Warhammer 40,000: Darktide News

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Our latest free update, No Man’s Land, is now available for all players! Patch 1.10.0 brings a new story campaign, a brand new Operation, and a slew of quality of life changes, balance adjustments and bugfixes.[/p][p][/p][p]The No Man’s Land story campaign will be available at 14:00 CET today.
The new DLC class, Hive Scum, will be releasing later this afternoon.[/p][p]
Without further ado, let’s get right into it![/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]A new story campaign has been added to Darktide! Similar to Battle For Tertium, play through three specific missions in a connected storyline, unlocking new chapters as you go. The first chapter starts with the Moebian 53rd fending off a heretical train hijacking via the Rolling Steel Operation, followed by Excise Vault Spireside-13 as the second chapter. The third and final chapter of this mini-campaign is the new Operation: No Man’s Land.[/p][p][/p][p]Alongside it are 3 penances, awarded for completing the campaign on various difficulties.[/p][p]
The new story is a permanent addition to the game, meaning that these missions will always be playable at any time.[/p][p][/p][p]Additionally, for anyone who wishes to play the new mission without going through the short story, we will make No Man's Land always available in the mission board for a week after its release. After that, it will be added to the regular mission rotation pool.[/p][p]
With the introduction of this, the “Campaign Playlist” has been renamed to “Special Assignments” and houses both the “Battle for Tertium” and “The Road to No Man’s Land” campaigns. These special assignments will introduce new content in a narrative way expanding Darktide’s living story.[/p][p][/p][h2]New Operation: No Man’s Land[/h2][p][/p][p]“Good luck everyone.”[/p][p]In a city as ancient, war-torn and enormous as Tertium, whole districts can fall into disrepair and be lost to the ravages of time. One such area, Consora’s Folly, has been taken over by the Admonition. Your job is to accompany Knight Commander Dragor and his Leman Russ Battletank, Lionheart, into this ruined zone. Your target: a long-lost fortress from a forgotten conflict, now a major base of operations for the insidious cult.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]“Big lad, bad attitude.”[/p][p]Alongside the new Hive Scum class, as a special treat to celebrate our 3 year anniversary, we have a new, free, voice profile for the Ogryn. Fan favourite Tim Bentinck, known for his role as Victor Saltzpyre in the Vermintide series, lends his voice to the new “The Heavy” Ogryn personality! [/p][p]
The Heavy has spent time amongst the various cartels that run Tertium's underworld. He's loud, aggressive and fond of using rhyming slang, just like the Hive Scum.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The stolen rations were tainted and now the hab blocks teem with infected. Atone for your deeds at the altars of Saint Messelina Gloriana. [/p][p][/p][p]This event will start on Thursday, December 4. [/p][p]
"Disturbing news has reached us from the poorer hab zones in Tertium. The recovered rations that were recently distributed to the unfortunate souls who reside in these districts appear to have been tainted. A great sickness has spread through these areas.[/p][p]My masters in the Ecclesiarchy have called for a Day of Atonement. You must beg our dear Saint Messelina Gloriana for her forgiveness and protection for our beloved Tertium.[/p][p]Pray at her Blessed Altars and scour the hive for any Holy Relics you can find. Only through devotion can we hope to save our city.[/p][p][/p][p]- Sister Hestia Prine"[/p][p]
To make progress in the event, you need to play missions with the Atonement condition, interact with the shrines presented in the missions and defeat the enemies which show up after activation. Along the way you can also gather holy relics for additional event progress. [/p][p][/p][p]The rewards will be Ordo dockets, Plasteel, Diamantine and a cosmetic insignia. As a special celebration reward, those who complete the last tier of this anniversary event will receive 500 Aquilas.[/p][p] [/p][p] Pray at the Blessed Shrines and search for holy relics to unlock the following rewards:[/p]

• [p]200: 50,000 Ordo Dockets[/p]
• [p]600: 3,000 Plasteel[/p]
• [p]1000: 4,000 Diamantine[/p]
• [p]1600: 3,000 Plasteel[/p]
• [p]2500: 100,000 Ordo Dockets[/p]
• [p]3600: New Insignia[/p]
• [p]4500: 500 Aquilas[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]There’s a new rotation in the Commodore’s Vestures, and a new Regimental pack to go with it: the Athonian Tunnel Rats! Make sure to check it out![/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][h2]Havoc[/h2]

