Duelling sword is wrong on veteran and zealot… I agree, but… too late. I would have understood shovel, but duelling sword.
And I said why I think it should not be nerfed.
I disagree.
It is clearly balanced if you consider the meta like revolver. Clearly perfectly balanced.
Ha! Fatshark’s philosophy for balance right here.
Look I’ll admit up front I haven’t tried DS on Zealot or Vet yet but my feelings looking at it on paper echo yours. Scrier’s + DD is already pretty amazing steroids for it, now you can chuck attack speed and possibly cleave on there as well.
Honestly already thought Mk IV in particular was OP on Psyker so I’m also struggling to see how Vet or Zealot are pushing it THAT much further over the edge. Neither need the mobility for survival as much as Psyker so I’m kinda looking at it like yeah that’ll be fun to run for variety, especially on Vet who doesn’t have as many good melee crusher killers as Zealot and does benefit more from the mobility.
Don’t get me wrong I’m sure it’s a very strong choice overall but if there are this many people who have an issue with it now I’m surprised there weren’t more calling it silly back when it was Psyker exclusive. Like it is pretty JUICED on Psyker already.
This is often linked to the moment where people see all their “kills” “stolen”. It is less fun to see someone killing something just before you would (and it can lead to die fast cause of your teammate as you will never refresh toughness).
That’s why metas should be nerfed to be just an other choice and not a meta. Meta means too strong that means… OP.
So, when these guys are the ones that take the lead in term of damages and kill everything, all is fine. Once something can compete… this is too strong.
I repeat, in the actual balance duelling sword are perfectly balanced.
I always think it’s pretty OP even on Psyker too, but it’s not that prominent since Psyker get punish way harder if they mess up in melee so they tend to avoid fighting in close combat and would rather do their warp stuff most of the time.
In my experience, I hardly ever see Psyker player that’s competent with their melee weapon in my match.
With its introduction to Vet and Zealot which feel a lot more comfortable fighting in melee it quickly become more apparent how strong it is.
Yeah, but even on psyker it wasn’t the best for a melee build. Both Illisi and Knife was a better choice. It’s hands down the best weapon for a staff build for the combination of high mobility and elite stabbery, but on a melee build? Nah.
I feel the same for Vet and Zealot, it’s very strong, but I don’t feel it dethrones choices that are already very strong. Knife, Evis, PS, Crusher… Even Caxe has merit over it that makes it an alternative.
Outside of subpar horde clear it’s pretty much the best at everything, if that doesn’t make it one of the best weapon then I don’t know what will.
My question about Caxe is… is Achlys enough good to be a serious competitor to Rashad/Antax?
Sadly, I think no. Not cause the weapon is weaker, you can record massive amount of damages with it, but just cause you need a lot more efforts to do the same. This is really satisfying and impressive to use an achlys… but you feel that you would do the same with the others CA and with a lot less efforts.
I tend to think that, for Achlys, it misses a little “more” cleave (in fact, it doesn’t cleave, and that’s why I would not recommend using it without BM).
But, I would like to precise that using this weapon is still very satisfying. But sadly, I would still recommend antax/rashad if you want to go for efficiently.
I know 1 or 2 weapons that you just need to aim and boum… thing is dead. Not even needed to go close to the target and pay attention to not get hit by the AOE of the crusher’s weapon.
Are you talking about Execstance/MF Zarona revolver Vet again…? You seem to have some personal grudge again such a niche build for some reason.
You seem to have a personal grudge to a niche called shroudfield and duelling sword with thrust + perks +25% carapace and +25% unyielding…
What is more niche? revolver with 2 blessings that everybody use, or a weapon with one blessing that few use + 1 ability + 2 specific perks?
If the first is a niche that should not be nerfed, then the second should not be nerfed also. But if they change the current balance (so nerfing all metas) then yes, they could then nerf duelling sword.
At worse, as I said, instead of nerfing the weapon, they should nerf the culprit… shroudfield.
Well, I’ve seen plenty of Duelling Sword Zealot more than Execstance/MF Vet in my whole 1000+ hours in this game and the non-Psyker Duelling Sword only became a thing last month.
