I’ve been playing Darktide on and off since its launch in 2022, and developer Fatshark has continued to update the game. Some of these patches are quite small: balance tweaks and bug fixes. Others, like the Grim Protocols update that released on Tuesday, are significantly beefier. Darktide is finally available on the PlayStation, allowing new players to give the game a spin, and Fatshark has added a new endgame mode called Havoc.
Havoc gives the players a new leveling system called Havoc Assignment Ranks, which is unlocked for eligible level 30 players. A new character, an unforgiving Commissar from the Imperial Guard, will task players with completing a Maelstrom mission. Once that’s complete, players will have access to a new progression system: 40 levels of Havoc Assignment Ranks.
Havoc missions add negative modifiers and mutations to the game, like a cranial parasite that pushes poxwalkers into a frenzy, pus-hardened skin to negate ranged attacks, or a Nurgle plague that liquifies enemies and infects surrounding enemies. Players who brave this new gameplay mode will earn a weekly cache of loot based off their weekly rank, so players can try to best their previous records each week.
Players who have mastered most of what Darktide has to offer are the clear audience for Havoc missions, and it’ll be interesting to see how Fatshark continues to tweak the new game mode. Fatshark have added a fair amount to the narrative of Darktide, with characters like Captain Wolfer, but the bulk of the game will always be based around mowing through infected armies and clearing out the rot. Havoc could be an experimental way for Fatshark to try out new complications and combinations, and I’m eager to see how tough these matches can get.
Grim Protocols also adds a new mission set in a massive cathedral hijacked by dreadful cultists, three new weapons, and the ability to report teammates who cause trouble during a match. Darktide has a lot of enjoyable moments, like ripping through hordes of bad guys with a chainaxe, or popping a sniper from afar with the perfect brain burst. The soundtrack is also wall-to-wall bangers, so it’s nice to have an excuse to return to Atoma Prime and get back into the fight.
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