Warhammer 40K Darktide is finally here, and players love it. As with other similar Warhammer 40K games – like Vermintide 2 – there are various classes that the player can choose from. Each class has different strengths and weaknesses. If you are new to the game, this Warhammer 40K Darktide classes guide will allow you to choose the ideal character.
There are a total of four classes at launch in Warhammer 40K Darktide that you can choose from. Depending on your playstyle, you might prefer one class over the other. However, give all of them a try to see which one suits you best. With that said, let’s dive right in and take a look at the Warhammer 40K Darktide classes guide.
All Classes in Warhammer 40K Darktide
We have listed down all the advantages and disadvantages of each class so that you can know what they have to offer. Plus, we will also talk about what weapons and other abilities they have as well. If you are a new player, you might find all of the information overwhelming, but that is how usually Warhammer 40K games work.
There are certain classes that are ideal for beginners since they have a familiar playstyle whereas others might be a bit difficult. However, you should try all of them to see what your playstyle truly is. With that said, let’s get started with the Warhammer 40K Darktide classes guide.
Veteran
Beginner friendly
Great at landing headshots
Does not have a lot of HP
You need to have good aim to play him effectively
Starting off with the first class of the game, the Veteran. This is a beginner-friendly class that will seem easy and familiar to most new players. This character mostly focuses on ranged combat with their rifles and is ideal at landing headshots. Since you are attacking from a distance, you can stay safe and let the other members of your team tank the hordes.
Due to their high fire rate and precise aim, they are good against Elites & Specials. To make Veterans even better, they have an ability that increases weak spot damage at the cost of slower movement. Since you will be fighting from a distance, you don’t have to worry about the slow movement speed in most cases.
They also have a frag grenade in their inventory which allows them to eliminate enemies that are around the corner. Plus, it is also great against hordes since you can take out a good chunk of enemies with a well-thrown frag.
| Starting Loadout | Tactical Action | Passives | Class Ability | Coherency Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard-issue Munitorum Sapper Shovel: versatile, crowd control | Frag grenade: Throw a grenade on a short fuse timer, then enjoy the explosion. | Make Every Shot Count: Damage to weak spots is increased by 15%. | Volley Fire: Instantly equip your ranged weapon and enter a ranged stance for 5 seconds, where you can set all specialists and elites (except for ogryns) as priority targets. The stance increases your ranged damage by 50%. | You and your allies will receive a small amount of ammo whenever you take down an elite. |
| Kantrael MG Ia Infantry Lasgun: versatile, high capacity | – | Be Prepared: All ranged weapons have an increased ammo reserve of 40%. | – | – |
Zealot
Strong melee attacks
Difficult to take down
Great vs armored units
Not great at ranged combat
The grenade range is quite low
Zealots are one of my favorite characters due to their aggressive nature. They excel in melee combat and have a massive combat axe and autopistol to help them out in those situations. Since you will be engaging in melee combat a lot, you will take tons of damage too.
However, to more HP you lose, the more damage you will gain. This allows Zealots to gain an insane amount of damage that can be extremely beneficial against armored units. Plus, taking damage that will kill you instead makes you invulnerable for five seconds. The best part is that this passive only has a 90-second cooldown which goes by quickly.
If you are getting overwhelmed by the enemy, you can use your stun grenade to stun all enemies in its blast radius. This can help you either take down the enemy or get out of a sticky situation.
| Starting Loadout | Tactical Action | Passives | Class Ability | Coherency Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rashad Mk II Combat Axe: strikedown, armor piercing | Stun grenade: Throw a grenade that stuns every enemy in its blast radius. | Martyrdom: For every 15 health that you lose, gain 5 damage, which you can stack up to three times. | Chastise the Wicked: Charge towards an enemy, replenishing your toughness and increasing the damage of your new melee attack by 25%. | Allies receive a 7% toughness damage reduction. |
| Ius Mk III Shredder Autopistol: mobile, torrent | – | Until Death: Taking damage that will kill you instead makes you invulnerable for five seconds. This passive only activates every 90 seconds. | – | – |
| – | – | Swift Exorcism: Your attack speed is increased by 10%. | – | – |
Psyker
Has increased damage against elites
Can buff himself after using Brain Burst
Great Crowd Control
Squishy
Poor starting loadout
Managing Warp Charges can be tricky
You cannot talk about all the classes without mentioning the mage of the group. Psykers use magic to deal damage to enemies and keep their team alive. They grant their allies a 10% damage boost against Elites which makes it easier to take them down.
