Editing Warhammer 40,000/8th Edition Tactics/Dark Angels (section)

===Elites===
====Regular====
*'''[[Aggressor]] Squad:''' You get access to these and can stand in for the Centurions you don't get. They come stock with auto boltstorm gauntlets and a frag grenade launcher, or you can trade all that in for [[Starcraft|Firebat]] pattern flamestorm gauntlets, which is a pair of flamers. Combine either with the ''Fire Storm'' special rule which lets you shoot twice, re-rolling ones, if you don't move ''(including in Overwatch, which is just plain scary when combined with the flamestorm gauntlets)'' and put out a <u>lot</u> of short-ranged firepower; a '''minimum''' sized three man squad throws out 36+6D6 S4 bullets or 12D6 S4 flame autohits in a single round of shooting if they don't move. They've got Gravis armor, which makes them T5, move 5", take up two spaces in a Repulsor  and come with Power Fists for when they get close. Then there's ''Relentless Advance'' which lets you advance and fire assault weapons without penalty ''(this has no effect on the flamers, as they autohit anyway).'' This means when you do decide to move them you might as well run as far as you can since all of their guns are assault. Run and gun for the Lion! 
**Aggressors are also strong at the front of your army for discouraging/punishing Deep Strikers. If you go 2nd, and someone deep strikes nearby, the Aggressors will count as having not moved. Pop the Auspex Scan so you can shoot the deep strikers, and shoot them twice due to Fire Storm special rule.
**The default bolter/frag loadout receives the most benefits from the built-in rules, especially ''Grim Resolve''. As mentioned earlier, flamers hit automatically so there is no gain from advancing; but conversely, with such a short range you are likely to be moving most turns so there are fewer opportunities to double your shooting output.
** Run a squad or two of these bad boys, supported by Azzy for rerolls to hit and a 4++. Add a Chaplain rap battling Stoic Prosecution so they can move and still fire twice with the effects of the Chaplain. Not to mention the extra 3" of range for being in the Heavy Doctrine.
*'''[[Apothecary]]:''' Now a Character running on his own. Doesn't give out Feel No Pain, but if he's within 3" of a same chapter Infantry/Bike at the end of the Movement phase, he can heal D3 wounds on a model. If no-one's wounded, he gets a 4+ chance to [[Awesome|bring 1 dead model back to life with a single wound,]] but if he fails, he can't do anything else that turn. Can't swap out his weapons, so he's stuck with a bolt pistol and chainsword, but that means they can hit his melee opponent about five times across several phases if you need him to.
**'''[[Primaris Apothecary]]:''' 13 points for +1W and improved pistols: the reductor pistol, which is a 3" S4 AP-3 D2 pistol, and the Absolvor Pistol, which is 16" S5 AP-1 D1. He's meaner than the Deathwing Apothecary because he can use those pistols in combat in addition to his attacks though he still has no business being in combat. He'll do just fine popping off shots with his pistol and keeping nearby units alive. 
***Probably the least useful Apothecary to Dark Angels, due to his limited deployment options: he can’t fit in any transport other than a Repulsor. He also can’t Deep Strike ''(either as a Terminator or in a Drop Pod)'' or move quickly ''(with a Bike)'' all meaning that if you take him, he’s probably going to be clinging to your other Primaris Marines, potentially far away from your Deathwing/Ravenwing or your special characters and veteran squads who would benefit from him more.
*'''Company Ancient:''' The old banner bearer, now an independent Character. The banner adds +1Ld to any Dark Angels Infantry units in 6". If a model from the Chapter dies in 6", you get a 4+ chance for them to get off one more round of shooting or close combat right there and then, before your opponent can move on to something else. Note that this only affects models in the bubble, not units, so be mindful when picking who dies. It also sadly doesn't affect bikes. Note that this is a similar ability to what Ezekiel has, although the Chief Librarian's one works automatically but only in the Fight Phase, whereas this works half the time, but in either phase. The Ancient comes with a bolt pistol that you can swap for a different pistol, combi, or melee weapon. Out of phase shooting is great, especially if it lets you put two fingers up to the guy that killed you. ML/Grav/Las/Multi Melta Devastators can still earn back their points with a lucky shot, also vets with combi-plasma that killed themselves due to overcharge can fire again; combined with weapons of old age, bye bye [[Fallen]].
**'''Chapter Ancient:''' Dark Angels have now been given access to the Sacred Standards again, which is basically an upgraded version of the regular company standard, doing everything that a Company Ancient can do but granting those marines WS 2+ or BS 2+ when they get their free attacks before they die. This is still a power armoured marine, so he is allowed to swap his bolt pistol from a weapon from the regular lists.
**'''[[Primaris Ancient]]:''' Same as a Company Ancient, but with +1W 1+A. Comes with a bolt rifle in addition to the pistol, and can't ride anything other than a Repulsor or swap his wargear.
*'''Company Champion:''' Like the champions of vanilla Marine chapters, you can buy a combat shield to have access to a terminator-level invulnerable save, and unlike them, you get the superior Blade of Caliban. His price is a mere 44 points ''(the Blade of Caliban is free, the only extra cost is the Combat Shield)''. Compared to the other DA champions, you can have multiple of them in your army, and you can ride in most of the transports, taking up only a single space. The other choices might beat you in mobility (teleport strike, or the bike's sheer speed), and the Ravenwing champion is also superior at ranged combat, but he is the most cost effective way of including a character mulcher in your army. In fact, for 44 points, this is point-for-point the most effective model in the codex. A real bargain.
