Warhammer 40,000: Darktide — Quick tips to get you started

If you’re new to Warhammer 40,000: Darktide and are looking for some starter tips, then you’ve come to the right place. The game has a lot of unique quirks, so it pays to know what to look out for as you get used to the systems in place.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide — Quick tips to get you started

You can do Difficulty 2 right away

You may think you need to wait to jump into the second difficulty after clearing the tutorial, but the first difficulty is literally just there for people who want to win without issue. The second difficulty is perfectly playable even if you’re playing with a new character, so there’s no reason to make due with the least amount of experience and cash rewards.

Non-sharpshooters should be careful with their ammo

Although you start each mission in Darktide topped up on ammo, you’ll possibly run out very quickly if you’re focusing on your guns. There’s a reason that melee weapons are listed as your primary and it’s because you’re meant to take out melee enemies with melee attacks. At lower difficulties this doesn’t matter that much, but you’ll get shot to pieces attempting to run up on a ranged enemy unloading rounds into your face if you’re not an Ogryn with a shield. If they’re not shooting at you and your ammo count isn’t high, it’s best to just hit them in the head.

Rewards are enough

You’ll get enough cash from missions to be able to regularly purchase new weapons. Don’t fret about saving up, unless there’s a specific cosmetic you want, as those are quite pricey. If you buy new weapons as you need them every two or three levels, you typically won’t need to worry about running out of cash, so, when you see a shiny new weapon that makes for a nice upgrade, go ahead and buy it.

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Don’t get too close

Our next tip for Darktide has to do with assassinations. Assassination missions in Darktide end with your team going up against a strong, shielded enemy. It’s tempting to get in there and hit their shield with your melee weapon, but when it’s nearly depleted, that’s not necessarily the best idea. Destroying the shield generates a shockwave that will knock you back if you break it with a melee weapon, so try and break it with a ranged attack before rushing in and hacking the enemy to pieces with your melee weapon.

Weeklies unlock later

If you’re wondering where weekly quests are, you actually have to put a hefty chunk of time into Darktide before they become available. You probably noticed the requisitions desk to your right the first time you got into the hub. This is where you’ll be able to turn in weeklies for a special type of currency that will net you stronger weapons and the like. But it doesn’t unlock until you hit level 11, which will take a handful of hours of playing to get to.

Tag important items for your teammates

On PC, you can press the middle mouse button whenever you’re looking at important items and they’ll be tagged for the rest of your team. Whenever you see grenades, ammo, or kits, it’s a good idea to point these out so that your crew can grab them if need be. They won’t always need them but letting your teammates know when you find valuable items can only help. This also works on healing stations, as teammates occasionally don’t find them and then walk into battle without most of their health.

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Pay attention to the damage stat

Just because a weapon has a superior overall rating doesn’t mean that it increases your DPS. Always check to see where the damage stat on a weapon stands compared to the one you currently have equipped. You can buy something that’s high-ranked only to find that it does considerably less damage than what you just had.

Discarding is selling

If you’re attempting to sell off unneeded items by looking in the shop menu, that’s not how you’ll do that. Go into your inventory and look for the option to discard anything you don’t want. You’ll automatically receive a small amount of currency when doing this as opposed to just destroying it. You won’t get much cash for doing this, but it’s obviously better than nothing.

That’s all for our Darktide tips. Make sure to keep them in mind while chewing your way through the hordes.