So, I had this idea from the Damocles novel, where Tau expansion fleet comes under attack during a dip into the Warp. As the Tau are null for the forces in the Warp, the entities saw the auxiliaries aboard the Tau ships and attacked them instead. For the Tau it seemed like all the other races aboard their ships went haywire and beyond all reason, without knowing the reason behind it. Nevertheless they had to engage into brutal shipboard fighting with their allies from a second ago. Survivors of this ordeal were later reported to be suspicious towards auxiliaries, and not willing to discuss their experience in detail.
As there are no good depictions of the Tau in shooter games, apart from the Firewarrior and we know how well it has been treated by time, would there be a place for something like this in the Darktide setting? A DLC perhaps? There are other races too, that could use their own place in the spotlight as well, like the Eldar. Also seeing other antagonist types would be nice. Just IMHO…
We’re definitely going to see a new faction eventually. Tau seem unlikely but it would be very cool if they were added. The possibilities for enemy factions are pretty much endless since what lore we do have tells us the Moebian VI were fighting in the Fringe Wars against unspecified xenos races. Also the rejects make frequent comments about the “other” hive city. So we could go there and who knows what’s over there, or any kind of xenos could always come to Atoma from the galactic fringe. I believe Fatshark did an interview a very long time ago regarding Darktide and they said they do want to add Orcs eventually
We’d have to go to other locations to plausibly see other enemy factions. The other Hive City on Atoma (which has allegedly fallen to the enemy) frequently ends up being discussed, not so much the other planets in the Moebian Domain - they haven’t come under direct attack by the “Darktide” like Atoma has.
Edit: I’m under the impression that the other Hive City’s under the joint control of the Admonition and the Moebian 6th, and I’ve been under that impression ever since the presence of Genestealers was basically ruled out for the foreseeable future.
we’re on a rogue trader ship, who are known to hire all sorts of interesting aliens or operatives,
and as our current group of the inquisistion is hereticus…
it’s not impossible. the room in the lore is there, sending aliens against heretics is pleasing idea to allot of dogmatic members of the imperium.
at the very least kroot are likely recruits. But I would be more than happy for more veriaty of abhumans and weird creatures to purge heretics with.
if the tau got involved in an official capacity it would likely be a desperate situation for the morningstar, which it most likely currently is.
So really it comes down to Fatsharks nerds weaving their delightful writing skills for making it work.
I think if they expand the current archetypes they will continue with the Imperium native and not going into Xenos, who for example wouldn’t make sense with the different inventory mechanics (Tech Priest).
There is enough lore for at least a couple of more archetype in the wider Imperium, without needing to change the PoV.
As for enemy tides, I would expect them to stay on Chaos as a whole, so other Chaosites like Khornates, slaaneshi and Tzeentchian cults.
As for Orks, they are interested, but it’s not their time yet
I’d really love a Mechanicus class of any kind - moreso a Tech Adept, so that you could have (for example) a Skitarii tree, a Genetor tree, et cetera. I’d also love the Personalities that could come with it!
“Congratulations, you are being granted glorious unfunction! Please do not resist, heretic.”
The Tau aren’t really a big major galactic power. They’re a representative example of one of the myriad of alien empires that exist alongside Humanity, but that are really just tiny bubbles floating around the galaxy that almost nobody in the Imperium would know of even casually. The Tau were able to fight the Damocles Gulf Crusade to a standstill during their initial rise. That conflict involved 19 Guard regiments and 5 mixed companies of Space Marines. That’s the general scale of the Tau Empire, they’re not like the Eldar or Orks that are spread across the Galaxy. The Imperium on the other hand has literally billions of Guard Regiments and ten million companies worth of Space Marines.
Finding Tau on Atoma would be…very strange, and possibly require a significant amount of research on the part of the local Inquisition to even identify them. It’d be like finding an exotic endangered reptile from the other side of the planet in your back yard.
Genestealers, Orks or Eldar would make far more sense to encounter, they’re widespread and have all sorts of means of wacky interstellar travel that the Tau do not, though Eldar probably don’t fit the game’s concept much (slaughtering endless hordes of Guardians for instance would be…nonsensical), Genestealers and Orks would probably be the best/easiest to work in. Tyranids could work, but would require a story change.
I agree, Tau on Atoma would be strange. I dont think Tau would bother to venture out of their known systems either.
Orks seem similar to Tyranids (IMO) in that the narrative would have to change drastically. It would be hard for me to wrap my head around a small gathering of Orks entering the system.
As for Eldar. Eldar is very interesting, with Slaanesh, butttt from the format of the game combined with the high range high damage and dodgy melee tactics of the Eldar I would be curious to see how FS could make them fit.
I still think there is a vast untapped depth to the Nurgle/cultist arc, and I hope FS exhausts this vein before stabbing another.
With that being said, A Patriarch with a cult of worship, brood brothers, appearing on a space hulk would be terrifyingly fun!
Im still trying to figure out how they can introduce new atmospheres/enviroments, The Traitor Curse did bring a nice red hue to the environment.
What I actually meant, is that the setting would be taken away from Atoma, to Damocles/whereever the Tau are planning on expanding, on board the said Tau ships crossing the Void.
But if we’re strictly staying on Atoma, then there is little point on bringing many new characters/antagonists in. It’s not like Armageddon or sumn…
Yes, I could see Xenos Tech before a Xenos Threat.
That brings up the question of having proficiency with the weapons acquired. We would have to be trained on where the “pointy end” and “triggers” are, no?
Since Mission directors are the main attraction for the narrative, would a Xenos (Eldar Ranger) to navigate us through a mission make sense in the context of Atoma?
The story so far is waiting for how Wolfer will react to the Twins Mission. And there are seeds of what Zola will become from Rannick (our Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg.) Who really reallly really wanted us not to go through with the mission. sniffsniff I smell a heretic.
