Warhammer 40,000: Darktide News

Rejects!

Seize the opportunity to win some cool stuff prior to the release of Darktide - click here to join the giveaway!

November 30th marks the release of our next game Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, an intensely brutal cooperative game set in the Warhammer 40,000 world. This release will be the 3rd installment of “Tide” releases over the past 7 years and adds to the already critically acclaimed Vermintide series.

Throughout November, leading up to the release of Darktide, we'll host activities and updates to celebrate its launch. This includes a free copy of Vermintide 2*, a free update to Vermintide 2 (Trail of Treachery DLC), access to play Darktide early for pre-order players, and a free download of the Devoted Rejects DLC for all Vermintide 1 or 2 players who jump in and play Darktide.

For all the information on the promotions and events, please visit the dedicated space on Steam celebrating '7 Years of Tide':

https://store.steampowered.com/sale/vermintide2giveaway
For the best viewing experience, visit this page on your PC

*Vermintide 2 is available for free from November 3rd-7th as part of a Free to Keep offer on Steam

The Mission Terminal is the centerpiece of the Mourningstar hub. Here, players share the space with others, and access a variety of missions. We want all players to find a few missions at any point in time that are relevant to their character’s competency. Missions get dynamically populated on the Terminal according to either predetermined narrative or emergent events that happen inside the world.



We’ve learned a lot from our work on the Vermintide series, as well as from looking at similar titles. With that knowledge, we built something suited to the W40K universe while making the system a bit more dynamic than what you’re used to when coming from our -Tide games.

Inspired by the analog nature of the technology layer present in Warhammer 40,000, the Terminal emulates the space cop fantasy where the world is alive, and the Mission Terminal is ever-so-changing, reflecting the perils and urgency of its contents.



In terms of presentation, we chose to go more diegetic: Fewer floating menus and more of an in-world setup where everything “lives” on the Mission Terminal. This makes the whole experience feel better grounded into the universe and more distinct and easy to understand for players (some early feedback helped us steer the ship right in the sweet spot between clarity and immersion). Missions are displayed in different ways:

• In a small panel: where users get a very condensed idea of what they have to expect about the selected mission
  
• In a medium panel: where users get access to quick play (a fast way to queue in missions) or events of critical nature get displayed; this panel also acts as a legend for better explaining the small panel's iconography
  

An expanded panel is also present when you select any particular small or medium mission panel, where users get all the information they need to embark on said mission.



Furthermore, as you prove yourself to The Inquisition, the more trusted you become on the Mourningstar. This progress follows through in the Mission Terminal, unlocking higher difficulties, and better rewards following that trend. However, with the co-op nature of the game, it was essential for us to allow the possibility to play missions together, even if players are way apart in progression.

As for missions of critical timing, these get highlighted in the middle of the Mission Terminal. These urgent encounters have better rewards and higher intensity in combat, so in true grim-dark fashion, you might not survive :).

You will first be introduced to the Mission Terminal, during the prologue once you have completed basic training. When the Mission Terminal is accessible, players can team up and start a mission. The first player that selects a mission initiates a vote for the other Strike Team members in their team, with the possibility of any player in the Strike Team being able to start voting on a mission.

Missions send you and your Strike Team deep into the Tertium Hive. A mission follows this structure:

• Mission Difficulty:
  - Relates to the power/strength of the enemies
  
• Mission Name:
  - Flavor-name for the mission
  
• Mission Location:
  - Where this mission is taking place
  
• Mission Type (Objective):
  - What are you doing inside of the mission (note: some missions can have side objectives)
  
• Rewards:
  - What will you get for playing the mission; we have various types of rewards that fuel progression:
  
  Experience: The driving source for empowering your character.
  Ordo Dockets: Can be used to buy new weapons and apply modifications to them.
  Weapons: The player by succeeding a mission has a chance to be rewarded with a weapon to
  add to their arsenal.
  
• Mission Timer
  - How long is a certain mission available (upon expiry of a timer, new missions “populate” the Terminal)
  

Some missions can have modifiers; we call them Special Conditions. An example of this is a Power Supply Interruption. Missions with this Special Condition, will be (as the name suggests) darker and add a unique way of playing the level. A Special Condition could also apply on a more global scale in Tertium Hive, and we call this a Global Condition (pinned at the top of the mission board). During a Global Condition, the game will alter the missions more frequently. There could, for example, be a blackout in the hive, and therefore almost all the missions available are affected by Darkness.