**In an example of GW [[Fail|fail]]ure, the Codex does include points values for a "Chapter Champion", although the datasheet doesn't exist... but clearly someone in the design team uses a lot of CTRL-C, CTRL-V without paying attention. This is FAQed; you can ignore the chapter champion.
**A good and fluffy model to use for this guy, if you're willing to snort resin, is the [https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-US/Dark-Angels-Legion-Praetor-2019 Forge World Dark Angels Praetor]
*'''Company Veterans:''' Your most flexible unit, as they can be configured any way you want.  Besides that, the squad can be equipped pretty much any way you want, just bear in mind that Storm Shields won't help against mortal wounds. Every veteran has access to the ''Melee, Pistols, Combi-weapons'' and ''Special'' weapons list if they swap their standard Bolt Pistol or Chainsword and one can take a heavy weapon (FAQ). Though with the changes to Combi weapons firing infinitely for only 2 points more than the base weapon, there will never be any need to choose a regular special weapon anymore, ''EVER''. These guys can do the old "Look out, Sir!" rule which lets them intercept a wound from a character within 3" on a roll of 2+ in exchange for taking a mortal wound. However they kinda suck for protecting anything that isn't Green Wing. As they lack options for Bikes and Artificer Armor that their equivalents from other chapters get. 
**What's interesting about the Dark Angels version of Company Veterans is that they may also take Combat Shields ''(for only 1 points each!)'' granting them a 5+ invulnerable save <u>on top</u> of their regular gear, rather than having to swap out their chainsword or bolt pistol. So it can be a good and cheap way of granting them a modicum of additional protection without sacrificing any combat effectiveness so go for it.
**In a nice touch from the FAQ, one Dark Angels Veteran may take a weapon from the Heavy Weapons list, something other chapters can't. Note they can still take other options, so stick a flak board on that that Grav Cannon and get an invulnerable save.
**If you found the Black Templars' las-plas Crusader spam tempting, go nuts with 2-men Veteran squads, toting both a heavy AND a special weapon.
**Dark Angels never had access to Sternguard/Vanguard, and now there is practically no loss. The individual veteran costs exactly the same in all cases, but if a Sternguard swaps his Special Issue Bolter he loses the benefit of his ammunition.  Where the Vanguard just get access to Jump Packs and one Relic Blade. But with access to more options for yourself, Dark Angels no longer have to feel like they missed out on something.
***Don't bother using them to protect your Warlord if not Green Wing. Combat Shields are nowhere as good as actual Storm Shields. They are best used as a scalpel to table units that you want removed from the table. So kit them out, load them up in a Rhino or Razorback. Add an HQ or an Elite independent character or two for some shooting, melee or vehicle repair buffs, and have them hunt down the most dangerous targets instead.[[Derp| Just remember to choose an IC that can actually upgrade their guns and melee weapons to something better.]] Company Veterans however present some of the very few ways for DA to shrug off sniper fire, in particular, the sniper fire of the Vindicare Assassin, whom otherwise ignores invulnerable saves and is -3 ap (and ignores modifiers to hit, like those from the Shroud of Heroes).  However a Land Raider (ie. Deathwing) or Jink for Ravenwing character is better for DA. Which begs the question. Why are you wasting points on non-shooty HQ's instead of Dakka boosting (Master, Lieutenant, Azrael, etc.) Greenwing characters?
***TLDR version: Along with Hellblasters and Devastators, Company Veterans carve out a niche as a unit for spamming Plasma. Yes the guns of the other two units have longer range and have higher damage potential. At twelve inches your Plasma guns will keep the heat off troops. Allowing them to defend objectives. Unlike Ravenwing Black Knights and Deathwing Company Vets are a lot more expendable. Though if you don't like Plasma spam why are you playing Dark Angels in the first place?
*'''Imperial Space Marine:''' ''(Warhammer Legends)'' Dark Angels finally get access to this newly lone wolf killer that was restricted to us before 8th. Compared to an average Tactical, he's gained 3 extra wounds, 2 more attacks, and one extra Ld point. But it's his disintegrator combi-gun and disintegrator pistol you should watch out for. They're only 18" Rapid Fire 1 and 9" Pistol 1 (respectively), but with S5, AP-3, and D1d6 (basically a higher damage combi-grav and grav pistol), they have the potential to fuck up a lot of units if it manages to wound them. Fun idea: surprise an enemy who thinks being only armed with a CCW will leave you weak in assault with that pistol of yours.
*'''[[Reiver]] Squad:''' They have a heavy bolt pistol with -1 AP compared to a normal one and a combat blade that functions identically to a chainsword and can be traded for a bolt carbine, but their main draw is their Shock Grenades. They're Grenade d3 weapons that don't deal direct damage, but instead disable the Overwatch of INFANTRY they hit in addition to penalizing their hit rolls by 1. This added advantage in the Fight phase works well with the Reivers' Terror Troops rule, which reduces the Ld of all enemy units within 3" of any model in the Reiver Squad by 1. As a result, they can debuff the Ld of units they're not actually in combat with, which can lead to a nasty chain reaction if they're stationed near units that are already likely to break in the Morale phase. They're also the cheapest of the Primaris Marines Elites so far by a long shot as well. They can also buy grav chutes which lets them deep strike anywhere more than 9" away from the enemy. Alternatively, you can buy grapnel launchers, which negate vertical movement when calculating how far Reivers can move and allows for them to Outflank.
