I know a lot of answers will probably be stuff like “New Maps” or “New Enemies”, or “Solo Mode” coming from Veterans of this game, but that’s not really what I’m asking about. Since it’s rocky launch, FatShark has been slowly but surely fixing Darktide more and more, adding new stuff along the process. After the Unlocked and Loaded update, some even said Darktide is pretty much a full game now, and things added later like the Battle for Tertium only reinforced that feeling.
But it’s still not enough, because I still see people saying that Darktide is not finished at all and asking FatShark to finally make it “a full game”. And I don’t think this is just some loud minority speaking. Looking at the player charts, most people do not hang around for very long, and that’s clearly communicating that Darktide is still missing something. That lack of it is what makes people get bored of the game and leave it until the next big update comes.
What is that thing? I don’t really know. So that’s why I’m making this post to ask some long term-fans and newcomers alike about what they think and what would Darktide need to actually feel like a fully fleshed out game to them. Is it something that can be achieved, or will this game always give people this feeling that it still needs more in order to feel complete? Do you actually even agree with that sentiment? Let me know your thoughts.
Is it?
Is it not okay for a game to have an ebb and flow of players as events/content unfolds, so long as there is enough players to facilitate decent matches?
And if it is, all the more reason for Fatshark to make sure that the game is in a playable state should the player count drop to a point where the game can’t facilitate matches.
In the form of solo mode/workable bots for all difficulties.
Its been on the up and up for a while hard to pin point… so long as they keep injected consistent patches deliver new fresh experiences in event, classes and the eventual new faction it likely will live longer than VT2 life cycle with consistently higher player counts… so long as they don’t make as big of mistake like launch -.-
Is this about new players? If it is, then that’s hardly problem of game being finished or not, but it is problem that now i realize persist from Vermintide 2: lower difficulties suck.
They maybe hard for some people, but even when i 1st started from DT, it was snooze fest up until heresy and heresy didn’t last long.
I forgot how it is now in DT, but when i started game didn’t even spawned bosses till 2-3 difficulty. Darktide don’t drop on players everything it have to offer, there’s no hordes in horde shooter.
Also as 1.5+ hours player i just got tired from it, i now playing VT 2 which got enough differences to be interested.
To me there’s not enough enemy variety, especially among admonition, this whole faction feels not finished, it got less enemies than scabs and most are just copies of scabs with minimal changes. New maps also needed. Endgame sucks, i thinks havoc is bad endgame, limiting if play with randoms and lacks rewards.
I really do think it’s okay to have a bunch of players not be fully dedicated to the game and hop on for a dozen or two hours every major update, and to stop playing at 50 hours. Most people are very casual when it comes to games and play to relax and have fun instead of attain mastery and be a diehard fan.
I do think the game could use some new maps, and I feel the game is in a rather solid state, and I think balance needs to be addressed next. A bunch of things may need to be scaled back, because the highest difficulties are incomprehensible to newer players.
If there is anything that can truly be said to be missing, it is a Chaos Waste analogue, maps are already being added, weapons are being added, hell, classes are being added too.
But Chaos Waste analogue is the shining beacon of future content for me an my group
Darktide doesnt need new content. It needs content that is already in the game, its just that said content is locked up behind closed doors and horrible game-modes.
Problem is, fatshark doesnt really care to make the game fun again.
They only care about releasing more paid cosmetics and paid classes.
The biggest thing Darktide is missing I think is actual…coop elements.
For a coop game, nearly everything in Darktide is basically single-player focused. There’s nowhere for players to really interact as a team/party, and very little in-game that requires players to do anything together except for Aura mechanics.
The Mourningstar isn’t much of a hub, even if you’re in a party you may not be in the same Mourningstar instance. The pre-mission coordination is nearly 0, much less than say HD2 where you can discuss where you want to drop and more readily see exactly what everyone is bringing at a glance and coordinate (as opposed to the 60 second countdown in DT where you can see some bits of players builds but have to inspect each individually to see everything they’re bringing). There’s no Bar like in DRG where players gather to be silly and get minor buffs before the mission while psyching each other up yelling “Rock and Stone”. There’s nothing like DRG’s “bring Doretta home!” tradition.
In game, there’s not much that players can choose to bring in terms of equipment loadout that enhances logistics or supports the rest of the team. You can choose talents that can help things, but nothing like say, HD2’s supply pack or shield (aside from Psyker bubble) or emplacements, or the various class abilities in DRG to do things like light up areas, create new pathways, build platforms for the party to use, etc.
Darktide isn’t missing one single thing, it’s missing a lot of things and the reason is because the Live Service model is completely cursed.
Havoc is actually carrying this game and I’m deadass serious, the only carrot on the stick to chase is personal skill improvement. This is not a bad thing, but maaaaaan there’s basically no material reward for playing besides Havoc Armor.
What else you gonna do? Play the secret hard mode boss fight in Orthus Offensive? Or Mortis Trials?
And everything cosmetic that’s even in the realm of good are monetized to hell. You want earnable Acquilas? Lmao here’s 400, don’t spend it all at once!
Self expression hard carries player count. For Honor is one of the most played and popular “fighting games” on the market right now and I’m certain that 80% of that is because of the fashion. If Darktide implemented an overhaul on character cosmetics, add more ‘rare’ cosmetics that take a lot of time and skill to get, and allowed for more freedom of expression I think the player count would be a lot higher.
Also make leveling less of a hassle, more newer players would stay then. It’s hard getting my friend to stay on and play because he can’t bother leveling Hive Scum and Psyker to 30 to actually try them both.
Balancing in general for more build variety and again, self expression (another reason why balance is literally the #1 important thing for all skill levels btw) and fixes for people leaving games and make party finder less unintuitive.
Soooo… I’m not really one to split hairs about whether or not the game is a finished product or not, it is what it is. However, if I were to write a, say, negative steam review… it would be because of these reasons:
Sound jank
Those who play have learned to live with this, but battling against core mechanics failing constantly is a major f-ing ding. It’s gotta be fair for the harsh to be fun, and as a new player disclaimer this is a hefty red flag.
Levelling & campaign
The levelling process is too fast for players to master the game, and too slow to enjoy it after you have. If progress was gated behind difficulty, and not vice-versa, the incentives would make more sense. I understand XP is sacred, and maybe I’m too grizzled to get it, but there’s fertile ground here imo.
Unfortunately the campaign is a major miss for me, and a big part of that is how much further you are restricted from core Mourningstar services. This makes playing with friends a chore. A shame because introducing missions in sequence with context was otherwise a nice addition.
Difficulty and other players
T3 is a super comfy difficulty that is completely ruined by max-level speedrunners.
You get the thrill of the horde without being too punishing on individual hits. There’s enough breathing room to wander around and enjoy yourself. And then one or two players who have played this mission a hundred times mows down everything before you can hit it, and you’re left wondering why you’re not killing anything. This is the new player experience, at a pivotal time in their DT journey. Solo mode for this alone would be worthwhile.
Honourable mentions…
Curios suck to get. It’s sad to have to explain this extremely crummy situation to new players.
Can’t play maps/missions you want
Can’t replay [failed] missions easily
Hard to get into the same Mourningstar instance as your friend
Gear progression is counter-productive by incentivising grinding one weapon instead of trying multiple – this is harsher for new players who need the break than vets who get to simply ignore the system
Poor tutorials
Inexplicable tooltips
Still too much RNG and arbitrarily restrictive design