Given all the specs that missions can have, this makes the world transcribe its dangerous and chaotic nature while allowing us to expand on it more easily in the future.

Thanks for reading and see you in the Mourningstar!

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Time for another class spotlight! In case you missed the earlier class spotlights, here are the Zealot: Preacher and Veteran: Sharpshooter spotlights.

Today’s class spotlight focuses on the Ogryn: Skullbreaker - big, strong, and unstoppable.



"If you want to win, you send for the biggest, meanest, and angriest you’ve got. That’s me. Not these runts. They can’t hold a proper gun. Can’t hold a proper knife. Scream in pain all the time. Or just because it’s fun. Or because they’re bored. Idiots. Not good enough. Not gonna win. Not without me. Everyone agrees. Everyone I talk to, anyways. And people like talking to me. If they know what’s good for them. Not polite to ignore me, now is it?"

Ogryns are abhumans, a subspecies of humanity deemed useful enough to protect it from the sanction of purgation. Stronger and tougher than ordinary humans, Ogryns excel at work that requires extra muscle or indifference to pain and often serve as laborers, manufactorum workers … or, in the Astra Militarum, shock troops, and bodyguards, using their brawny bodies to shield their comrades and immense strength to smash their enemies.

To date, only male Ogryns have been seen on the battlefields of the Moebian Domain. If an inquisitive soul is brave (or stupid) enough to inquire an Ogryn about such matters, it’s a toss-up whether they’d get an annoyed low rumble in response, or an over-sized fist to the face. They are (mostly) loyal, and slow-witted, thriving on simple, direct commands. Anything nuanced is likely to be ignored, or boiled down to a brief, joyful act of violence …

Pictured: Early concept art of the Ogryn: Skullbreaker



Being bigger than everyone, most Ogryns see themselves as being better … which isn’t always the case. They value strength above all else and thrive in situations where their straightforward approach to life (fetch, carry, shoot, smash) is likely to earn praise, reward, or food from their teammates and superiors.

Ogryns particularly admire Veterans, who they dimly recognize as proper soldiers and people to impress. They’re less keen on Zealots, who are often loud enough to be Ogryns themselves but are generally speaking too squishy to be respected. As for Psykers? Ogryns don’t know what to make of those Spark ‘Eads. Sure, they seem nice enough, but the air’s always all tingly around them, and sometimes they explode (and Ogryns only like things to explode after they’ve been shot – preferably by an Ogryn, BOOM!).


Better to keep Spark ‘Eads at a distance, yes?

Ogryn: Skullbreaker artwork by Miguel Iglesias

A Skullbreaker leans into the Ogryn’s foremost attribute: its prodigious strength. He loves nothing more than to charge into the thick of the fighting, shouldering aside any “punies” that get in his path to deliver punishing, shattering blows against his chosen target. Often while laughing as the tiny, tiny foes tire themselves out flailing at him in return.

It’s not subtle, but it’s definitely effective.

More importantly, it’s fun. Ogryns like having fun.

Pictured: Snapshot of the Ogryn: Skullbreaker's Progression Gear


Large and brutally strong, what ogryns lack in wit and strategic ability, they make up with sheer strength. Slow but reliable, their immense toughness grants them great survivability, serving well to take the brunt force of their enemies' assault in the place of their comrades.

The Skullbreaker charges headfirst into danger, excelling in melee combat against particularly tough and armored foes. When you play as the skullbreaker, be ready to always be in the very center of attention - if not for always being the first in the thick of battle, then certainly for your size. Take care not to block your comrades line of sight, lest you long to perish alongside the masses of enemies.

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Naturally, it would be difficult for an Ogryn to handle human weapons with those massive slabs of hands they have.

For this reason, they have their own arsenal of weapons - such as the starter weapons Ogryn Pipe Club, or the Ogryn Thumper, a massive, break-action shotgun.

Key Features

- Good vs. hordes
- Effective stagger/suppression
- Melee combat focus

Starting Loadout

- Melee: Club
- Ranged: Thumper Shotgun

Tactical Action

- Box of Grenades

Passive

- Increased melee heavy attack damage
- Increased toughness from melee kills
- Tough skin - Greatly reduces toughness damage taken. Also reduces damage taken
- Increased revive and assist speed

Class Ability

“Bull Rush” - The Ogryn charges forward and knocks enemies back. After Bull Rush, the Ogryn has increased movement and attack speed for a limited time.

Coherency Bonus

Increased melee damage