Warhammer 40K: Darktide Closed Beta Gameplay Hands-On Impressions
Oct. 19, 2022Warhammer 40K: Darktide Closed Beta Gameplay Hands-On Impressions
Warhammer 40K: Darktide Closed Beta Gameplay Hands-On Impressions– In this Warhammer 40K: Darktide Closed Beta Impressions, I’m going to talk about the gameplay mechanics in terms of the things that worked and those that need improvement, the exhilarating combat, and more! If you are curious about what you can expect to see in this first-person shooter, then look no further because I have got you covered.
Warhammer 40K: Darktide is set on the planet of Atoma Prime, particularly in the city of Tertium where the governing body is left with no other choice but to rely on convicts to do their bidding. Similar toWarhammer 40K: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters, the central antagonist in this story is Nurgle, the Chaos God of Pestilence and Decay. Together with his dark followers, they have decided to launch an all-out invasion to destroy and corrupt everything in their midst. You take on the role of a prisoner who is attempting to drive away the forces of Chaos while fighting for the Imperium of Mankind. After all, there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for the Emperor.
Like Vermintide, Darktide is not big on the plot. There are certain stories related to your background during character creation but there’s not much narrative to bank on. Missions are structured depending on the objectives. These were then limited to four kinds during the Closed Beta but with varying degrees of difficulty. They include Assassination, Raid, Strike, and Repair, which more or less can be distilled into one primary goal, that is, to slaughter enemies by all means possible. Although I’m hoping there will be more variety, later on, to differentiate one mission type from the rest.
In Warhammer 40K: Darktide, the flow of gameplay is very similar to Vermintide and Left 4 Dead. It will have players explore sprawling but linear sections of the world where they move from objective to objective. While areas have large set pieces that will consistently be the same, there is a degree of surprise to the levels. Some passageways become inaccessible or are replaced with different routes on subsequent playthroughs. Enemy spawns are also random to ensure that players will consistently remain on their toes while traversing the map.
During missions, there are a variety of tasks to complete. Some of these include scavenging for special ammunition, inserting cooling rods to light one of the great forges, or protecting data “interrogators” as they scour computer systems for valuable intel. Meanwhile, completing optional objectives is also made possible should you wish to gain additional rewards in the end. Level-wise, however, a faster progression pace would have been better because it took about 9 hours to reach Trust Level 11 just to unlock another in-game feature, which was the Sire Melk’s Requisitorium.
More so than Vermintide 2, Darktide lets you engage in customizing your character rather than selecting from a list of pre-made options. This includes picking your class, appearance, and personality, to name some. Let’s start with the 4 archetypes available in the Closed Beta, namely the Veteran Sharpshooter, Zealot Preacher, Psyker Psykinetic, and Ogryn Skullbreaker. In post-launch, more classes will be released.
First are the Veteran Sharpshooters who are hardened soldiers of the Astra Militarum or frontline troops of the Imperium of Mankind. Because of their rigid military training, they are most comfortable when engaging foes at a distance using ranged weaponry. They can effectively take them out whether by pinpointing weak spots or simply spraying the battlefield with an innumerable number of rounds. The Veteran Sharpshooter’s Class Ability is Volley Fire, which significantly increases their ranged damage. They also have significant ammunition reserves compared to the others.
Second, are the fanatical Zealot Preachers who are the most devout followers of the Emperor. Instead of succumbing to their wounds, they gain strength and resolve, allowing them to grow stronger the more drawn-out fights become. Ever a Martyr, the more health they are missing, the more bonus damage they do. The Zealot Preacher’s Class Ability is called Chastise the Wicked, which causes the player to revert their toughness completely and dash toward a target. The next melee hit will be a guaranteed critical.
Third, are the unstable Psyker Psykinetics who draw strength from the Warp. Highly powerful, but also susceptible to the tendrils of corruption, they walk a thin line between bravery and insanity. Instead of grenades, Psykinetics make use of Brain Burst to briefly stun an enemy. Shortly after, the immense psychic power causes their very heads to pop. This class’s special ability is known as Psykinetic’s Wrath, which controls enemies by staggering them.
Last but not least are the strong and hulking Ogryn Skullbreakers who specialize in dealing heavy melee damage. They are not intelligent so they instead utilize their massive frame to charge at foes and crush them to the ground thanks to their Class Ability, which is Bull Rush. Ogryn Skullbreakers act as decent tanks to take enough damage for the group without easily succumbing to death.
Every class feels different from the one that came before, making each playthrough worth trying. Afterward, you will choose your Home World, Childhood, Growing Up, and Defining Moment backstories to influence who you become in the game. For your character’s finishing touches, you will decide their physical appearance, personality, and sentence, the latter of which only determines the color of their prison garb or clothing.
After every mission, you will find yourself in the Mourningstar Ship. In the Closed Beta, you only have access to the Armoury Exchange and Sire Melk’s Requisitorium. In the Armoury Exchange, you can purchase a variety of weapons consisting of different rarities using gold coins that are earned as rewards. The higher the level, the better the offers are. It remains to be seen whether they will have respective durability levels or mods, which can be added in the game’s release.