**The batman melee specialists of the Primaris Marines have some steep competition in the Dark Angels slot and are unfortunately beaten in almost every regard due to them not really benefiting from any special rules inherent to Dark Angels and the fact that you will almost certainly be taking something else because you are ''playing'' Dark Angels. Yes, they are a melee unit that can Deepstrike/Outflank, but you have Deathwing for that. Yes, they are kitted out for mobility, but they won't really benefit from ''Grim Resolve'', and you have Ravenwing for outmaneuvering your opponent. However, Reivers ''do'' make excellent shock troops for supporting something else. Their Leadership debuff stacks with the Eye of the Unseen and interrogator chaplains, and will assist with several of your Interromancy psychic powers, while their ability to nerf overwatch will allow consequence free charging of enemies with other heavier units.
*'''[[Servitors]]:'''  Cheapest model in the game, at 2 points. WS5+ and BS5+, or 4+ on both if a techmarine is nearby. They no longer help you repair stuff and at T3 they will fall over in a stiff breeze. They come standard with a Power fist, so without a techmarine they hit on 6's in melee. Hurray. 2 of them can take a heavy weapon, but since you're paying space marine prices on the weapons this gets expensive fast. A unit of 4 with 2 heavy bolters is still fairly cheap at a little over 50 points, but consider the fact that you need a techmarine close by AND need to stand still to hit anything AND your opponent can now split fire a few guns to take them out quickly that's just 50 wasted points. To bad you can't leave the servo-arms at home as the 2 servo arms cost almost half the points of the unit. With that in mind. You have better things in the Elite Slot if you pine for walking death machines. With that in mind, keep your eyes peeled for the sections below this one.

====Deathwing====
*'''[[Deathwing]] Terminators:''' Elite Terminators with the ability to customize their loadout to suit your needs. So you can have a combination of ranged guys with melee dudes and have a squad for all occasions and being ''Inner Circle'' they thankfully pass all morale checks they are required to make, so they don't have to worry about losing extra guys as a result of a poor leadership check. What's more is that even the basic guy is the same points cost as a normal "codex" terminator ''(23 points before wargear, 34 with the standard Bolter/Fist combo)''. However, they don't have the ability to deploy Teleport Homers to the battlefield and leap to it in an "emergency" as vanilla Terminators do; but the benefits available to Deathwing outweigh any lost rules from core Terminators. Thanks to the codex they can now combat squad, so you can essentially have Terminator Assault squad and a regular Terminator squad in the same slot if you like, although any Watcher in the Dark has to be assigned to one unit or the other.
**The changes to power weapon rules means that the Sergeant may actually want to keep his sword in this edition, rather than it being a useless hunk of crap. It is worth giving him LC to make use of his 3 attack base or giving him a TH/SS combo. 
**One dude in every five can take a heavy weapon as normal, but their list also includes the Plasma Cannon, which doesn't overheat in this edition unless you overcharge it. Option wise though: Don't take the Heavy Flamer. If you're Deep Striking these guys (which you really should!) then having an 8" range isn't helpful if you have to be more than 9" away. For the Plasma Cannon, it's okay compared to the Cyclone Missile Launcher, due to being half the cost, and thanks to Grim Resolve, you have easy access to re-rolling 1s to help keep him alive. However, the -1 to hit when moving prevents you from overcharging unless you want your precious plasma cannon to blow up immediately. If you have the points, then taking a Cyclone would be better since you still get a Storm Bolter too. The Assault Cannon is also a good choice, at only 1 point pricier than the Plasma Cannon, excelling at cutting through hordes, which the rest of the squad is forced to equip itself to fight, with their storm bolters.
**Note that by taking a 5 man Terminator Assault Squad and 5 man Terminator Squad as a Combat Squaded 10 man squad, the Terminator Squad will be able to take an additional Heavy Weapon, courtesy of the five models in the Assault Squad.
**Actually, you can mixmatched anything. Say hello to 10 men Hammernator with 2 of them carry Cyclone Missile Launcher.
**Deathwing Terminators can take a Watcher in the Dark, allowing them to negate an incoming psychic power on a 3+ once per game. It's pretty cheap for only 5 points and it can really be useful against armies that excel in psychic such as 'Nids or Chaos. However, it's pretty useless against armies with little to no psychic such as Tau or Necrons.   
*'''Deathwing Cataphractii Terminator Squad:''' A cross between the dakka of normal terminators and the defensiveness of Storm Shields, these Deathwing Terminators bear a 4+ Invulnerable save, but are stuck with a 4" move and must halve all advance rolls. Either keep them in a Land Raider/Stormraven or Deep Strike them to get anywhere, never footslog these guys. Sadly can only take a Heavy Flamer as a Special weapon, but the Sergeant can have a Grenade Harness, and they can all take a pair of Lightning Claws or swap their Power Fists for Chainfists.
