the colour scheme applies only to the Dark Angels, not to their Successor Chapters. The Deathwing’s insignia is a variation of winged sword worn by the rest of the Chapter – the blade of the sword is depicted as being broken in the Deathwing iconography. The Deathwing are notoriously stubborn and resistant, refusing to buckle under extreme pressure from enemy advances even when it would be more advantageous to retreat.

The Deathwing is not solely a tactical formation. Promotion to the Deathwing also means that an individual is made privy to many of the Chapter’s dark secrets. The most closely guarded of these secrets is that of the betrayal of Luther and the Fallen, and the subsequent loss of their Primarch, Lion El’Jonson.

The Deathwing itself contains multiple specialised sub-formations, such as Deathwing Command Squads and the dreaded Deathwing Knights who comprise the elite of this already veteran Company.

The Ravenwing is a highly specialised formation emphasizing speed and manoeuvrability over heavy firepower. To this end, all of the Dark Angels in the company ride into battle on Bikes, in Land Speeders, or piloting specialised vehicles such as the Land Speeder Vengeance or the Darkshroud.

In the skies, the Ravenwing employs Dark Talons and Nephilim Jetfighters. The Ravenwing’s hidden role within the Chapter is that of mobile hunters, eternally prowling for their traitorous quarry, the Fallen. Instead of the usual dark green panoply of the rest of the Chapter, the Ravenwing’s armour and vehicles are painted jet-black, echoing the original colours of the Dark Angels Legion. The Ravenwing also contains several sub-formations. These include Ravenwing Command Squads and Ravenwing Black Knights, the latter containing the most hardened veterans of the Ravenwing, with access to the Second Company’s Inner Circle.

The origin of the Ravenwing dates back to pre-Imperial times, originating from a mounted cavalry section of The Order, who rode black horses and “could survive alone in the deadly forests of Caliban, heroic figures in matte-black armour and winged helms.” While its title is from Caliban, its role originated in the way the Emperor organised the first Space Marines.

The Lost: The following four orders are no longer fielded by the Chapter, unseen since the times of the Horus Heresy.

The concept behind the Ironwing was developed by the Emperor during the Unification Wars, for the purpose of exterminating threats to mankind too dire to be allowed to endanger the coming Great Crusade. Ironwing units were equipped with heavily armoured vehicles, such as Land Raiders and Dreadnoughts, for their missions required the shock application of brute force.

The speciality of Dreadwing was total warfare using the most sinister of weapons. The elected lieutenant, bearing the title of Dreadbringer, commanded Destroyer squads supported by other types of units to bring total annihilation of a foe on a specific battlefield. The Dreadwing also utilised mass armoured assaults of Land Raiders, Spartan Assault Tanks, Mastodons, and Fellblades with advanced weaponry. Their hallmark was the use of dark, sinister, and shunned munitions such as phosphex, rad and vortex weapons.

A formation used in the Great Crusade, consisting exclusively of Breacher Squads with boarding shields. The Stormwing specialised in spaceborne boarding operations.

The Firewing was one of the six wings of the Hexagrammaton during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. Its purpose is not known, completely lost to the mists of time. There are, however, intriguing heraldic links between the Firewing and the sigil of the Consecrators, a Successor Chapter of the Dark Angels.

Thanks, guys! Looks like the Dark Angels have even more secrets than we ever knew. If you’re looking to learn more about the mysterious orders of the Dark Angels, Angels of Caliban features the Dreadwing in action while The Horus Heresy Book Six: Retribution features rules for fielding an Ironwing army in your games in the 31st Millennium. If you’re more interested in battling in the Dark Millennium, you can pre-order the Dark Angels codex now or get yours in stores tomorrow.

The post Secret Orders of the Dark Angels appeared first on Warhammer Community.

[Guest]

The stormwing is a spacecraft.....?

[Guest]

On December 9, 2017 at 3:49 PM, WestRider said:

You gotta catch 'em all! Everyone knows that ;)

If pok'e'mon was about killing your traitorous siblings, it being an "eternal" goal would be really depressing.

[InfestedKerrigan]

The new Dark Angel Wingwing Battle group sounds cool.

[Guest]

Wing-wing?