Hi, I’ve played lots of Darktide (719.4 hours on steam at time of writing) and also currently sick (not The DiseaseTM, thankfully) and I wanted to write a guide because I’m bored and also feel like grumping.
I notice a lot, even in Auric Maelstroms, that whenever a “job” doesn’t get done, the whole team suffers. A lot. Even one major task being ignored can snowball into a wipe. This is a short write-up intended to dissect what a job is and how to do it.
So what is a job?
The main jobs I can think of are boiled down into:
- Killing specialists
- Ranged elite management
- Anti-armor
- Crowd control
- Cleanup of straggling trash mobs
Sorted in order of importance, from most to least important. If all five of these are done well, the team should have no issues whatsoever. A “job” is not salvaging a situation, e.g. picking up a downed player, it’s general stuff you should always be doing.
You may notice that there are five jobs on the list, but only four players in each mission. Thus, you can’t dedicate yourself to one task especially; you’ll have to adapt. Thankfully, crowd control and trash mob cleanup are things that everyone can do.
What your team ABSOLUTELY NEEDS are ways to quickly and efficiently deal with specialists, ranged elites, and armor. A player with powerful crowd control can make life easier for those focusing on the other three tasks, but is not mandatory to succeed. Trash cleanup is just nice because it’s never fun to be snuck up on by a single poxwalker and stabbed while you’re in the middle of Executioner’s Stance - it prevents nasty surprises.
So how do I do them?
Excellent question! Here are five whole subsections for you. I’ll give the reason why and then some examples - note that these lists aren’t exhaustive. Experiment for yourself and see what works and doesn’t work.
Killing Specialists
- Why: Specialists can ruin EVERYTHING if they are allowed to run rampant. Bombers can make the arena unliveable, trappers and hounds can remove a player from action, mutants cause chaos. Kill these ASAP.
- Mk2 Revolver: The ADS revolver is a perfect tool for this sort of thing, especially on Zealot. Quick to pull out, ADS, and fire a shot into the skull for high damage and a potential instant kill.
- Throwing Knives: Another Zealot tool - if you run these, don’t run the revolver at the same time. Get good with them and you can chuck one in the middle of horde clearing and it feels satisfying.
- Brain Rupture: Instant lockon, goes through walls, and high damage. You will be defenseless for the duration of the charge, but it’s a guaranteed kill on non-mutant specials (most of the time; sometimes hounds or bursters don’t behave).
- Big Friendly Rock: Like throwing knives, but takes more commitment and is also objectively hilarious. However, you do give up the almighty Frag Bomb for this, so consider your options wisely.
- Voice of Command: Specifically with the Duty and Honour addon, gold toughness completely nullifies damage from Snipers, Hounds, Poxbursters, and Mutants. A great panic button.
- Chorus of Spiritual Fortitude: Suppresses specialists in range (snipers from afar will still aim and shoot) and can potentially interrupt Mutants and Hounds, though inconsistent. Also grants gold toughness.
- Trauma Staff: Called “voidblast” staff now, but I’m calling it by the name it used to go by so we don’t get confused. Big AoE may not necessarily kill but will knock them down for an easy followup kill.
- Melee Weapons: Vs. Mutants specifically. Did you know they take triple the melee damage? A folding shovel with a stack of Thrust 4 can oneshot a mutant if you get a headshot. A dueling sword with Precognition active can also oneshot a mutant with a headshot. Toro! (It is not recommended to get into a melee fight with Trappers unless you want to look stupid.)
Ranged Elite Management
- Why: Gunfire suppresses your character and makes it so that they can’t aim. It also stuns you and makes it so that you can’t move. It also shreds toughness and makes it so that you die painfully. If gunners are allowed to live too long, you will die.
- Why (cont.): You may notice that this doesn’t say “killing” outright. This is because while Specialists will stay active threats when interrupted and are relatively easy to kill, ranged elites will stay passive for much longer if they get interrupted, and are much tankier. Death is still the best status effect, but if not readily available, store-bought methods are fine.
- Chorus of Spiritual Fortitude (again): This is gonna show up for everything. There’s a reason it costs two points. Any ranged enemy in line of sight of the Zealot holding up the cool rock they found will be instantaneously suppressed and stay suppressed for the entire duration of the active ability, and then some. Great for overwhelming firepower that can’t easily be dealt with.
- Voidstrike/Trauma/Surge Staves: The one trait they all have in common is that their primary fire (the normal balls) have a LOT of suppression. Firing a half-dozen or so in the direction of a bunch of gunners can cause them to scatter.
- Voidstrike Staff: Deserves special mention for its secondary fire balls NOT causing suppression but dealing insane damage while being unaffected by your own suppression.
- Telekine Shield: Dome shield is great for long-term ranged elite management due to the lingering TDR but wall shield still works great as well. Blocking bullets for them but not you lets you fight with impunity.
- Infantry Autoguns: Not as affected by suppression as other weapons, and also deal a respectable amount of it in their own right. A Veteran who can aim can easily take down a bunch of gunners solo.
- Frag Bomb: If they all happen to be bunched up in the same area, it can very convenient to just chuck one in their direction and remove them. Plus, it’s still objectively funny.
- Attention Seeker: A unique Ogryn talent when bringing the Slab Shield, it allows you to make ranged enemies exclusively target you if you block their bullets. Small ranged enemies will put their gun away and run into melee combat. Just don’t run out of stamina or you’re swiss cheese.
- Fury of the Faithful: Zealots count as dodging for the duration of the charge, but not anything after. It’s good for closing the distance on a bunch of gunners and then going to work - this is Zealot’s primary job in general, to get up close to ranged enemies and apply pressure.