**They can swap their power fist to a single Lightning Claw, so they can clear out hordes by shooting their Combi-Bolter and still hit hard with accuracy S4 ap2 d1 with reroll failed wound from the claw.
*'''Deathwing Tartaros Terminator Squad:''' This time the Deathwing get an all-important extra inch of movement. However, your weapon options have changed and you're stuck with a 5++. You can only take a Heavy Flamer and Reaper Autocannon for a special weapon. One in five can have a grenade harness without replacing a Storm Bolter, and the entire squad can take Chainfists, or single or doubled up Lightning Claws, but the Sarge gets access to a Volkite Charger([[derp|which can't do extra damage on a 6+ like Admech or Forgeworld Volkites]]) or a Plasma Blaster for busting caps in other TEQs. Effectively giving you five special weapons in a squad of ten. To get the most out of their firepower, it's best to Teleport Strike your Tartaros or load them into a Storm Eagle.
**Fastest Terminator variant (6" move). Best if used with a transport they can disembark from or footslogging. Otherwise, alternate terminator variants are superior.
*'''Deathwing Knights:''' They lost a whole bunch of special rules this edition but Deathwing Knights are still excellent melee specialists. They lost their Fortress of Shields ability, but they gained an extra wound for being Terminators. Their Maces of Absolution are still scary, striking at S8 AP-2 and doing [[Rip and Tear|THREE damage each]], basically losing out to Thunder Hammers by a point of armour penetration but with no drawbacks to accuracy. This means a squad of these guys can theoretically take out any high-value target in one turn of combat. The problem is their mediocre number of attacks and since damage does not carry over from dead models it means they are liable to become swamped by hordes. What they really need is back up from external abilities that grant rerolls, dice modifiers or additional attacks. Strangely enough, compared to the last edition these badass Knights aren't effective as hordes as they use to be. Let their brothers deal with chaff and let these guys deal with the heavy stuff. 
**The Knight Master's Flail of the Unforgiven is an exception to the normal rule, excess wounds inflicted on one model do carry over to the rest of the unit, and with his base value of 3 attacks at S6 AP-3 and 2 damage, he has the potential to take out six guys all by himself; making him the guy to deal with hordes while the rest of his unit knock lumps out the biggest thing in front of them.
**Deathwing Knights also get a Watcher in the Dark for the ability to nullify a psychic power affecting them once per game. The same tactics for the watcher apply here as well. 
**An argument could be made as to whether a squad of Knights is any better than a squad of TH/SS Terminators in the long run, now that Thunder Hammers no longer need to strike last: They both have the same basic profiles and a 2+/3++ save and hit at S8 and do three damage. A squad of Deathwing Terminators generally ''hits harder'' due to the increased armour penetration and can also customize itself to varying purposes, such as by adding a Cyclone Missile Launcher. Deathwing Knights do have the advantage of accuracy; being able to hit on 3+ and cost four points less per man ''(the Mace & Flails are free, so that's 35 points per man plus 2 for the storm shield for a total 37, whereas Hammernators cost 23 points per man, plus 18 for the hammer and shield for a total 41)'' Maces do absolutely fine against enemies with either poor regular saves or good invulnerable saves, as the increased penetration of the Hammer is lost against anything with a save of 5 or worse <u>OR</u> an invulnerable save of 4+ or better, so in those cases the Deathwing Knights are undoubtedly better.
**These guys are great but do need some support from characters. An Interrogator-Chaplain will make them even more deadly with his rerolls and if you don't mind the investment, you could get a Deathwing Ancient to follow them too. All of the above can teleport in together, or you could fit them in a Land Raider Crusader/Redeemer or a Storm Raven for more mobility and firepower support.
***Consider running a Librarian (terminator armour or otherwise) with the knights. Righteous Repugnance gives you re-roll to hit AND to wound, which is actually better than the chaplain's aura! Just remember, casting isn't guaranteed to succeed (unlike the aura, which is always on) and even if you pass, your opponent can attempt to deny the power with a psyker of their own.
**With Ritual of the Damned, cackle like a madman when you place a Deathwing Knight squad outside of 6" of an enemy unit. Unlike the similar Grey Knight teleportation doctrine, but much like the Custode Vexillia Teleport Homer, Combined Assault makes '''no restriction on charging'''. Have fun!
*'''Deathwing Champion:''' The 1st Company Champion is still here, and capable of cutting guys in half with that halberd of his, though his rules have turned him into a bit of an inconsistent oddball, so his focus has changed. He strikes three times at S7 AP-4 and does D3 damage, that S7 means he wounds T4 on a 3+ ''(rather than a 2+ back in 7th)''. He can reroll failed to-hit rolls against Characters, but his halberd grants him D3 extra attacks if his target unit contains 5 or more models, so it's as if he can't decide whether he wants to take on single opponents in honourable combat, or get stuck into bodyguards. But he's pretty good at both though.
