[p]The core player experience has been reworked to provide a new clearer narrative focus, following the conflict of the Battle for Tertium. Players will now experience a linear campaign with new mission debriefs and embedded cinematics. This new progression path is designed to ease in new players and gradually unlock features that were previously gated by character level.[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/41f4ff6d56fd7030ba34047f87d4dbdd979bfb1a.jpg"][/p][p]While previously each new player’s experience was completely random, the Battle for Tertium narrative presents maps, enemies and characters in a specific order, allowing players to discover all aspects of the game at a much better pace.[/p][p][/p][p]The story missions play the same as regular missions, except that these missions have a more tight control over which enemies spawn. You might also hear some new VO lines during missions, and some brand new mission debrief cinematics when completing each mission.[/p][p][/p][p]Existing players with characters at level 10 or higher can choose to skip the story or play it from the beginning. Players who change their minds about playing the campaign can opt out by using the Personality Scourge at the Barber-Chirurgeon. Note: If you decide to skip the story when you first log-in with this update, you cannot revert this decision. The only way to play the story after choosing to skip it is to create a new character.Additional note: The option to replay story missions at any time is still in progress. [/p][p][/p][p]It is worth noting that the Arbites’ arrival takes place after the events of the Battle for Tertium, so while you can absolutely play as an Arbites through the new campaign (once the class releases, later today!), some of the story scenes will not be addressed to your type of character. For this reason, we suggest playing the Battle for Tertium for the first time with one of the core characters.[/p][p][/p]
Mission Board Rework
[p]A new mission board system will be bringing several changes to how you engage with missions and difficulties. Missions are no longer tied to a specific difficulty, allowing you to select a mission and then choose the difficulty you want. This will effectively increase the amount of mission options available for players of all difficulty levels. While most circumstances remain consistent across difficulty levels, some are disabled on lower difficulties. Notably, Maelstrom missions are exclusive to the Heresy and Auric difficulties.[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/5a7678117e2d8e5f33643296c61a91c71467da2c.jpg"][/p][p]Additionally, the difficulty system has also been overhauled. You now unlock new difficulties by completing missions rather than leveling up your characters. You must prove your skills at your current maximum difficulty to unlock access to the next one. We intend to create a motivation for new players to master the game step by step, and for veteran players to feel assured that their teammates have earned the right to be there.[/p][p]You will make progress by playing missions at your current maximum difficulty. Completing missions advances your progress. Mission Failures reduce your progress slightly but you will never be demoted to a lower difficulty. Higher difficulties will require you to complete more missions to unlock them.[/p][p][/p][p]For existing characters, your difficulty progression will be migrated based on their character level and completed missions.[/p][p][/p][p]Auric is now a standalone difficulty tier, placed above Damnation. We felt that Auric Heresy fell in an awkward spot compared to Damnation, with the increased mission options per difficulty, we decided it was best to turn Auric into its own difficulty level. Additionally, we have removed Sedition difficulty and made a few minor changes to Uprising to take its place, as we felt there was too much downtime with too few enemies between hordes. These changes aim to keep you in the action more often.[/p][p][/p]
Mortis Trials
The Secrets of the Shipmistress
