Warhammer 40k: Darktide Beginner Guide to Tertium - Comic Years
Comic Years Logo

Warhammer 40k: Darktide Beginner Guide to Tertium

author img
BY November 28, 2022

Warhammer 40k: Darktide’s pre-launch beta has been out for almost a week, now. And, I’ve been grinding it non-stop with other friends who pre-ordered it. There are still 6 days left until the full release on November 30th. So, it’s the perfect time for a Warhammer 40k: Darktide beginner guide.

I was waiting for the game to come out on November’s Xbox Game Pass additions. But, I couldn’t wait after the hype generated by the series’ anniversary. For many, this month has been all about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. For me, it was the month of Darktide. I’ve waited over a year for this game’s release.

So, you can expect I’ve been playing it since the pre-launch beta was available. And, I managed to compile a bunch of tips that would’ve been useful for me. With luck, you’ll find them before tackling Tertium’s perils.

If that’s the case, allow me to help you fulfill The Emperor’s will.

Warhammer 40k: Darktide Beginner Guide

Naturally, the first game that comes to mind is Vermintide. After all, Darktide is still an action game where you’ll face hordes of enemies. Similar to Left 4 Dead, you’ll have to complete objectives during relentless attacks. And, elite enemies—with unique abilities—spice it up.

That means many will believe that this is another Vermintide entry. However, that’s far from the truth. Darktide introduces a new ranged combat focus unseen in previous titles.

Sure, Vermintide had a multitude of ranged weapons. Yet, most of the combat was close quarters. Your swords, axes, and maces saw way more action. This time, it’s not so simple. Half of the classes actually excel at ranged combat.

Therefore, you’ll be applying here similar tactics to Vermintide. That includes learning bosses and elite enemies, their weak spots, and mission goals. But, you’ll have to adapt to the new class mechanics and ranged combat. This time, almost half the enemies will shoot at you. So, taking cover and eliminating riflemen and snipers is a lot more important.

No overthinking or min-maxing while creating your Warhammer 40k avatar

Warhammer 40,000 Darktide character creation Focus on your lore instead of your game at first.

These types of games are perfect for min-maxing enthusiasts. You want to squeeze as much power as possible out of your character. But, it’ll take a while before you can do that. You don’t even have access to all your classes’ skills until the higher levels.

So, don’t overthink during your characters’ creation. This step is mostly about painting your character’s background. You decide where they were born and their history. Focus on being your character and how they got here.

Some decisions affect character customization. For instance, my veteran from Cadia had access to different eye colors. But, these changes are only visual. They won’t impact your gameplay in any way.

The only gameplay-relevant choice you’ll make is your character class. Make sure you read their abilities and strengths before choosing. Luckily, you can have more than one class.

Trying out every class as the foundation of any Warhammer 40k: Darktide beginner guide

Class selection in warhammer 40,000: darktide beginner guide Every class is a new world. But, you don’t have to be an expert.

Speaking of having more than one class, take advantage of that. Warhammer 40k: Darktide lets you create up to 4 characters. Coincidentally, there are four classes in the game. So, you can have one character for each class.

Moreover, you can customize your class during the game. Players don’t have to commit to the feats (skills or talents that offer bonuses) they choose. Similar to World of Warcraft, you can adapt your skills on the go. There’s no reason to create several characters of the same class.

Let’s summarize the classes before continuing.

Firstly, we have my favorite: The Veteran Sharpshooter. This class is all about picking enemies from afar. Its abilities revolve around having more ammo and covering friends from afar. Its special ability increases ranged damage and highlights elite enemies. Plus, they have four frag grenades.

Then, there’s the Zealot Preacher. This class is about high-risk, high-reward gameplay. They deal more damage as they miss health. When about to die, they also gain temporary invulnerability for five seconds. Their special ability lets them charge at enemies. It also powers up their next melee attack. Their grenades stun enemies.

The Psyker Psykinetic is arguably the most complicated class. You have to stack warp charges to increase your damage. But, doing so increases your Peril. Losing control of your Peril can yield devastating consequences for the player. This class is better at taking out elites with their brain burst. They’re also solid at crowd control thanks to their energy waves.

Finally, we have the Ogryn Skullbreaker. This class is the group’s tank. They take reduced damage from enemies. And, enemies can’t interrupt them while assisting other allies. Their ranged weapons are quite limited and focus on shotguns and launchers. Their main ability is charging and knocking back enemies.

The importance of choosing your main Darktide class wisely at first

Veteran special ability in darktide Your main class dictates how you’ll play the entire game.

So far, a Warhammer 40k: Darktide beginner guide is a bit simpler than one for Vermintide. After all, there are only 4 classes currently in the game. But, that doesn’t mean you can choose carelessly.

Yes, you can have all classes in your character roster. But, I’d heavily advise you against playing different classes at once. Instead, focus on mastering them one by one. That way, you can enjoy more of the game’s missions. Once you’ve maxed out a class, feel free to jump to another one.

