I just switched to Bolter with my Zealot and ask myself who uses it and why, what blesssings and Perks you prefer.
I have only a mediocre one, but will search for a better, it’s fun, it’s good versus Bullwarks, Crushers, Ragers, Maulers
Reload is long, ammo consume is high, but well it’s a Bolter.
I dont see many people using it, although it’s one of - if not the iconic WH40k weapons.
shattering impact must have?
pinning fire or calvacade as second blessing?
I use actually surgical strike + shattering impact.
Explanations: I use it round by round, so surgical is great, to kill what I need with ranged, like you would do with a revolver. It is a precise but the recoil has to be managed.
I use it in auto against crushers / maulers / monsters, when things go out of control… then here shattering impact is welcome.
I have given up pinning fire, and I would not take calvacade that would need you to use in auto to benefit of it. But, by doing that, you will run in ammo problems.
I also use it this way mostly.
Sometimes i just tab it in auto versus a Gunner, so 2 shots to kill it.
Calvacade seems only make sense if you unload your mag versus the Ogryns and Monstrosities.
Surgical is maybe also a good option i get that, used Revolver with Surgical and Handcannon a lot.
I used to try to make weapons fit my playstyle instead of narrowing their focus and really making them good at what they specialize at.
I now no longer try to make the bolter a sniping weapon because it’s ultimately just a worse version of several different weapons that have better handling, rate of fire, and just general usability.
I use it to delete crushers, and bosses. No other weapon really is comparable in this niche the bolter has carved out for itself. This is what its best at.
Build it for that, and use it on the zealot. Zealot does not need a ranged weapon anyways so get you some redonkulous icing on that Zealot cake.
If you are interested in Boltgun but only for Zealot then I would pick Blazing Piety as a keystone, Pinning Fire + Cavalcade as Blessings and Carapace + Unyielding as Perks to use against Crushers and Unyielding.
If you go Surgical then it means you are planning to stand still and aim which is kind-of asking for “Dance of Death” and Flak+Maniac as Perks. I would probably still go down the Cavalcade path!
Now, if you are also interested in Boltgun on Veteran I made a Boltgun Build gameplay video a couple of days ago. You can check it here: The BEST Veteran Boltgun build doesn’t exi… | 125 Elite Kills | Darktide Auric Damnation Gameplay
The main idea is to complement the bolter with some CC (VoC) so you can control the map while reloading as well as grenades to clear all soft targets so that you have enough bullets left for the tough ones.
that’s why i picked it, i felt flamer is good but i can deal with horde easily with melee.
Only thing is mixed horde or when out of a sudden the Crushers, Bullwarks, Maulers, Ragers walk in and i felt the performance of the flamer vs. Monstrosities is not that good anymore.
I’m here to play the iconic wepaons, i have played Revolver like i said and i agree with you when you say
thats what i hope to get, but i made it exactly this way but only with calvacade in the absence of pinning fire.
I use the Boltgun specifically for Bullwark squads.
I can deal with a single Bullwark quickly with my Eviscerator, but two or more takes too long, so I switch to my trusty Boltgun.
It doesn’t matter much what Perks or Blessings you have on it. The first two bolts will break the shield and the following two will finish it. With some precision, you can take down 3 Bullwarks before reloading.
And this is why I love the Crusher. Why rip and tear when you can BREAK AND CRUSH?!
Repeatedly bashing a downed Bulwark or Crusher is fairly satisfying. Sure it takes some time to get through all that armor… but they’re usually not a threat while it’s happening.
Prolem is they aren’t alone often, but come in packs and with ragers and mutants,
not to say hounds, flamers, bombers, netters
so if you kill them in a blink of an eye it’s allways helpfull.
I recently re-discovered my Bolter with Unyielding+Carapace and Pinning Fire + Shattering Impact.
Hadn’t have much use of it the past time as my Zelaot tends to be either my ‘twink’ or my ‘trink’…
But I realized the Bolter is for my just that tool where my Eviscerator would get trouble meaning too many shields or too many layers of carapace …
I had trouble to understand that the Bolter for me will not function as a precision tool, as the stability stat is quite low, but I wanted it to be … now it’s a spray as a pray(er) weapon for me and that compliments my eviscerator quite nicely.
And with that Reliquary-Ability you nearly allways will have the time to pull it out, and the reload-speed after meelee-kills talent is quite helpful, too
ah good hint, i forgot about that, damn i have to rebuild my build for it
and everything else i just agree. I have not get any T4 blessings, but this beauty is like you said a wonderfull tool to get through some layers of carapace armor
Surgical is a Must have, while Pinning fire is good for panic Fire auto Fire. shatting impact or Glory hunter could replace pinning fire depending on how often your using it.