[p]Sefoni’s indiscretions are getting worse! During Mortis Trials, keen-eared Rejects now have the opportunity to sift pieces of Shipmistress Brahms’ past from the psychic chatter. How did she inherit the Mourningstar? What is she hiding? Is she really on the same side as Grendyl, let alone his irksome busybodies? Delve deeper into all these and more across dozens of new memory echoes, unlockable by claiming victory in the Mortis Trials![/p][p]Dev Note:If you've ever wanted to relisten to the memory echoes you've unlocked in the Mortis Trials, you should take a look behind the pillars in the Meat Grinder.[/p][p][/p]
New difficulty for Mortis Trials
[p]Since the release of Mortis Trials we have noticed people requesting a higher challenge in Mortis Trials! So, we are adding a new difficulty, Auric, as well as some other small changes.[/p]
[p]There will now be a shorter time in between waves.[/p]
[p]Waves will now have more enemies and enemy types increasing variety.[/p]
[p]We are changing the base difficulty to match an Auric difficulty mission.[/p]
[p][/p]
New In-Game Event: Inferno
[p]The streets of Tertium are aflame. Whether by heretic plot or over-zealous Imperial enforcement makes no real difference. Missions must still run, so be careful down there. You're literally dropping into a hot zone.[/p][p][/p][p]To make progress in the event, complete missions with the Inferno condition.[/p][p][/p][p]This event will start on Monday, June 23. The rewards will be Ordo dockets, Plasteel and Diamantine. Those who complete the last tier of the event will receive a cosmetic portrait frame.[/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/c3a344287451a7676da43e2a3d831053af7c257d.jpg"][TAG-150][/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/48ebf065d7f8058c2c24aaecda294d00b32284fe.png"][/p][p][/p]
New Havoc Campaign
[p]Havoc Maintenance: With the upcoming release of this update, Havoc will be unavailable from June 23, 2025 from 00:00 to approximately 12:00 UTC.[/p]
New Mission Pool
[p]Power Matrix HL-17-36[/p]
[p]Magistrati Oubliette TM8-707[/p]
[p]Archivum Sycorax[/p]
[p]Dark Communion[/p]
[p]Refinery Delta-17[/p]
[p]Smelter Complex HL17-36[/p]
[p]Chasm Station HL-16-11[/p]
[p]Excise Vault Spireside-13[/p]
[p]Consignment Yard HL17-36[/p]
[p]Chasm Logistratum[/p]
Mutators
[p]Pus-Hardened Skin[/p]
[p]The Final Toll[/p]
[p]Heinous Rituals[/p]
[p]The Encroaching Garden[/p]
[p]Rampaging Enemies [/p]
[p]The in-game event condition, Inferno, will temporarily be available during the first rotation in this campaign, as well.[/p][p][/p]
Quality of Life Changes
[p]Increased maximum number of operatives to 8.[/p]
[p]Increased maximum number of weapon loadouts to 8.[/p]
[p]Added a total of ~900 new banter conversations, both between the original cast and Arbites.[/p]
[p] [/p]
Weapon Balance Changes & Tweaks
Catachan "Devil's Claw" Swords
[p]This batch of changes for the Devil’s Claw swords aims at further reinforcing the crowd control and reliability of the family.[/p][p][/p][p]We increased the offensive properties of the Light attack profiles, while also significantly increasing the armour damage modifiers (“adm” from now on) of the Heavy Strikedown and Special Riposte profiles against specific armour types.[/p][p] We improved the base Stamina statistic, reduced the minimum Block time (the amount of time that the Block stance must be maintained after performing the input) and allowed for most attacks and attack starts to be performed while sprinting. This will make the weapon snappier and more responsive in different situations.[/p][p][/p][p]Finally, we took a pass on all attacks to tweak active windows, ranges and hitboxes to be better aligned with their animations. [/p][p]For the Mk I, we added a new Heavy Strikedown attack, only reached from Light 3. In turn, the Light 3 attack is now reachable also from the Push action, and has an increased baseline power multiplier. [/p][p]These additions will grant additional options to a mark which was lacking in single target attacks. [/p][p]For the Mk IV, we raised the power level multiplier of the Light 4 attack as it was very far into the attack chain and not particularly enticing. [/p][p]For the Mk VII, we increased the power level multiplier of the Pushfollow and Light 3 attacks while also changing the possible combos after a Riposte attack. [/p][p]Now after a successful Special Parry, the combo will chain into the Pushfollow attack instead of Light 3; as the Pushfollow attack still chains into Light 3, this will give the mark a new unique chain. [/p]
