I haven’t played in a lot of events but recent ones have been a bit lackluster and honestly not that fun to play (Yes, lets have a swarm of 6 crushers run at us while 5 pox bombers ambush from behind in the swarm of pox walkers.) Throwing massive hoards at players is not fun a event makes. Yes, a event should feel special and unique to break up the monotony, as we wait for the new 7th class and the inevitable Ogryn talent tree rework and weapons re-balance (I hope,) but lets look back past events that were good and interesting (based on my opinion as a casual player who plays heretic and damnation.)
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Inferno- I loved this event. It was scabs only, flamers were everywhere, but whole maps were changed and lit ablaze with smoke and fire. I had so much fun with this event. Not only because it was scabs only but it changed how the maps felt. no lights, only the flames and candles placed around the map as flamers were wandering around burning buildings. maybe the lighting bothered some people and maybe you hate flamers, but that’s why you need curios with buffs against flamers or bombers. I would love to see this event come back with maybe a few extra props. maybe burning piles of scraps and bodies that hurt and broke up the routs players normally used.
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The Grandfather’s Gifts- I never got to play this one but it looks crazy. more tentacles then most Slaanesh miniature and enemies explode goop on death. It feels it’s going to encourage players to use more ranged weapons and learn to push and dodge enemies when fighting in melee to avoid getting exploded on. So long as there are no swarms of Pox Bombers in this event i would want to see this come back.
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Stolen Rations- Best event i got to play in. i know it was meant to lead into the release of the Hive Scum class but this event felt so organic with it’s unique mechanic. Rations are all over the maps and are possibly infected with the plague. So you choose either to save or destroy them to save the citizens (by either feeding them possibly tainted food or starving them.) Destroy enough rations and a hoard of angry stage one pox walkers rush at you. Save rations and a swarm of angry Ogryn come at you instead, and these hoards can change in a mission depending on your actions. Sure, you could choose NOT to pick up rations, but the goals it gave the community were gun, though maybe a reward system based on how many rations or save or destroy would work? otherwise players will have no interest in the event in the future.
These three events stand out to me as good and fun events. They can be hard but not so hard that you need a uber-meta build to win. But what about future events? We had Rumbling Giants, -a spin off of the Waking Giants event- and while the Waking Giants one was okay, Rumbling Giants was not enjoyable. Not only are you dealing with patrols of scabs and ogryns everywhere, but you also deal with hoards of ogryn crushers rushing you AND Pox Bomber swarms at once? that’s overkill. if this is what Havoc players have to deal with I’m shocked they are even sane people.
I rather have events that were balanced and changed the theme of the map and combat, but wasn’t just a ‘have a swarm of bullet sponges and exploding guys at the same time’. Even the Cartel’s Favour Event was at least interesting if vage of what the rules were. Seriously, a lot of random players I teamed up with didn’t understand the stims in the event was granting them 10% tox resistance that stacked the whole mission. The event encouraged players to dope up but no knew or didn’t care for the stims and ignored them and died in the event.
Here are a few ideas i had for possible future events.
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Morningstar Crisis- (this would be a whole new map as it’s onboard the Morningstar) There is word amongst the crew the Morningstar is breaking down. Parts of the ship are malfunctioning and the tech priests are struggling to maintain the issues and quell the machine spirits. Rumors spread it’s either the plague got on board some how, a gene stealer cult is rising, or a pressed gang going on strike and breaking ship parts. Shipmistress Brahms’s men failed to report back, so she’s twisted Rannick’s arm and is ordering rejects to volunteer. Investigate the troubled sectors of the Morningstar, deal with the problem and fix it, or she’ll make sure everyone goes down with the ship with her.
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Plague Storm- Wrymwood agents report the outer sectors of the hive city (areas where the desert are) are seeing unusual uptick in dreg followers and mutants. On top of this, a massive sand storm is sweeping the area with trace amounts the plague in them. While it’s unavoidable, there is safety from the storm. Interior areas, huts and open crates, and places storm breaker tarps outside are safe from the storm, but it’s recommended to be quick in outdoor areas and find shelter either in huts, crates, or storm blockers place through the area. Good news is the sandstorm is doing no favors for the cultists and nearly blind outside, but that means you’re also just a blind and also hard of hearing. the only other bit of good news is Pox Bombers and trappers are no where near the operation area, but there are packs of mutants who seem to be keen at tracking down agents.
~(Basically outside areas on the desert maps are covered in a sandstorm that’s acting like a smoke screen for everyone, as well as obscuring spawn ques. Meaning players need to be careful navigating the area and listen carefully. not only that the storm is doing tiny ticks to your health with plague by maybe .5% of your health per second when inside the storm. The only safe places are indoor areas of the maps, the huts you see in the map, and special storm breaker tarps set around an area ((tarps do no break to avoid griefing players)). Indoor areas have more sand piles around the map for the theme and no trappers or pox bombers spawn in this event. if they do, they instantly de-spawn or explode. Hounds and mutants would be the only disabilers in this event and they spawn in groups of three or more.)
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The Frontlines- the Mobian 53rd are in a heavy firefight with the traitor Mobian 6th in the trenches of No Man’s Land. They need the Rejects to outflank the enemy and destroy enemy artillery preventing the guardsmen from advancing. Rejects for the first time will be side-by-side with guardsmen fighting in parts of the trenches. Allies will navigate and advance in parts of the trenches and battlefield, but won’t be following the Rejects. They have their orders, and you have yours. Fight through the trenches, outflank the enemy forces, break through the scabs defenses, and disable artillery for the 21st to charge in and mop of the enemies (with you joining along until all scabs are gone.)"
~(This event will require Darktide to have multi faction fighting coding working. Which I hope is still being worked on. Plus i assume the no mans land map has more areas to explore. knowing how most maps are the same but going to other areas or paths crossing over each other is one thing i like about darktide. make me feel like in a dark souls game and i’m on a giant, multi-connected map.)