Warhammer 40,000: Darktide News

[p][/p][p]This is one of several developer blogs centered around different aspects of the recently announced upcoming class, the Arbites! This dev blog will focus on the class’ talent tree![/p][p][/p][p]We’ve interviewed Design Director Victor and Game Designer Gunnar to get their insight into its design, and the three distinct styles that can be found in it.[/p][p][/p][p]“I’m Victor, I’m the Design Director at Darktide. I’ve been at Fatshark for 16 years, working as a designer in different ways.” - Victor[/p][p][/p][p]“My name is Gunnar and I am currently a Game Designer, but I started at Fatshark in 2018 as a Gameplay Coder on Vermintide, and a few years ago I switched to become a Designer instead.” - Gunnar[/p][p]
[/p][h2]What was the process for making the Arbites’ talent tree?[/h2][p]The class rework from Patch #13 was our first dive into the style of talent tree that we now have, with plenty of choices and flexibility but also a defined design goal behind it. We’ve learned a lot since then, and we hope that reflects on the Arbites’ tree.[/p][p][/p][p]We looked at the existing talent trees and we considered what worked and what was necessary to build the core skeleton of the tree. Once that was done, we built from that foundation into the various talents and choices you’ll have available. We purposely aimed to not overextend with the amount of nodes available and tried to focus on making each node meaningful and impactful.
[/p][p]“As you’re going through the tree you’re not just looking at stat bonuses, you’re looking at ‘what would your Arbites in the Warhammer: 40,000 universe do or be good at.” - Gunnar
[/p][p]A key aspect that guided the design of the tree is enabling different Player Fantasies, the cool thing that each individual player is seeking to do while playing Arbites. This is what resulted in the three distinct gameplay styles mentioned earlier, but it also made us focus on enabling anything in between. The system is meant to be flexible and players are encouraged to come up with their own variation of a build, and that goes for all of the existing talent trees.[/p][p][/p][p]“It’s up to the players to figure out and come up with their own sort of playstyle of fantasy of how THEY think their dream Arbites (in this case) functions.” - Victor[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]
The Three Paths[/h2][p][/p][p]Due to the nature of the talent trees, players are free to mix and match whatever talents they wish, provided they have the points and can path their way down the tree. However, as with our existing classes, there are three distinct gameplay & combat styles that the main branches of the tree embody, and players can focus on these paths to specialize in these styles.[/p][p][/p][p]While they don’t have an official name, for this dev blog we can refer to them as Subjugator, Exterminator, and Investigator.[/p][p][/p][h3]Subjugator[/h3][p]Following the right side of the talent tree you will find talents that will allow you to dive into the thick of combat to break apart the formations of the criminal scum, tapping into an identity akin to riot police. These talents focus heavily on melee, staggering enemies and tanking.[/p][p][/p][p]Sneak peak at some of the talents:[/p]

• [p]Hammer of Judgement: Increased Attack Speed when hitting multiple enemies with a single Melee Attack.[/p]
• [p]Suppression Protocols: Hitting multiple enemies with a single Melee Attack grants Toughness Damage reduction.[/p]
• [p]Target the Weak: Enemies staggered by your Melee Attacks take more damage from Melee.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Exterminator[/h3][p]“Then we’ve also always been keen on fulfilling the shotgun fantasy of being this unstoppable force… walking down a corridor… just blasting everything that gets within range.” - Gunnar[/p][p][/p][p]Relevant talents for shotgun gunplay can be found all over the talent tree, but it is the middle branch that has the most focus on it. This gameplay style focuses on high firepower at close range, blasting enemies of the Law with unflinching and implacable impunity.[/p][p][/p][p]Sneak peak at some of the talents:[/p]

