@FatsharkKitefin Please relay this to whomever it may concern! :purple_heart: We need nerfs and buffs. The cycle of powercreep must be broken. Darktide’s powercreep has reached such a crisis point that the AI Director is just throwing spam tantrums of Elite and Specialist Enemies because the Players are TOO powerful for those Enemies to be sufficiently threatening as individuals. If we buff everything to the levels of Arbitrator and Ogryn, Havoc 30-40 will just become the new Damnation because of crutches like Arbites Shock Maul, Duelling Sword, Inferno Force Staff and Rumbler carrying everyone. Players who should be playing Malice, Heresy or Damnation are beating Havoc 40 not because they meet the skill criteria, but because they’re relying on Weapons that literally void entire gameplay mechanics like Enemy Armour and Cleave/Dodge Limits. If everyone and their mother can reliably complete Havoc 40, what’s the point of Regular and Auric Difficulties? It’s antithetical to what Havoc’s meant to be, a sweat lodge for exceptional Players to brag about overcoming in a genital measuring contest. Powercreep is literally rotting the very foundation of Darktide by making Regular and Auric Missions pointless, and Players who’ve come to rely on these crutches are asking for that to get WORSE with all this “all buffs, no nerfs” because their ego won’t let them just drop to the Difficulty that they should be playing in the event that their crutches rightfully get nerfed. Maybe I should come out of my YouTube hiatus and make a video going more in-depth about my thoughts on the issue. I might use that as my way to upload some Arbitrator gameplay of my own while doing something unique. Thoughts?

[image] PIKAPPA: [image] Ashrad: And even then there are people who can make it work there. You’ll always find someone doing something. It’s the proverbial exception that proves the rule. Like this? [image] Please fix the powercreep (RANT) General Discussion Just played a CIVI maelstrom with a friend where I was only allowed to deal damage with the dog, I can do anything except deal damage as Arbitrator. And this is the final scoreboard. The whole run is currently being uploaded. [image] Very normal very balanced class It’s uploaded [The Dog Run C-I-VI Auric]

I think his point is that the cause and effect is op player stuff → giant clumps of enemies → now infinite cleave is op too. If FS didn’t (need to) use swarm tactics to deal with general player power then AOE effects lose value at the same time without any need to target them directly. If you reverse that order, nerf the AOE weapons, then nerf the original cause of the elite spam, then you have nerfed those weapons twice. Which might be too much. I’m about as far from a never-nerfer as you can get but the logic is solid.

^ Right, and at the same time, even if stuff comes at you from different directions, and currently it’s mostly front and back when that happens, anyone worth their salt will reposition some (if applicable) to not be pincered and at the same clump things up for more effective cleaving/AoE dispatch and keeping the mobs in better trackable positions. I’m also certain there are plenty of players/groups who just plant their feet and fight where they are, surrounded and getting pummelled from at least 2 sides, we’ve all seen it. We’re far off from having a more human-like enemy AI in these types of games where mobs may decide that “hey let’s not bunch up, that guy just rumbled the crap out of half of us”. In the meantime we have to make do with tweaking a whole bunch of other stuff to simulate challenge. The AoE issues also apply to melee cleave vs mass in the end too, as that is another aspect of balancing that can be subject to change in a global rebalancing pass.

In the end, we probably agree on the changes that need to be made. Or at least try to, and if possible, in small steps and not “all at once.” The problem is getting the information across in a structured and coherent way. It might be beneficial to have “ambassadors” representing the players’ voices who would talk to the developers’ “ambassadors” and thus, using surveys and other means, convey the changes that need to be made in a simple and concise manner. We’re talking about changes that harm games and players, not about personal needs and desires.

Ambassadors, voice of reason, surveys, community poll, whatever you want to use I seriously doubt fatshark is going to listen. They’ve already shown before that they completely discard the opinion of playtesters each time they drop a patch people didn’t like and was playtested. The whole reason we’re in this mess is because: update comes out > buff > player happy update comes out > nerf > player unhappy > review bomb Doesn’t matter what the state of the game is going to be players like being stronger, they don’t care that the balance is completely whack and that you can finish the most difficult game mode by just having your shield up and making your dog play the game for you. At this point there’s so much powercreep I don’t even care what they nerf just that they nerf something to show they still plan on balancing the game.

[image] Headhunter: Arbites left keystones has been bugged, some on middle bottom nodes too. Imagine that several nodes broken and still that powerful and still that dominant choice in quickplay. Hotfix 1.8.5 is going to feel like a buff. Confirmed the Hotfix 1.8.5 for this will be…August :smile: :smile: If you use Arbites, suggest to switch nodes to right side of tree at bottom. Arbite nodes bugged [image]

LMAO Imagine how powerful Arbie will be when the nodes actually function.

Yup its going to feel like a strong buff as most players probably didn’t even notice 1/3 of keystones they’re using not working. Maybe a steam news announcement, or something on launcher to at least let people know. Good news, bad news. What really counts is communication.

which is all the more reason they should never work this way and rather be rebuild from the ground up. lazy as i am i never tweaked my build and didnt find one thing “missing” in about absurdly dominating 99% of my arbi matches :nauseated_face:

Reddit - The heart of the internet 60% of people apparently want to buff everything…

Please fix the powercreep (RANT)

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide General Discussion

Headhunter July 16, 2025, 5:02pm 765

Confirmed the Hotfix 1.8.5 for this will be…August

If you use Arbites, suggest to switch nodes to right side of tree at bottom.

Arbite nodes bugged

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Please fix the powercreep (RANT)

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