- Smoke Grenades: Although mostly a meme, they really can come in handy when used properly. Worth considering when playing Archivum Sycorax due to the elevator holdout spawning enemies on the far side of the room.
- Executioner’s Stance: If you can aim, of course. Grants suppression immunity for the duration. Really, though, PLEASE be able to aim.
- Infiltrate + Low Profile: This gives you at least 10 seconds of free reign to terrorize ranged elites without them shooting back. A viable choice for those who can’t aim, or those who can but just don’t feel like it.
Anti-Armor
- Why: Armored elites meatshield for the horde and deal devastating damage up close. They will often force your team to back up, or if they cannot, crush you like bugs. “Armored elites” are defined as Crushers, Maulers, and Bulwarks.
- Bolter: The classical anti-armor weapon, the Bolter is a power weapon (“power weapon” defined as “a powerful but limited weapon”, think halo rocket launcher) that demands respect. Requires distance for bolts to explode, so use it sooner rather than later.
- Plasma Gun: Mouse1 spam. Nuff said.
- Krak Grenades: DO NOT use these on individual armor - save it for groups! You can kill 3 or more Crushers with a single Krak Grenade.
- Shredder Frags: Staggers and causes massive bleed, softening them up. Throw as many as you have when dealing with groups.
- Fury of the Faithful: Zealot is a privileged class. The first attack after activating FotF gains 100% rending and the attack speed buff makes normally slow weapons devastatingly fast.
- Chorus of Spiritual Fortitude: Zealot is a privileged class. Also staggers them, but not as much as other things. Still buys your team much-needed time. Gold toughness completely nullifies damage from Crusher and Mauler overheads.
- Stun Grenades: Like a version of Chorus that you can attack during, but doesn’t grant gold toughness.
- Dueling Sword: No, really, giving this weapon to Veteran and Zealot was a mistake. Bring the mk4 and watch packs of crushers cry.
- Chainaxes: Thrust and Bloodletter can kill a Crusher in one charged heavy attack.
- Flamers: You wouldn’t think it, but they ARE an effective anti-armor weapon, even without the brittle blessing! However, they do need time to build up stacks and leave you vulnerable.
- Trauma Staff: Knocks down damn near everything and does respectable damage/applies brittle, too.
- Voidstrike Staff: Less potential versus large groups of armor, but still high damage.
- Smite: I don’t like it, but it deserves a mention for being able to stun large groups of armor at a time. Just don’t grow reliant on it, it’s a bad habit.
- Voice of Command: You know why this is here. Stagger and gold toughness. Nuff said.
- Indomitable: Knocks all of them down, and Ogryn’s melee weapons do good armor damage. Worth considering.
- Loyal Protector: Makes them all focus you, and they’re easy to kite… or you can just plant slab shield if you’re a wuss.
- Attention Seeker: For the same reason as the above, but doesn’t require your whole active abilty to be useful. Pushes that don’t do anything still taunt.
- Frag Bomb: Will not remove them, unfortunately, but does knock down and deal heavy damage. A good panic button.
- Onslaught: Veteran talent that goes great with Columnus mk5 (or I guess VRAKS now, whatever). Slow vs groups.
Crowd Control
- Why: Although specials and elites are certainly dangerous, focusing on them exclusively will have you drown in the (dark)tide of trash mobs the game throws at you. They cannot be neglected and will tear you to pieces!
- Melee Weapons: This is the bog-standard way to deal with crowds that anyone can do. Some melee weapons are better than others; shoutout to Power Swords, Heavy Eviscerators, Every Ogryn Melee Weapon, and Illisi Force Swords for being the best of their class. However, with the right blessings, other weapons can do great CC too. Tactical Axes with Brutal Momentum are nasty.
- Voidstrike/Trauma/Purgatus Staves: Psyker has the best crowd control of any character in the game bar none when running these. Although Voidstrike is a more generalist tool, Trauma and Purgatus just melt hordes.
- Smite: Again, I don’t like it, but there is something worthwhile to be said about its massive CC potential. Also again, don’t rely on it.
- Assail: Good for Gunker or as a secondary tool for a staff. Works great on packs of Ragers and Shotgunners as well.
- Ogryn: It really doesn’t matter what build the Ogryn runs, he’s going to excel at CC with his Serious Presence and massive attacks. All three of his active abilities can completely shut down a horde of garbage like it’s nothing and he doesn’t even need them to work his magic. Frag Bomb is still handy in a pinch.
- Immolation Grenades: Or firebombs as I like to call them. Essentially marks an area where trash will walk in and die immediately for a good 15 or so seconds. It is recommended to throw this in a direction you can see a large group of enemies coming from, but would rather not fight in multiple directions.
- Stun Grenades: Zealot is a privileged class. Same deal with armor, trash just tends to be attracted to armor like maggots to Nurgle worshippers.
- Fury of the Faithful: Zealot is a privileged class. Attack speed bonus. Nuff said.
- Chorus of Spiritual Fortitude: Zealot is a privileged class. Suppresses ALL trash mobs, even those that can’t normally be suppressed, and for a while after the ability ends, too. Your team can easily put in the work for you while it’s active.
- Shredder Frags: The classical option for Veterans. Stacks of bleed may not kill outright but will heavily soften up the horde for cleanup.
- Flamers: Their intended use case. I see it as a waste of ammo most of the time, though.
Cleanup
- Why: It helps with attrition and nasty surprises. Not everyone is thorough with heretic purging, so it’s up to you to make it so. A shiv in the back when you’re on cripplingly low health can be disastrous.
- I don’t have any specific advice for this one. It’s just best practice that you can do with anything, really.
Guide over. Hope you learned something!