• [p]Withering Fire: Improved Ranged Damage after Reloading.[/p]
• [p]Up Close: Replenish toughness on Close Kill.[/p]
• [p]March: Increased Movement Speed on Ranged Hit.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Investigator[/h3][p]Found on the left side of the tree, this playstyle focuses on eliminating high priority targets. Elites, Specials, even Monsters. It’s about being ‘on the chase’, relentlessly hunting down a perp and bringing them the Emperor’s Justice.
[/p][p]The talents here are quite varied and flexible. There’s a mix of melee and ranged talents, as well as some support nodes. This is also where most (but not all!) of the talents related to the Cyber Mastiff are (although you can easily build into the Investigator branch without picking them!)[/p][p][/p][p]Sneak peak at some of the talents:[/p]

• [p]No Escape: Improved Damage and Movement Speed after killing a Special or Elite.[/p]
• [p]Canine Morale: Killing enemies Pounced by your Cyber Mastiff grants Toughness and Toughness Damage Reduction to Allies in Coherency.[/p]
• [p]Serrated Maw: Your Cyber Mastiff applies Brittleness on attack.[/p]

[p][/p][p]“That was also an important point \[...] We wanted to make sure that no matter if you went left, right or middle, you could always create a build that interacted with your Mastiff - So that you didn’t lock yourself out of playing with your Mastiff just because you also wanted to be melee focused, or because you wanted to do well with the shotgun.” - Gunnar[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]
While there’s three distinct identities to be found for the Arbites if you focus on a particular talent tree path, it’s important for us that the tree itself remains flexible and allows players to combine talents as they wish and develop the playstyle that best suits them.
[/p][p]For that reason, we took great care in making sure that any of the three options for your Combat Ability, your Blitz and your Coherency aura are easily accessible regardless of what path you’re going down, and easily connect to any of the three paths. You can then think of them as independent of those three playstyles, even if there’s a niche that they fit best into.[/p][p]
[/p][h2]Coherency Aura[/h2][p][/p][h3]Base Coherency Aura: Ruthless Efficiency[/h3][p]Simple, but effective: this is the initial Aura for the Arbites and it gives you and your Allies in Coherency a bonus to reload speed.[/p][p][/p][h3]Part of the Squad[/h3][p]For those focusing on the Cyber Mastiff, this option makes your loyal companion count as an Ally for the purposes of Coherency. Additionally, this talent also gives every Ally in Coherency a small bonus to Toughness Damage Reduction.[/p][p][/p][h3]Breaking Dissent[/h3][p]This Coherency Aura increases the damage dealt by you and Allies in Coherency against enemies that are currently Staggered.[/p][p][/p][h2]Blitz[/h2][p][/p][h3]Base Blitz: Arbites Grenade[/h3][p]The default Blitz that all Arbites players start with is a standard issue Arbites Grenade. Compared to the Veteran’s frag grenades, it packs a stronger punch but has a smaller radius and explodes on impact rather than after a delay.[/p][p][/p][h3]Remote Detonation[/h3][p]The Remote Detonation Blitz requires some coordination with your loyal companion! Upon activating it, an electric discharge will burst from your Cyber Mastiff’s position, dealing damage and heavy stagger impact.[/p][p][/p][p]“It has quite a powerful stagger as well, so if your Mastiff is in the middle of attacking a Monster, like on the Plague Ogryn’s back, and you use it, the Plague Ogryn will stagger forward, disrupting its attacks. So it’s a lot about timing and keeping track of where your Mastiff is to get the most benefit out of it.” - Gunnar[/p][p][/p][p]This Blitz also recharges on a cooldown, rather than by picking up a Grenade Box.[/p][p][/p][h3]Voltaic Shock Mine[/h3][p]Choosing Voltaic Shock Mines as your Blitz will allow you to set up proximity mines on the ground at spots of your choosing. As enemies draw close to it, it will activate and shock anything that comes near it for a sustained duration. Compared to the Zealot’s Shock Grenade, it has a smaller radius but lasts a lot longer.
[/p][p]“It’s one of the first Blitzes that we have that allow you to actually prepare for what’s to come. So if you come into an event area and you know that they’re gonna come from that door, or that direction, you can set up before engaging with the event.” - Victor[/p][p]