• [p]Rampaging Enemies[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where the buff did not apply to Dreg Captains[/p]
• [p]Rotten Armour[/p]
  • [p]Fixed damage reduction effect not applying correctly[/p]
    • [p]Dev note: Rotten Armour works as follows: the rotten enemies spawn with a high damage reduction buff that is lowered when they take damage, to ultimately end up giving the player a 25% increase in damage towards that target. This behaviour wasn’t working as intended at all times, thus making the modifier harder than expected.[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where the damage reduction only scaled against ranged damage[/p]
    • [p]Dev note: It was unintentionally only affecting ranged weapons, but the intention is for both ranged & melee weapons to be affected.[/p]
• [p]Contaminated Stimms[/p]
  • [p]Blue stimm[/p]
    • [p]Moved stagger resistance to Red stimm[/p]
    • [p]Lowered damage reduction from 80% to 60%[/p]
• [p]The Encroaching Garden[/p]
  • [p]Healing amount has been changed from a static 1200HP/s to be based on the main armour type of the healed enemy as follows:[/p]
    • [p]Unarmoured: heals 1200 HP/s[/p]
    • [p]Flak: heals 950 HP/s[/p]
    • [p]Unyielding: heals 1100 HP/s[/p]
    • [p]Maniac: heals 950 HP/s[/p]
    • [p]Carapace: heals 800 HP/s[/p]
    • [p]Infested: heals 1000 HP/s[/p]

[p]
[/p][h2]General Tweaks & Quality of Life changes[/h2]

• [p]Added functionality to allow the deselection of Blitz, Auras, and Abilities within the Talent Trees, even if nodes below were selected. Leaving the Talent Tree menu in an invalid state will reset the Tree to the layout it had when originally entered.[/p]
• [p]We have added two Threat level unlocking bonuses for experienced players:[/p]
  • [p]If you already have unlocked the next Threat level with another operative, you will receive a small bonus for each mission won. The bonus is doubled if you have two other operatives with that Threat level.[/p]
  • [p]You will start receiving a winning streak bonus on your 3rd consecutive win, and maintain the bonus until you face defeat.[/p]
• [p]Added the following enemies to the Meat Grinder:[/p]
  • [p]Plasma Gunner[/p]
  • [p]Mutated Poxwalker[/p]
  • [p]Infected Moebian 21st[/p]
    • [p]Dev Note: The last two have also been added to certain penances as a requirement to unlock them in the Meat Grinder.[/p]
• [p]The Mission Terminal has received some upgrades as follows:[/p]
  • [p]The Quick Play button has been re-done and now lives alongside a Special Assignments button.[/p]
  • [p]The Condition text has been moved down alongside the Primary/Secondary objective information in order to give more space to the details of any given mission.[/p]
  • [p]The font has been updated in order to more closely match the visuals.[/p]
  • [p]The Special Assignments window has new opening and closing animations.[/p]
  • [p]Campaign debriefs now display an animated waveform when hovering over them.[/p]
• [p]We have added an Aquila Welcome Offer to the Commodore’s Vestures, a one-time purchase for players to receive an Aquila pack for a heavily discounted price.[/p]
  • [p]This is available in the Purchase Aquilas section of the Commodore’s Vestures.[/p]
• [p]Tweaked the damage efficiency hitmarker indicators:[/p]
  • [p]Added a new Light Blue hitmarker colour, to be displayed for hits with Reduced damage efficiency:[/p]
    • [p]Blue hitmarker: Negated/Heavily Reduced efficiency[/p]
    • [p]Light Blue hitmarker: Reduced efficiency[/p]
    • [p]White hitmarker: High/Full efficiency[/p]
  • [p]Dev note: This is to provide more information about hits that are not completely or almost completely negated, but that still are not delivering their full damage into the target.[/p]
• [p]Updated the HUD iconography to better convey which Strike Team members could be in need of different Pickups:[/p]
  • [p]Weapons not using ammo (i.e. Force Staves) will show a greyed out ammo icon.[/p]
  • [p]Peril based Blitzes (i.e. all Psyker ones) will show a new icon.[/p]
  • [p]Blitzes not using Grenade Pickups (e.g. Remote Detonation, Blades of Faith, or Big Friendly Rocks) will show a new icon.[/p]
• [p]Changed the Symbol Auspex minigame to no longer generate two targets in the same column for consecutive rows.[/p]
• [p]The keybinding of the Next Item and Previous Item actions no longer affects scrolling in the Tactical Overlay.[/p]
• [p]Double-click is now supported to equip weapon cosmetics.[/p]
• [p]If a weapon family only has one mark, that mark will be properly displayed in the Marks switching menu.[/p]
• [p]Arbites:[/p]
  • [p]Lone Wolf[/p]
    • [p]Blitz replenishment split up into two separate values for the Voltaic Shock Mine and Arbites Grenades, at 90s and 45s respectively[/p]
    • [p]Dev Note: The Voltaic Shock Mine was too powerful to justify getting a free Charge every 60s.[/p]
• [p]Veteran Mk III Sapper Shovel[/p]
  • [p]Tweaked the hitboxes and damage windows for several attacks.[/p]
  • [p]Increased the range of the Heavy 2 attack.[/p]
    • [p]Dev Note: thanks to player Uttrik for bringing this to our attention![/p]
• [p]Duelling Sword[/p]
  • [p]Updated the description of the Special action in the Inspect screen to mention the Peril cost for Psyker operatives.[/p]
• [p]The players’ underclothing has now received a new, refined texture.'[/p]
• [p]New Events Information View[/p]
  • [p]Sire Melk has received an upgrade in the form of a new Events informational view. Here you can see information about currently active events, including rewards you can earn and your progress towards them.[/p]