**Deathwing Champions are a one-per-army deal, so you can't have multiples. 
**In terms of close combat damage against lone characters, the three Champions fall pretty close to each other. The Deathwing Champion has one higher AP, but often a character has some form of invulnerable save, that will make AP less of a concern beyond 3+. The deciding factor will be mainly their prices and the rest of the army; you can field almost 2 Company champs for the price of a single RW/DW champion. However, it would be a waste of a Rhino/Razorback trying to keep up with a RW HQ and pairing the Greenwing champion in with guys in Termi-armor would just look retarded.
**If for some reason you -really- want his 2+ to wound against MEQs again, pair him with a Chaplain Dreadnought. Be mindful of the cost, though.
**Waste of points and slot. Costs as much as most Terminator HQs, doesn't fill required HQ slots, no ranged attack, only 5++ invulnerable save, bonuses against characters look good until you realize that he hits on 2s anyway, so re-rolling hits is the same as re-rolling 1s. Weapon is basically equal to to the DA Relic Heavenfall Blade. A Master in Terminator Armor with Heavenfall Blade and Storm Shield costs less points, has 2 more attacks than the base DW champion, and this model's re-rolls apply to all attacks, not just those against characters.
*'''Deathwing Apothecary:''' So somehow being a member of the 1st Company makes Deathwing Apothecaries inferior. They may have gained a better save and an extra wound, but they lost an attack somewhere while putting on that suit of terminator armour and [[Fail|this is still the case in the latest codex.]] This coupled with the fact that they have no melee weapon at all means these guys just suck in close combat. But that just means you aren't tempted to do anything that an apothecary shouldn't be doing in the first place, his job is to heal allies, not get stuck in with the beatsticks.
**, Unlike Champions, you can have as many Deathwing Apothecaries in your army as points/slots allow.
**The Deathwing Apothecary does have some advantages over other Apothecaries. While the movement is much slower, it can Deep Strike, has a more reliable Invulnerable save and more importantly, has a 2+ save rather than a 3+.He also has a stormbolter, letting him add some ranged firepower to whatever unit he's supporting. 
**The challenge to viability is that he doesn't heal anymore than a regular apothecary, yet costs more. And since the cost of the apothecary limits your inclusion of other models (because you could buy them instead), he has to heal a lot more to justify himself. 
*'''Deathwing Ancient:''' In addition to the traditional banner bearers, you get Deathwing and Ravenwing standard bearers. So comparatively, the Deathwing version is equipped with Terminator Armour, granting him an extra wound, 2+/5++ saves and the ability to Teleport Strike as well as coming with a Storm Bolter & Power Fist as standard, but is able to swap his gear for a pair of lightning claws or Thunder Hammer / Storm Shield combination. Note that the codex Chapter Ancient only comes with a Power Sword and some grenades, so immediately the Deathwing Ancient is more threatening and more customizable, however, this obviously comes at a greater cost. Furthermore, the Deathwing Standard has a more specific purpose; granting +1 attack to all Deathwing unit within 6" of himself, so if you play with a few squads of Deathwing Terminators or Knights you'll definitely want this guy to hover around in the background. Weapon wise, keep him with his stock Power Fist/Storm Bolter. The chainfist is 10 points more expensive and isn't really worth the ten points and then the LC/TH+SS takes away your shooting which is quite important, especially if you stick him next to some Deathwing Knights who don't have any shooting anyway. Yes, it's only a Storm Bolter but it's better than nothing. 
**When moving into charge range it can be a challenge to keep your units inside his buff-bubble. When your unit goes charging off and this guy doesn't make the charge you may find your unit suddenly out of his banner range. Take care.
***A way to avoid leaving his buff bubble is to play with pile-ins. Remember, you only need one guy from the squad in base-to-base. As long as all the other members are within 1" of him, they can attack as well. Use this to your advantage to stay in the range of the banner and still get all your attacks!
**Note all major characters ''(except Sammael and traditional Chaplains)'' have the Deathwing keyword, so they'll benefit from the extra attack as well.

====Ravenwing====
*'''[[Ravenwing]] Apothecary:''' Hands down the best Apothecary available to any space marine army. You get the ultimate rapid response warrior-medic, capable of moving 20" ''(by advancing)'' to heal wounds where required, getting a 4+ invulnerable save from jinking, while '''still''' able to shoot someone with an 18" plasma gun. Yeah, always take the Plasma Talon with this guy, never the Grenade Launcher; even with Stasis Shells. What's best about this edition is that there is no Black Knight tax for taking them, which is a relief since they are 97 points a pop, though that's pretty good for a T5 model with 5 wounds. Apparently, the Codex says they don't have Corvus Hammers, but the Index does. 
*'''Ravenwing Champion:''' The do-it-all champion. He gets the same Blade of Caliban that the regular champion gets, so wounds everything up to T6 on a 3+, slightly inferior to the Deathwing Champion overall but still does ''exactly'' the same job against marine-or-lower level opponents which are most common. He also comes with the Black Knight bike for a 14" move and armed with the Plasma Talon which can still be fired after Advancing unlike the twin bolters that other bikes get. With a higher toughness and better armament than most HQ characters get, the only problem with the Ravening Champion is that he doesn't have an invulnerable save the same as the Company/Deathwing Champions do in, putting him at a disadvantage compared to them against anything with AP-2 or better. Though in a straight fight against a standard <Codex> Company Champion on a bike, the Ravenwing Champion still does more wounds overall, simply because of his increased chance of wounding thanks to his higher strength and toughness.