Detailed Changes - Catachan "Devil's Claw" Swords
[p]Damage profiles[/p]
[p]Light Vanguard[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {40, 80} to {60, 100}.[/p]
[p]Dev Note: The change will also affect the Turtolsky Heavy Swords Special followup Light attacks.[/p]
[p]Light Strikedown / Light Strikedown Stab[/p]
[p]1st target adm vs Maniac from 1 to 1.25.[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {100, 200} to {115, 230}.[/p]
[p]2nd target damage from {25,60} to {40,80}.[/p]
[p]Dev Note: The changes will also affect the Turtolsky Heavy Swords Pushfollow attacks and the Maccabian Mk V Duelling Sword Light 3 attack.[/p]
[p]Heavy Strikedown[/p]
[p]1st target adm vs Unarmoured from 1 to 1.1.[/p]
[p]1st target adm vs Unyielding from 0.75 to 1.25.[/p]
[p]Riposte[/p]
[p]1st target adm vs Unarmoured from 1 to 1.25.[/p]
[p]1st target adm vs Unyielding from 1 to 1.25.[/p]
[p]1st target adm vs Carapace armour from 0.25 to 0.5.[/p]
[p]All marks[/p]
[p]Added Allowed during sprint to most attacks and attack starts.[/p]
[p]Block minimum time from 0.3 to 0.225.[/p]
[p]Stamina template update:[/p]
[p]Base Stamina from 4 to 4.5.[/p]
[p]Tweaked damage windows, hitboxes and ranges for several attacks.[/p]
[p]Updated Inspect screen to correct some attack gestalt icons (visual only change).[/p]
[p]Mk I[/p]
[p]Added a new Heavy Strikedown attack with 540 power level multiplier .[/p]
[p]This attack will chain only from Light 3.[/p]
[p]Light 3 chains now to Light 2 / new Heavy Strikedown instead of Light 1 / Heavy 1.[/p]
[p]Push chains now to Light 3 / Heavy 1 instead of Light 1 / Heavy 1.[/p]
[p]Heavy 2 chain time to Start attack from 0.55 to 0.5.[/p]
[p]Push chain time to Start attack from 0.35 to 0.3.[/p]
[p]Added 545 power level multiplier to Light 3 (from default 500).[/p]
[p]Added 535 power level multiplier to Pushfollow attack (from default 500).[/p]
[p]Mk IV[/p]
[p]Heavy 1 windup from secondary start from 0.56 to 0.46.[/p]
[p]Added 550 power level multiplier to Light 4 (from default 500).[/p]
[p]Mk VII[/p]
[p]Pushfollow damage profile from Light Strikedown to Light Strikedown Stab.[/p]
[p]Riposte chains now to Pushfollow / Heavy 1 instead of Light 3 / Heavy 1.[/p]
[p]Added 535 power level multiplier to Light 3 (from default 500).[/p]
[p]Added 525 power level multiplier to Pushfollow attack (from default 500).[/p]
Atrox Tactical Axes
[p]While sporting overall good mobility, the Tactical Axes had only average Sprint values. [/p][p]We significantly improved their Sprint profile, while also allowing for most attacks and attack starts to be performed while sprinting. [/p][p]We also significantly raised the damage of the Special attacks and added a new profile for the Heavy Strikedowns with a vertical or uppercut direction, with increased damage and Carapace armour modifier. [/p][p]Finally, we took a pass on all attacks to tweak active windows, ranges and hitboxes to be better aligned with their animations. [/p][p]For the Mk II, we added a power level boost to the Light 3 attack, as it is further into the attack chain, and to both Special attacks, as they are slower compared to the other two marks. [/p][p]For the Mk IV, we upgraded the damage profile for both Heavy attacks and slightly lowered their chain timings, as they are both performed in a vertical or uppercut direction. [/p][p]For the Mk VII, we added a power level boost to all Light attacks, as they inflict a higher movement speed penalty compared to the Lights of the other marks, and changed the Heavy 2 profile to the new Heavy Strikedown. [/p]
Detailed Changes - Atrox Tactical Axes
[p]Damage profiles[/p]
[p]Light Assassin[/p]
[p]Added 3rd target.[/p]
[p]Heavy Strikedown (diagonal)[/p]
[p]Adm vs Carapace armour from 0.25 to 0.3.[/p]
