Warhammer 40K: Darktide Class Guide - What is the Best Class for You?
Dec. 1, 2022Warhammer 40K: Darktide Class Guide – What is the Best Class for You?
Warhammer 40K: Darktide Class Guide – What is the Best Class for You?– In this Warhammer 40K: Darktide Class Guide, I’m going to give an overview of each of the four classes to gain a fundamental understanding of how they work and what to expect from them. And then I’ll discuss the main abilities that define their role in combat rather than diving into every feat. What makes their playstyles unique? What are their strengths and weaknesses? I’ll be answering these and more so if you’re still on the fence about the type of operative you wish to play as and experiment with, then this guide is for you!
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The Ogryn: Skullbreaker is considered the toughest and mightiest of the classes in terms of size and strength. They tower over most enemies while going toe-to-toe against larger foes like the Reaper and Crusher. Because of their formidable stature, the Skullbreaker is best-suited in the melee range, allowing them to slaughter hordes and elites with hard-hitting attacks. But do note that they also contribute fairly well when it comes to suppressing targets from a distance depending on the guns they wield.
Their Bull Rush Class Ability lets you charge forward while momentarily boosting attack and movement speed. Primarily, it’s best used in clearing a straight path for your allies by knocking down weaker enemies and staggering stronger ones. Bull Rush is your bread and butter when it comes to crowd control since you can easily mow down targets. Moreover, this ability can also be utilized as a repositioning tool in combat whether it involves saving yourself against pesky and aggressive elites or to force ranged targets into using melee weapons.
Skullbreakers excel in fulfilling the support tank role since they are able to soak in a ton of damage, inflict crowd control, and revive allies with minimal interruption. Because of their naturally thick skins, their Toughness and health effectively absorb damage. As such, these hulking Ogryns act as reliable meat shields to protect the team.
Next is another crowd control technique that the Skullbreakers make use of. Because of their passives and wider reach, they are able to stagger targets much better in the melee range, thereby creating enough space between them and your allies. This is done by blocking and knocking them back to create a suitable breathing room for your teammates to execute their lethal attacks.
When it comes to reviving allies whether they’re downed or calling for help at the edge of a railing, the Skullbreakers are your go-to class. Theoretically, and unlike the others, their respective revive animation won’t get canceled upon taking damage, however, this isn’t foolproof yet. There seems to be a bug in which you still get interrupted from time to time so it’s advisable to eliminate some of the enemies before going into the fray to rescue your teammates.
Because the Skullbreaker is huge, their size makes them stand out from the crowd. As such, they’re easy targets of ranged enemies. And since most of the covers in the game aren’t enough to completely protect you, what happens is you’re often pushed to wield the Slab and Shield for better defense. Furthermore, your size can sometimes be a problem for the other operatives you’re protecting because it obstructs their view, which can make it a bit more challenging to aim and hit targets.
And finally, you might find the Skullbreaker’s tactical option a bit odd at the start. You end up literally throwing a box of grenades that won’t detonate by default but instead of hurling this at hordes, you should aim to hit elites instead to deal noticeable damage.
If you’re looking for a beginner-friendly class where you don’t have to micromanage your Toughness and health as frequently while taking on the tank role, primarily in the melee range, then the Ogryn: Skullbreaker is the right one for you.
The Veteran: Sharpshooter is your typical ranged combatant who excels at picking off enemies one by one. Because of their deadly precision, they are reliable specialists, especially when it comes to zooming in on regular and elite targets from a distance. This class deals considerable damage with their trusty weapons and is quick at spotting special creatures thanks to their Volley Fire Class Ability.
In Darktide, switching from one weapon to the next isn’t always smooth due to the extra preparation that’s needed. But with this ability, the Sharpshooter not only assumes the ranged stance at once by wielding the right weapon, but it also helps them identify threatening targets that should immediately be eliminated. Moreover, Volley Fire amplifies this class’s ranged damage, potentially killing foes outright or in a few shots. At higher levels, you can even select a feat that lets the rest of your allies see those same targets for added awareness.
One of the best qualities of the Sharpshooter is its effectiveness at suppressing ranged enemies. This creates a window of opportunity to lower their accuracy upon getting hit and allows you and your teammates to kill them quite easily from any distance as they move to find better covers.
Next are the good-quality ranged weapons available to the class. These include the Bolt Gun and Plasma Gun, which deal high-power damage to one-shot special enemies. What’s more is that they have an ample supply of ammo for themselves as well as the allies who are near them, especially after slaying an elite. Gone are the days when you need to scrounge for extra ammo!
When Sharpshooters are not focused on executing targets from afar, they’re occupied in the melee range. But don’t expect them to clear hordes of enemies, otherwise, they’ll get shredded since they’re not as resilient. Thankfully, this class is still capable of holding its ground since they have access to deadly melee weapons that deal massive cleave damage like the Power Sword. An alternative to dealing with the horde is to throw multiple explosive grenades to inflict AoE damage, and it also staggers bigger targets. But remember that apart from this, they don’t have other crowd control options.