When you reach level 11, you gain access to Sire Melk’s Requisitorium. This features Weekly Contracts such as blocking x damage or killing a fixed number of monstrosities that should be completed in missions. Doing so rewards you with a special resource, which can then be traded in for epic and legendary weapons or random melee and ranged weapons. One issue I had with weapon stats was that damage and range, for example, did not explicitly indicate how effective they truly were. Rather than providing concrete numbers, you only saw filled bars beside the corresponding attributes.
In terms of the Loadout, I was only able to change the Primary and Secondary Weapons. Gadgets, which were initially part of Darktide’s features, were not available in the Closed Beta. Upon reaching every five levels, you can select one of three Feats to further customize your playstyle. Changing them in between missions is easy since no resources are consumed in the process. Additionally, players can equip cosmetics to alter the appearances of their characters. Note that these do not have associated stats and are only meant for aesthetics.
Darktide has implemented a Hybrid Combat System where there is a 50/50 split between melee and ranged gameplay. This is a stark departure from Vermintide 2, which focuses more on melee combat. What’s amazing this time around was how great and smooth combat was whether you were swapping between weapons, shooting enemies into oblivion, and slashing their bodies into two. Even at lower levels, you were powerful because of the ability to expertly cut targets down without much difficulty or remorse. In fact, the gunplay itself made you feel like a fantastic shooter due to how fluid aiming was.
Not everything is about dealing damage up close and personal so it is nice to be presented with the option to engage in two types of combat. Furthermore, players get to kill with clubs, kickback shotguns, swords, and submachine guns, to name a few, but we can expect 70+ weapon types at launch.
Aside from the hordes of regular enemies, you need to deal with elite, special, and mini-bosses because they considerably hamper your progress. One of them wields a flamethrower that deals heavy AoE damage and denies your team specific areas in which they can pass. Enemy variety and the randomness of their spawns certainly make combat much more exciting since you have no idea when a Plague Ogryn miniboss will appear, for example. Movement-wise, there are a lot of things you can do such as vaulting over obstacles, suppressing targets to easily charge toward them, and sprinting and sliding into cover.
The latter is especially important when you need enough space to regain your composure. There is also toughness to consider that functions like a shield. You can replenish this by either staying beside your team or hitting enemies with melee weapons. It is also encouraged to shoot barrels of explosives to catch enemies unaware while cooking them alive in the process to deal massive damage.
Darktide relies on the intensity of combat and the atmosphere that Fatshark has successfully created within the Warhammer 40K universe. The FPS is an extremely faithful adaptation of the Warhammer license. It makes amazingly great use of the franchise’s lore, setting, characters, weapons, and references that fans will instantly recognize and deem familiar when it comes to the design, visuals, and audio. Not to mention, the amount of gore you will experience is exemplary and characteristic of the chaotic world of 40K. For in the grim darkness of the 41st millennium, there is only war.
What I especially enjoyed during this test period was seeing how deplorable the locations and forces of Chaos were, thereby depicting the horrors of becoming a follower of Nurgle. Furthermore, I appreciated the commendable voice acting coupled with humorous banter between characters who were trying to make light of the situation. There was never a dull moment while destroying corrupted armies because new dialogue kept popping up at context-specific moments whether it involved accidentally shooting an ally or simply picking up ammo. Selecting different backgrounds had certain effects on your character’s personality, adding to the game’s entertainment value.
But the world-building and excitement that comes with exterminating these vile abominations do not end there because you can expect nothing less from the excellent audio. Music has a highly varied number of tracks that enhance the adrenaline-fueled heretic slaying experience. Some of the most exhilarating cacophonies of tones are sinister and whimsical at the same time. Their discordant nature adds to the alien feeling of the setting, making it all feel surreal.
Similar to Vermintide, the incoming hordes of enemies stampeding toward your group is definitely another thing to look forward to because of the tension-inducing drumbeats that accompany it. Since the soundstage is very wide, you can already hear special enemies approaching even if they are far away. The respective warning sounds will then become louder as they approach you. What’s more is the heavy sound effects of the weapons themselves, showing how impactful they feel every time you fire.
From a technical standpoint, I often encountered connection issues where I would get booted out of the server during or right after a mission. Thankfully, my experience points would carry over upon completing the next one. There were also glitches when it came to keybindings. Sometimes, I would log in only to find out that they were back to the default buttons rather than the ones I had set up. Lastly were performance issues related to framedrops, which would become erratic at times, especially against a huge number of enemies in the area.
Warhammer 40K: Darktide is looking to be an extremely promising title that succeeds in creating exciting situations, dark and gritty atmospheres, and amazing music and sound effects. In addition to these, it is definitely an FPS to watch out for because of the enhanced gameplay mechanics, customization options, and heart-pounding combat we have experienced so far. I cannot wait to get my hands on the full version to try out the game’s other features, which were not available during the Closed Beta.
Here’s hoping that the performance issues, crashes, and bugs get fixed in time for the launch! What improvements can Fatshark implement beforehand? What specific aspects of this shooter are you hoping to see more of in terms of weapon variety, progression, and rewards? Let us know in the comments below! If you have questions about Warhammer 40K: Darktide, be sure to drop by ourTwitch Channel.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check our other previews,Torchlight Infinite Overview: Closed Beta Hands-on Gameplay ImpressionandThe Ascent Cyber Heist DLC Overview Impressions.
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.