Literally the only user of that build I’ve seen is myself, on Asia Server anyway, and I don’t even like it that much.
Also both Duelling Sword and Zarona is plenty strong enough anyway without having to build around it, these build only exist just because ‘haha Crusher go poof’
I see every days revolvers… They are not all using exec stances, true.
You see,. every days, duelling swords… but they are all not with shroudfield and a duelling sword with thrust + 2 specific perks that can one shot everything. In fact, I think it is rare, cause this is niche.
This is strong. I agree on this. But not really stronger than what we have for more than 6 months and that are not nerfed.
Just don’t use what you consider to be OP when you play with your boys. It’s not like Darktide is a strict PvP game where balance is everything; your experience is entirely in your hands, especially when playing with friends. I understand that not everyone is into the power fantasy, but some of us play these games to feel powerful. If you want to feel like a regular guardsman whose average survival time is 15 minutes, that’s perfectly fine—there are plenty of ways to build for that. What I don’t get is why people feel the need to control how others enjoy the game. Ultimately, balance is for the devs to decide, and if they leave certain mechanics in place, maybe it’s because they want to give players the choice to enjoy the game in different ways.
Wow, weirdos 
Imagine, you want to roleplay a normal guard. But, all your teammates play with “metas”, so your team is full of space marines.
Then the game starts. Then you try to kill something. At first you want to kill this bulwark… but when you begin the fight, someone come and kill it in 2s.
Ok, you follow the group. You see a trapper, aim at it… no luck someone has killed it with its revolver. You see a dreg gunner, you start to aim, pfff… vanished by a plasma beam. You see a mutant, prepare yourself to dodge it… but mutant die at your feet killed by someone else.
Then you start to be desperate… something hurt you… not a big deal, you just need to kill these groaners that… were coming cause the zealot is killing all of them.
Then you realize that you are totally useless and cannot kill anything…
That’s what happen when you don’t balance things.
I get that it can be frustrating when it feels like you can’t engage as much, but honestly, that sounds more like a ‘you’ problem than a balance issue. You’re playing a cooperative game, not a solo experience. Darktide is about the team surviving and succeeding, not necessarily every individual getting their perfect moment of glory. If you want to roleplay as a normal guard, that’s fine, but it’s kind of selfish to expect others to tone down their fun just to fit your narrative.
The truth is, not everyone wants to struggle or feel like a mere cog in the machine. Some people enjoy the thrill of playing power fantasy builds, and that’s just as valid as your desire for a more grounded experience. If you find yourself feeling useless, maybe it’s worth considering how you’re contributing to the team in ways other than getting kills—like crowd control, objectives, or supporting your squad.
The beauty of Darktide is in its flexibility. You can adjust your playstyle, difficulty, or even group to find the experience that fits you best. But calling for universal nerfs because you feel outclassed? That’s imposing your personal preference on everyone else, and that’s where it gets selfish.
A gentle reminder that there are effectively six difficulty levels. It’s completely unreasonable to ask for every single one of them to fulfil a power fantasy. Now that is selfish. Surely ~15% of the game can not be tailored to your desires and fulfil others’ needs from the game?
What people are asking for here is really just for the very top of those 6 difficulty levels to feel like a genuine struggle. Surely the other 5 difficulty levels can scratch the power fantasy itch and one can be reserved for people who want to feel like they’re up against the odds.
So either Auric Damnation needs to be hella buffed, or some things in the game that are unreasonably strong need to be toned down.
Personally I think there are pretty obvious design and hardware limitations around pushing the difficulty up, and at some point cutting back on player power somewhat is a necessary step.
Honestly the stuff that ought to be nerfed you wouldn’t even notice below damnation, and nobody wants to turn weapons into nerf guns regardless.
I also think your apparent assumption that everyone just wants to win missions however much they get to actually interact with them is projecting your own preference onto the whole community. Plenty of people enjoy scraping by by a hair, or even outright losing at times.
