Dark Angels Dawn of War 2 DLC

"Wherever and whenever they appear they leave only destruction in their wake; they are the Lords of Death, Bringers of War. The Dark Angels"

Dawn of War 2 received its first paid DLC pack with a big homage to the incredibly diverse background of Warhammer 40,000 in the form of the incredibly popular Dark Angels. This is a small review of the pack from my own point of view that will hopefully give any Dawn of War 2 fans an idea of whether the pack really is worth $7.50 that Steam is selling it for, but I digress, this should only act as a pointer and you should always decide by yourself if you really want the pack.

The Dark Angel chapter was a very strange choice for Relic to take when considering their first DLC. Though they are popular, there didn't seem to be much demand for them when compared to a chapter like Black Templars, but I'm personally very happy they chose Dark Angels because let's be honest, aesthetically, robed Space Marines are a brilliant idea and the aesthetic for Dark Angels is very unique compared to some other chapters. The color scheme is generally a dark green for the power armor on the Marines, the Marines are clothed in bleached bone (One of my favorite paint colors) colored hooded robes that add a sense of mystery to the unit. The reason for the marines wearing this robe (From what I understand) is both a symbol of rank and due to veterans learning the dark secrets of the chapters past, cloaking their chapter colors in shame. The Dark Angels follow a theme of repentance as their main ideal and it adds a big dose of awesome to the chapter when it comes to visuals, such as decals of Angels on the side of vehicles with "REPENT" worded beneath. I'm happy that Relic decided to change Terminators, Dreadnoughts and the Land Raider to have the Death Wing bone color scheme (The Death Wing are the first company of the Dark Angels chapter made up of said units). My apologies for not getting pictures of the Terminators but they follow the same paint scheme as the Land Raider and Dreadnought.

I'll start with my personal favorite change which is that of the Force Commander. He looks simply stunning. The Force Commander in Dawn of War 2 is quite a disappointment for me, the standard Force Commander doesn't really scream out "I'm a supersoldier badass and I'm going to rip a hole through your entire force!" but with a few aesthetic changes such as the winged helm, large red cape and improved Power Sword design, he looks as menacing as he should have from the beginning. The addition of the Dark Angel decal on his shin armor adds a bit more flavor. There is some sort of serene grace about his design, like the embodiment of a powerful angel put out on the battlefield of the 41st century. Well, that's the Angels of Death for you. I would pay for this reskin alone, maybe not $7.50, but it is brilliant.

The robed Space Marines of the Dark Angels are easily my second favorite pick of this DLC pack. The Space Marines of Warhammer 40,000 are your standard fighting force when it comes to the Space Marine army, but as individual soldiers they are genetically enhanced and trained to a point where they become godlike on the battlefield (Just a little bit of lore for those of you that may not know the Warhammer 40,000 universe). In Dawn of War 2, Space Marines tower above the other "Basic" units for other races and only have a maximum of 4 units per squad where as, for example, the Imperial Guard can have 12 units per squad. The extra details and robes really add a ton of depth to already heavily detailed models. Relic are superb at doing character models in strategy games. My only gripe is that there are some minor clipping problems on the back of the robe when the squad is moving and the heads going through the hood when firing. Nothing major but it would be nice if they found a way to fix it, as it is the only downfall of this specific unit.

The Assault Marines didn't receive many changes, but the changes they did receive add a lot of depth to their model. The helmets have been given a Dark Angel decal on the beak and they received the detailed left shoulderpad with the large angelic wings. They look great, there aren't any downsides to speak of and they represent the Dark Angels nicely.

Next, we move onto the Death Wing starting with the Dreadnought. It looks amazing. The bone color really stands out on the battlefield and the large Dark Angel decal on the middle plate really is spectacularly detailed, with the words "REPENT" clear for the opponent to see and fear. There isn't much more to say for the Dreadnought, but the color scheme is really nice. There are a few extra decals here and there on the model that bring the detailed table top miniature to life.

Last but not least, we have the Land Raider. As if this unit wasn't detailed and awesome enough, it has been given a healthy helping of decals and a great repaint to make it stand out even more on the field. Incinerate your opponents in style! As with the Dreadnought, it doesn't have many more changes than that, but I'm happy to see the Death Wing getting a place in Dawn of War 2.

To sum it all up, if you are a Dark Angels fan then I highly suggest this DLC pack. $7.50 isn't cheap (I believe it is cheaper on THQ's E-store though) for simple edits of existing models, but to have your favorite faction from the table top game or books represented with glorious animation and detail in a video game is satisfying to say the least. However, if you aren't a fan of the Dark Angels or Space Marines, then I would personally give this one a miss (Unless you want to support Relic entertainment of course). I think this is great land for Relic to cover, and I really hope we will see more DLC in the future; there is so much that could be covered, hundreds of Space Marine chapters, Eldar Craftworlds, Chaos Gods, Ork Warbands (We did get Freebooterz with the recent 3.14 patch though), Imperial Guard regiments and Tyranid subspecies that could be represented via DLC skin packs, and if they all follow the quality we've seen with the Dark Angel pack, it could be the start of something great.