*'''Ravenwing Ancient:'''The Ravenwing version of the Deathwing Ancient. Grants +1 attack to Ravenwing units in 6". Not as useful as the Deathwing Ancient since the majority of Ravenwing are more shooty than fighty although it's great for keeping near black knights as he comes with plasma talons and corvus hammer as well. As with all assault bubbles, the trick is to make sure that he is still in 6" range after charges, so keep him REALLY close to the unit you want in combat or you'll have to leave some black knights behind to make sure the unit still gets the benefit. His 20" move means you can quickly move his bubble around if you want those extra attacks somewhere else. Stick him near Sammael for 6 S8 (on the charge) attacks at Ap-3 D3 hitting on 2+ rerolling. A Heavenfall Blade Talonmaster works too. That's [[fun]]. Again, the Codex says they don't have the Corvus Hammer but that doesn't stop you. Also, similar to the Ravenwing Apothecary, always have Plasma Talon and not Grenade Launcher.

====Dreadnoughts====
*'''[[Dreadnought]]:''' You know them, you love them, but Dreadnoughts sure do love the changes! Being at 8 Wounds and Toughness 7 makes them bulkier than what they were the last edition and they still pack a punch. [[Awesome|4 S12 ATTACKS WITH NO -1 TO HIT MODIFIER!]] They also enjoy the changes to Twin-Linked Weapons, now being able to fire possibly up to 8 Autocannon shots, 2 lascannon shots or 3D6 Heavy Flamer shots. Now the classic dreadnought may see more light on the table as it will enjoy kicking ass. One of the few downsides of them is now you can't deep strike them in normal drop pods now, only in the Lucius pattern FW drop pod, but I'll take the buffs he got.
** Download the Warhammer Legends datasheet to get its old-school weapon options back. The Multi Melta and the Plasma Cannon are basically budget Twin Lascannons as the Lascannons are generally better, the Twin Heavy Bolter is usually inferior to the Assault Cannon, the Twin Heavy Flamer isn't so useful since you have to get down and dirty and could have 1 Heavy flamer underneath your fist and the Autocannons are again, budget Lascannons. So, take Lascannon or Assault Cannon for the main weapon if you have the points. Heavy Flamer under Power Fist is useful as well, assuming you have the points (you could keep the Storm Bolter is you wished). And finally, Missile? Cheaper than the Fist, but depends whether you want to go full-ranged, or hybrid.
*'''Venerable Dreadnought:''' Similar to a classic dreadnought but with WS2+ and BS2+ and a new rule where it can ignore unsaved wounds on a 6+. Not too shabby. Apparently, something went wrong in the Codex where the Ven Dreadnoughts got demoted and [[Fail|they're only Deathwing and Inner Circle if we spend a CP.]] <s>Unless you use the Index Venerable dread which comes with the Deathwing keyword allowing it to benefit from Belial's rerolls, the Deathwing Ancients bonus attack and a bunch of other stratagems.</s> Not anymore since the legendary data sheets which is basically the index. Sigh. But otherwise, you get all this for only a slightly higher price tag. Oh, Yeah. Weapon options for the regular Dreadnought apply here too.
*'''[[Redemptor Dreadnought]]:''' See GW Redemptor dreadnought store page, DA can take the primaris redemptor dreadnought. DA have plenty of solid dakka options, but this bad boy could actually be more effective for a few reasons. The Macro Plasma Incinerator is actually pretty awesome as you only take a Mortal Wound on failed Supercharged attempts and you have high Strength and AP. On the other hand, you have the Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon which is essentially 4 Heavy Bolters strapped together to form a weapon. Great for shredding Infantry. Also has [[Awesome|13 motherfuckin' wounds]] so he's a pretty sturdy Dreadnought. Nice One.
*'''Contemptor Dreadnought:''' As per the new Codex, Contemptors are also an option for DA. They are an overall better regular dreadnought with a 5+ Invulnerable save, a stat line of 2+ WS and BS, more wounds, an extra point of strength and are overall faster until it takes damage, which will cause it to have the stats of a regular Dreadnought. By the time it reaches its lowest profile, the regular Dread would be dead so its stats get an increase no matter what. The only downside is that it has fewer weapon options (Multi Melta and +1 Strength assault cannon as its only shooting weapons) and no option for a Missile Launcher or Autocannon on other arm.

*'''[[Invictor Tactical Warsuit]]:''' Dreadnought Lite—all the bulk, half the calories points. T6 and W13 help keep it on the board, and it doesn’t degrade until it’s down to 6 wounds. For firepower, it can take either an Incendium Cannon that’s basically a souped-up Heavy Flamer (12” Heavy 2d6 auto-hit S5 AP-1 D1), or a Twin Ironhail Autocannon (48” Heavy 6 S7 AP-1 D2) for shooting up heavy infantry. Backup weapons are a standard Fragstorm Grenade Launcher, a pair of Heavy Stubbers, and a Heavy Bolter that switches to Pistol 3 when enemies are within 1”. The only real way to take on vehicles (or, say, the occasional Bloodthirster) is with its Power Fist, which does 4 attacks at S14, AP-3, and D3. Finally, to get in position, it has the same Concealed Positions ability as Infiltrators and Incursors.