[p]Added a new Heavy Strikedown profile for vertical and uppercut attacks, with the same. properties as Heavy Strikedown (diagonal) aside from:[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {100,200} to {115,230}.[/p]
[p]1st target adm vs Carapace armour from 0.3 to 0.5.[/p]
[p]Special Stab[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {25,50} to {70,140}.[/p]
[p]Removed Crit Chance bonus.[/p]
[p]Special Strikedown[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {25,50} to {60,120}.[/p]
[p]1st target impact from {8,16} to {10,20}.[/p]
[p]Removed Crit Chance bonus.[/p]
[p]All marks[/p]
[p]Sprint template from “default” to “assault”.[/p]
[p]Forward acceleration from {0.15, 0.4} to {0.4, 0.8}.[/p]
[p]Forward deceleration from 1.25 to 2.1.[/p]
[p]Sprint speed modifier from {-0.5, 0.5} to {-0.25, 0.85}.[/p]
[p]Increased action total time for most Heavy attacks.[/p]
[p]This will make continuing the combo chain after the attacks more forgiving.[/p]
[p]Added Allowed during sprint to most attacks and attack starts.[/p]
[p]Tweaked damage windows, hitboxes and ranges for most attacks.[/p]
[p]Buffer time for the Special input from 0.2 to 0.4.[/p]
[p]Mk II[/p]
[p]Added power level multiplier 515 to Light 3 (from default 500).[/p]
[p]Added power level multiplier 550 to Special 1 and Special 2 (from default 500).[/p]
[p]Mk IV[/p]
[p]Changed damage profile of Heavy 1 and Heavy 2 from Heavy Strikedown (diagonal) to the new Heavy Strikedown (vertical/uppercut).[/p]
[p]Lowered chain times to Start Attack and Special Attack from Heavy 1 and Heavy 2 from 0.5 to 0.4.[/p]
[p]Added power level multiplier 515 to Heavy 2 (from default 500).[/p]
[p]Mk VII[/p]
[p]Changed damage profile of Heavy 2 from Heavy Strikedown (diagonal) to the new Heavy Strikedown (vertical/uppercut).[/p]
[p]Added power level multiplier 550 to Light 1, Light 2, Light 3 (from default 500).[/p]
Shock Mauls
[p]The Shock Mauls, while being dependable in inflicting stagger, were also below average in damage output and overall not very exciting. [/p][p]We increased the damage against the 1st target on most profiles, with a particularly large bonus to the Heavy Strikedown and Special attacks. [/p][p]We also enhanced the base Stamina and Dodge templates, and tweaked hitboxes and active windows of some attacks to better align with their animations. [/p][p]For the attacks with an uppercut direction (Light 3 on the Mk Ia / Light 4 on the Mk III) we slightly delayed the start of the attack active window to make it easier to connect with weakspots. [/p][p]Finally, for the Mk Ia, we added power level multipliers to the Light 3 and Light 4 attacks, to make them a more enticing combo alternative to just returning to Heavy 1. [/p]
Detailed Changes - Shock Mauls
[p]Damage profiles[/p]
[p]Light Strikedown[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {100,200} to {115,210}.[/p]
[p]Light Vanguard[/p]
[p]Cleave from “light” to “medium”.[/p]
[p]From {3.0,6.0} to {4.0,9.0}.[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {100,150} to {110,165}.[/p]
[p]Heavy Relentless[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {110,260} to {120,270}.[/p]
[p]Heavy Strikedown[/p]
[p]Cleave from “big” to “light”.[/p]
[p]From {8.5,12.5} to {3.0,6.0}.[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {140,350} to {160,390}.[/p]
[p]4th target damage override removed (from 0 to {30,50}).[/p]
[p]Light Relentless[/p]
[p]adm vs Maniac from 0.8 to 0.75.[/p]
[p]adm vs Carapace armour from 0.75 to 0.4.[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {80,150} to {90,165}.[/p]
[p]Special attack[/p]
[p]Sticky damage tick from {10,70} to {30,80}.[/p]
[p]Stun damage tick from {40,50} to {50,65}.[/p]
[p]All marks[/p]
[p]Stamina template update:[/p]
[p]Base Stamina from 4 to 4.5.[/p]
[p]Sprint cost per second from {1.5, 0.5} to {1.25, 0.75}.[/p]
[p]Inner angle Block cost from {1.5, 0.5} to {1.0, 0.5}.[/p]
[p]Dodge template update:[/p]
[p]Effective dodges limit from {3, 4}, to {3, 5}.[/p]
[p]From 4 to 5 maximum effective dodges at high Mobility stat.[/p]
[p]Dodge distance from {0.85, 1.0} to {0.9, 1.1}.[/p]
[p]Dodge speed from {1.0, 1.2} to 1.0.[/p]
