One of the best reviews of the codex I have found (as I don't have it), goes over unit by unit, how they can be used and how they stack up. I read it, and have included a small bit of it here, along with a link that I think is very useful to go over and check out.
On top of that, the Warhammer Community has went in and given us some lore, including some lost formations....
The Dark Angels Codex is available as of tomorrow.
Great Review by Frontline Gaming (to see the rest of their full review... simply follow the links below)
Strategems/Warlord Traits/Relics/Psychic Powers
https://www.frontlinegaming.org/2017/12/10/dark-angels-codex-review-part-1-stratagems-warlord-traits-relics-and-psychic-powers/
Dark Angel Units
https://www.frontlinegaming.org/2017/12/13/dark-angels-codex-review-part-2-dark-angels-units/
Stratagems
Per usual in 8th ed, this is where the real power of a Codex often lays. Dark Angels have been gifted with some very effective stratagems and many that are by now familiar to all Adeptus Astartes players.
- Relics of the Rock: 1/3CP, Your standard “extra Relics” stratagem. This has been available to every Codex we’ve seen so far and it is only as good as the Relics it gives you access to.
- Well, thankfully for Dark Angels players, they have excellent Relics available to them. I rarely found myself playing Dark Angels without taking 1 extra Relic. I didn’t often take 2, but I always assumed I was playing the game with -1 CP as they have so many awesome choices which we will cover below. Competitive.
- Linebreaker Bombardment: 1 CP, used in the shooting phase if a Dark Angels Vindicator is within 6″ of at least two other Vindicators. Instead of firing normally, they pick a point within 24″ of all three tanks and every unit within 3″ of that point takes 3D3 Mortal Wounds on a 4+ adding +1 if they contain 10 or more models and subtracting 1 if they are a character.
- Much like the Killshot strat, this is potentially devastating but hard to actually pull off in many cases as having all 3 tanks within 24″ of the same spot is fairly limiting and shutting one of the tanks down is easy to do by engaging them in melee, simply destroying them with shooting, etc. And, much like the strat above, if you want to use it, I recommend taking 4+ Vindicators to buy a little insurance in case you lose one early or get it wrapped up in combat. However, if you play it right and keep them screened, this can seriously nuke your opponent’s army hard. Situational.
- Deathwing Assault: 2/3 CP, used after a unit of Deathwing Terminators deep strikes on to the table. They immediately shoot as if it were the shooting phase. The 3 CP cost kicks in if the unit contains more than 5 models.
- A very strong stratagem although I am sure Dark Angels players will wonder why their version costs 3 CP for a full unit when Chaos do not pay the extra tax for full strength units. However, in the context of the Dark Angels suite of tools, it is a very effective stratagem to use on the turn you bring in a max unit of Deathwing. In the 8th ed meta, Storm Bolters are exceptionally good and putting out 80 strength 4 shots (most likely re-rolling misses and 1’s to wound thanks to support characters) that is a significant amount of firepower. I prefer Cataphractii with a Lightening Claw and Storm Bolter but you can also go whole hog and take standard Termies with dual Cyclone for maximum firepower. Competitive.
- Satsis Shell: 1 CP: When a Ravenwing model in your army attacks a Character with a Ravenwing Grenade Launcher add 1 to the hit roll, instead of normal damage they deal D3 Mortal Wounds.
- Hellfire Shells: 1 CP, used when firing an Infantry model’s Heavy Bolter. Instead of firing normally, on a successful hit you deal D3 Mortal Wounds to the target.
- This is a great strat and one I use all the dang time. Because of it, you should always have at least a single Heavy Bolter on an Infantry model to take advantage of those long ranged Mortal Wounds. Efficient.
- Orbital Bombardment: 3 CP, this stratagem is used once per battle, if your Warlord doesn’t move or fire their weapon normally, they may select a point on the battlefield visible to him. Every enemy unit within D6″ of that points takes D3 Mortal Wounds on the roll of a 4+. Characters are hit on a 5+.
- This is a stratagem that can be very useful and is used quite often in Adeptus Astartes armies. As you will always have a Warlord, it will always be an option. It’s good when it is good, but isn’t always the right call. Efficient.
- Wisdom of the Ancients: 1 CP, gives a Dark Angels Dreadnought a re-roll 1’s to hit aura for that phase.
- This one is good when it’s needed but won’t be needed that frequently. Not bad at all and can be a real life saver in the right situation, but will not be used in most lists that frequently. Situational.
- Tactical Flexibility: 1 CP, allows you to Combat Squad a unit of 10 Dark Angels that have the rule, splitting them up in to two 5 man units.
