There are 12 waves of enemies in each Trial and different difficulty options, though you can also select an Indulgence for a buff beforehand. These include Pyrokinetic for fire damage dealers, Voltaic for electric damage, Fulminator (which combines the two), Colossus for survival, and Death Dealer for close-quarters combat.

In addition to regular waves, some objectives pop up every three waves, providing ammo and supplies alongside an extra buff upon completion. These buffs become stronger with each subsequent wave cleared, making them invaluable.

Other new content with the update includes A Day At The Theatre, a limited-time event focused entirely on the Mortis Trials, Havoc mode changes, and new Mutators. Head here for more details. You can also read our review for the PS5 version.

The Mortis Trials, unironically, sounds like the Simulated Universe from Honkai: Star Rail. Players enter visions conjured by Sefoni and create “new and exciting playstyles by selecting between abilities and buffs” during the trial. Upon completing it, you can learn more about specific individuals on the Mourningstar, which last saw some changes in Path of Redemption.

There will also be a new limited-time event that revolves around the Mortis Trials, but further details are pending. In the meantime, fans can look forward to updates for Havoc, including a difficulty increase, four new mutators, and more. The Ogryn’s Talent Tree is also getting a rework with a developer blog coming this week to outline everything.

Stay tuned for more details on Havoc’s changes and the Mortis Trials. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is playable on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC alongside Game Pass.

Calling the original release of Darktide underbaked would be quite a bit of an understatement, considering the fact that the game only had a few missions, very limited progression systems that seldom provided players with any real options for how their character would play, and even an underbaked loot system with limited ways of changing up how your equipment might work through crafting. In the two years since its release, however, Darktide has gone through quite a few drastic changes, and in its current incarnation feels closer than ever before to fulfilling its potential.

As its name might imply, Darktide is set in the grim dark Warhammer 40,000 universe. Rather than putting players in the shoes of empowered badasses like Space Marine 2 from earlier this year did, however, Darktide instead has players take on the roles of death row convicts that, because of a timely invasion by the forces of Chaos, have been more or less conscripted into service in the never-ending war against them.

Darktide classes, while offering quite a bit of freedom in overall play style, generally tend to do a couple of things really well. Gameplay for the Veteran, for example, primarily revolves around using firearms to take out threats from a distance. Ogryn, on the other hand, tend to make use of weapons and special abilities that have them stick closer to the hordes of enemies they’ll fight, while the Psyker makes use of magical powers to set the hordes of chaos on fire.

"Darktide classes, while offering quite a bit of freedom in overall play style, generally tend to do a couple of things really well."

Each class has their own bespoke talent tree, offering more customisation and refinement on their play style. The Ogryn, for example, can choose to either focus on close-range firearms and help buff up their allies’ damage, or instead decide to throw rocks around to crush the smaller enemies, occasionally charging into larger hordes and bashing their heads in with a shovel. There are enough options between all classes that any player is bound to find their preferred first-person action play style between them.

Up to four players can then team up on various missions throughout the Hive City of Tertium on the planet Atoma Prime which has been beset by the forces of the enemy. Players that might have experience with developer Fatshark’s previous titles, like Vermintide 2, will feel right at home, since the game follows a similar gameplay loop of diving into missions to procure levels, crafting materials, and loot, which in turn can then allow players to take on the missions at higher difficulties. Raising the difficulty doesn’t simply raise enemy HP. Instead, it introduces entirely new challenges, including new enemy types, tougher boss fights, and even unique modifiers, like having little in the way of light for the duration of an entire mission.

The PS5 release of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is ideally played on the Performance mode. While the Quality mode is downright gorgeous, the sacrifices made in frame rate never really feel worth it, especially since things can get hectic incredibly fast in the game, and split-second decisions often have to be made. The Performance mode doesn’t really make the game look ugly by any stretch of the imagination, and thanks to the expert art direction on the game, players can end up seeing some downright gorgeous vistas sullied only by the blood splatters and corpses they left in their wake.

