New 'Warhammer 40K Darktide' Trailer Showcases Brutal Combat

Warhammer 40K Darktide pits four players against Nurgle's horde of demons and Poxwalkers

The latest gameplay trailer for Fatshark’s new “Warhammer 40,000” game was revealed during the Summer Games Festival this week, and it gave its many hopeful fans a short preview of the gruesome and glorious combat of the 41st millennium.

There are a few things that can be picked apart from the trailer. Much of “Darktide’s” gameplay has some stark similarities with “Vermintide.” Here is everything we know about the game so far.

Melee combat mechanics

Like its predecessor, “Darktide” places an emphasis on melee combat more than the average four-player co-op shooter. Here, players can block, shove and swing an assortment of blades and blunt weapons around. However, the devs took this a bit further by adding some flair to weapon attacks.

In the trailer, the players can be seen activating a secondary function on their melee weapons. The Veteran Guardsman class revs up his chainsword, while the Zealot charges up her hammer with electricity.

This could introduce an extra dimension to melee combat, as each weapon type could have specialized uses outside of simple hacking and slashing.

Class system

There are four known classes in the game so far: Psyker, Zealot, Veteran and Ogryn.

Each class has its own unique abilities, much like the career skills in “Vermintide.” The Veteran can enter a focus state that seemingly increases weapon zoom and damage. Psykers can use torrents of Warp energy to blast enemies, while the Zealot and Ogryn can charge into hordes and dive straight into melee.

The developers confirmed that every character can be customized.

Ranged weapons

As a “Warhammer 40,000” game, “Darktide” has a stronger focus on guns and ranged combat than its predecessor did. The game has faithful recreations of lore-accurate weapons, from the humble lasgun to slug-firing autoguns, fully-automatic shotguns, plasma pistols and more.

Additionally, the Psykers have access to magical ranged attacks that are channeled via staves, much like Sienna and her pyromancy in “Vermintide.”

It’s unknown if the weapons will be as customizable as the characters, and players should expect some limitations to what weapon types can be equipped by which class just like in the previous games.