Darktide NEEDS more endgame content.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Gameplay Feedback
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This game is fantastic. It’s engaging, fun, and satisfying. The weapon mechanics, level design, and its visuals truly make it stand out from other titles. Though, something appears to be missing.

Darktide had a rocky launch, and Fatshark had to spend a year repairing an incomplete and buggy product. But its current state is in great shape, with all bugs fixed, new RPG-lite mechanics added (talent tree), and adding new content like the “Face The Twins” mission.

But more work needs to be done to make this game replayable past level 30, besides just continuously completing the same missions with different modifiers.

Currently, the only thing there really is to do past level 30 is to complete Contracts and watch for the best gear rolls Melk has to offer. I love the Contract system, but there needs to be more content besides Contracts or leveling new characters.

Here are some ideas I have for more endgame content:

-Experience points could go to a “Mastery” system past level 30, in which players can spend points in a shop or display mastery levels for prestige.

-Maybe adding 1 or 2 very difficult contract(s); most are quite easy.

-Dare I say it: adding a “Battle Pass” system would definitely add replayability (I know, I know).

-Add another vendor like Melk but have them offer challenges of greater difficulty for greater rewards (compared to Melk’s contracts).

-More collectibles in missions to find or make Scriptures and Grimoires more valuable, as no one cares about these past level 30 except for contracts.

-The ability/chance to get some truly legendary upgrades/weapons at the Techpriest upgrade station through some type of system, like deconstructing enough weapons to earn a “super” blessing or something.

-By the Emperor fix the Commissary! All of the weapon skins in there (really its only 2 skins per weapon, wtf) are terrible, and there are only a handful of armor skins that look any good.

-Maybe high enough plasteel could be used to “supercharge” a weapon or something at the Techpriest station.

-Auric levels could be made more dynamic and challenging instead of just adding special conditions.

-There really is no incentive to do Penance Challenges, and most are earned automatically anyway by playing the game. Add some truly interesting ones or make the rewards more … rewardy.

All of these inclusions I’ve mentioned would be fairly easy to implement I would think, and wouldn’t require a massive overhaul of previously existing game systems or mechanics. (Or maybe not, idk, I’m not a game developer).

I’m not saying turn this game into an MMO, but adding more endgame content would make the game feel rewarding and replayable. Right now all there really is to do is just keep trying out new gear builds until my eyes bleed.

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These aren’t the main issues plaguing the replayability of the game and the game doesn’t really need most of these changes in my opinion because Fatshark would be very good at messing up when implementing these kinds of suggestions.

I do agree that we should get weapon Overcharges via a Red (above Gold) Tier for our weapons - but we need to have either lowered Plasteel prices or higher overall Plasteel rewarded per mission first.

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What is the point in changing how much plasteel we get, if the crafting system has to be changed anyway (resulting in different ressource requirements to get somewhere)?

That said, i do think that a good crafting system with actual deterministic progression, is the way to go for endgame and replayability for Darktide.

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Because the current implementation of Diamantine and Plasteel as being the Crafting resources is fine, but either way Plasteel NEEDS to be more abundant. I could go and blow my entire current reserve Plasteel on, like, 6 new weapons and that issue’s only going to get worse if new weapons get added this year.

Edit: The game discourages having lots of your weapons upgraded, unless you wanna be a shut-in and spend all of your time playing the one game, which will cause the issues that the OP highlighted about the game losing replay value. I can’t be a shut-in who plays Darktide non-stop because (as you most likely do as well) I have responsibilities, and I use this game as a form of basic escapism, it’s not my everything. There’s also just not enough content to keep me satisfied for that long yet.

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And that would automatically change, if we could use diamantine to upgrade modifiers, remove locks and learn blessings.

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The locks must be broken.

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Thats up to Hadron, Mother of Servoskulls, breaker of locks

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I strive for my wargear’s perfection, so if Hadron can’t give us that…

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Are those little yellow canisters filled with copium?

Let‘s hope there is enough supply to sustain you (and all the others) until FS finally cave in and make crafting good.

I am sure it will happen any day now. :smiling_face_with_tear:

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Here, have my second can of copium, brother :canned_food:

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Breaking the locks aside…

The biggest thing the game needs to drive retention IMHO is a seasons based set of penances that rewards new cosmetics and other items. If every quarter (three months) each class had a new set of 20 penances to grind and these gave you fun and reasonable rewards, it would do a lot to draw people in. If each season was tied to maybe a new set of modifiers in missions (secondary objectives, new mutators, etc) it would help keep both the gameplay fresh and give players something to work towards.

At the moment, having done the majority of penances, leveled up every character, etc the only thing left to do is grind for incremental improvements to my gear. I’d much rather not do that (break the locks!) and have more flexibility to experiment with builds more easily… and then if there were more penance rewards on top that would be awesome.

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All those suggestions sound good.

I would also add more enemy types, different game modes, and different enemy skins. End game desperately needs variety

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I’d like more enemy variety as well. For example, Dreg Maulers, Dreg Bombers, Tox Ogryns, etc.

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I’m not too familiar with 40k lore, but evil Psykers, flying creatures, aliens, etc would be dope!

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I’d particularly love to see some Rogue Psykers as enemies, too! Rogue Psykers make perfect sense because they’re… well, they’re Chaos Psykers.

I’m not sure about Xenos being added to this game because they’re hard to fit into the game’s theme whilst also being lore-accurate - the best way to implement Xenos into this game would probably be via a Genestealer Cult.

If you have any specific questions about 40K’s lore, I’d be happy to help!

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Idk if you are familiar with Payh of Exile but they have these things called “rogue exiles” that are basically character builds that you randomly fight while just playing the game.

It’s be so fun if they had 4-5 random “evil Psykers” per map that used our builds! Hell, I guess you could do all classes even

Edit: they could even tie in into lore by saying they are the “defeated characters from previous missions failed” and nurgle brought them back to life or something

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I am familiar with Path of Exile, but that idea’s never crossed my mind! That’s certainly an interesting proposal!

Edit: On the other hand, I’d also love to be able to mimick enemy Elites/Specialists in return! Hellgun Loyalist Gunner gang :wink:

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I’m all for that! The biggest problem with this game are long term achievements that you can pursue that do NOT have big everlasting gaps (like the “play X missions” penances) and also provide a real reward… these frames and flags are all well and good… but honestly it doesn’t really feel like a reward but a fob-off. Events, challenges, seasonal content of any kind, new maps and bosses would be needed for this… Is that realistic: I think so - is it likely: I think not. The gap between the real money store and in-game rewards is just too big, but that probably won’t change as long as it works.

I think my last few hours of “playing” this game were spent experimenting with “For the Drip” and moving around every other inactivity message. Well…

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They need to go.

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Sounds like the seasonal pass but worse because you would have play penances instead or the game. With the time restriction on top of that. I just don’t like doing homeworks in games or being forced to play certain way.
Saying that I think the game would deserve to have more in game cosmetics. It’s payed game after all. But I don’t think it should be in form of seasonal content. The last thing Darktide needs is more of a temporary content that will come and go.

For me end-game content is mostly about playing and mastering different characters and weapons. To put it simply enjoying the gameplay. And what the game needs the most is the variety. More maps / missions, more weapons, more viable builds to play around with and new / improved enemies.