**Best use of this is probably to give it the flamer option and use Concealed Positions to start it within 12” of some enemy infantry. Further, this unit packs 5 S14 Ap-3 D3 hits on the charge or when charged, and careful positioning will hamper monsters and vehicles running towards your infantry, which is just another reason to get it as close to the enemy as possible.
**You could also give it the Autocannons and either leave it in your backfield for long-range fire support or use Concealed Positions to put it where it can pop shots off at targets who tried to hide and block line of sight. However, the rest of its weapons are oriented towards close-range infantry mulching, leading to the same issues as with the laser version of the Repulsor Executioner.

====Forge World====
*'''Relic Contemptor Dreadnoughts (Forge World):''' While Dark Angels now have access to the "standard" Contemptor Dreadnought. It lacks the options of the relic version. Two more wounds compared to the standard Contemptor, ignore wounds received on a 6+ AND have a 2+ save, but Attacks also degrade with damage now. You also get access to way more options than any other Dreadnought. For your convenience, they're all listed below:
**'''Fist Weapon Options''': We get access to Storm Bolters, Heavy Flamers, Plasma Blastguns, and Graviton Blasters now. Plasma Blasters are Assault 2 plasma guns, and the graviton blaster is just a grav-gun with a different name. It's also worth mentioning that Relic Contemptor Dreadnoughts have the ''Unstoppable Fury'' rule, while allows them to reroll 1s to-hit if they are armed with two melee weapons, but doesn't specify in which phase. So you have less concern about overcharging your plasma weapons now that you hit on a rerollable 2+. Combine two of these with the Weapons From The Dark Age stratagem and you'll be have a lot better shooting than you'd expect from a melee Dreadnought, perfect for softening up vehicles before you charge or killing off high wound infantry or characters. 
**'''Chainfists''': Contemptor Chainfists gain +1 Rend, and +1 damage over a normal DCCW. Overall a solid upgrade that lets them do terrible damage to both vehicles and monsters. It's a must-take for all purposes. Better yet, give it 2, because it re-rolls to hit rolls of 1 whenever it has 2 melee weapons. So much for Blood Angels getting a monopoly on double-fisting Dreads, huh? 
**'''C-Beam Cannon''': The new Heavy Conversion Beamer is a single shot weapon that starts at S6 AP-3 that does D3 damage. It also gains +2 points of strength and +D3 damage after each 24" bracket of distance, totaling [[Awesome|S10 AP-3 3d3 Damage]] at anything over 48" range. If ''a model is removed from play as a result of wounds caused'' it will then automatically trigger 2d6 extra auto-hits on the target unit at S6 AP0 D1. Generally speaking, this weapon suffers the exact same problem as the Vindicare Assassin, with a crippling downside that the Contemptor MUST remain stationary for the entire turn in order to use it. It cannot be stressed enough that this thing really '''<u>NEEDS</u>''' the range, though firing it at infantry squads has a good chance of killing a random mook and triggering an average of seven further S6 hits, which is still better than a twin heavy bolter. Against single model units (like vehicles) at the full range the initial hit will likely knock the crap out it, wounding it on a 2+ or 3+ depending on its toughness and generally reducing its save to 5+ or worse but since you've now killed the model, those additional hits will be wasted. Since it won't be going anywhere in a hurry. You may as well take two of them.
***If stationary Grim Resolve allows "Dreadnoughts" to re-rolls 1s to hit.
**'''Twin Heavy Bolters''': Don't bother. The Kheres does everything it can, but better, albeit at a shorter range.
**'''Kheres Assault Cannon''': Six shots at S7 AP-1, so is better than the twin heavy bolter at virtually anything. Its only real limitation is its 24" range.
**'''Twin Autocannon''': Identical to the one on the normal Dread. Not bad, but you didn't take one of these to field something other Dreads could take.
**'''Twin Lascannon''': Pop vehicles open without having to get into melta range. Probably better on the Contemptor Mortis, though.
**'''Heavy Plasma Cannon''': Might be a little better against multi-wound units, and unlike the Contemptor Mortis you can always try to negate the mortal wound you get if you roll a 1.
**'''Cyclone Missile Launcher''': Per the FAQ, can take one of these, but it's 50 points for two missile launchers at only 36" range - two actual missile launchers would cost you 50, and have 48" range and the ability to split fire if you wanted.  But it doesn't replace an arm option. It pairs best with dual Plasma Blasters, two Assault Cannons or twin Autocannons.

