Following several delays on the original timetable, Warhammer 40K Darktide launched in late 2022 on PC to mixed reviews due to a general lack of polish and content. Since then, Fatshark has slowly but surely improved the game. For instance, the class system was entirely revamped ahead of the Xbox Series S|X launch in October 2023.
Today, Fatshark has released a new free update called Secrets of the Machine God. Here, players will find the new Clandestium Gloriana (previously known as Atelium Foundryplex Omega V) mission, where they will be tasked to explore a frozen environment in between sectors of the hive city of Tertium, see a mysterious mission-giver called Swagger accompany the strike team in the mission (for the first time in Warhammer 40K Darktide), and discover a new variable end mission event to enhance the mission’s replayability.
There are also some brand new weapon types, which players had long requested:
- Godwyn-Branx Pattern Bolt Pistol – An iconic Warhammer 40K weapon, mobile and perfect to lead an assault.
- Two-handed Pickaxes – Ogryns’ first two-handed weapon. Taking brutality and force to a new level (Branx Mk Ia Delver’s Pickaxe, Borovian Mk III Delver’s Pickaxe, Karsolas Mk II Delver’s Pickaxe).
- Shockmauls – The perfect Warhammer 40K riot gear – an electric weapon that stuns and adds a shocked status to enemies (Agni Mk Ia Shock Maul, Indignatus Mk III Shock Maul).
- Ironhelm “Hacker” Mk IV Assault Shotgun – A very close-range and brutal shotgun that inflicts intense damage.
The Secrets of the Machine God update includes, as you would expect, a number of quality-of-life improvements and balance tweaks. Chief among those is the overhaul of most of the weapon crosshairs in the game: hit markers are now slightly smaller and have an outline to be more noticeable against light backgrounds. Moreover, there’s a brand new hit marker for weak spot hits to differentiate them from critical strike hits. Weak spot hit markers are now doubled up and, like non-weak spot hits, color-coded according to the type of hit.
In a press preview event, the makers of Warhammer 40K Darktide also looked to the future, expressing a desire to greatly improve itemization in the game with an update slated to launch after Summer. The main objective is to enhance player agency in this area while reducing randomness. Players should be able to see what’s available to them and what path they’ll need to pursue to get a certain item.
This will be done through Mastery, a system that rewards players invested in the game in a permanent and easily trackable way. Players will be able to choose to specialize in a specific weapon type or multiple weapon types, with the former road obviously allowing for quicker improvements, albeit only for a single weapon type. As part of the Mastery progression, Darktide players will also get the opportunity to switch whenever they want from one weapon mark to another, making it easier for those looking for a specific thing.
Alongside Mastery, there’s the Expertise system, which lets users upgrade their weapons through the Forge. Now, each and every weapon will be maxable and have its own progress bar. In addition to those two systems, Fatshark aims to add unique blessings for each weapon type and expand the total number of blessings (each weapon has between 8 and 12).
Following the presentation, we joined a few colleagues from the press for a brief roundtable Q&A with Fatshark.
WCCFTECH – Will there ever be a kind of story mode for Warhammer 40K Darktide, something similar to what’s available in Vermintide 2?
Well, we’re always looking at ways that we can write the narrative forward in the game. We have done some explorations. It’s not something that we have completely shut the door to, but the focus has been put on the path of worldbuilding.
When you go through the missions, when you go through the levels, and you see a toilet in a mission, that has not just come out of nowhere, it has to be done together with our writers, thinking what is a habitation section looking in the 40K.
Even with the new mission, the area between segments in a hive. That might not be like a direct story, but it’s a way for us to tell the progression of the conflict and outline the world where this is happening.
It’s about immersion into this sort of unique way of experiencing the 40K universe, which is from the eyes of a reject.
Theoretically, could you take one of the common weapons you start with and upgrade it all the way to a maxed-out endgame weapon?
Yes, exactly. Even the starting weapons could be something you can invest in and actually get them to the maximum potential. If you like the way the weapon or the stat distribution, that’s something you could do. That’s really what we wanted to do as well. No weapon is a waste.
There is a way for us to dispose of a weapon as well. I didn’t talk about it because it’s a bit of a detail, but you will be able to salvage a weapon for crafting materials. So even if there’s a weapon given to you and you’re like, I’m not interested, you will always find an actually good way to use this weapon for you to actually be useful in your progression.
I should have mentioned it. So yeah, the starting weapons, you can put them at the max. You will have access to the best blessing and since it would be full open, you could build it the way you want.
In the past, it has been mentioned that a single player mode is not a priority for Warhammer 40K Darktide. Is that still the case, or is that something that you guys are talking about?
At the moment, we’re focusing on the content that our players have really been asking for, chiefly around mission weapons and overhauling the system. Our current focus is on what we have presented today.
You said you were exploring more areas that aren’t seen much around Tertium. Will we ever see the rejects leave Tertium itself and perhaps visit other areas of importance in the system, such as new facilities, wrecked freighters, space hulks, etc.?
There’s so much more to explore in the universe. It’s so vast and big.
Indeed. Thank you for your time.