- This is obviously very situational. Frequently to get those lovely Command Points you will be running low model count units anyway, and when you do take large units it is typically to leverage a psychic power, stratagem, etc. and as such you won’t want to break them up. However, if you are in a situation where you need to grab two objectives or something similar, and have a unit able to split it could win you the game. Situational.
- Armour of Contempt: 1 CP, gives a vehicle a 5+ save vs Mortal Wounds for a phase, used right before a vehicle would take a Mortal Wound.
- This is actually a super useful strat. With all of the Smite spam, and various other Mortal Wound shenanigans in the game, the need for a defense against them comes up frequently. Efficient.
- Only in Death Does Duty End: 2 CP, use this strat when a Character in your army dies, before removing the model they can either shoot as if it were the shooting phase or fight as if it were the fight phase.
- This is another gem. Once you get a really choppy character into melee with your opponent, you are essentially assured to fight twice if you need to. Once normally, and the second time either thanks to this strat or Honour the Chapter. It means a kitted out melee Character can almost be assured to destroy many units in the game you would not otherwise be able to. Alternatively, can you use it to shoot again as well but this will largely only come in to play in limited circumstances as most Characters don’t have nearly as powerful shooting and if they do, it is typically short ranged. Competitive.
- Cluster Mines: 1 CP, used when a Scout Biker unit falls back from combat. On a 2+, they deal D3 Mortal Wounds to a unit within 1″ before they leave combat.
- A solid stratagem when you can use it. Obviously, it only applies if you have Scout Bikers in your army, and further then they are withdrawing from combat. As someone who loves Scout Bikers and uses them all the time, I can say it is a really fun one to use when it is applicable. However, this is not a stratagem you will be using in every game. Situational.
- Flakk Missile: 1 CP, used when a Dark Angels Infantry model with a Missile Launcher fires at an enemy unit with the Fly keyword. Add +1 to the hit roll, and if the target is hit, you deal D3 Mortal Wounds instead of the normal damage.
- Auspex Scan: 2 CP, Similar to other Adeptus Astartes, this stratagem allows you to fire on an enemy unit within 12″ of one of your Infantry units when it is set up on the battlefield with a -1 to hit.
- This is a really useful stratagem and one I use often when facing enemy deep-strikers/out-flankers/etc. It won’t come up in every game but when it does it is extremely useful, particularly if you have a solid shooting unit to use it on like Sternguard or Devastators, etc. I find it often pushes your opponent’s deep-striking units back beyond 12″ to avoid it and thus reducing the amount of damage they can typically deal to you. Efficient.
- Never Forgive, Never Forget! 1 CP, used in the Fight phase when one of your units fights. For each hit roll of a 6+, you generate one additional attack. If fighting against Fallen units, you generate additional attacks on a 4+.
- A useful strat for your melee units, particularly those that can put out a lot of attacks and works very well with the excellent Righteous Repugnance power. You will use this one not as often as you may think, but when it is needed, it is incredibly good. And if your opponent is Fallen, well, lol, sucks for them. Efficient.
- The Lion and the Wolf: 1 CP, used before the battle if your includes any Space Wolves Infantry units. Choose one Dark Angels and one Space Wolves Infantry units, roll a D6 for each model in the units, on a 4+ they suffer a Mortal Wound. Each model that survives increases their Strength, Attacks, Weapon Skill and Leadership characteristics by 1.
- This is a very cool, very fun strat that while it doesn’t kick in every often, is pretty bad ass if you build for it. You can make two of your characters (that are Infantry) significantly better, or if you are feeling risky, some of your one wound infantry models! Situational.
- Hunt the Fallen: 1 CP, used at the start of the battle. Select an enemy Infantry Character in your opponent’s army. That model gains 1 attack, but re-roll failed hit rolls for Dark Angels that target it in the Fight phase. Additionally, Deathwing and Ravenwing re-roll failed charge rolls against this model.
- Another fun and characterful stratagem that will come in handy in some games. If you don’t mind buffing an enemy character a bit to get a big buff against it, then it is a worthwhile strat to use. I find it is best used defensively if you have a character you know is coming at you like Celestine. As she is assuredly attacking, might as well get a nice boost for my models that will have to fight her. Situational.
- Datalink Telemetery: 1 CP, this stratagem is used when a Whirlwind fires on an enemy target within 12″ of one of your Land Speeders. The Whirlwind’s attacks automatically hit the target.
- This is another stratagem that is cool if you build the ability to use it in to your list. Whirlwinds are an underrated unit and with the ability to automatically hit their target via this strat, they remove one variable from their damage equation. This combo is not likely to appear in top lists but if you have the models and want to use them, this is a stratagem you will enjoy quite a bit. Situational.