[p]Mk Ia[/p]
[p]Light 1 damage profile from Light Relentless to Light Vanguard.[/p]
[p]Added power level multiplier 530 to Light 3 (from default 500).[/p]
[p]Added power level multiplier 550 to Light 4 (from default 500).[/p]
[p]Tweaked hitboxes for Light 3 and Light 4.[/p]
[p]Tweaked damage windows for Light 4 to make it easier to connect with weak spots.[/p]
[p]Mk III[/p]
[p]Tweaked hitboxes and damage windows for Light 1 and Light 2.[/p]
[p]Tweaked damage windows for Light 3 to make it easier to connect with weakspots.[/p]
[p][/p]
Tigrus Heavy Eviscerators
[p]The Eviscerator’s thunder was in part stolen by the Relic Blades, which have overall better cleave properties while also being no slouch in the single target department. [/p][p]To give these iconic Zealot weapons a deserved bump, we tweaked most of the attack profiles: we removed the damage caps on secondary targets for the sweeping Vanguard/Relentless attacks, but also increased several armour modifier values, significantly improved the damage on the Heavy profiles and normalised most of the Special active profiles. [/p][p]For the Mk III, we changed the chain times to key actions after the Heavy 1 attack to make it more responsive but less spammable with swap cancelling, slightly increased the speed of the Light 2 attack and added a power level multiplier to the Light 3 and Heavy 2 attacks. [/p]
Detailed Changes - Tigrus Heavy Eviscerators
[p]Damage profiles[/p]
[p]Light Strikedown[/p]
[p]adm vs Maniac from 0.5 to 0.9.[/p]
[p]adm vs Infested from 0.75 to 1.[/p]
[p]Removed adm reduction on 1st target vs Carapace armour; from 0.1 to 0.25.[/p]
[p]Light Vanguard/Relentless[/p]
[p]Upped damage on secondary targets.[/p]
[p]Removed damage cap after 4th target.[/p]
[p]Heavy Vanguard[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {150,300} to {165,345}.[/p]
[p]1st target finesse multiplier from 0.5 to {0.4,1.0}.[/p]
[p]Upped damage on secondary targets.[/p]
[p]Heavy Strikedown[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {150,300} to {175,350}.[/p]
[p]1st target adm vs Carapace armour from 0.25 to 0.5.[/p]
[p]1st target finesse multiplier from 0.5 to {0.5, 1.0}.[/p]
[p]Added 0.4s buffer time to the Unwield input.[/p]
[p] Mk III[/p]
[p]Heavy 1 chain to Unwield from 0 to 0.45.[/p]
[p]Heavy 1 chain to Start attack from 0.6 to 0.45.[/p]
[p]Heavy 1 chain to Block from 0.7 to 0.6.[/p]
[p]Light 2 time scale from 0.85 to 0.9 (sped up).[/p]
[p]Added power level multiplier 525 to Heavy 2 and Light 3 (from default 500).[/p]
[p]Updated Heavy 2 and Pushfollow attack damage profiles on Special abort.[/p]
[p]Mk XV[/p]
[p]Updated Pushfollow attack damage profiles on Special active and Special abort.[/p]
Lucius Helbore Lasguns
[p]The Helbore Lasguns suffered from a very long Wield action duration, making it hard to quickly swap to priority targets (especially accounting also for the charging shots).[/p][p]While this behaviour was intended, it also became increasingly punishing as the enemy numbers grew in higher difficulties. [/p][p]In this balancing pass we sped up the Wield action, walking the line of maintaining the cumbersome feeling while also allowing for the weapons to be easier to swap into. [/p][p]Alongside this change, we improved some of the armour and Finesse modifiers for ranged shots, and extended the hitscan radius of the las projectiles*, to make it easier for the weapon to shine as a marksman tool.[/p][p]* This will make the hitscan detection more generous and allow for shots that would have slightly missed the target to still be considered a hit. [/p][p]For the Mk V, we slightly increased the camera zoom in ADS mode. [/p][p]For the Mk IV, we increased the camera zoom in ADS mode to be equivalent as the Mk IIIa. [/p][p]We also improved the speed and offensive properties of the Special Slash attack, to be more in line with the Special Stab used in the other marks. [/p]
Detailed Changes - Lucius Helbore Lasguns
[p]Damage profiles[/p]
[p]Near charged shot [/p]
[p]adm vs Unarmoured from 1 to 1.1.[/p]
[p]adm vs Maniac from 1 to 1.25.[/p]
[p]adm vs Infested from 1 to 1.1.[/p]
[p]Far charged shot[/p]
