Tips on how to start Dark Angels army?

Hello guys, i know this might not be the right catergory for this... I have no idea in which catergory should i start this topic really. So bear with me please.

I am planning to start a Dark Angels army. Preferrably using infantry. I am currently building a tactical squad. But I am not sure whats the next step. Another tactical squad? Veterans? Transport? HQ? Devestators? Dreadnought? Deathwing? etc. And yes i know DA is mainly known for their entensive use of bikes. Which i plan to use as a fast attack option. But I need tips on what to do. Any and all tips would be greatly appreciated.

P.S And no, i will probably not be getting the ravenwing megaforce. Im on very tight budgets. And i don't really fancy a large force of bikes. As stated. Will be playing mainly infantry.

Hello there,
Good on you for starting DA.

Well, Space Marines are famed for their flexibility. So I guess the army build is really up to you at this point.

Do you want an entirely foot-slogging army? Shooty-type with numbers, but lacking in eliteness?

Do you want to build Deathwing? All terminators, entirely elite, looks awesome.

Do you want an entirely transported army? More armour, more durability, sacrifice in numbers.

It could even be drop-pod oriented, where you can catch the opponent off guard at a sacrifice of mobility?


It could even be a mix of any type.. marines are that flexible, and there's no real disadvantage in gaming terms.

i have moved it to this category. do share your thoughts and ideas as well as pictures of your models etc etc. make your army legendary.

@dann.toh: Hello ^^ Well i like infantry and en masse charges. But i also know that DA has special rules for their bikes. So i would probably go with a numbers based build, with a lil elites. Im definetly gonna get a squad of bikes. Not sure about armour choices. I want a large infantry force, but it has to be versatile enough to counter anything. So bikes and elites, armour etc will probably go in somewhere.

@cookie_yip: Thanks, and sure i will!! once i've finished painting them... lol.

Marines are generally jack of all trades so they can covrr fpr each other but that also generallyeans they are not really exceptional at the roles they play. But if you are going to play based on fluff, the unforgiven are famous for extensive use of plasma.. You have to be certain what kind of build you are going for. If budget is an issue you could play the first company but the learning curve is really steep as you will be outnumbered im every game you play except for maybe palladin lists

Hi Victor... welcome to Marine family.

Here's my 2 cents...

Firstly, before anything... read your codex. I suppose this is a no brainer but do spend time reading up. I may not remember 100% of my codex but at least you should familiarize yourself with the commonly accessed rules.

Secondly, like some of the options Dann has highlighted it is good to have a direction for your army. Plan ahead or plan to spend... a lot.

Thirdly, do not be overwhelmed by the various options available to a DA or SM army. Take it easy and grow at a pace you're comfortable with. No point buying units that will remain unpainted or left to collect dust...

Lastly... visit your local stores. Talk to people and play the game. It is a social thing after all where people have fun.

I guess that's all for now... I'm sure there are a lot more other gurus out there who will be kind to help you out.

Cheers!

what blee said. Pls note that there are differences between an SM codex, DA codex, Black Templar codex and Blood Angels codex, so it's smart to learn what your codex emphasizes on.

Hi there its good to finally see a new DA player

If your going for massed infantry army its better to play the normal SM codex because their infantry is cheaper as well as having access to sternguard

Even their Devastators are cheaper

The advantages for DA is mostly in the Deathwing and Ravenwing because they have slightly different special rules. Not to say that its bad to have mass infantry in a DA army but you can get more for less points in the normal SM codex.

Thanks for all the tips, really appreciate it. Yes ill definetly read up on the codex. But from what i hear, the 6th edition DA codex is coming out something this year. should i wait for that to come out before picking a build or just build it based on the normal SM Codex? And I have yet to read the 40k rulebook. So... Yeah.

And questions, If i play DA using standard SM codex. will i still be able to use the DA Veteran squad? Will i get the special rules allocated to them? And how in the world do you use stern guard in a DA themed army? Paint the sternguard with DA colours?

And, is it more worth it to use the SM Codex, or DA codex? Cause im really confused here...

Victor Choong. wrote:

And, is it more worth it to use the SM Codex, or DA codex? Cause im really confused here...

Alo Shaun, your first post in months, and you end up confusing a new player! Alooo!

Anyway, Victor, there's a term that's often practiced but not encouraged called 'playing as'... basically you're using Dark Angels models/colour schemes etc, but you're using the SM codex to play them.

So you will use everything from the SM codex, including points and unit selection, so you cannot use the DA veterans, Deathwing or Ravenwing portions of the DA codex.

@dann.toh: You never know Dann i may be secretly trying to convert him to Chaos Didnt really have time to touch my 40k stuff also been so busy =.=

@Victor Choong.: You shouldnt really rely on rumours because some say this year and some say next year for a new DA codex. Actually you should try going to Legio, HF, CM to learn the basics of the game first. Codex can come later.

@dann.toh Oh I get it now. Thanks . But lets say i have a squad of DA vets. And i play using the SM Codex. Can i play the DA vets as normal marine vets instead?

@shaun: :O HERESY! *blam* Lol. Hmmm that sounds like a excellent idea. Thanks.

DA has already been touch by chaos anyway. So its not suprising should he go that way.