Of course, your main class will depend greatly on how you like to play. Likewise, you must consider what you’re good at.

The Veteran is great for players with decent aim who prefer ranged combat. On the other hand, a Psyker is better if you want to harness forbidden and devastating powers. If you want a faster pace and violence, go for the Zealot. The Ogryn is ideal if you want to be in the middle of the battle, assisting your teammates.

Learning every character class’ role in your missions for The Emperor

Nevertheless, having a primary class doesn’t mean ignoring the others. You still need to know the other classes’ basics. For instance, where they excel and where they fail. What are their strengths and weaknesses? What are they supposed to do during a mission?

Learning each class’ role lets you adapt to your team. I’ll cover why that’s important in a bit. But, knowing your role lets you focus on what your class does better. If everyone does so, they’ll highlight their team’s ideal approach. Otherwise, your enemies might exploit your weaknesses.

For instance, if you’re a Psyker, don’t dive into the front line. Let the Ogryns and Zealots handle the enemies hand-to-hand. On the other hand, don’t stay behind with those two classes. Your teammates are trusting you to keep the hordes away from them!

If you’re a Veteran, don’t waste all your ammo right away. Make sure you have enough ammo (and your class ability) for when elites show up. If a boss appears, you’ll likely be the main DPS against it.

Understanding the different enemy types, elites, and bosses of Warhammer 40k: Darktide

Enemies are similar to players in that they also have different classes. Again, you also have to learn what they do. If you neglect this, they’ll quickly decimate you or your teammates. Luckily, they’re also fairly simple to understand.

Enemies have a gimmick. You have your regular foot soldiers: weak but high in numbers. Some have guns, and others have armor. One type of elite enemy has a flamethrower. Another one pins you down until it’s killed. Snipers do tons of damage from afar. And, there are grenadiers and suicide bombers.

You get what I mean. You’ll face several elite enemies. But, they only do one thing you need to look out for. Just make sure you also recognize their sound cues. Every elite triggers a unique sound when they spawn.

On the other hand, bosses are a bit more complicated. Luckily, they’re not as varied as elite enemies. It’s enough to learn their attacks and weak spots. With time, you’ll develop strategies for each one.

Not everyone follows a Warhammer 40k: Darktide beginner guide: learning to adapt

complete player stack following warhammer 40,000: darktide beguinner guide Above, you can see the perfect line-up. That’s not what you’ll get a lot of time.

Now, let’s talk about why it’s so important to understand the different classes. Ideally, your squad will have one of each. A four-player squad can accommodate the four classes. In those cases, everyone has a clear role.

But, you’ll need to play with a coordinated, pre-made squad for that. Otherwise, the game will pair you with random players. That can lead to squads missing certain classes. For instance, I’ve had to play without Ogryns.

In these cases, it’s up to you to figure out how different classes can try to replace others. For instance, a Psyker can replace a Veteran for taking out elites. Veterans can provide a Zealot’s DPS with their increased ammo. And, Zealots can keep enemies at bay if you lack an Ogryn.

Likewise, you can play to your classes’ strengths. If you mainly have ranged classes, attack enemies before they reach you. Melee-heavy teams should focus on closing the distance as quickly as possible.

This mindset does more than increase your odds of success. It also means you don’t have to force your friends to play classes they don’t like.

Finding your favorite Warhammer 40k loadouts while keeping an open mind

Weapons in darktide Weapons are plentiful, with different stats and even special abilities.

Your character class isn’t the only factor deciding how you play. Weapons have unique traits and abilities as well. You can find swords, axes, knives, clubs, and hammers. Each one is better for a different purpose.

Likewise, ranged weapons aren’t the same. You have automatic and semiautomatic guns, pistols, launchers, and flamethrowers. Some are better for picking off individual enemies. Others are ideal for attacking crowds.

So, your melee and ranged weapons will change how you tackle missions. A Lasgun and a sword usually mean you shouldn’t fight hordes. A huge battleaxe would go to waste if you only use it on one enemy at a time.

Luckily, each class has access to unique weapons. So, you won’t stray too far from your main class’ purpose.

Lastly, you won’t have a lot of choices during the early levels. Your main priority is to increase your power level. That usually means foregoing your favorite weapon types for more powerful ones. So, find what works for you. But, don’t hesitate to grab new and better gear. With time, you’ll be free to specialize.

Grinding Darktide’s quickplay and easy missions to farm experience and unlock feats

warhammer 40,000: darktide beginner guide missions You’re never running out of missions, thankfully.

Trust me, you don’t want to jump into a difficulty you’re not prepared for. I made that mistake during my first run with a full stack of friends. I chose the second difficulty setting. We were absolutely destroyed in minutes.

My friends won’t let me move on.