[p]adm vs Unarmoured from 1 to 1.25.[/p]
[p]adm vs Infested from 1 to 1.25.[/p]
[p]All shots Finesse Boost[/p]
[p]vs Carapace armour from 0.1 to 0.2.[/p]
[p]vs Maniac from 0.25 to 0.35.[/p]
[p]vs Unyielding from 0.25 to 0.3.[/p]
[p]Special Slash[/p]
[p]Added Ignore stagger reduction.[/p]
[p]1st target finesse multiplier from 0.75 to 1.[/p]
[p]All Marks[/p]
[p]Added time scale 1.5 to Wield action (sped up).[/p]
[p]Added 0.05 radius to hitscan templates.[/p]
[p]Buffer time for the Special input from 0.2 to 0.4.[/p]
[p]Mk V[/p]
[p]ADS Vertical Field of View from 65 to 55.[/p]
[p]Mk IV[/p]
[p]Chain from Special start to Special attack from 0.3 to 0.25.[/p]
[p]Chain from Special attack to Special start from 0.7 to 0.645.[/p]
[p]Tweaked Special attack hitbox and damage window.[/p]
[p]ADS Vertical Field of View from 65 to 45.[/p]
[p][/p]
Combat Shotguns
[p]The Combat Shotguns have been in a spot where they are mostly used for their Special shells, while the normal shots felt underwhelming in most circumstances. They also suffered from long reload times relative to other weapons.[/p][p]With this update we are trying to improve the overall usability without relying solely on the Special mechanic.[/p][p]Along with increased base damage and reload speed, the Combat Shotgun family gets updated Sprint and Stamina templates, to enable a more mobile, close-range playstyle and not rely only on precision weak-spot shots.[/p][p]We also significantly increased the ammo reserves for all marks. [/p][p]Finally, we slightly increased the Cleave and Impact values to allow it to punch through lesser enemies. [/p][p]For the Mk VII, we aligned the Finesse boost curve between hipfire and ADS modes. [/p][p]For the Mk IX, we slightly extended the Near and Far effective ranges. [/p]
Detailed Changes - Combat Shotguns
[p]All Marks[/p]
[p]Sprint template from “killshot” to “assault”.[/p]
[p]Sprint forward acceleration from {0.15, 0.4} to {0.4, 0.8}.[/p]
[p]Sprint forward deceleration from 1.25 to 2.1.[/p]
[p]Sprint sideway acceleration/deceleration from 5 to 7.[/p]
[p]Sprint speed modifier from {0.5, 0.5} to {0.25, 0.85}.[/p]
[p]Updated Stamina template [/p]
[p]Stamina modifier from 2 to 4.[/p]
[p]Sprint cost per second from {2, 1.5} to {1.5, 0.5}.[/p]
[p]Increased Reload speed by around 10%[/p]
[p]Affecting both regular and special shells.[/p]
[p]Damage profiles[/p]
[p]Zarona MK VI[/p]
[p]Damage from {250, 500} to {300, 600}.[/p]
[p]Cleave[/p]
[p]Cleave attack From 0.01 to {2, 4}.[/p]
[p]Cleave impact from 0.01 to {2, 4}.[/p]
[p]Ammo reserve from {60, 80} to {70, 95}.[/p]
[p]Agripinaa Mk VII[/p]
[p]Damage from {200, 400} to {250, 480}.[/p]
[p]Cleave[/p]
[p]Cleave attack From 1.3 to 2.5.[/p]
[p]Cleave impact from 1.3 to 2.5.[/p]
[p]Ammo reserve from {75, 95} to {80, 105}.[/p]
[p]Finesse boost curve shooting from HipFire increased to match ADS.[/p]
[p]{0.6,1.2} to {1.25,2.5}.[/p]
[p]Accatran Mk IX[/p]
[p]Damage from {450, 700} to {550, 740}.[/p]
[p]Cleave[/p]
[p]Cleave attack From 2 to 3.5.[/p]
[p]Cleave impact from 1 to 3.[/p]
[p]Ranges[/p]
[p]Close range from {6, 8} to {6, 11}.[/p]
[p]Long range from {12, 16} to {12, 17}.[/p]
[p]Ammo reserve from {45, 65} to {55, 85}.[/p]
Double-barreled Shotgun
[p]To increase the reliability of the weapon against bigger targets, we increased the armour damage modifier against the Unyielding type at both Near and Far ranges. [/p][p]Additionally, we slightly raised the ammo reserves to allow for more aggressive approaches. [/p]
Detailed Changes - Double-barreled Shotgun
[p]Damage profiles[/p]
[p]adm vs Unyielding[/p]
[p]Near from 1.0 to 1.1.[/p]
[p]Far from 0.5 to 0.65.[/p]
[p]Ammo reserve increased from {40, 80} to {50, 90}. [/p]
[p][/p]
Bug Fixes & Changes
Weapons and Blessings
[p]Fixed an issue where the description for the 'Run n Gun' blessing was displaying incorrect prefixes.[/p]
[p][/p]
Classes
Psyker
[p]Fixed an issue where the Disrupt Destiny keystone sometimes failed to show stacks in the HUD.[/p]
[p][/p]
Missions
Inter-Zone Void Sector Omega-12
[p]Clandestium Gloriana[/p]
[p]Fixed several places in Clandestium Gloriana where players could get out of bounds.[/p]