[/p][h2]Combat Abilities[/h2][p][/p][h3]Base Combat Ability: Nuncio-Aquila[/h3][p]The default Combat Ability for the Arbites is Nuncio-Aquila, which brings forth a booming loudspeaker on a specific point you aim it at. It will blast the word of the Imperial Law at full blast, empowering nearby allies and debilitating nearby enemies.[/p][p][/p][p]“It’s like that scene in a movie, where the bad guys are hiding in a house and the police turn on the speakers and start telling them ‘You better give up, you’re surrounded.’, so they start freaking out.” ~ Victor[/p][p][/p][h3]Castigator’s Stance[/h3][p]This Ability turns you into an unstoppable juggernaut, unleashing the Emperor’s Judgement on the enemy as you walk menacingly forward, unflinching and unphased. Entering the stance removes your ability to sprint, but increases your base movement speed and massively reduces your damage taken for a time.[/p][p][/p][h3]Break the Line[/h3][p]This Ability makes your Arbites perform a short lunge forwards and then bash every enemy in front of you with your equipped Melee weapon, staggering enemies in a wide area in front of you but without dealing any damage.[/p][p][/p][p]This Ability is on a very short cooldown (the shortest in the game!) so make sure to use it often to clear the way and subjugate the criminal mob![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Design and Development[/h2][p][/p][h3]Were there any noteworthy changes in design that happened during development?[/h3][p]Originally, the base Combat Ability was going to be the Castigator’s Stance! However, during playtesting we found that it was very unintuitive for players just starting out, as visually it doesn’t really convey all of the effects that it has and it’s hard to tell how it’s meant to be used or what it’s doing for you. Nuncio-Aquila is far more straightforward and easier to understand without having to read its description, while still being sufficiently iconic for the Arbites, so we ended up changing the default Ability to that one.[/p][p][/p][p]Another thing is that at one point, a chunk of the tree was dedicated to talents about picking your Arbites’ armour, based on various options from the lore or tabletop. So you’d pick things like what kind of visor your Arbites wore, or from what areas was the gear made, and so on. In the end we weren’t happy with how that was turning out in practice, but it was an interesting aspect that we explored.
[/p][p]At the time of writing, the talent tree was on version #16, so it’s definitely been through its fair share of iteration and polishing! Granted, as we approach the end development, the later versions involved less drastic changes and more fine-tuning and adjustments.[/p][p][/p][h3]What was the most fun part of designing the talent tree for you?[/h3][p]“It’s just very fun to path down a talent tree. \[...] I think it’s even more fun to build it yourself; it’s a creative process of mixing and matching nodes or creating these crazy structures \[…] I just think it’s a lot of fun to create a tree, in itself.” - Gunnar
[/p][p]“This goes for pretty much all of them: the first time most of the nodes are working and you can for the first time actually start theory-crafting in the game. Like actually making your first build, not just in theory. \[...] That’s the most fun I think, ‘cause that’s very exciting.” - Victor.[/p][p][/p][h3]Of all the talents, what’s your personal favorite?[/h3][p]“I really like the shock mine. It allows you to sort of pre-emptively strike, which I think is really cool. I also really like the Nuncio-Aquila; it allows you to ‘place’ a buff and then you can move in and out of it and you can be tactical about where you place it. - Victor
[/p][p]“One that is quite interesting is the Coherency - the aura - that is related to the Cyber Mastiff \[...]. As one of its effects it will make your Mastiff count as one in the coherency pool, so it more easily chains and you get the increased regeneration… and, if you have four Arbites with that aura, you can up to a total eight in your Coherency pool.” - Gunnar[/p][p][/p][p]That’s all we have for today! Stay tuned for the next Dev Blog on the Arbites! [/p][p]This is the Will of the Lex.[/p][p][/p][p]We’ll see you on the Mourningstar.[/p][p][/p][p]Wishlist the Arbites Class today on Steam.[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]– The Darktide Team[/p]