- Weapons from the Dark Age: 1 CP, used before a Dark Angels units shoots Plasma weapons in the shooting phase. Add 1 to the damage characteristic of these weapons in that phase.
- This is the money maker stratagem for Dark Angels. You can put out absolutely fearsome firepower with this bad boy and the benefits to it are multiple. For one, you can fire Plasma weapons on their lower setting to avoid overheating against armies with a -1 to hit, but still get double damage. Alternatively, you can ramp up already powerful overcharged Plasma weapons to an 11 if you really need something dead. Obviously, to maximize this strat, you want a unit with as many Plasma weapons as you can fit, and that is often going to be Black Knights, Devastators Squads or Hellblasters. Competitive.
- Intractable: 2 CP, used after a Dark Angels units has fallen back. That unit can still shoot in the shooting phase.
- It’s a bit pricey at 2 CP, but it is really good. The ability to leave combat and fire at full effect is very powerful, particularly for units like Land Raiders who can easily get shut down, or Hellblasters or Black Knights who you count on to do a lot of the damage dealing in your list. Competitive.
- Empyric Channeling: 1 CP, used at the start of the psychic phase if a Dark Angels Psyker is within 6″ of at least 2 other Dark Angels Psykers. The Psyker can immediately attempt to manifest one additional power and when he does so, adds +2 to the test.
- This like many stratagems, is really powerful when you can use it. However, it is not often you will have 3 Psykers on the table as most Space Marines armies don’t field that many Librarians, and Dark Angels are no exception to that in general terms. If you do want to use it and are in position to do so, it can be nasty for trying to get the full powered smite, or for getting some of your powerful, high warp charge powers off and a Dark Angels list built for 3+ psykers can string together some really brutal combos. Situational.
- Speed of the Raven: 1 CP, A Ravenwing unit in your army may advance and still shoot and charge.
- A very powerful Strat, particularly when used with a maxed out unit of Black Knights who can deliver a lethal blow from much further away than your opponent may have suspected was possible, buffed up with several of your strats and psychic powers. Competitive.
- Secret Agenda: 1 CP, used before the battle in missions that use Tactical Objectives. If so, you can keep your objectives secret the entire game, revealing them only if they are achieved.
- Very powerful if you are playing Maelstrom missions. Obviously not useful otherwise. Situational.
- Honour the Chapter: 3 CP, Select a Dark Angels Infantry of Biker unit to fight for a second time at the end of the Fight phase.
- A great strat for Dark Angels. You will use this one frequently, being limited only by your CP reserves. Deathwing Knights absolutely devastate things in combat with this and Black Knights make great use of it, aslo. Competitive.
- Fortress of Shields: 1 CP, used in the Fight phase. Select a unit of Deathwing that contains at least 3 models with Storm Shields. Your opponent must subtract 1 from all wound rolls made against that unit until the end of the phase.
- A very, very strong strat. Once you get your Deathwing Knights stuck in to melee, this allows them to dramatically reduce the wounds they take and thus casualties. It gets even more powerful when combined with the Mind Wipe or Aversion power to make particularly tough models much more manageable. Competitive.
- Killshot: 1 CP, use this stratagem in the shooting phase if a Predator is within 6″ two other Predators. Add 1 to the wound rolls and damage of all of the attacks of each Predator if they target a Vehicle or Monster.
- This is a fun and potentially extremely powerful stratagem but also one that is easily shut down by losing one of the vehicles or getting stuck in combat. For best effect, I recommend taking 4+ Predators with a variety of weapon load-outs to not pigeonhole yourself into all Las Cannons and end up playing a horde. Personally, I think the dakka Predator is the best choice as you use them to clear out infantry and light vehicles and if you find yourself facing some heavier targets, the strat makes them much more effective at dealing with them for a single CP. Even if you take some casualties, you can still leverage it but you aren’t completely reliant on it. Have a Lieutenant and Captain nearby (or even better, Azrael) and go to town. Situational.
- Inner Circle: 1 CP, used before the battle. Select a Dark Angels Master, Dreadnought or Land Raider. That model then gains the Deathwing Keyword and Inner Circle rule.
- This strat enables you to have an all Deathwing army, and to gain Deathwing benefits on models that would otherwise not be able to do so. However, these benefits are relatively limited and as such, so is this strat. Situational.
via Warhammer Community
https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/12/15/secret-orders-of-the-dark-angels-dec-15gw-homepage-post-3/
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.