[p]Rotated the door after the mid event in Clandestium Gloriana to avoid players getting trapped behind it when it opens. [/p]
[p][/p]
UI/UX and Animation
[p]Fixed an issue where an “additional objectives” string in the Penance menu would not localize correctly. [/p]
[p][/p]
Miscellaneous
[p]Deadzone options now apply to both sticks when playing on controller.[/p]
[p][/p]
Cosmetics
[p]Fixed clipping issue on the Zealot “Stygian Kantrael MK IVG Flak Helm” headgear. [/p]
[p]Fixed clipping issue behind the arms on the Veteran “Stygian MK lll Flak vest” upper body. [/p]
[p]Fixed longer hairstyles clipping issue with the Psyker “Stygian MK IV Psykana Collar with Rebreather” headgear. [/p]
[p]Fixed an issue where the Psyker “Illius Pattern Battleshoud with Psykana Collar (Burn Sulphur)” headgear would remove the operative's eyebrows. [/p]
[p]Fixed issues with the Veteran “Militarum Field Jacket” upper body clipping with “Militarum Type 47” lower body. [/p]
[p]Fixed issues where the following Veteran headgear cosmetics would clip certain hairstyles [/p]
[p]Ock's Blood Goggles[/p]
[p]Tinker Zard's Superior High-vis Goggles[/p]
[p]Chasm Railer Goggles[/p]
[p]Fixed corrupted texture on Veteran “Vostroyan Hat with Tox Guard Face Mask (Mountain Snow)” headgear. [/p]
[p]Fixed clipping issue on the Veteran “Stygian Mk I Armoured Fatigues” lowerbody. [/p]
[p][/p][p]Earn the Protector of Tertium cosmetics by watching eligible Twitch streams! Make your stay in Tertium a stylish, if deadly, fight for survival.[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/87f3095d56fa6e4ce9620c609a132261508038cf.png"][TAG-1604][/p][p]Watch eligible Twitch streamers while they're live up until July 20 to earn the rewards.[/p][p][/p]
Click here, sign up (or log in) and follow the instructions to unlock the cosmetics!
[p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/a65c70af1027202631df9d22270d8a366b72f32d.png"][/p][p][/p][p]This is the will of the Lex.[/p][p][/p][p]We’ll see you on the Mourningstar. [/p][p][/p][p]– The Darktide Team[/p]
Dev Blog: Arbites Weaponry
Hey Everyone,
[p][/p][p]Today we’re showcasing the new tools of justice coming your way just for Arbites. In addition to the arsenal already at your disposal in the game (five melee and nine ranged weapons), four new unique weapons have been crafted to bring swift judgment to lexbreakers. We’ll also take you behind the scenes, sharing how these righteous implements were forged.[/p][p]Here’s what’s hitting the field with the Arbites DLC:[/p]
[p]Exterminator Shotgun: Unleash righteous fury with Special Issue shells.[/p]
[p]Subductor Shotpistol and Riot Shield: Darktide’s first hybrid ranged/defense combo.[/p]
[p]Arbites Shock Maul: Crush dissent with every electrified swing…[/p]
[p]Shock Maul and Suppression Shield: …And if that’s not enough, bring the bash too.[/p]
[p]For the design direction of these weapons we spoke to Matteo and Erik, Designers on Darktide who helped bring these weapons to life.[/p][p][/p][p]How does the Arbites shotgun special shell work? With the Arbites shotgun, we are introducing a new type of limited specials.[/p][p]New Functionality:[/p]
[p]Limited Special Shells[/p]
[p]The number of special shells are limited and visible on the weapon’s top rack.[/p]
[p]Special shells are replenished when picking up ammunition.[/p]
[p]Both shotgun variants’ special shells retain their (high) regular damage output, plus special properties.[/p]
[p]Specific Shell Variants:[/p]
[p]Mk III: Electric Shells - Stun enemies upon impact and give Electrocution debuff with Damage over time.[/p]