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2][h3]General Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue where the “Preview Voice” option on cosmetics headgears would not work for Zealot and Ogryn operatives.  [/p]
• [p]Fixed instances of the Quick Play button disappearing when swapping difficulties in the mission terminal.  [/p]
• [p]Arbitrator class operatives will now appropriately respond to friendly fire.  [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Suppression was not always correctly applied to players.[/p]
  • [p]Dev Note: Suppression is a system intended to make sway and spread worse while under heavy enemy fire to simulate flinching from near misses. Generally Precise ranged weapons suffer more, while Close Combat weapons suffer less.[/p]
  • [p]Some talents and abilities make you or allies immune to Suppression, and the Veteran is always immune (to represent their experience in combat).[/p]
• [p]Fixed various talent buffs being presented with missing information in the Tactical Overlay.[/p]
• [p]Fixed various talent buffs not showing up in the HUD.[/p]
• [p]Fixed some cooldown reduction talents not giving the last second of CDR before the duration ended.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a crash which could happen when two players interacted with the various Auspex minigames at the same time.[/p]
• [p]Fixed enemies taking cover facing the player instead of the opposite side in the Mortis Trials ‘Theatre of Rectitude’.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where 'Master-Crafted Shroudfield' stated that the duration was increased by 5s (the new total duration) instead of the accurate 2s.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where 'Full Bore' could activate when shooting allies.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the 'Unstable Power' description displayed an incorrect value.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the Mortis Trials objective to complete Wave 1 wasn’t being displayed in the Theatre of Rectitude.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue in the weapon inventory where scrolling could make the weapon card become fixed on screen until leaving that screen.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where players could try and discard an equipped Curio.[/p]
• [p]Thunder Hammer[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where the description of the “Shock & Awe” weapon blessing was displaying incorrect values.[/p]
    • [p]Dev Note: Thanks to player kuli (among others) for bringing this to our attention![/p]
• [p]Fixed several cases of misaligned weapons in the inventory icons and Shrine of the Omnissiah.[/p]
• [p]When changing weapon Mark, all of the weapon information will now be immediately updated in the weapon inventory once the change takes effect.[/p]
• [p]The end of mission screen now waits for all elements to be displayed before closing automatically.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where 'Kinetic Flayer' wouldn't properly activate when at Critical Peril.[/p]
• [p]The Weapon preview in the Marks screen will no longer rotate with player input.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where 'Fury of the Faithful' could lose its guaranteed empowered hit due to other damage instances (e.g. ongoing Bleed damage).[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where 'Just a Dream' converted more Peril than intended, and where it didn't trigger effects such as 'Quietude'.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that was causing bots to not have the stat bonuses, resulting among other things in not having the correct amount of scaling for the Wounds statistic.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the timer bar in the mission accept popup could have a bigger width than expected.[/p]

[h3]Cosmetic and Animation Fixes[/h3]

• [p]The cosmetic accessory “MkVIII Field Vox Unit” can now correctly be used on Arbitrator operatives.  [/p]
• [p]Fixed visual issue with the Psyker “Psykana Tunic (Moebian 53rd)” upper body cosmetic  — it no longer appears see-through on the inside.  [/p]
• [p]Fixed clipping issues on the arms with the Ogryn “Brute’s Battle Armour (XXXXL)” upper body cosmetic.  [/p]
• [p]Fixed hair clipping issues on the Psyker “Fabian MkIII "Mind-vent" Witch Crown” headgear cosmetic.  [/p]
• [p]The head of betentacled Ogryns should now display properly.  [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where inspecting a weapon skin reward in the Penance menu would show a broken Ogryn mannequin.  [/p]
• [p]Fixed some cosmetic VFX being visible in first person when switching cosmetics in the Meat Grinder.[/p]

[p]
[/p][p][/p][p]There’s a few known bugs that we hope to fix as soon as possible in the next hotfix, please keep them in mind while playing![/p][p]
[/p]