"The Performance mode doesn’t really make the game look ugly by any stretch of the imagination."

The control scheme is also quite sensible, with a helpful level of aim assistance that never really feels overbearing, and good use of just about every button on the DualSense controller. Since it is a shooter, however, console players will undoubtedly find themselves at a bit of a disadvantage when playing classes that require more accuracy, like a sniping-based Veteran, for example.

Considering its generally strong gameplay and co-op action, the only real low point in Darktide is how it handles its narrative. Quite possibly a remnant of development trouble in the past, the main setting in the game feels incredibly half-baked, told through incredibly forgettable cutscenes every time you hit a new level threshold. This can be a real shame, since the setting tends to be ripe for interesting tales of grim combatants fighting impossible odds, which is essentially what the players are doing every time they take on a mission anyway.

A high point of the writing, however, is that the banter that can take place between the playable characters can be quite entertaining, be it Psyker’s borderline insanity, to the Ogryn just being there and having a good time. The character writing is incredibly strong, and even some of the side characters tend to get some great lines every now and then.

"The only real low point in Darktide is how it handles its narrative."

It would also be a mistake to not mention the fantastic soundtrack composed by Jesper Kyd, who manages to capture all of the frantic chaos of combat, as well as the general level of grandeur and absurd scale that Warhammer 40,000 is famous for. The music largely features a combination of bass heavy beats along with some electronic music. Special mention has to go out to the tracks Disposal Unit – Imperium Mix and Nightsider, which perfectly capture the general vibes of the game.

Despite its rocky first year, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide has ultimately grown into a fantastic title that potentially features hundreds of hours of playtime for any group of friends. Its first-person combat is nearly perfect, and just about every system in the game has been improved through continuous updates and development by Fatshark. In its current incarnation, Darktide also features a comprehensive weapon-based progression system, a crafting system that’s fun to tinker with, and expansive talent trees for all classes, allowing for plenty of customisation.

Despite its generally disappointing main setting, Darktide also has a lot of fun moments in between the frantic combat against hordes of enemies. Combine that with a great PS5 port that plays well and looks great, as well as cross-platform multiplayer, and this could easily be considered the best form the game has taken ever since its 2022 release.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Classes

Darktide launched with four classes – Veteran, Zealot, Ogryn, and Psyker – and that remains the case. Each has different starting weapons befitting their playstyles and abilities. The Veteran, for example, is all about ranged weapons, dealing more damage to weak spots. The Zealot is a melee combatant with a fair amount of toughness and attack speed, while the Ogryn is your tank, taking up space and slapping enemies around with heavy attacks. Finally, there’s the Psyker, who can deal extensive damage with psychic attacks but can self-detonate when racking up too much Peril.

Talent Trees

While classes originally had Feats, they’re replaced with Talents and corresponding trees with branches. Leveling up allows for allocating points into nods that increase stats, improve your Aura, and so on. Though each class has three “builds”, you can mix and match nodes depending on your requirements, creating options like a Veteran who can deal ranged damage but also restores toughness and staggers all enemies in a nine-meter radius. You can even go from a frontline-fighting Zealot to one specializing in throwing knives and backstabs, a Psyker that shields, and a taunt for the Ogryn, making for more effective tanking.

4-Player Co-op

While you could very well play through Darktide solo, the appeal is in co-op. Up to four players are supported, and there is crossplay between all platforms – Xbox Series X/S, PC, and PS5 when it launches. Matchmaking is one avenue, but there is another method for players seeking more matches – the Party Finder.

Party Finder

Recently added last September, the Party Finder allows selecting your game mode, difficulty level, and language to search for the desired group. You can assign tags like Casual, Hardcore, Power Leveling, Quickplay, or All Welcome to specify goals or mindsets. It’s also possible to create a party dedicated to Havoc assignments (more details on that shortly), with players deciding which to pursue.