[p]Aspiring Arbitrators of the Lex Imperialis! [/p][p][/p][p]As we promised with the release of the Arbites Gameplay Trailer at the PC Gaming Show, we’re bringing you a 7 minute long video showing gameplay of Arbitrators and their terrifying cybernetically-enhanced companions in their element, dispensing the Emperor’s justice with ruthless efficiency.[/p][p][/p][p]Give it a watch! [/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]Regrettably, as this extended gameplay video is not a trailer nor, as it happens, a teaser, we were unable to stir the caption guy from his profoundly deep slumber - so you will have to do without this time around![/p][p][/p][p]Wishlist the Arbites Class today on Steam.[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]The Emperor Protects.[/p][p]
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[h2]Hey Everyone,[/h2][p]
[/p][p]With the introduction of Arbitrators to the Mourningstar and to celebrate the upcoming release of our new DLC we’re going to talk a bit about the voice work. Matthew Ward, Michael Knight and David Wahlund tell us what it’s like working with Darktide’s cast and the process we go through to get the performances just right.[/p][p] 
[/p][p]What does the audition procedure look like?[/p][p]Matthew Ward: The casting process for Darktide never really stops. We’re always adding new characters to the game, which means that we’re always in contact with new talent, either for specific roles or with an ear to getting them involved at some point in the future when something suitable arises. 
[/p][p]As to how we find our actors, it’s always a mix. Some are from blind casting processes where our studio partners source self-taped auditions in line with a casting brief that we provide. Others we approach based on their past work in one medium or another, and more via recommendations from the recording studios or existing cast members. It’s a broad spectrum approach that over the years has given us a great mix of industry veterans, rising stars and the odd member of video game royalty.[/p][p][/p][p]In almost every case, the casting process ends with a directed live audition session at one of our studios, where we hone the actor’s interpretation of the character and hopefully hit that sweet spot of what works for them and matches what we’re looking for.
[/p][p]Of course, sometimes we hear something we didn’t know that we were looking for, and that’s really where the magic happens.
[/p][p]Michael Knight: I’m constantly blown away by the talent we manage to draw to our game. I think it speaks to the effort that’s always been put into the voices we feature in the Tide games.
[/p][p]Are there many Warhammer: 40,000 fans among the contenders?[/p][p]MW: It’s not something that we stipulate, but it’s always a bonus when it comes together that way, as the accompanying knowledge and enthusiasm always shows. Greg Jones and Alex Jordan are some examples from our longstanding cast, Michael Geary from our more recent intake. And of course, we have several actors who are familiar with the Warhammer: 40,000 setting from their work on other projects.
[/p][p]MK: We also often find people who’ve never interacted with the IP being fascinated by its depth (and darkness!)
[/p][p]How specific are the VO directions? I've seen footage of actors holding prop guns and running on the spot to get the right dynamic and exertion sound for the lines. Is there any more like that?[/p][p][/p][p]MW: Some of our actors - and they know who they are - would probably refuse to record if they didn’t have their stand-in weaponry to tote around. I’m almost entirely sure that’s healthy, and I’ll always say that if there’s any chance that they might be listening. Or armed.
[/p][p]But seriously, everyone’s method is different. We record almost exclusively with head-mounted microphones, which allow the talent to roam - or literally throw themselves - around the recording booth if they want. Others get the motion and inflection we’re looking for while standing still or perched on a chair. Whatever gets the results, gets the results.
[/p][p]What's the weirdest direction that has been given to a VA for this game?[/p][p]MW: I don’t know about “weirdest”, but something that always gets good results is directing the actor to shout at the recording engineer. It’s nothing personal (at least I hope not) but that always gets a great result. As far as I know we haven’t yet traumatised an engineer. In fact, most of them tend to end up grinning. People are strange.