• [p]The attack audio for Power Weapons (such as the Relic Blade, Power Falchion, Thunder Hammer and Power Sword) is using default audio instead of their empowered sfx.[/p]
• [p]\[Hive Scum] Stimm Supply description is missing the duration the crate stays active.[/p]
  • [p]The duration of the ability is 20 seconds.[/p]
• [p]\[Hive Scum] The ‘Focused Resolve’ talent is not properly triggering on Specialist kills.[/p]
• [p]\[Hive Scum] The ‘Blinder’ Blitz talent’s description does not mention that you can regain charges via close range kill (still works just fine)[/p]
• [p]\[Hive Scum] Dual Stub Pistols’ stat "Critical Bonus" does not display any details in the Inspect screen, and is not scaling as intended.[/p]
• [p]\[Hive Scum] ‘Rampage’ Combat Ability description:[/p]
  • [p]Missing: Toughness is replenished to full upon use.[/p]
  • [p]‘Attack Speed’ should be ‘Melee Attack Speed’[/p]
  • [p]Missing: When Ability ends, Stamina is set to 0.[/p]
• [p]\[Hive Scum] Voiceover for Combat Ability uses can interrupt ongoing dialogue.[/p]
• [p]Some Weapon Skins in the Commissary have outdated or otherwise incorrect names.[/p]
• [p]Some of the text in the Psykhanium Tutorial, some Penances, and some Hive Scum talents, are missing translations.[/p]
• [p]\[Controller] New ‘Battle for Tertium’ option in the Mission Board is automatically opened when playing on controller.[/p]
• [p]Play Button disappears when entering and exiting Special Assignments[/p]
• [p]Mission highlight and difficulty isn't updated when switching difficulty[/p]
• [p]Back button fails to function when clicked after invoking the 'BATTLE OF TERTIUM' window in the mission terminal[/p]
  • [p]Note that it's only when trying to click on the actual "BACK" option in the lower left-hand corner, the button input works.[/p]
• [p]The countdown when loading into a mission is not visible in the ready up screen.[/p]
• [p]The new penances related to No Man’s Land are missing Penance Score rewards.[/p]
• [p]De-selecting certain nodes from the talent tree can visually look like you can make illegal trees. This is only a visual bug, the talent tree is not saving with these impossible setups.[/p]
• [p]The Psyker Upper Body cosmetic "Athonian 98th Witch's Garb" causes the character's hands to disappear.[/p]

[p]
[/p][p][/p][p]
[/p][p]Thank you for reading the patch notes for this update! Please look forward to the release of Hive Scum later today![/p][p][/p][p]For the Conclave![/p][p][/p][p]Purchase the Hive Scum here:[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]We’ll see you on the Mourningstar. [/p][p][/p][p]– The Darktide Team[/p]

