If the prospect of the new Unlocked and Loaded expansion for Warhammer 40k: Darktide had you excited, you’ll be delighted to hear the free update has dropped a day early. Originally planned for Thursday September 26, 2024, developer Fatshark’s latest update reinvents one major aspect of the gnarly FPS.
The multiplayer Warhammer game took the series in a new direction in 2022, offering co-op play with a horror twist. While it didn’t get off to the best start in life, subsequent Darktide updates have gradually healed its reputation, with recent Steam reviews getting a ‘Mostly Positive’ rating.
The FPS game‘s new itemization overhaul “reinvents weapon progression” with two new systems: Mastery and Power. Essentially, you can either gain valuable experience by staying loyal to one weapon, earning rewards like blessings, weapon marks, and extra perks. Or, you can improve your overall weapon stats by spending resources at the Shrine of the Omnissiah and making good guns great.
Beyond that, there’s also a new mission called Rolling Steel with a “high-octane adrenaline scenario” where you have to recover a hijacked train from a band of cultists. The operation aims to bring a “more cinematic” feel to the gameplay.
The standout feature for me is the new Party Finder tool. Obviously, a co-op game is meant to be enjoyed with others, and now, you can locate suitable comrades via four criteria: game mode, difficulty, language, and certain tags. You’d hope this helps when it comes to finding decent, dependable partners.
Darktide is also hosting a limited-time special event between September 26 to October 10 where you’ll have to retrieve grimoires and scriptures from the infected Moebian 21st Regiment for special rewards.
The base version of Darktide is available over on Steam for $39.99 / £32.99, and the Unlocked and Loaded update is free.
For more from the Warhammer world, check out our list of the best 40k games, or find other great co-op games to play with friends.
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