LogInThe class system finally sees an overhaul.
Image credit: Fatshark
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide has been around since November of 2022. Despite being a part of a famous series, it now has only 55% of positive reviews on Steam – not what any developer wants to see.
Players complain about a lack of content, poor progression, and a disappointing class system. While Vermintide 2 had five characters with three classes and unique skills, Darktide offers only four classes with no subclasses.
Developer Fatshark listened to players' feedback and is preparing an overhaul with varied, RPG-style skill trees for each class.
"We wanted players to get a bit more agency into the classes, a bit more experimentation, support a lot more different play styles," Darktide game director Anders De Geer told PC Gamer. "We felt like the fantasy of the Ogryn was not done. The story of the Psyker was not done. So we wanted to add more. Basically what we've done is reimagine what a class in Darktide is. This is our huge update: we've expanded the talent trees, added a ton of new options and abilities, passives and actives."
Image credit: Fatshark
The system where you could unlock a new perk every five levels is getting shut down and replaced with a tree full of abilities. Each skill tree has three main branches: one with existing abilities and two others with new ones. You'll get a point at every level to climb up the tree.
"It's a plethora of new avenues that players can use to not only choose how they want to play, but express themselves as a player and their playstyle," said executive producer Juan Martinez. "It's a cooperative game, so any increase in options, you multiply that by the synergies you create with other players."
Image credit: Fatshark
Here are some new skills PC Gamer was shown:
- A new shield ability the Psyker can deploy (further down that branch, this two-dimensional shield can be upgraded to a full-coverage dome)
- A more crowd-controlling Psyker branch lets you blast out psychic shards instead of brain bursting (think the whistle-controlled arrow in Guardians of the Galaxy)
- Instead of brain burst or the shards, the Psyker can also go full Sith with a Force Lightning-esque smite ability
- The Ogryn can now choose to throw a "Big Friendly Rock" instead of a grenade box (with the advantage of the rock going on cooldown, rather than requiring an ammo pickup)
- The Ogryn also gets a gigantic grenade as a second alternative
- Ogryns can now pick a taunt over upgrading their charge attack, or a big reload/fire rate buff designed for mowing down hordes
Apparently, this new system was in the works before Darktide was launched, but the developers couldn't finish in time for the release.
Image credit: Fatshark
There is no exact date for this update, but it should be rolled out in October.
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