Take back the city of Tertium from hordes of bloodthirsty foes in this intense and brutal action shooter. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is the new co-op focused experience from the award-winning team behind the Vermintide series.
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is a cooperative first-person shooter that plunges players into the dark, gritty universe of the Warhammer 40,000 franchise. With its intense combat, rich lore, and stunning visuals, it’s a game that deserves to be enjoyed by as many players as possible. Available now on Game Pass Ultimate and onboarded onto GeForce Now. You have plenty of ways to play this either in the cloud or on your device.
Darktide’s redemption arc has been a significant development for the game. After a rocky launch, the developers have consistently listened to player feedback and implemented numerous improvements. These changes have addressed issues such as balance, progression, and content variety, resulting in a more enjoyable and satisfying experience for players. The ongoing commitment to community engagement and continuous development has helped Darktide evolve into a well-regarded co-op shooter. I didn’t play the game before the “redemption” occurred, so I cannot speak to how the game used to play. But I have been playing it quite a bit since it came to Game Pass Ultimate, and it has been a lot of fun.
Visuals: A Grimdark Masterpiece
One of the standout features of Darktide is its impressive visuals. The game’s art style perfectly captures the grim, oppressive atmosphere of the 40K universe. From the towering, gothic architecture to the grotesque enemies, every detail is meticulously crafted. With GeForce Now’s RTX capabilities, players can enjoy even more stunning visuals, including ray tracing for enhanced lighting and reflections. This makes the game’s environments feel even more immersive and atmospheric.
A Hub World Experience
Darktide takes place on Atoma Prime, a Hive World in the Moebian Domain of the Segmentum Solar. Hive Tertium is the prime Hive City where most action takes place. It’s a bustling metropolis filled with towering skyscrapers, grimy alleyways. The Mourningstar serves as a central gathering place for players. Here, players can interact with other players, manage their inventory, and embark on missions.
Key features of the hub world:
- Social Interaction: Players can chat with other players, form groups, and join clans. The hub world provides a space for socializing and building a community within the game.
- Mission Selection: Players can choose from a variety of missions, ranging from simple patrol duties to challenging boss battles. The hub world serves as a starting point for all adventures.
- Inventory Management: At the Armoury Exchange Players can access their inventory, equip new weapons and gear, and customize their character’s appearance.
- Vendor Interaction: The hub world is home to various vendors who sell weapons, armor, and other items. Players can use their in-game currency to purchase these items.
- Progression and Rewards: Completing missions and progressing through the game rewards players with experience points, currency, and new equipment. The hub world acts as a central hub for tracking player progress and claiming rewards.
- Enticements to keep playing: The Requisitorium will be unavailable when you first begin the game – you will need to reach level 11 with your character in order to unlock it. You can then use this currency to buy high quality weapons, including Mastercrafted weapons, the highest tier. The weapons available for purchase will regularly change.
Gameplay: Intense, Satisfying, and Fun
Darktide’s gameplay is fast-paced and intense, with a focus on cooperative teamwork. Players must work together to eliminate hordes of enemies, complete objectives, and survive the horrors of the Hive City. The game offers a variety of weapons and abilities, allowing players to customize their playstyle. The combat is satisfying and challenging, with a satisfying weight to each swing and shot.
The games weapon customization system offers players a wide range of options to tailor their weapons to their preferred playstyle. You can earn the currency needed to purchase weapon components by completing missions, completing challenges, or purchasing them from vendors. While the core stats of each weapon are fixed, players can modify various aspects of their performance, including:
- Barrel: Different barrels can affect the weapon’s range, damage, and accuracy.
- Bayonet: Attaching a bayonet can provide a melee attack option or enhance the weapon’s overall damage.
- Grip: Grips can improve the weapon’s handling, recoil control, or rate of fire.
- Magazine: Magazines can increase the weapon’s ammo capacity or fire rate.
- Muzzle: Muzzles can suppress the weapon’s sound, reduce recoil, or increase damage.
- Receiver: Receivers can modify the weapon’s base stats, such as damage or fire rate.
- Scope: Scopes can improve the weapon’s accuracy at long ranges.
- Stock: Stocks can affect the weapon’s handling, recoil control, or rate of fire.
By combining different components, players can create weapons that are perfectly suited to their individual needs. Whether you prefer a long-range sniper rifle or a devastating shotgun, Darktide’s customization system allows you to fine-tune your arsenal to achieve maximum effectiveness.
Roster choices
Darktide features four distinct roles, each with their own unique playstyle and abilities:
Ogryn: The Ogryn is a hulking frontline warrior equipped with heavy melee weapons. They excel at tanking damage and dealing devastating blows to enemies.
Psyker: The Psyker is a powerful spellcaster capable of unleashing devastating psychic abilities. They can control the battlefield, support allies, and eliminate enemies from a distance.
Veteran: The Veteran is a versatile combatant skilled in both ranged and melee combat. They can adapt to various situations and provide support to their team.
Zealot: The Zealot is a fanatical warrior fueled by pure rage. They are highly mobile and specialize in close-quarters combat, using their speed and ferocity to overwhelm enemies.
Darktide in the clouds
Both GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming offer excellent experiences for playing Darktide. Both platforms deliver smooth gameplay with minimal latency and high frame rates, ensuring that you can enjoy the game’s fast-paced combat and precise aiming without any significant drawbacks.
GeForce Now stands out for its RTX capabilities, which enhance the visual experience with features like ray tracing. This makes the game look even more stunning and immersive. However, Xbox Cloud Gaming also provides a great experience, especially for those with limited hardware or internet connectivity. Its infrastructure ensures a smooth and responsive gameplay experience, making it a convenient and accessible option for a wide range of players.
GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud gaming make it possible to enjoy Darktide on a wide range of devices, even those with less powerful hardware. If you’re looking for a thrilling and challenging game, Darktide on GeForce Now is definitely worth checking out.
Warhammer 40,000K: Darktide – Game Review
Summary
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is a must-play game for fans of the Warhammer 40K franchise and cooperative first-person shooters. With its intense combat, rich lore, stunning visuals, and fun hub world experience, it’s a truly immersive and satisfying game.