There’s a reason why some difficulties are locked by character level. But, that doesn’t mean the first difficulties are a breeze. I’d advise you to keep playing on the easiest difficulty until they become effortless.

You simply don’t have what you need to tackle other difficulties. For instance, you lack any feat when you start. You need to reach level 5 to unlock the first row of feats. So, keep grinding the easier difficulties until you’re ready.

A good rule of thumb is only to move on once the current difficulty is a breeze. In Darktide, you have to build your character with time. Don’t rush things.

Also, make sure you unlock all feats (level 30) before trying the harder difficulties.

Taking your time to learn the different missions in Warhammer 40k: Darktide

No Warhammer 40k: Darktide beginner guide can map out every mission. Countless random variables can change the pace of the game. Darktide excels at throwing unexpected hordes and bosses at you.

I can’t tell you how every mission will play out. Yes, there’s a limited number of missions. But, I’ve played the same level three times in a row. Each time has been different. I’ve run into bosses I didn’t know could spawn in certain missions.

That said, not everything is random. Most missions have constant objectives. These goals won’t change in subsequent playthroughs.

For instance, there’s a mission that tasks you with analyzing corpses and uploading data. In the first half, you need to draw a scanner and use it on dead bodies scattered around. All the times I’ve played this mission, the corpses are always the same.

Learning these types of things can speed up your runs. That translates into a lower chance for things to go wrong. And, it’s almost mandatory in higher difficulties.

Planning out your feats and consulting Warhammer 40k: Darktide beginner guides

feats in warhammer darktide Feats unlock a plethora of gameplay options. But, they need time.

Feats come in rows of three, unlocked every five levels. You’ll unlock all rows by level 30. That means you have six rows of three feats to play with. Let’s keep doing the math: that’s 729 possible combinations per class.

Some feats synergize with each other. Others will change how you approach the mission. For example, the Veteran’s first row has different toughness-restoring feats. They can do so by being far from enemies, taking out elites, or hitting weak spots. So, you can choose one that fits your playstyle.

However, it also lets you coordinate with your friends if you have a squad. Let’s say you have a Psyker who will focus on the elites. You can choose the first feat: replenishing toughness by being far away. That way, nothing will get in the way. Thus, you can get the feat’s full value.

If you’re playing solo, it’s still just as important. You can’t predict which classes you’ll get when paired with randoms. So, I advise you to pick selfish feats. That way, you don’t have to rely on your random teammates.

Working with what you’ve got: solo, friends, or full squads in Darktide’s Tertium

Your companions will change how you play. As I mentioned, playing solo favors a selfish approach. After all, you can’t communicate easily with your teammates. So, the best approach is to make sure you stay alive.

If you have one or two friends, it becomes easier. Instead, you can coordinate your feats with them. That way, you can rely on each other if things go south. You can focus on helping each other before risking the mission for random teammates.

Of course, having a full squad is the best approach for most people. Yet, you won’t always have a full stack to play with. That’s why you’re better off coming up with strategies to deal with the randomness.

Bringing people you can play Warhammer 40k: Darktide with often and coordinate better

Friends lobby in warhammer 40,000: darktide Friends are a blessing in any co-op game. This isn’t the exception.

Thankfully, it should be easy to get friends to play with you. After all, the game is coming out on Game Pass by the end of November. So, feel free to share this Warhammer 40k: Darktide beginner guide with them!

Self-promotion out of the way, you should take advantage of that. Playing with a premade squad lets you communicate better. That’s particularly useful because characters have coherency bonuses. These bonuses trigger when the squad is in proximity to each other. So, you can squeeze even more value if you can plan and talk during missions.

However, don’t worry if you don’t have friends interested in Darktide. You can find user communities around the internet. They’re filled with players eager to play with you. So, make sure you don’t shy away from these groups!

No Warhammer 40k: Darktide beginner guide can cover every scenario—Stay on your toes!

Finally, I can’t stress the game’s randomness enough. I can’t cover every possible scenario in a guide. I can’t even cover one class’ possible builds in one article. Your experiences will be different from everyone else.

What worked for me won’t always work for you. We could play the same mission at the same time. Still, we’d face different challenges. You might get twice the number of hordes I do. Or, a boss might attack me but not you.

So, my best tip to close this guide is: stay on your toes. Use this guide to learn how the game works. But, keep an open mind and the ability to improvise. That’s the difference between success and failure.

PC

          

Related Posts

PC
Invincible Presents: Atom Eve, a Visual Novel for PC
PC
Dungeon of the Endless Giveaway for Free Until July 27th
PC
Overwatch 2 on Steam Starting on August 10th
PCXbox
Destiny 2 Solstice Event Starting Today
PC
Vampire Survivors New Engine Adds Co-Op and More
PC
The Sims 5 Leak: Next Game to Be Free-to-Play?

Leave a comment

error: Copyright Protection