Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is currently in beta, accessible to anyone who has pre-ordered it. That means everything is subject to change. Lots of changes, if the roadmap for release is anything to go by. Still, a lot of people are already playing it and we are among them. Here are some of the potentially heretical things we’ve already learned that will help you survive in the Tertium Hive, at least for a bit longer than you otherwise would.
You can buy items you can’t use
Jody Macgregor, Weekend Editor/Australia: If there’s something for sale on the weapon exchange but it’s grayed out, that means it’s beyond your current trust level and can’t be handled. That doesn’t mean you can’t buy it. If you see a really cool kit and don’t want to risk having it pulled from the store (which updates every hour) before you can earn enough tokens to pay for it, bag that thing now.
And if you’re running low on tokens, you can always earn some by salvaging old stuff you don’t want anymore. Select something in your inventory and then hold x on your keyboard to recycle it for several hundred dollars.
If you don’t feel the Psychic, you’re not alone
Fraser Brown, online editor: After seeing how much fun Sean was having with the Psyker in the previous beta, I had to try this awesome killer. Conceptually, the Psykinetic class is brilliant. You’re a psychic sniper who’s always on the verge of losing your mind and exploding, because every time you use your power you generate Peril, a lethal resource you’ll want to keep low, low.
Unfortunately, the Psyker was deemed too powerful last time around, and Fatshark overcompensated for it, nerfing it heavily so that popping a brain creates more danger, and your ult only discharges half of it. A recent review (opens in a new tab) rebalanced Psychic a bit, and the class can shine in certain situations, but it definitely feels in need of another pass.
Don’t forget that each weapon has a special action.
Wes Fenlon, Senior Editor: This is an easy point to forget about Darktide’s quick training mode: each weapon has an alternate ability, which is bound by default to one of the extra mouse buttons. With my Ogryn’s starting gear, I can do a barrage attack from my shotgun or a big open palm slap on an entire line of enemies with my equipped melee weapon. For some weapons, this alternate ability is especially useful, such as speeding up a chainsword blade to deal more damage. You gotta speed up your chainsword, man.
Jody Macgregor, Weekend Editor/Australia: Some of Ogryn’s melee weapons do a hook on the mouse-five that staggers enemies, making it easy to launch a heavy attack and knock them back. He is great at taking out elites in melee.
Meanwhile, the veteran marksman’s rifles have a lamp that lights up when you press the special action key. It’s a running joke in 40K that laser guns are basically flashlights, but in the darker levels that light is quite useful.
Get up and grind (meat) for weapon practice
(Image credit: Fatshark)
Jody Macgregor, Weekend Editor/Australia: After the psychic tutorial ends, there is a menu called “Meat Grinder” that you cannot access until you reach trust level 2. Go back to Sefoni in the Psykhanium when you do, because the Meat Grinder is where you can safely test the new weapons you have. will unlock against enemies that don’t fight back. Learn the combo chains for each new ax and sword, practice your grenade throwing, and get used to the kicks of the big guns. You can even see the DPS (damage per second) number appear after each hit.
While you’re at it, practice shooting armored enemies to see which parts are most heavily protected. Scab Maulers, the chain axe-wielding guys who wear helmets with welding masks, don’t take much damage when you aim for the head. Unless you’re a psychic, of course, in which case no amount of metal will stop you from popping their brains. (We haven’t found any enemies hiding hexagram ward tattoos underneath yet.)
Stay close… like, real close
(Image credit: Fatshark)
Sean Martin, guide writer: In Vermintide 2, it was always important to stick together – you never knew when a cunning assassin might jump on your back and your teammates would need to be taken down. Darktide has even more special enemies that can snag and trap you, from charging mutants to web-shooting hunters that will wipe out your entire squad if you leave them alone. You need to watch other people’s backs. But sticking together plays an even bigger role in Darktide: replenishing toughness, which is effectively your shield against damage. Although melee kills can replenish this shield, Darktide is significantly more difficult if you’re going solo, so stick close to your squad and keep your toughness maxed out.
Jody Macgregor, Weekend Editor/Australia: Staying in Coherence also makes your aura feats work. The Veteran Marksman feat’s treasure hunt gives out free ammo for every Elite killed to anyone in Coherence range, for example, and other classes have similar passive auras. On the subject of liabilities, take it off, Wes…
Learn your liabilities
(Image credit: Fatshark)
Wes Fenlon, Senior Editor: Each character class in Darktide comes with a series of passive abilities that should guide how you play your character and your role on the team. For example, the Ogryn has a 25% innate buff to melee stagger damage, making it an ideal hitter for one-on-one fights. But more important is his Loyal Protector passive ability, which allows you to take damage while reviving allies without being interrupted. Being the one to revive an ally in an intense firefight could mean the difference between a loss and survival.
Veteran deals more damage to weak points, making them latch on to big boss enemies. The Preacher can survive a killing blow and gain temporary invincibility once every 90 seconds. Regardless of which class you play as, remember how these passive abilities can benefit you and your team.
Wounds are different from health.
(Image credit: Fatshark)
Jody Macgregor, Weekend Editor/Australia: Your health is represented by a row of white bars, and you get fewer bars on higher difficulty missions. (Toughness, the protection that recharges when you land melee kills or stay consistent with allies, is the blue bar above.) Those bars are called “wounds,” and whenever you return after being revived by an ally, one of those wounds turns purple and is lost. Corruption, which you can gain from carrying grimoires or being hit by certain attacks like a Pox Hound’s jump or a Pox Burster’s detonation, also saps them, gradually turning your health purple.
When all your wounds turn purple, or if you are not revived in time when you fall, you will be captured. The other players can still bring you back, but they will have to fight a couple of guards and untie you after finding where they are holding you. Healing at a medical station removes corruption, so be nice to your local surgery server.
Don’t go chasing penances
(Image credit: Fatshark)
Jody Macgregor, Weekend Editor/Australia: I get it, you want to change out of your prison pants. However, chasing cosmetics and achievements trying to earn every single penance is a bad idea. Some of them are distractions to the goal and are best tackled with friends (or bots when singleplayer arrives) rather than a poor bunch of randos. Others are a waste of time chasing them until you reach level 30 and unlock the endgame feats.
Take penance from the veteran sniper who demands you kill five tagged enemies by shooting their weak points in a single volley. (Please take the etc.) One of the Veteran’s level 30 options is called Backfire and it allows you to tag basic Scab Shooters with a rifle, plus it extends the duration of the shot ability each time you kill one. We all want the Killshot’s Duty pants now, but unless you’re lucky, it’s better to wait until level 30 rather than waste time and effort now.
Source: news.google.com