[p]Hardened criminals, ruthless bounty hunters, violent psychopaths: Tertium’s Hive Scum are coming to Darktide as the next DLC class.[/p][p][/p][p]In case you missed it, check out the reveal trailer here.
[/p][p]This part of a series of dev blogs breaking down different aspects of the Hive Scum! Check out the previous dev blog here. For this one, we’ve interviewed our writers Matthew Ward and Michael Knight about the narrative & lore of the class, as well as each of the Personalities that you can pick.[/p][p][/p][p]“I’m Mike, I’m the Narrative Lead for Darktide, and I’ve been with Fatshark for 3 years. \[...] When I’m not Narrative-ing for Darktide \[...] I have a massive Warhammer 40,000 and Horus Heresy collections that are still staring at me at about 40-50% grey… Which I’m reasonably pleased about! Y’know, that’s still a lot of minis painted.” ~ Mike[/p][p][/p][p]“I’m Matthew, I’m the Lead Writer and VO (Voice Over) Director for Darktide, which means I write most of the words, I cast most of the actors and direct most of the recording sessions.” ~ Matthew[/p][p]
[/p][h2]Who are the Hive Scum?[/h2][p]Born and raised in Tertium, the Hive Scum are true criminals. The real deal. Each is a high ranking and lethal footsoldier in service to one of the cartels that run the city’s underbelly.[/p][p][/p][p]“The cartels feel that they are the true rulers of Tertium. And the Hive Scum are their blademen and gunsmiths. These are the guys that do the wetwork. They’re the ones that settle the ‘disputes’ with hyper-violence whenever required.” ~ Mike[/p][p][/p][p]While most don’t have formal military training, a lifetime surviving on these streets have taught them all they need to know to be killing machines, using unconventional weapons, toxins and underhanded tactics. And while some might deem them untrustworthy, they’ve got plenty of reason to use those skills against the Heretics infesting Tertium.[/p][p][/p][p]“This is their home. More than any other character we’ve introduced, these guys are all from Tertium, they’re from the Hive. This is their home that’s being destroyed.” ~ Mike[/p][p]
But make no mistake, Hive Scum are still dangerous, hardened criminals. Some might only be in it for the money, but a good amount of psychopaths are answering the call as well. Between them they have more than a few loose screws and a bit too much of an interest in bloodbaths.[/p][p]
[/p][h2]Their place aboard the Mourningstar[/h2][p]The conflict in Tertium only keeps escalating. Every day there are new horrors to face, ever more virulent plagues, and a constant fight that seems to accomplish nothing but drain the Inquisition’s resources… Even with the Adeptus Arbites providing reinforcements, the Warband needs help. Rannick instructed Explicator Zola to use her connections to the Water Cartel, establishing contact with a conclave of Cartel leaders and leveraging the Inquisition’s influence and their mutual enemy to mobilize their forces.[/p][p][/p][p]“...At least that’s what Rannick’s telling people.” ~ Matthew[/p][p][/p][p]Since the Hive Scum don’t come from a single organization, but vying cartels and criminal operations, they don’t have a representative on board to act as a figurehead. Zola, however reluctantly, has proven the ideal shepherd of this unreliable flock, but the Mourningstar has no shortage of shady characters, and sooner or later they're sure to get involved.[/p][p]
“But initially Zola is being the front of all this, isn’t she? She’s the one with the connections, specifically to the Water Cartel, and if nothing else… I don’t think she’s going to trust them at all when they’re out of her sight. So, that’s certainly where things will pick up. But where things head from there, who can say?” ~ Matthew[/p][p]“All these characters are from Tertium and it’s given us an opportunity to shine a little light on some of the bits of Tertium that we haven’t seen before. Particularly when you’re building your character. \[...] There will be tons of things for the lore hounds buried in there.” ~ Mike[/p][p][/p][p]Like most of our other classes, the Hive Scum have three distinct Personalities to choose from, with a male and female version of each. Each Personality, with their quirks, beliefs and opinions, have very different bonds or rivalries with the Rejects, their handlers, and with each other.[/p][p][/p][p]“The Ogryns tend to get on with everyone, because of course the Ogryns tend to get on with everyone. One of the Ogryns in particular \[…] if anything, he’s a little bit meaner than they are. \[...] but the Arbitrators are not particularly pleased to see the Hive Scum at all. And vice versa.” ~ Matthew[/p][p][/p][h2]The Outlaw[/h2][p]Voiced by Gordon Cooper and Lizzie Wofford[/p][p]
Perhaps in other circumstances, in another life, the Outlaw might’ve been a Hero… Or perhaps that’s just what they want you to think. Whatever the case, this is one criminal that might make you believe that there can indeed be honour among thieves. Might be someone you’d enjoy having a drink with! Maybe. If you keep an eye on them.[/p][p]
[/p][h2]The Bounty Hunter[/h2][p]Voiced by Theo Spofforth and Lucy Forrester[/p][p][/p][p]Guided by greed or just self-interest, the Bounty Hunter is in it for the money. Ruthless and efficient, they always get the job done and have plenty of experience. Neither hesitating to get their hands dirty, nor relishing in it: This way of life is strictly business. And profit. Lots of profit. At least, that was the case when the Cartels were operating normally, and the Bounty Hunter does not take kindly to the Heretics’ unwarranted disruption of their operations.[/p][p]
[/p][h2]The Anarchist[/h2][p]Voiced by Ian Conningham and Jess Nesling[/p][p]
Were they drawn to the criminal life because of their lust for violence, or did they snap at some point along the way? Whatever the case, the Anarchist is chaos incarnate, and not someone that any sane person would trust… even if we’re all on the same side now. The last voice you’d want to hear behind you in a dark alley… And probably the last voice you’d ever hear if that came to happen.[/p][p]
[/p][h2]Bonus: Favorite part of working with the Hive Scum[/h2][p]“Our male and female characters \[of the same Personality] share something in the region of 80% of the same script depending on what we’re talking about, but hearing how the separation comes in through performance is absolutely splendid. Jess’s version \[of the Anarchist] sounds terrifying. Ian’s one sounds like he doesn’t understand why people think he’s terrifying. And that’s lovely.” ~ Matthew[/p][p][/p][p]“I got to help Matt write some of \[the scripts] this time, which was quite nice. When we write the conversations we literally write them backwards and forwards. Like Matt will write a series of opening lines of conversation, then I will add in the next line and then Matt will reply to that. So we don't necessarily know where that conversation is going to go beyond the first line and they're really organic, but we get to throw in little nods to background and stuff like some of the other warband members asking about the Conclave \[...] It’s fun to throw those things in.” ~ Mike[/p][p]
[/p][p]That’s all for today, but keep an eye out for our next Dev Blog, coming soon![/p][p][/p][p]For the Conclave![/p][p][/p][p]Wishlist the Hive Scum here:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]We’ll see you on the Mourningstar.[/p][p][/p][p]– The Darktide Team[/p]

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is getting another new class, revealed last night as the Hive Scum. They’re a suitably skull-adorned outlaw who can dual-wield guns or shivs, while indulging in a cheeky bit of chemical warfare by homebrewing stimulants and lacing their weapons with harmful chems. Basically the opposite of the space-narc Arbites class added this summer, then: they got exploding dogs, the Hive Scum gets exploding drugs.