Weapons

What would a Warhammer 40K game be without weapons? Darktide offers an extensive range, from tactical axes, power mauls, combat axes and bully clubs to swords for melee combat. Ranged weapons include Lasguns, flamers, force staves, ripper guns, boltguns, shotguns, and much more. Each has a different rarity which determines Perks and Blessings, with Salvaged being the lowly white color rarity with neither and Transcendent acting as the topmost, orange color rarity, offering two of each.

Weapon Mastery

As part of this year’s Unlocked and Loaded update, Mastery provides more freedom in customizing your arms. As you use a weapon and progress through the Mastery track, Blessing Points are gained and spent on Blessing Traits. You need to spend four points to get the very best, but this allows for more freely selecting specific Blessings. But that’s not all, as the Mastery Track allows for increasing a weapon’s Power Cap and equipping stronger Perks. It’s also possible to sacrifice weapons of the same family to gain Mastery Track XP for the same, though attempting to hand over Profane weapons could result in issues (read: death).

Maps

Tertium, the setting of Darktide, consists of multiple Zones, each breaking down into separate sections where missions occur. The Carnival is where Stimms flow freely among the citizenry, though it’s since been taken over by the traitorous Moebian 6th. By contrast, Chasm Terminus is a railway hub and the epicentre of the battle against the forces of Chaos. There are 20 missions in all, not including the Prologue and Operation Rolling Steel, with a new one, Dark Communion, to be added in the next update.

Mission Types

While players face and slay hordes of enemies, there is some order to the overarching anarchy, courtesy of different mission types. Assassination involves reaching and taking down a boss and overcoming their minions in the process. However, Investigation is about scanning the area for objects. While different mission types can appear on several maps, Operations is limited to its own map and offers a considerably faster-paced experience.

Special Conditions

Different conditions can arise through missions (depending on the mode), increasing the amount of XP and Dockets. These range from Hi-Intensity Engagement Zone where more Specialists and enemy hordes appear, to Power Supply Interruption or Lights Out, where there’s barely any light. You also have Pox Gas, which reduces toughness when standing in it, and where abilities that restore toughness can come in handy.

Puzzles and Martyr Skulls

For those interested in the lore (and why the Moebian 6th turned traitor), there are Martyr’s Skulls to collect. You must solve a puzzle to obtain it, but doing so for the first time can also reward additional Plasteel, which is used to upgrade the rarity of your gear.

Contracts and rewards

Contracts are like weekly challenges, with five available weekly at Sire Melk’s Requisitorium. They award Ordo Ingots, which can be spent on limited-time items, including Transcendent rarity weapons and Curios. You can also invest in Mystery Acquisitions for weapons and Curios though they’re completely randomized.

Penances

Penances offer in-game challenges in which players can compete for cosmetics. Last year saw an overhaul in the system, updating existing Penances and changing them to allow for easier solo completion. There are also new Penances for each class, like knocking down 5000 enemies with the Ogryn or slaying 350 enemies with weak spot damage from range as the Veteran.

Havoc

Launching alongside the PS5 version in the Grim Protocols Update, Havoc is a new post-Trust Level 30 progression system. It consists of 40 Order Levels, each with specialized missions (aka Havoc Assignments) and modifiers that add to the challenge. You get three attempts to complete the assignment, with enemy types and placement changing on each attempt. Succeed, and you go to the next rank, which brings new challenging modifiers to add to the challenge (though only two can be active on a mission at a time)

Havoc Mutators and Conditions

The Mutators in Havoc Assignments are noteworthy since they include four brand new and exclusive to the mode. You may also run into conditions every few Order levels, including Lights Out, Pox Gas, and Ventilation Purge, which add even more challenge to the assignment (especially when dealing with enemies who thrive in those conditions).

Console Performance

When it first launched, Warhammer 40K: Darktide received extensive criticism for its performance on PC. It improved with multiple updates to the point where even the Xbox Series X version ran well. However, performance has seemingly ping-ponged back and forth between acceptable and iffy for console players since the last several updates. We don’t know how much this will affect the PS5 version or what bugs emerge with a major update like Grim Protocols. With advanced access starting soon, it’s a good idea to wait and see how the performance is before buying.