If you’re looking for a straightforward shooter class to eliminate high-value targets from afar as opposed to focusing on slaughtering hordes up close and personal, then you should consider playing as the Veteran: Sharpshooter.
The Psyker: Psykinetic Class is a force to be reckoned with but it doesn’t come without consequences. Because of their affinity to the Warp and how they execute their psychic powers, Psykinetics are susceptible to experiencing the same fate as their targets should they mismanage their sanity.
Rather than throwing grenades, they utilize the Brain Burst Ability, which as the name implies, makes enemies’ heads explode. This is best used against elites, especially those who wear head armor like the Crusher since it takes some time to kill them. It’s also effective against Snipers who are often positioned far away. During this ability’s cast time, you’re also able to stun weaker enemies, rendering them vulnerable to taking damage from your allies.
The Psykinetic’s Class Ability is Psykinetic’s Wrath, which is good at crowd control and quelling Peril to prevent you from going insane. What this does is it allows you to manipulate Warp energy to push enemies back to a significant degree and knock them down while notably reducing your Peril levels. This ability is excellent in giving you extra space to partially get your bearings back against hordes even if it doesn’t deal damage. However, remember that it’s best not to stay in the melee range for long since you’re really squishy.
Instead of wielding guns, you’ll eventually unlock Force Staves that let you inflict additional crowd control techniques. For instance, you can briefly stun enemies using the lightning energy generated by your staff. You’re also effective in the melee range when needed thanks to your Force Sword or Dueling Sword, the latter of which grants better mobility to dodge and block incoming attacks with ease for improved survivability.
At lower levels, you’ll find the Psykinetic underwhelming until you gain access to better weapons and feats to provide you with more playstyle options later on. For instance, you can inflict bleeding on enemies who are near the special target you’ve used Brain Burst on. Additionally, maintaining high levels of Peril, which is more likely to happen, improves the pushback distance of your Psykinetic’s Wrath. In terms of Coherency, you get to grant buffs such as a damage increase against elites as well as a reduction in your allies’ ultimate ability cooldown rates when the same type of powerful enemy is killed.
If you don’t mind the slow power progression, Peril management mechanic, and a slow charge time of Brain Burst, and you still wish to manipulate the Warp to your advantage, then the Psyker: Psykinetic is the perfect class for you.
The highly devoted, heretic-slaying class in the name of the God-Emperor is the Zealot: Preacher who becomes deadlier the longer they stay in combat. They thrive in the delights of soaking up damage to amplify their attack power.
Chastise the Wicked is the class ability that lets them charge toward targets. But unlike the Skullbreaker, it doesn’t knock down enemies. Instead, it’s more effective in boosting their succeeding melee attack damage while ensuring that this is going to be a critical hit. A portion of their Toughness is also restored for improved survivability. Moreover, they can charge at ranged enemies to force them into using melee weapons or to escape from their clutches.
The Preacher is very effective in clearing hordes and obliterating elites upon landing critical hits and dealing high damage. They naturally have faster melee attack speeds. This class also deals more melee damage the more wounds they sustain, making them a high risk high reward type of class. Additionally, the Preacher is quick on their feet allowing them to zip in and out of fights. This greatly balances their attacks while dodging effectively to avoid taking too much damage, which can ultimately lead to their downfall. But do note that they’re more resilient than the others because of their ability to retain and restore large chunks of Toughness. Equally enough, those who stay near them also gain a reduction in taking Toughness damage.
This class has access to powerful melee and ranged weapons. They efficiently deal with hordes using the Eviscerator to shred them into pieces or the Flamer to burn them to ashes. Like the Sharpshooters, they have access to the almighty Bolt Gun, allowing them to kill ranged specials quickly. In terms of tactical options, the Preacher uses stun grenades, which have a wide AoE due to the high blast radius. It doesn’t deal damage though but is purely for crowd control. Additionally, the grenade synergizes really well with dealing heavy attacks against armored and stronger foes because these types of attacks take a while to prepare.
Unlike the Skullbreaker, the Preacher is not as tanky since they don’t have tough skins. They aren’t straightforward to play at the start either where there’s a huge window for mistakes in relying more on Toughness than health to deal greater damage. In cases when you’re bleeding, you’ll still be downed despite maintaining full Toughness. In a pinch, however, they can prevent fatal wounds from unshackling them from their mortal coils, allowing them to fight on for a few more precious seconds.
If you’ve been wanting to move like a deadly fanatic to inflict critical hits while dealing significant damage despite your low health levels, then the Zealot: Preacher is right up your alley.
What did you think of this Warhammer 40K: Darktide Class Guide? Which classes have you tried and are planning to play as next? Let us know in the comments below! Be sure to drop by ourTwitch Channelif you have questions about the game. For other content, check outWarhammer 40K: Darktide Beginner GuideandMidnight Suns Review After 100 Hours Played.
Reiku
Writer at Fextralife. I enjoy playing RPGs, narrative-driven games, and platformers. Outside of gaming, I like watching meaningful movies and reading sci-fi and dystopian books.