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[p]Hardened criminals, ruthless bounty hunters, violent psychopaths: Tertium’s Hive Scum are coming to Darktide as the next DLC class.[/p][p]
In case you missed it, check out the reveal trailer here.[/p][p][/p][p]Hive Scum comes in hot with a ton of class features. As experts at fast paced, frenzied gameplay, they bring several new and unique things to the table for the forces of the Mourningstar. For the first time in Darktide, we will have true dual-wielding, both in close combat with the twin shivs, and at range in the form of twin-wielded stub and autopistols. But that is not all, as they also come with new makeshift weapons, like crowbars and bonesaws.[/p][p]
There will also be plenty of options to create your unique Hive Scum; new faces, tattoos, hairstyles and even (for the first time) face paints that will let you customize them to your heart's content. They also have a unique place in the story, as they are from Tertium, and are here to protect their home territory.[/p][p][/p][p]All of this will have its own time in the spotlight before release on the 2nd of December, but today we will dive into the design and talents of the class, focusing on what you can build around and the new mechanics of stimms and toxins! For this we tracked down Teodor here in the office, so we are handing over to him now! Take it away, Teodor![/p][p]
“My name is Teodor, born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden. \[...] I’m a Game Designer and I’ve been on Darktide and Vermintide. I started here working on weapons back in the day and slowly moved over to class design, but I’ve always been in that sort of ‘Player mechanics’ space. In my free time I make music and I cook a lot! I love food. Food and drinks are great.” ~ Teodor[/p][p]
[/p][p]Before we had even picked the Hive Scum as our next class, we took a look at our existing classes and started categorizing them. Each class can fulfill multiple niches depending on the build, and each build fits separate archetypes for Melee and Ranged.
[/p][p]From looking at the types of builds, player fantasies and opportunities for player expression that we already had represented in our existing classes, we were able to see what archetypes were missing or didn’t have much representation.[/p][p][/p][p]“\[...] so we have the Zealot as an aggressive melee character, but we don’t necessarily have an overly aggressive ranged character that, you know, hovers in close range, almost where other classes would opt into using a melee weapon.” ~ Teodor[/p][p][/p][p]From this starting point we began to explore concepts and ideas, eventually landing the Hive Scum as the ideal candidate. Not only did it suit itself perfectly to the niches we wanted to fill, but it’s a direct contrast to our previous DLC Class, the Arbitrator, in both gameplay and theme.[/p][p][/p][p]In both ranged and melee, the core idea behind the Hive Scum is a very mobile, aggressive style that emphasizes dodging, maintaining the offensive as you dance in and out of attacks while showering the enemies in a hail of bullets or blows.[/p][p]
“It’s like a ‘I don’t need to block, I don’t need to be big and strong because I am so fast and so precise, you will never hit me’ type of deal. So for \[Hive Scum] we really leaned into those aspects.” ~ Teodor[/p][p]
As we kept developing the Hive Scum we were able to expand on that, with the narrative and the gameplay elements building on each other, a back and forth that influenced not just the abilities and talents of the class, but also the weapons, how they’re used, and how everything looks. And this also led us to a few unique mechanics…[/p][h2]
Chem Toxin[/h2][p]Unique to the Hive Scum, the Chem Toxin is a new mechanic coming to Darktide. Similar to Burn or Bleed, this homebrewed toxin is its own Damage Over Time effect which the Hive Scum can apply through various ways, such as some of the unique weapons or one of the Blitzes.[/p][p][/p][p]It is quite potent, and multiple applications can stack up until a certain limit. Certain talents also interact with the Chem Toxin by triggering effects when applying it and things of that nature (more on that further down!)[/p][p][/p][h2]Stimm Lab: The Cartel Special[/h2][p]Another new mechanic unique to this is the Stimm Lab! Thanks to their underworld connections, the Hive Scum are able to get some special materials and make their own custom Stimms called the Cartel Special![/p][p][/p][p]Just like the main talent tree, you gain 1 point to spend in the Stimm Lab for every level, picking different bonuses to add to your Cartel Special. Players who opt into making their custom
[/p][p]Stimms through the Lab will start each mission with their Stimm equipped and will be unable to use any of the Stimms found in missions.[/p][p][/p][p]This Cartel Special Stimm will recharge on its own, and the cooldown will depend on how many points you’ve spent in the Stimm Lab: the more potent the effect, the longer the cooldown![/p][p][/p][p]This mechanic is optional: By not selecting any upgrades in the Stimm Lab, your Hive Scum will be able to use normal Stimms like the other classes.[/p][p][/p][h2]The three “archetypes”[/h2][p]Just like with our existing classes, the talent tree allows players to mix and match talents to make their own custom builds, but there are three underlying “archetypes” that act as the foundation for each branch, which represents different player fantasies that the Hive Scum can represent. While not official names, we called these “Gunslinger”, “Ruffian”, and “Chemist” during development, so for ease of writing we will use these names here[/p][p][/p][p]“And then, of course, over time these three playstyles blend together and become a Talent Tree. At some point you have to ‘let go’ of the fact that, while the playstyles exist, we cannot control how the players will welcome and use them. They’re gonna find entirely new ways of playing Hive Scum, but the playstyles really help with getting the initial direction of the class.” ~ Teodor[/p][p][/p][h3]“Gunslinger”[/h3][p]This was the first archetype to come into being, and it best encapsulates the initial idea for the Hive Scum. Found in the left branch of the talent tree, the focus of the Gunslinger is overwhelming close ranged firepower and nimble dodging, a true Run and Gun playstyle.
[/p][p]The default Coherency Aura, Blitz and Combat Ability are all based on the ones that the Gunslinger improves.
[/p][p]Sneak peek at some of the talents:[/p]

