Are you looking to serve the God Emperor of Mankind in Warhammer 40k Darktide, but have no idea where to begin? Then look no further. Here is our beginner's guide to Warhammer 40k Darktide, which should teach you everything you need to start your service to the Emperor.
Before we begin, here is a quick overview of the game. Warhammer 40k Darktide, or just Darktide for short, comes out on November 30, 2022. It is available on Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Players can pre-purchase the game now to take part in the ongoing pre-release Beta. Progression during the Beta carries over to the game's release, so you don't have to worry about losing that Chainsword you spent hours farming. With that out of the way, let's dive into our guide.
Warhammer 40k Darktide Guide
Check your System Requirements
As with any other game, it's important to check if your desktop PC or laptop can run the game. Thankfully, we covered the game's system requirements earlier this month. You can head on over there to see if you can even run the game before deciding to buy it. Of course, even if your computer meets the system requirements, you can still fiddle with the game's graphics settings to make it run better. This includes lowering the number of ragdolls, blood and bullet decals, and more. One thing you should never touch, however, is the music volume. This game's music is amazing as all hell, so make sure to bask in its glory as you would bask in the Emperor's presence.
Creating your Character
Creating your character is the first thing you do in Darktide. You pick one out of the game's four starting classes, which we will discuss later on. With the exception of Ogryn, the character creation is pretty much the same all throughout. You can customize your character's facial features, hair, build, and more. You can even customize their backstory and voice, which is not just fluff. The voice lines in this game are highly dependent on your character's upbringing, home planet, and more.
For example, my character is a former Imperial Guard, hailing from the destroyed planet of Cadia. My character has quite a few voice lines referencing the planet, and the other members of the team even mention it in theirs. This makes the game feel so natural and alive since the interactions are different from game to game. Unlike other first-person shooters as well, you will see your character's face a lot when playing. Make sure to create a character you're proud of.
Choosing your Class
At launch, Darktide has four classes to choose from, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. They each also have different playstyles, which basically translates to whether they are melee units or ranged units. Don't be fooled by the distinction, though. Everyone in Darktide partakes in glorious melee combat. It's just that some classes do it better than others. In the same way, all of the classes have access to ranged weaponry. In the end, it all comes down to whether you prefer ranged combat or melee combat.
Don't let the distinction dictate your actions, though. My long-ranged Veteran Sharpshooter loves to dive into melee combat all the time. FatShark mastered horde melee combat thanks to their experience with the Vermintide series of games, so it's definitely something to look forward to and enjoy. But enough about that, let's do a quick overview of the four classes you can pick from. I will also be putting links to more in-depth articles about each class.
- Veteran Sharpshooter: This class is the long-ranged firearm specialist of Darktide. They have access to weapons such as the Lasgun (lovingly called the Flashlight by the community), auto-guns, and plasma rifles. Their main role in the game is to keep their distance from enemies and pick out priority targets. These priority targets include snipers, bombers, trappers, and more. Their ability helps in this, as it increases their accuracy, handling, and damage when hitting enemy weak spots. Not only that, but it also highlights said priority targets. Of course, when it comes down to it, they can also use melee weapons like shovels, axes, and knives. If you like sniping, then this is the class for you.
- Zealot Preacher: The Zealot Preacher is the close-combat specialist of Darktide. They are well-versed in melee combat and are specifically designed to be in the thick of the horde. They are basically fanatical berserkers, diving deep into the enemy's ranks to wipe out the God Emperor's enemies. I say they're berserkers because their damage goes up the lower their health is. This is extremely helpful when they use their class ability to charge right into the enemy, increasing their melee attack speed in the process. Their guns have a shorter range compared to the Sharpshooter and are mostly for close-range fights. If you like watching heads fly, this is the class for you.
