You make a fair point, but I think we need to remember that this is an FPS, not an … MMORPG isn’t descriptive enough. An auto-combat system which is more reliant on the various abilities you use rather than the “martial prowess” of managing your defense and swinging the sword yourself. That part of WoW really bored me. Heroics were actually artificial in that sense because at the start, they didn’t change the mechanics too much. And even then, you were still doing the same thing, it just required higher gear score. The damage was still received and healed the same way. The rotations were still the same, the dancing across the floor to avoid mechanics was still the same.
Darktide, while in principle does follow that method, the application of it is entirely different. rather than watching a list of buttons on a screen and hitting them in the correct sequence and making sure you’re not standing on glowy floor stuff, you have to have spatial awareness 360 degrees, be aware of verticality, and make sure you’re aiming at the right spots under pressure, and also keep an eye on your teammates.
I mean, this feels different to me. The combat is far more enjoyable, it feels far more immersive.
Did you ever play Mythic Dungeons in World of Warcraft?
Because the entire idea of Havoc and the modifiers is literally ripped straight from WoW, but made worse because Havoc is so shallow and barebones in comparison to WoWs mythics.
Yes I did, and if I recall, you had a time-limit to do them as well which was even more of a gear check because you had to do enough damage with your gear which augmented the effectiveness of your rotation.
So what if it is ripped straight from WoW? Obviously, something else is going on if I hated mythics in WoW, but enjoy the parallel in Darktide.
Do you think you could provide some examples of what genuine difficulty increase is versus artificial difficulty? Also, one other thing, I am confused about the difference between Hi Intensity Shock Troop Gauntlet Auric Difficulty IV (Was it Heresy? I never remembered their names, just the numbers) and Hi Int Shock Troop V? Isn’t the nature of auric to mean increased enemies? So, do you play the level IV or the level V? Because I am confused why you would pick the one that’s more artificially difficult than the other. Or, for that matter, why you would play auric at all?
I do think a Chaos Wastes-style mode would have been better overall instead of this, along with Twitch mode for the funnee special and elite spam and random punishments.
I think you might have confused me with another person here?
I’ve never mentioned artificial difficulty.
My concern with Havoc is that it shifts Darktide from a simple and fun, “plug-and-play” experience to more of an MMORPG mindset, requiring prep-specific loadouts and team tactics to counter modifiers, which kills build diversity and roleplay.
The chaos of Darktide is what initially drew me in.
When the director surprises you and puts you in a difficult situation.
Havoc is the polar opposite, in which you walk in with the proper loadouts and slog through with meta gaming, losing what makes Darktide so enjoyable: the chaos.
I am not sure if you are talking about me here.
I’ve been a Auric Maelstrom enjoyer for a long time, which means I exclusively play it, and AM is precisely what Darktide should be: chaotic AI director, your own team is a modifier in and of itself owing to varying skill levels, and individuals queuing in without optimum loadouts.
That is what makes Darktide enjoyable!
Havoc isn’t on the same level of fun since it’s all about class and loadout stacking, which is exactly what MMORPG raiding is about, and my review after hitting rank 40 yesterday : it’s not difficult, it’s just boring as hell.
Havoc required far more development time before its release (or rather not release it at all), but having fun with the bois makes even a mundane game mode like Havoc enjoyable.
Good for you, congrats! We actually wrote each other a bit yesterday in the Discord trying to get a game going. I ended up hosting from 16 - 25 instead
I think the fact that I have nothing else to play right now, and am absolutely desperate for some new Darktide content, yet I haven’t any desire to actually play havoc says it all.
I refuse to beg and whine for a perfect team on a Discord, I’ve made it to 25 using only the actual RANDOM factor of queuing using ingame party finder and pugs.
Its absolutely VILE trying to raise your own Assignment rank with pugs. So I guess the new Darktide content isn’t for me?
Aye, the fact rank only raises for the chappie who hits the play button is straight-up stank-jank busted. A real stinky blinker that is. More ASS than an Auric Storm Survivor.
I’d call Havoc a dumpster fire, but it’s more like a dumpster fire that’s rolling down a hill towards the combination Kerosene Museum and Orphanage for Flammable Youths, that’s housed in a historical building so old they had to exempt it from the last century of fire codes.
But most of those things fail the fun test which was the main reason this (and weaves the first time) suck. Its just a puzzle you figure out one time, there’s nothing to really come back and replay. Trying to do this hyper rigid setup without other people informed of it is almost futile. There really isn’t any sense of triumph, just a stupidly long list. I guess we can be thankful that the grind is only 1/4 what weaves were for when we all never return to this.
This ultimately is why all of this time should have been spent on an actual new mode. The ‘end game’ mantra applied to this series just goes ahead and wrings the already bad balance through a hyper fine filter and then also stops making the gameplay dynamic. Because replaying the exact. same. scenario. Is why I play 'tide games man! Please turn off the AI director and just make structured missions. Instead you should make ‘more game’. After about 2 years I’m really starting to fall under the spell of those people asking where the kark damned content is. Or do we need to wait for the Switch port? Make more Darktide. Not weaves.
And I’ll say it again, 2.3333 maps instead of the expected 6 over the last 3 major updates, with the last 1 being half of an existing map to boot.
WTB: New maps, new weapons (including old useless ones being made new) and sensible balancing tweaks in the current context.
Balancing centered around the current state game, not some future tweaks to say, oh IDK, gunners, that invalidate any such balancing tweaks (nerfs).
Important note: new Warhammer weapons. Not more shovels, hammers, cicles, wrenches, clubs, machetes, generic space firearms, actual Warhammer weapons: Hellguns, Meltaguns, Longlas, Needlers, Autocannons, Bolt weapon variants, power and force weapons, Psykers Staves, Inferno Pistols, the list goes on…
Many of you here missed the point utterly.
What they made is a mode that invalidates even MORE weapons and talents.
One more time THEY USED DEV TIME to INVALIDATE even more weapons and talents
I could spam this several times over but I hope it sticks finally.
NOBODY is going to seriously take thunder hammer or heavy sword or god forbid axes - with their pointless brutal momentum cuz bloat.
Fatshark used time and money, to give you less than you had.
Think about it
Now, IF they add a patch that puts ALL weapons on DS/Plasma level.
= all non havoc modes become utterly pointless when it comes to challenge
Then Havoc has “some” meaning as powercreep does its thing.
(along with 99% gunner resistance charm, thx I dont play DT to have 4/10 FPS experience, I play for the MELEE)
Either way you slice it, its wasted time for MAJORITY of the acitve player base (aka people who dont autism on forum like us).
Do you think people dont change their loadouts for lights out? Pox gas? No ammo? Monstrosities? Everyone has loadouts to counter different modifiers. I’ll grant that it was more easily ignored in AM. But, havoc is described as being a harder difficulty. Therefore, one should conclude that if a difficulty is higher, the ability to ignore loadouts that counter the modifiers to ensure success is expected.
Going out in a limb here to say that fatshark will likely add in more variance of equally troubling difficulty in the months to come.