• [p]In Your Face: Increased Ranged damage at close range, which is further increased for a short while after reloading.[/p]
• [p]Like the Wind: Dramatically increased Sprint Dodge Angle, and can Sprint Dodge even without Stamina.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Base Coherency Aura: Gunslinger[/p][p]When an Ammo pickup is collected by you or your Allies in Coherency, everyone else in Coherency also replenishes a small amount of ammo.[/p][p]Base Blitz: Blinder[/p][p]An extremely quick to throw blinding grenade, which staggers enemies. This enables the Hive Scum to close the gap and get into their preferred range with very little effort, regardless of what gunlines the heretics have aiming your way.[/p][p][/p][p]“You can throw this out really fast, you can even throw it mid-combo while swinging your melee weapon.” ~ Teodor[/p][p][/p][p]You can recover Blinder grenades by killing enemies.[/p][p][/p][p]Base Combat Ability: Desperado[/p][p]Immediately swap to and reload your ranged weapon, entering Desperado for a few seconds. During Desperado, the Hive Scum is immune to Ranged Attacks, Sprinting costs no stamina, and reloading does not reduce your Ammo Reserve.[/p][p][/p][p]Close Ranged Kills extends the duration of Desperado.[/p][p][/p][p]Keystone: Vulture’s Mark[/p][p]Killing Specials or Elites with a Ranged weapon gives you stacks of Vulture’s Mark, which improves Ranged Damage, Ranged Critical Strike Chance, and Movement Speed. At max stacks, ranged Special and Elite kills restore Toughness for you and Allies in Coherency.[/p][p]
[/p][h3]“Ruffian”[/h3][p]For those who want to lean a bit away from the ranged focus and enjoy feeling more like the guy who the Cartel sends to “convince” those who don’t cooperate, we have the Ruffian! Found in the middle branch of the talent tree, this is a melee-focused archetype that goes all in on aggression, still relying heavily on mobility and dodging to survive. [/p][p][/p][p]Duck, weave and shank them in the back, or bash their skulls in with relentless pressure![/p][p][/p][p]Sneak peek at some of the talents:[/p]

• [p]Nimble: Dodges move farther and last longer.[/p]
• [p]Hyper-Violence: Upon Melee kill, gain bonus Melee Damage based on amount of overkill damage.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Coherency Aura: Ruffian[/p][p]Increased Melee damage for you and Allies in Coherency.[/p][p][/p][p]Blitz: Boom Bringer[/p][p]A high powered missile launcher. What else is there to say? For when you really want something dead![/p][p][/p][p]“That was so much fun. The idea came pretty early on because we were like ‘if we make a projectile weapon only exist as a Blitz, we can really crank the effect’. Because we can make sure that it doesn’t have too much ammo, or crazy numbers or doesn’t scale weird.” ~ Teodor[/p][p][/p][p]Combat Ability: Rampage![/p][p]“We wanted a ‘rage’ ability where you become unstoppable for a few seconds, as long as you play really aggressively and kill lots of things.” ~ Teodor[/p][p]
Enter Rampage! for a few seconds, gaining vastly increased Melee Attack power, Attack Speed, Damage Reduction, and becoming immune to Stuns and Suppression. [/p][p][/p][p]Melee attacks extend the duration of Rampage!, although this effect is diminished after 30 seconds. Exiting Rampage! leaves you exhausted and vulnerable for a few seconds.[/p][p][/p][p]Keystone: Adrenaline Frenzy[/p][p]A very aggressive keystone that encourages relentless brawling![/p][p]
Melee hits grant stacks of Adrenaline, which are lost over time when not attacking. At max stacks, lose all stacks and gain Adrenaline Frenzy, increasing Attack Speed and Melee Damage for a few seconds.[/p][p][/p][h3]“Chemist”[/h3][p]Found on the right branch of the Talent Tree, this archetype puts a bigger focus on the unique Stimm and Toxin mechanics of the Hive Scum, gaining bonuses related to using Stimms (whether it’s the Cartel Special from the Stimm Lab or normal Stimms found in missions) and applying Chem Toxin through various methods (including weapons! More on that in a future dev blog).[/p][p][/p][p]Sneak peek at some of the talents:[/p]

