Fatshark has announced its biggest update ever for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, the RPG-lite Left 4 Dead clone based in Games Workshop’s Grimdark universe. After years of already hefty patches for the game, this new update brings an extraction-like mode to the game alongside other additions.
Announced through a trailer, blog post, and a sizeable press release, the Warhammer 40,000: Darktide – Beyond the Hive introduces a new mode (also called Beyond the Hive) that will take players away from the filthy Give Tertium and into the sunny, desert-like planet of Atoma Prime. Releasing on March 17, this new mode offers a brand-new way to play Fatshark’s FPS game.
On this planet, players will go through new “expeditions”, that essentially turns the game into a PvE-only extraction shooter. As you go through an expedition, you’ll scavenge through areas to grab Tech-Remnants and fight to leave the planet with your loot. If you die, you get nothing. No grub for the Ogryn.
This gives Darktide it’s most free-form gameplay yet with players tasked with going through open maps filled with enemy patrols. If you’ve played Arc Raiders, Marathon or Escape from Tarkov, you’ll be right at home with the core gameplay loop, but there aren’t groups of rival players attempting to take you out and steal everything you own.
Fatshark explains that these new missions are “very randomised” with the game’s procedural generation aiming to make every mission “feel quite unique every time you go for a new run”. If you get into a load of fights, the game will also launch new waves of enemies on you, so you may want to avoid fights instead of smashing everything in your path.
“Every moment spent outside the Hive alerts Chaos Spawn and monstrosities of players’ presence, drawing them closer,” the developer explained. “Loadouts must be adapted to the open ruinous environments. Enemies can attack from every direction and aren’t confined to the claustrophobic frenzied battlegrounds within Tertium. Squads must choose when to fight, or flee, and adapt strategies to survive one of Darktide’s deadliest challenges yet.”
Expeditions will not be available right off the bat for new players. Instead, the new experience will become available for players midway into their character progression, so you’ll have to try your hand at the main game before jumping into this new game mode.
With extraction shooters now being the next big genre for video games, it was only a matter of time before someone tried to see what could be possible with Warhammer 40K, and Darktide’s existing gameplay makes a great fit. One of the biggest advantages of the 40K universe is that it can be adapted into all manner of different genres, and it’s always fun to see how developers form the franchise around their game idea.
For other Warhammer games, check out the recent Ork-themed racing game, Speed Freeks. Additionally, read the latest word from KingArt games on the upcoming release of Dawn of War 4. While there’s not a 40K game for every genre (sorry, no Pokemon-like game yet), there’s always a new game on the way.
