Warhammer 40,000: Darktide first launched in November 2022 and, since then, developer Fatshark has released thirteen patches. The latest – Patch #13 – provides a full class overhaul, reworking character progression from the ground up, offering plenty of improvements to refresh the gameplay experience.
Play Your Way
Previously, new Feats were unlocked every five levels, and choices were relatively linear. Now, Talent Trees have replaced Feats, introducing a more dynamic, player-centric system. Players earn a talent point for every level, which they can invest in a diverse range of active abilities and passive individual and group buffs.
Every Class begins with a baseline ability, a Blitz, and an Aura which can be upgraded – or replaced entirely – as they progress. Crucially, respeccing is free, so there’s no obstacle to experimenting with different setups. It allows for much more variety in builds, adding layers of strategic depth, while giving players room to personalize their chosen class.
Walk Softly, and Carry a Big Gun
After significant consultation with the community, the patch also rebalances weapons, enemies, and player skills. Weapons have had their base stats and mechanics tweaked across the board, from changes to damage over time effects to how weapons interact with buffs.
Enemies have had their health pools and stagger thresholds adjusted. Individual enemy types have also been tuned – look out for more consistent behavior from Pox Hounds, and more explosive Poxbursters. Lastly, Blessings have also been adjusted to provide a more consistent and level playing field.
Collectively, these changes make a pronounced difference to the way combat unfolds and boost the viability of a wider range of weapon and class combinations.
Quality of Life
The patch also adds new quality-of-life improvements, including a more intuitive and streamlined user interface. Other improvements include a wider range of control schemes for controllers as well as accessibility-friendly options such as Toggle ADS and Braced aiming.
The Hub is now much more user-friendly, especially for newer players. New cinematics provide more information about Inquisitor Grendyl’s Warband and the locations found in the Mourningstar Hub, with more than 450 new conversations added to significantly flesh out character interactions.
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, along with its new patch, is available on Steam, Windows Store, and Xbox platforms.
