I think the game would be better if all melee weapons had some rending on a heavy weakspot hit.
This would make more weapons viable and fun in higher difficulties without being too op imho.
I mean sure you could give every class access to rending but in current state of the game it would just be a mandatory pick for everyone so why not just put it on all melee weapons and call it a day.
The funny thing is: all melee weapons already received a Rending buff. Additionally there is the critical strike Rending bonus. So when stop this? When all weapons have inert 100% Rending?
I rather they nerf the outliers. But that horse is dead
I wouldn’t go as far as adding it to just any heavy attack - but I would definitely say ALL melee weapons must have at least some amount of anti-armor capabilities readily available to them. The difference must lie in how easily you can utilize it. And not Rending too, it’s way to powerful. Applying Brittleness should be enough, and even that isn’t necessary, just giving you anti-armor effect on a single hit is already good.
I’m talking about the approach that Shovels use (with alt fire switching them into anti-armor mode). Or it could be something like in case of Psyker’s MkVIII Force Greatsword, where there is a hidden attack availiable after doing push attack and isn’t accessible by any other means. The general idea is that if it isn’t a dedicated anti-armor weapon like Chain Axe, it needs to be both cumbersome to use and not as powerful as the former has. So that you could kill an occasional crusher sure, but not a pack of them
Oh, that’s 100% much better solution. And then get rid of armored elites spam, and we are good.
it’s not really hidden it’s just push attack, and on MKVI it’s just Heavy 2 attack
its push attack heavy push attack light is another unique unlisted move 
I think unlisted attacks would qualify as arcane tech of our forebears.
and heavy attacks do all pierce armor (except the rumbler or kickback special maybe I haven’t use those in forever). I think they just don’t do enough, especially things like heavy sword. there’s also a lot of light strikedown hits in the game that don’t hurt armor, which is nonsensical with how combos are constructed. why have a 4 hit strikedown combo on cadia 4 chainsword if 3 of those biff armor unless they crit…
if we’re talking about heavy attacks gaining rending, I do think there should be a built in thrust counter on all weapons…that controls armor ADM only. So you could stale heavies while fighting a bunch of slow fatties and improve armor penetration.
Another possibility would be for some attacks to apply Brittleness. For example, the Heavy sword’s special could apply some stacks, in addition to staggering crushers on weakspot hits. And it kinda makes sense, from a new player’s perspective. If you wail on armor enough times with strikedown attacks, it should eventually break through…
Debuffs such as Brittleness and Skullcrusher should also benefit from visual and/or audio feedback, especially on crushers. Right now the only way to know is to use mods.
The sad thing is all you are talking about already exists. Heavy swords armor buster is the special attack, queue it alternating with a heavy and you have a very solid anti-armor rota. The problem is we have some weapons which got armor effectiveness which is completely out of proportions and are comparing with that nonsense. Try comparing cat swords, axes, heavy swords and even chain weapons, stun batons, Thammers. You will always find a dedicated anti-armor attacks, relatively ease of use of specialized weapons and clunkier attacks on weapons with different focus.
Brittleness is stronger than rending as it is a debuff of which everything profits. Hence it should always be tied to blessings/skills and not be inherent weapon traits.
I think it’d be easier if we just removed all Carapace heads and replaced them for Flak, like what VT2 does
This would put the focus even more on weak spot hits, which would benefit the same weapons which already perform best. What about the back and an arm
actually head weak spot can help
FS will can finally remove rending blessing so problem with those weapons will be solve
DS and knife still be strong as weak spot finesse hitters but also other weapons will become viable
and with crushers most likely walk in blobs like in the pic head is most accessible weak spot to hit, but even then while they are moving and playing different animations in the same time it’s not that easy
I think it is logic, and would be interesting, from a tactical point of view.
And mybe do more weakspots to enemies, we still fight mostly humies, however deformed they are and humies fragile.
How do you think VT2 handles it tho? Non weakspot oriented weapons aren’t bad because we’re encourage to hit the head
It’s just that the finesse weapons aren’t as broken as they are here because they don’t come with free rending
All this would do is ensure that the weapons that currently can deal with carapace are even better at it than every other weapon. You just kick the can down the road, because then the complaint becomes “those weapons are so much better at killing crushers, I don’t even have time to do anything to them” instead of realising that your horde killer build is just good at killing hordes.
I have no idea what happens in VT2, I never played it. But as I checked the skills in VT2 it seemed to be a far more rigid system not allowing every char to play every weapon. Resulting in a far more easily balanced game: give one char the overpowered sword but void him of survivabilty.
I mean that’s not really what happens in VT2, all classes from the same hero (except some specific exceptions) can use all weapons of said hero
The thing is that the weapons are fine, it’s the classes that makes each weapon stronger
In the case of Kerillian (elf), there are some great examples
Waystalker (ranged career) benefits more from melees with versatile coverage, as she is a ranged class, so her build will most likely be ranged weapon related. Most likely going to use Sword and Dagger (good stamina, good horde clear, access to a good Heavy attack after push attacks)
Shade is essentially Shroudfield Zealot, so she wants to have a melee that can maximize damage the quickest, that being Dual Daggers (H1 and H2 are heavy stab attacks)
Handmaiden is more of an anchor/dodge tank, so she benefits most from poke and/or defense, most popular pick being Spear and Shield
If we took the weapons on a void, Sword and Dagger is essentially the best melee Keri has, but the different classes make other options superior choices
It’s the classes that make the melees good, not the the other way around, and I think his is the way it should be done in Darktide too
The simple solution to your dilemma is nerfing DS for example, but giving Zealot more weakspot damage (this doesn’t need to be done 1:1 but you get what I’m trying to say, make the classes catter to melees instead of melees being awesome on their own and classes making them broken)
And for all non outlier weapons this is the case:
The second you bring the outliers into the equation all this disappears.