First launched for PC in 2022 before coming to Xbox Series X/S in 2023, Darktide occurs on the Chaos-occupied Tertium. Given the importance of the Hive City and the shortage of troops, the Inquisition drafts death row prisoners to their ranks. There are four classes to choose from – Veteran, Psyker, Zealot, and Ogryn – each with unique abilities and loot to earn.

Check out our review of the PC version here. Despite criticism at launch for its various bugs, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide has improved vastly over the years, reworking loot, overhauling crafting, implementing a party finder, and more. Fatshark is also preparing a brand new system, Havoc, for finer-tuned difficulty increases (including new mutators). You can learn more about it here.

The update largely revolves around changing up how players can unlock cosmetic rewards through an overhaul of the game’s penance system. With the update, players will be able to progress through a new track with more than 40 tiers by earning penance points. There are also now more than 200 penances, which can help in unlocking the over 100 new rewards coming to Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.

There are also now new types of rewards players can earn, namely titles. These titles are a new way for players to show off their achievements in the game. Titles can also be earned through the new rewards system.

When it comes to core gameplay, Darktide is also getting new puzzles, challenges and collectibles throughout its levels. There is also the new Dreg Tox Bomber enemy that throws grenades filled with toxic fumes at players. Players tackling higher level difficulties will also start facing the Pox Gas as a new condition.

The Pox Gas is a new environmental hazard that changes up gameplay spaces that players are used to traversing. It blocks off shortcuts, and even promotes quick thinking by putting the Pox Gas in the path of the mission’s core objectives.

A Parting of Waves is the first completely new level released for Warhammer: Vermintide 2 following a host of levels released for the game that were essentially remasters of fan-favourite levels from the original Vermintide. The level involves players ending up in a whaling village after chasing down fleeing Skaven, and slowly uncovering more darkness in the village.

You can check out A Parting of the Waves in the new trailer released below. Also check out the complete patch notes for the update, which also brings with it some bug fixes and other enhancements.

Fatshark has also been working on bringing a new Versus Mode to Warhammer: Vermintide 2. The mode will pit players taking on the role of the protagonists against another group of players taking on the role of the Pactsworn—special enemies among the Skaven faction.

Patch notes:

New Features

• Added a brand new map: A Parting of the Waves
  • This map is considered the 4th and final entry in the Karak Azgaraz saga for Vermintide 2.
  • Includes its own set of Okri’s Challenges and rewards! New paintings and portrait frames!
• Added a new enemy type: Chaos Warrior with Shield. Sigmar preserve us…

• Outcast Engineer: Increased the Cooldown of the bomb generated by ‘Ingenious Ordnance’ to 180 seconds (up from 120 seconds).
• Outcast Engineer: Decreased the starting bombs from the ‘Bombardier’ talent to 2.

• Fixed an issue with Outcast Engineer talent ‘Linked Compression Chambers’ not increasing fire rate properly.
• Fixed an issue with Necromancer not being able to see her Chaos Wastes potions when checking her inventory.
• Fixed some spots where bots would get stuck in Trail of Treachery and Tower of Treachery.
• Fixed a tome not spawning in Khazhukan Kazakit-Ha!
• Fixed an issue with the ‘Eyes of the Crowfather’ Okri’s achievement being impossible to complete. Something something Tzeentch ravens.
• Fixed the skulking sorcerer from that one Nurgle curse on Chaos Wastes breaking entirely when lifted by the Lifestaff.
• Fixed a placeholder localization line on the ‘Quit to Menu’ button.
• Fixed a host crash when a Kerillian bot spawns and is being attacked the same frame.
• Fixed rare host caused by a bot Warrior Priest with ‘The Comet’s Gift’ talent being replaced by a human player while they have their ability active on another player.
• Fixed a rare crash while spectating.
• Fixed rare crash when local game receives info about a projectile, but the projectile or hit unit was already removed locally.
• Fixed a crash when someone hotjoins the same frame as a pinged unit is destroyed.
• Fixed a very rare crash related to player despawns.
• Fixed a bug in the launcher that sometimes caused the wrong GPU to be selected when multiple GPUs were available (mostly affecting laptops).