- Ogryn Skullbreaker: The Ogryn Skullbreaker is Darktide's tank class, and it shows. Ogryns are easily twice or thrice a normal human's height. This allows them to block bullets with their bodies, as well as carry heavier and more powerful weapons. This includes a giant shield, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, and other weapons humans can't possibly carry much less use. They have larger HP pools, and they take less damage to their shields. Much like the Zealot, the Ogryn's ability allows them to charge forward into the enemy, knocking them back in the process. This is extremely useful when they need to clear a path for their allies. With an Ogryn at your side, you won't have to worry much about the enemy's attacks.
- Psyker Psykinetic: The final class is Darktide's magic casting class. Psykers tap into the Warp, this game's intergalactic hellscape, to cast powerful psychic attacks on their enemies. These can be long ranged attacks, lightning or fire attacks, or even targeted ones that make heads explode. Of course, this comes at a price. Psykers who use their powers too much risk getting damaged, or even killed, themselves. Managing their Peril, which increases with each power used, is important for Psykers. Should they need to defend themselves without using their powers, they have swords and guns to do so. If you want to use demonic powers to take down heretics, then Psyker is for you.
Play Through the Introduction
Once you have picked your class and created your character, you might be tempted to jump straight into the game and skip the introduction. Don't do that. Not only does the game's introduction teach you the basics, but it also tells you the story of the game. Warhammer 40k's lore is some of the most interesting pieces of game lore there is, and it's not an exaggeration to say that Darktide captures the grimdark setting of the Warhammer 40k universe well. Other than the tutorial from the game's introduction, you can also go through the advanced tutorial that you will unlock upon reaching the game's main hub. This teaches you some more advanced combat concepts to help you survive the game and finish your missions.
Quickplay is Your Friend
There are many missions available in Darktide right now, with more on the way. It might get overwhelming trying to pick a mission on your own. As such, quickplay is your best friend. Quickplay allows you to set a mission difficulty, and join a group doing a mission on that difficulty. This helps you quickly find teams to do missions with without having to decide which mission to do. The only downside, if it can even be considered one, is that you are likely to join an in-progress mission. This means you might join a mission that's halfway done or even almost done. You get fewer rewards when this happens, but it's a good way to get used to the game's systems and gameplay. Of course, once you're used to the game's mechanics, you can start picking out your own missions.
Melee Combat is King
Yes, you have guns, powers, and the like to take care of your enemies from afar. However, the main bulk of Darktide's gameplay is melee combat. Getting acquainted with melee combat early on will definitely help in the long run. You shouldn't just swing your weapon wildly, although that can get you through the lower levels. You should know when to block, parry, or use your melee weapon's special attack. Weaving in blocks and charged attacks in between your attacks helps you survive longer when in melee.
If you're not confident in your melee combat, you can take some time to practice in the game's Meat Grinder. That's basically just what they call the weapon testing location. It's important to go here now and then whenever you get new weapons to try them out.
Upgrading your Weapons is Important
There are two ways to improve your weapons in Darktide. The first is by purchasing them from the armory. You unlock the armory once you reach Trust Level 4. Whenever a weapon drops in missions, they appear in the armory. Once there, you can purchase them with the money you get from missions. This is a quick way to improve your firepower, as you usually get a new weapon in each mission run. There are, of course, exceptions to this. If the weapon drop says “Emperor's Gift” or something to that effect, you immediately get that weapon. You don't have to purchase it.
The second way to improve your weapon is through the Shrine of the Omnissiah. I wrote an article about how to use this feature but long story short, this is the game's actual upgrade system. Players can bring their weapons here to consecrate it, giving it perks and improving its stats. To upgrade weapons this way, you will need Plasteel and Diamantine, both of which you can get in your missions.
Keep Cleansing the Heretics
Progression comes from repetition, and as such you really have to keep doing missions. There is no shortcut to getting stronger. You just need to keep purging the heretics in the Emperor's name. The more you do, the stronger you become, and the more you can purge. Simple as that.
That's all for our Warhammer 40k Darktide Beginner's Guide. If you want to learn more about the game, you can head on over here.
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