Warhammer 40K: Dark Angels Deathwing Rules Previews
The Deathwing are getting updates in the upcoming Dark Angels Codex. We’ve got a preview of the new rules and some points updates, too.
When it comes to Terminator Armour the Deathwing bring the beef! The new Deathwing Assault box is a great place to start. Today we’re getting a quick preview of the rules for the bone-colored armor clad warriors. What sorts of tricks will the 1st company bring to the tabletop? Let’s take a closer look and find out.
“…when it comes to fielding whole armies of models sporting Tactical Dreadnought armour no Chapter does it quite like the Dark Angels. It’s tempting, isn’t it? A whole army of super-elite models, nigh-on impossible to kill…”
Deathwing Rules Preview
Right of the bat GW confirms a few things. First up, the Deathwing are still Terminators. That means a toughness of 5, a 2+ save, 4++ invulnerable save, and 3 wounds. That’s quite the tough package for a single model to start. The Dark Angels Deathwing Knights take that a step further with an additional wound each putting them at 4 wounds! On top of that Deathwing Knights also have a special rule to make them even tougher…
Inner Circle takes one damage off the top of any damage this unit takes. Now, I’m assuming there’s a “down to a minimum of 1 damage” clause here. Because, if not, that means they are basically immune to all single damage attacks. That would be a first for sure!
Edit: As pointed by commenter Tirend – this is actually addressed in the Core Rule Books. Thanks for the clarification.
As Terminators, they also come with the Deep Strike ability. What makes the Dark Angels Deathwing so good at it is that they can also take their attached characters along for a ride, too.
This is great for dropping in behind the enemy and pressuring those backfield objectives. There’s also a few secondary missions you can score that way, too.
And let’s not forget those Teleport Homers that come with the Terminators. Those aren’t just for show as they do have a function. Rapid Ingress allows for Terminators to drop in for no Command Points. That can be very handy.
If you want to run all Terminators you can use the 1st Company Taskforce from the Space Marine Codex. However, GW also confirmed there’s a new Dark Angels Inner Circle Taskforce you can use as well. This has a special Detachment Rule that gives your Deathwing Infantry a bonus +1 to hit against your Oath of Moment target.
There’s a lot of good stuff coming for the Deathwing and it all plays together pretty much as you’d expect!
Deathwing Points Update
Earlier this week I put together a points breakdown of the upcoming Deathwing Assault Box. Now, I had the caveat that these points were based on the current Munitorum Field Manual.
These were the points currently listed. That appears to be getting an update. We have a quick preview list from WarCom and you can see that there’s been a few shifts for the squads.
Deathwing Knights went up to 290 points for a squad of 5 models. Deathwing Terminators are now 205/410 points for 5 or 10 models. That does change the math on my previous list. Regardless, I still think the Deathwing Assault box is a heckuva starting point for anyone looking to play that army.
This is a similar list and sticks with the “All Terminators” theme well. Although WarCom did add a Land Raider and Dreadnought…which is the same point cost as Lion El’Jonson. I don’t disagree with that swap — a Land Raider is great to get your Terminators where you need them after all.
So what do you think of the Deathwing rules? Are you tempted to start an all Terminator Army?
The Deathwing Terminators don’t mess around!