For context, Penances in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide essentially act as in-game achievements that players can earn by taking on different challenges, playing on higher difficulties, and using various abilities. Some of these Penances were grouped up to then reward players with a new cosmetic item.

The new update will now allow players to earn Penance points, which count towards a new progression track featuring more than 40 tiers of unlockable rewards. There will also be more than 200 new Penances, and over 100 new rewards as part of the update, including new insignias, protrait frames, emotes, and outfits based on the loyalist Moebian 6th.

Team lead for the update, Björn, and design director on the game, Victor, have explained the studio’s decision in a new dev blog. According to the duo, the new Penance system was designed to give players more agency in how they earn rewards.

“There was one main driver behind reimagining the whole penance system: giving players more agency in Darktide,” wrote the duo in the dev blog. “We wanted to add fun and meaningful ways for players to earn more cosmetics, and give them new ways to challenge themselves. This update adds new and diversified goals to achieve, with a slew of rewards matching their investment in the game – whether they just started playing or are a returning player.”

Here are some of the changes coming to Warhammer 40,000: Darktide as part of the Path of Redemption update:

• A new free way to collect rewards: penance points will now count towards a progression track composed of 40+ tiers, allowing players to unlock earnable rewards.
• A new home for penances in the Mourningstar: Hestia will be in charge of keeping a record of the rejects’ penances and will join the rest of the Mourningstar crew in voice-overs during missions.
• 200+ new penances: a slew of new penances will be added to the game for players to complete. These will be divided into new categories.
• 100+ new earnable rewards: these will include new insignias, portrait frames, emotes, poses, weapon trinkets, and cosmetics such as the loyalist Moebian 6th outfits.
• New reward type – Titles: allowing players to brag about their most impressive achievements.
• Improved penance UI and menu: allowing players to better track penances and progress toward rewards.
• New puzzles, challenges, and collectibles: we are adding several puzzles across Tertium Hive for players to discover and solve.
• New enemy: the Dreg Tox Bomber will join the ranks of the heretics, hurling Blight Grenades filled with toxic fumes.
• New condition: Pox Gas will join the roster of conditions that can spread across Tertium. Recommendation: don’t breathe too deeply.
• The Personality Scourge: players will have the option to change additional aspects of your operative (background, height, name, and voice) in exchange for ordo dockets.

In Versus mode, Warhammer: Vermintide 2 players will find themselves playing the game against a group of four other players taking on the role of Skaven specials (known as the Pactsworn). The gameplay is based on the title’s Adventure Mode maps, but has been split into multiple sections.

As players try to complete their objectives, the Pactsworn players are tasked with getting points by killing or disabling the Uberseik Five. Each Pactsworn player will have access to their own set of special abilities, depending on the type of Pactsworn they’re playing.

The Versus mode is based largely off the same game mode in the classic co-op zombie shooters Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2, where a team of four survivors were tasked with finishing levels while also fending off special infected controlled by four opposing players.

As part of the closed alpha, Fatshark is looking for feedback from both experienced Vermintide players, as well as newer players as it continues to fine tune the mode’s gameplay. The company points out that, since this is the first major alpha test of the mode with a large playerbase, decisions are going to be constantly in flux.

Dubbed The Traitor’s Curse Part 2, the update will bring with it Stimms as a new form of consumables, new weapon marks, a time-limited combat encounter, and a new mission that takes place in the new Carnival zone’s back alleys.

The first part of the anniversary update was released back in November, and brought with it the Carnival as a new setting for levels, along with a revamp for the Veteran’s talent tree, as well as a host of quality of life features, such as the ability to inspect other players’ loadouts.

The Carnival itself was showcased through a cinematic trailer released in November. The zone houses a new antagonistic force headed up by someone named Wolfer. The latest update will likely continue the story for the Carnival, culminating in the destruction of the Moebian production facilities.

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