Their psychic ability is one of the best in the game and it is extremely satisfying to look at. You can explode the heads of your enemies and generate a stackable Warp Charge. You can do this up to four times and each stack increases your damage by 3%.
Once you fully stack your Warp Charge, you will deal tons of damage and offer a lot of crowd control to your team as well. However, for a newer player, managing the Warp Charge can be a bit tricky since it runs out pretty quickly.
On top of that, you can easily knock back enemies that get too close for comfort. Thanks to your class ability, you will create a wave of Warp energy that will help you get out of trouble at the cost of your Peril level. Plus, Psykers are great at dealing with ranged enemies easily.
So, make use of your range and abilities and take out any enemy that might pose a threat to your team from a distance. With that said, though, you must play safely since your HP isn’t high and you can easily get eliminated.
| Starting Loadout | Psychic Ability | Passives | Class Ability | Coherency Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catachan Mk I “Devil’s Claw” Sword: flurry, crowd control | Brain Burst: Target an enemy and unleash this ability to watch their head go “pop!” | Warp Siphon: Killing with Brain Burst generates a stackable Warp Charge, up to four, each increasing your damage by 3%. | Psykinetic’s Wrath: Warp Charges can be discharged, creating a wave of Warp energy that knocks enemies back and reduces your Peril level. | Allies get a 10% damage boost against elites. |
| Accatran MG Mk II Heavy Laspistol: mobile, high capacity | – | Battle Meditation: On a kill, there’s a 10% chance to reduce your Peril by 10%. | – | – |
Ogryns
Ideal against hordes
Can easily displace enemies (stagger/stun/suppress)
Great melee character (good tanks)
Slow movement speed without your ability
Initial weapons aren’t good
Not ideal in large empty spaces without any cover
As you can see in the image, Ogryns are the heavy muscle of the group. They are tank characters that have a lot of HP and roam around with a strong shotgun. Ogryns are meant to go into the action and soak up all the damage for their team.
Unsurprisingly, they excel in melee combat as well if you don’t want to use their shotgun. Since they can take tons of damage before having to heal up or retreat, they are ideal against hordes. Thanks to one of the passives – Loyal Protector – you can revive allies even if you are taking damage from the enemy.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by the enemy, you can use your Bull Rush ability to charge at them and knock them back. This also gives you 25% more attack and movement speed which is quite useful. If you can get your hands on a shield, you won’t let any enemy reach your squishy allies.
Finally, they also grant their allies a 10% bonus damage to heavy melee attacks. This is quite useful since your allies can fight off enemies that get too close for comfort.
| Starting Loadout | Tactical Ability | Passives | Class Ability | Coherency Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| “Brunt Special” Mk I Bully Club: versatile, strikedown | Big Box of Hurt: Throw an entire box of grenades at a target for some high damage. | Excessive Force: A 25% buff to melee stagger makes it easier to disorientate enemies. | Bull Rush: Charge at enemies to knock them back, giving you 25% more attack and movement speed for 5 seconds. | Allies get a 10% bonus to heavy melee attack damage. |
| Lorenz Mk V Kickback: spreadshot, close combat | – | Loyal Protector: Taking damage while assisting or reviving allies won’t interrupt you. | – | – |
| – | – | Thick Skin: Your natural armor reduces toughness and health damage by 20%. | – | – |
Conclusion
There you have it, that about does it for the Warhammer 40K Darktide classes guide. Hopefully, this guide assisted you in choosing an optimal class for yourself and enjoying the game. Make sure that you try out all the characters and see which one suits your playstyle the most.
Which class are you currently playing as? Is there a class that you like but have trouble playing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