[/p][p]David Wahlund: A maybe unknown and odd part of voice work is the exertions, efforts or grunts. It's the vocals that are not verbalized. In an action game we have a lot of these. When you swing the sword or get hit by a bullet for example. We have 15 different categories. Some efforts or grunts can be used in several different situations. For example a jump grunt can be used when you get pushed etc. These are all quite private sounds. Sometimes, especially when time is short, you might need to give an example yourself. That’s certainly weird the first time you do it. But by doing it yourself you might also take the edge out of the weirdness in the situation for the actor.[/p][p][/p][p]How does the performance process for the monstrosities work? How do you decide, or communicate to the actor "that's what we want this thing to sound like"?[/p][p]DW: As Matt mentioned earlier, the actor's interpretation is super important. We need to give them as much details and context as possible so that they can be creative. When it comes to creatures or monster-like humans, animations and graphics play a big part. So if you can give as much visual information as possible that will certainly help. What does the mouth look like? How does the creature move? All details matter.[/p][p][/p][p]What's the average length of a recording session?[/p][p]MW: Because we ask for a lot of shouting from our actors - “Darktide Conversational Level” has become a bit of a running joke because it’s really not that conversational - most sessions run for an hour, although some of our hardier actors are happy to record for longer sessions. It’s a style of performance that’s very demanding on not only the voice but the whole body.[/p][p][/p][p]How many lines on average are recorded in a session?[/p][p]MW: We plan for around a hundred lines a session. Often that goes higher - when the actor’s in the zone - and sometimes it goes lower, especially when it gets very shouty. It’s always a balance between speed, quality and the actor’s comfort, with the latter being the absolutely most important of the three.[/p][p][/p][p]We’re always adding new voice lines. How often does Fatshark have recording sessions?[/p][p]MW: It varies depending on what we want to capture. The Arbitrator sessions have been pretty full on (roughly 150 recording hours since the start of the year), but for other updates where we only need to add more NPC lines, it might just take a couple of hours. 
[/p][p]We might not invite an actor back into the booth for months (or even years), or sometimes they’ll be in for a couple of hours for several weeks (or months) in a row. It’s all about matching our needs to their availability. Most are very busy individuals, so we try to get our asks in early.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for reading our dev blog on what goes into the performances and the work behind your new Arbites Class, releasing on June 23, 2025 on all platforms. We’ll be looking out for any questions over the weekend and we’ll do our best to answer them.[/p][p][/p][p]This is the Will of the Lex.[/p][p][/p][p]We’ll see you on the Mourningstar.
[/p][p]Wishlist the Arbites Class today on Steam.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]– The Darktide Team[/p][p][/p][p]
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[p]During today’s PC Gaming Show, we gave you a first gameplay glimpse at the Adeptus Arbites and announced the Deluxe Edition. [/p][p][/p][p]Check out the gameplay trailer below to see the Arbites unleashing their loyal Cyber-Mastiffs upon lexbreakers, and delivering judgment with extreme prejudice.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]We’re not done yet.[/p][p]In the lead-up to launch, we’ll be releasing more reveals. We’ll also be sharing more over the coming days, including a longer gameplay video on June 12. Additional dev blogs on the Arbites' talent tree, weapons, and more, will be published in the weeks prior to release. [/p][p][/p][p]On June 23, you’ll be able to purchase the Arbites Class in two different editions:[/p]

• [p]Standard Edition: $11.99 / €11.99[/p]
• [p]Deluxe Edition: $18.99 / €18.99[/p]
• [p]Cosmetic Upgrade (Upgrade to Deluxe): $7.99 / €7.99
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[p]The Deluxe Edition includes the class and cosmetics for your Arbitrator and Cyber-Mastiff:[/p]

• [p]Arbites Class[/p]
• [p]1 Unique Class Outfit[/p]
• [p]1 Unique Companion Outfit[/p]
• [p]1 Portrait Frame[/p]
• [p]4 Weapon Skins[/p]

[p][/p][p]Thanks for sticking with us through this reveal, we’re beyond excited for you to take control of the Arbites on June 23, 2025! Make sure to wishlist the Arbites Class now so you're ready to restore order on Tertium Day 1.[/p][p]

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