It seems like the issue here is being framed as if there’s only one right way to enjoy the game at higher difficulties, but that’s missing the point. The game’s strength comes from offering a variety of experiences within each difficulty level. To suggest that the top difficulty should exclusively cater to those who want to struggle isn’t fair to everyone else who enjoys playing at higher levels for different reasons—whether it’s because they enjoy a challenge while still feeling powerful, or because they’ve earned that power through progression and skill.
The beauty of Darktide is in the freedom it gives players to choose their playstyle. If you want to experience a ‘barely scraping by’ vibe, you can adjust your build or even coordinate with teammates to scale back. It’s not about locking out players who enjoy feeling more powerful or relying on their builds. Expecting the top difficulty to be reserved only for those who want a struggle is just as selfish as asking for the entire game to cater to power fantasies.
And let’s be honest—there’s a difference between a real challenge and making players feel neutered. Buffing Auric Damnation or nerfing ‘unreasonably strong’ elements might just tip the balance too far and make it more frustrating than fun. For many, higher difficulties are still enjoyable because of the tactical advantage you can gain from mastering certain builds. Taking that away would cut into a big part of the game’s appeal for those players.
In the end, it’s about balance—offering different playstyles without forcing a single experience across the board. There’s room for everyone, and the solution isn’t to nerf or drastically change the game for one group’s preference.
That’s a whole lot of words just to say “yes, I do expect every single difficulty level to cater to what I specifically like”.
You’re expecting people who want to challenge themselves to jump through excessive hoops that you don’t expect the power fantasy gamers to jump through to get what they want, so this attempt at justification is pretty paper thin.
So if I want to enjoy a power fantasy I need to:
If I want to struggle and feel up against the odds I need to:
If you can’t give up one out of 6 difficulties for some of the most dedicated players looking to challenge themselves a bit it’s abundantly clear who the selfish one is.
It seems like you’ve misunderstood my point. I’m not saying that every difficulty level should cater to one specific preference. My argument is that both sides—those who enjoy power fantasies and those who seek a challenge—should have experiences that align with their preferences without one group dominating the entire spectrum of difficulty.
You mention that power fantasy players have it easy because they can log in, pick a loadout, and feel powerful. But that’s part of the design of games like Darktide. Progression and power are core elements that make players feel rewarded. If every difficulty level was designed to be a constant grind, it would alienate a large portion of the player base who play to enjoy that progression. You’re essentially asking for your preference to become the default, and that’s where the issue lies.
On the other hand, you’re arguing that struggle players need to jump through hoops—intentionally using weaker builds or relying on Discord groups to create a challenge. But here’s the key problem: you’re asking for the hardest difficulties to become exclusive to your niche preference. You’re framing this as a ‘hardcore’ player issue, suggesting that people who enjoy the power fantasy are somehow less dedicated. That’s unfair. Everyone plays for different reasons, and we shouldn’t impose one group’s vision of the game on others.
Your complaint about random teammates not fitting into your ideal scenario highlights this further. In a cooperative game, diverse team compositions are part of the experience. Expecting everyone to conform to a limited playstyle, just for your challenge, isn’t practical or fair. It puts an unnecessary burden on the team and reduces the flexibility that makes these games fun for different kinds of players.
The idea of giving up one out of six difficulty levels for those seeking a challenge seems reasonable on the surface. But what you’re really asking for is a difficulty mode that forces others to play in a way that suits your taste. You’re suggesting that your way of playing is somehow more ‘dedicated,’ but that’s a mischaracterization. It’s about finding balance—catering to both groups without sacrificing one for the other.
Now, there’s a better way to handle this, one that would give everyone what they want without imposing one style over the entire game. Consider something like Halo’s Skull system. In Halo, players can activate modifiers, or ‘Skulls,’ to make the game more challenging, creating extreme difficulty runs like LASO (Legendary All Skulls On). This system lets players customize their experience, making it as challenging as they want, without impacting others who play differently.
If Darktide introduced a system like this—allowing players to choose difficulty, maps, and modifiers—you could create the ultimate challenge for yourself while still allowing power fantasy players to enjoy their builds. It’s the fairest solution because it doesn’t impose a single playstyle on the entire community. Instead, it empowers everyone to play the game in the way they find most enjoyable.