*'''Relic Deredeo Dreadnought:''' The end-all solution to your dakka-Dread needs, for when even the Contemptor Mortis won't cut it. Its armor save is slightly worse than the Contemptor's at only a 3+, but to compensate it has 2 more wounds and its invulnerable save rises to 4+ in the Fight phase (but why are you in melee in the first place?) on top of the built-in smoke launchers. For guns, you have the Anvilus Autocannons (8 36" autocannon shots with +1 S) for mulching infantry, the Hellfire Plasma Carronade (5 overcharged plasma gun shots which deal 3 damage each but cause mortal wounds on a 1) as the generalist option, and the Arachnus Lascannon Battery (2 S10 AP-4 D6 Damage shots that deal an extra mortal wound on 6s) for taking out vehicles, and also chest-mounted heavy bolters/heavy flamers. Don't bother upgrading to heavy flamers. While auto-hits are good, the Deredeo should be as far away as possible. It should be shooting things, not tied up in melee. It can supplement the main weapon with either an Aiolos Missile Launcher for extra fire support or an Atomantic Pavaise to give everyone within 6" of itself a 5+ invulnerable save. The latter works great with Devastators or other long-ranged units that can help support the Deredeo's firepower. The 8th edition is kind of a mixed bag for the Deredeo. While 8 shots at BS2+/3+ on the move with the Anvillus sure are great, the 12" range reduction is very painful, especially for the plasma carronade. 24" max means it will be in range of most weapons in addition to the risk of losing wounds which is very probable at 5 shots per turn. So it is advised to have a reroll/repair character nearby should you go for the plasma option.
**Combining the Hellfire Plasma Carronade with the stratagem Weapons from the Dark Age means that those 5 shots that were doing 3 damage, are now doing 4 damage a shot. It's to the point where this thing effectively causes Land Raiders to shit themselves as a good turn of shooting (Bring the Lieutenants for those re-rolls to wound, Grim Resolve helps with the To-Hits.) could take them out with a single volley. There's no longer any reason to select the other weapon options as the stratagem will easily outclass their best results.

*'''Deimos Pattern Relic Predator''': Take a Predator, give it an extra wound, and slap a Plasma Destroyer on it as its turret weapon, and you have one of these tanks. The Plasma Destroyer itself can't be overcharged, but with the same number of shots as the basic Predator Autocannon and 2 Damage, it doesn't really need to be. While it can swap out the plasma destroyer for the standard Predator guns, that's a waste of its options. Instead, you should use its unique options: the Conversion Beam cannon to make it a hard-hitting artillery unit, the Magna-Melta for close-range anti-vehicle firepower, and the Infernus cannon for a double dose of heavy flamer goodness.

*'''Relic [[Javelin Attack Speeder]]:''' The poor Deodorant Tanks got a huge nerf in 8th edition. For the most part, these fulfill the same role as before, that of a Heavy Land Speeder. [[lolwut|But they lost the twin-linked rule on their Missile Launchers'''(WTF)''']]. They even lost their trademark Outflank ability. Overall this turned what was already a mediocre relic slot item, at best, into a shitty tool that's worse off than a generic land speeder. 

*'''Relic [[Sicaran Battle Tank]]:''' The Sicaran has transitioned smoothly into 8th ed, retaining its status a high-speed menace. With a big 14" move, T7, 14 wounds, and 3+ Save it falls in between a Predator and a Land Raider in terms of size and durability. It's armed with a nasty twin accelerator autocannon which has a couple of neat tricks. It fires at 48" Assault 8 S7 AP-1 D2, suffers no penalties to its hit rolls when attacking flyers, and a to-wound roll of 6 increases the AP of that hit to -3. It's also armed with a single Heavy Bolter and can grab 2 sponson-mounted Heavy Bolters or 2 sponson-mounted Lascannons, a hunter-killer missile, and a pintle-mounted Storm Bolter if you crave more dakka. The Sicaran is a useful anti-air unit in a pinch and is well known for its ability to counter skimmers. Make good use of the Assault rule on its main gun by zipping around and firing while advancing. 

*'''Relic Sicaran Venator Tank Destroyer:''' The Venator trades the regular Sicaran's quantity of anti-skimmer shots for vehicle annihilation; even if a tank survives the Neutron Pulse Cannon's S12 AP-4 D6 damage hits (all 3 of them), it'll have all its shooting rolls reduced by 1 for the turn, which can make life very difficult for vehicles like Executioners or Tau vehicles with Ion Cannons. Additionally, it doesn't get penalties for moving and firing its heavy weapons.

*'''Relic Sicaran Punisher Assault Tank:''' A new flavor of Sicaran, its draw is the Punisher Rotary Cannon- 18 Heavy Bolter shots guaranteed to make any hordes within 36" hate life. And if you don't move that turn, it re-rolls all to-hit rolls of 1. Enjoy making Orks and Tyranids cry.

*'''Relic Whirlwind Scorpius:''' The Scorpius is set apart from the basic Whirlwind by its Scorpius Launcher (and its occupation of an Elites slot, not a Heavy one) - while it has only half the range of either of the Whirlwind's rocket types, 3d3 S6 AP-2 D2 shots is still plenty to threaten hordes and light vehicles alike. And as an added bonus, it can fire twice in a shooting phase if the Scorpius hasn't moved in the movement phase.

*'''Relic Sicaran Arcus Strike Tank:''' Another Sicaran variant, this one is armed with a rotary missile launcher. Though 24" is a bit short-ranged for a vehicle weapon, it's still Heavy 2d6 with S5 AP-2 D1. And not only does it negate cover saves, but it also deals an extra mortal wound to INFANTRY units on a 6+ to wound. If you're forced to fight an extra large horde, it can switch its weapon profile to Heavy 4d6 at the expense of not being able to fire its missiles until after the end of the next turn. As a result, taking the heavy bolters/lascannons and the storm bolter is a good idea to ensure it doesn't render itself defenseless after a missile massacre.