• [p]Blessed Stimms: While Stimmed, killing blows clear some Corruption.[/p]
• [p]Targeted Toxin: Enemies infected with your Chem Toxin deal less damage. Increased effect on Monsters.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Coherency Aura: Anarchist[/p][p]Increased Critical Chance for you and Allies in Coherency.[/p][p][/p][p]Blitz: Chem Grenade[/p][p]Throw a canister containing Chem Toxin, which breaks open and spills its contents across an area when it explodes. Any enemy that enters the lingering toxic cloud will be affected with stacks of Chem Toxin.[/p][p][/p][p]Combat Ability: Stimm Supply[/p][p]The Hive Scum has ‘repurposed’ military gadgets to come up with this customized Medical Crate that can be placed down on the ground. This is a supportive ability that grants nearby Allies the effects of the Hive Scum’s Cartel Special Stimm.[/p][p][/p][p]Keystone: Chemical Dependency[/p][p]While the Stimm Lab allows you to craft the perfect Stimm to suit your playstyle, the more potent Cartel Special Stimms have a longer cooldown. This Keystone is not so much about the perfect Stimm, but about taking as many Stimms as you can, as fast as you can![/p][p][/p][p]With this Keystone, using a Stimm (Cartel Special or otherwise) grants a stack of Dependency for a long duration. Each stack grants Ability Cooldown Reduction, up to a limit.[/p][p][/p][p]“The gameplay I’d like to see there is players min-maxing the contents of their Stimms so that they can still get those Keystone bonuses while also balancing it with the contents themselves.” ~ Teodor[/p][p][/p][p]“I had the most fun working with the Missile Launcher, for sure. Which is now called the Boom Bringer, which I think is great. \[...] That’s been really fun, and I really enjoyed that. And it’s got fun little things that I hope players find!” ~ Teodor[/p][p]
[/p][p]That’s all for today, but keep an eye out for our next Dev Blog, coming soon![/p][p]
For the Conclave and Tertium![/p][p][/p][p]Wishlist the Hive Scum here:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]We’ll see you on the Mourningstar.[/p][p][/p][p]– The Darktide Team[/p]

[p]We’re happy to finally reveal the newest class coming to Darktide: the Hive Scum, hardened criminals from the very streets of Tertium. No one else knows this Hive like they do, and they have the aggression and bravado to dig in and break as many bones as they have to to reclaim their home![/p][p][/p][p]The Hive Scum class is coming on December 2, 2025, across all platforms.[/p][p]
[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h2]Cranked for mayhem[/h2][p]The Hive Scum’s access to concoctions of a more dubious origin is shown in their signature customizable Stimm. Pick your own personal chemical mix, balancing bonuses to tear up enemies. Then break out your toxin kit: drench your saw in toxic coatings and control the streets with lingering Chem Bombs that set foes up for the kill.[/p][p][/p][h2]Frenzied Gameplay & Dual-Wielding[/h2][p]These gunslingers and bladesmiths have a nifty trick up their sleeves. For the first time in Darktide, a class brings true dual‑wield expertise. Twin‑wield pistols to overwhelm enemies with firepower, and dual-wielding shivs to make you an efficient killer when the fighting gets close.
[/p][p]The Hive Scum is an expert in makeshift weaponry: from crude shivs, brutal crowbars to cruel saws for bone‑shreddingly close work. Spray and pray from afar with your dual autopistols and stub pistols; pour lead, break ranks, don’t stick around.
[/p][p]No matter your approach, you’ll have brutal abilities at your disposal: tear through enemies with your abilities, control the streets by disorienting your enemies with Blind Grenades, or drop elites and monsters in a single blast with a devastating missile launcher. 
[/p][h2]Make them cower[/h2][p]Tell your story through reimagined full‑body tattoos, new gritty hairstyles and vibrant hair colors, and the first-ever face paints and makeup. Choose from six distinct voice sets across three personalities so your Hive Scum doesn’t just look the part: they own it. Whether you’ll be in it for the money or the mayhem, make the streets of Atoma remember your name.[/p][p][/p][p]Players can wishlist the Hive Scum Class today and will be able to purchase it on all platforms on December 2 for the price of $11.99 / €11.99.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We’ll be releasing a series of dev blogs to break down the details of the Hive Scum class as well as the No Man’s Land operation... Starting right now! If you're interested, check out the first dev blog, focused on the Class Design & Talents.[/p][p][/p][p]Keep an eye on our newsfeed, and look forwards to more details coming soon! [/p][p][/p][p]That’s all for today! Thank you for reading, we hope you’re as excited to learn more about the new class soon![/p][p][/p][p]For the Conclave and Tertium![/p][p][/p][p]Wishlist the Hive Scum here:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]We’ll see you on the Mourningstar.[/p][p][/p][p]– The Darktide Team[/p]