[p]Notes:The design intent for this is to give room for them to have a high impact. To be powerful with utility but scarce, so that you should consider saving it for difficult encounters.[/p][p][/p][p]Are there synergies planned between the weapons and the rest of the Arbites’ Talent Tree?[/p][p]The Arbites talent tree has several nodes which enhance and/or are triggered by Blocking, which the Shock Maul & Suppression Shield and the Shotpistol & Riot Shield can easily utilize due to their strong block properties.[/p][p]The Arbites Shock Maul can benefit from any source of Electrocution to trigger its powerful Special Stun, while also having the ability to slot in the High Voltage weapon blessing.[/p][p][/p][p]How does the special work on the Shock Maul & Suppression Shield?[/p][p]Upon blocking attacks, the absorbed energy is converted into the Special gauge, indicated diegetically from a display in the inner side of the shield. The Special gauge also slowly refills passively over time.[/p][p]When the gauge is at least half full, performing the Special input consumes half of the gauge and then triggers a high intensity shockwave in a cone in front of the shield, staggering nearby enemies and inflicting a high amount of Suppression in a large area.[/p][p]The Block properties of the shield are active while performing the Special, meaning it can be used as a safe way to turn the tempo of an engagement from defensive to offensive, but also to disorient ranged enemies before closing in for the kill.[/p][p][/p][p]What were the influences for these weapons? The inspiration for the shotgun was actually the Kill Team: Exaction Squad miniatures. A large Will of the Lex dispensing shotgun![/p][p]Arbites shotgun Mk III: To elaborate. We imagined a large pump-action shotgun. Mk III comes with a duckbill muzzle (Horizontal spread with dynamic choke).[/p][p]The intent for it is to be great at clearing large hordes with hipfire, and competent elite single-target Aim Down Sights. Excelling at close to mid range. This should make for a versatile gun with interesting second-to-second gameplay.[/p][p]Arbites shotgun Mk VIII: While still being a large pump-action shotgun, the Mk VIII comes with an extended barrel and is a standard spread heavy-hitter variant. Intended for mid range, with armor piercing capabilities - it serves better as a single target focus weapon.[/p][p]Shotpistol & Riot Shield: Introducing the first ranged weapon with a shield in Darktide.[/p][p]We wanted to create what you would expect from an Arbites hand-cannon and shield, offering a unique playstyle that blends offense and defense.[/p][p]The Shotpistol unleashes devastating pellets and allows blocking while firing. This is a different weapon compared to existing revolvers. For close encounters and melee combat, use the special to push attack or heavy shield swipe.[/p][p]Shock Maul + Suppression Shield: The idea for this weapon was to use the shield to promote blocking as a useful tool alongside the other damage-avoiding mechanics, whilst also giving it a Special which can be activated to turn the tide from defense to offense.[/p][p]We also added some attacks using the shield itself, giving it a dual-wielding feel.[/p][p]Arbites Shock Maul: The Adeptus Arbites field a large amount of mauls, so we wanted to explore the niche further by playing on their shock/stun repressive properties.[/p][p]This weapon employs a primer mechanic, where the Stun from the Special attacks is triggered only if hitting an already Electrocuted enemy.[/p][p]Since staggering with any attack triggers Electrocution, this creates a two-stage combo structure where players want to be looking at sources of bonus Impact and Electrocution to be able to follow-up immediately with a Special attack.[/p][p][/p][p]Do the shield weapons have any unique blocking properties? The Shock Maul & Suppression Shield can block Ranged attacks coming from a frontal angle, while also being able to block normally unblockable attacks (e.g. Crushers’ overhead slams).[/p][p]The weapon also has a high base Stamina value and a stronger than usual Push.[/p][p]Arbites Shotpistol + Riot Shield can be used to block both ranged and melee attacks, while maintaining the ability to shoot when blocking.[/p][p] [img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/a65c70af1027202631df9d22270d8a366b72f32d.png"][/p]
Animations
[p]To round this dev blog out, we’re going to talk about the animations with some of our animators, Jonas and Julia.[/p][p][/p][p]What was it like animating these new weapons? A different experience than usual for sure! There was quite a lot of going back and forth, adjusting the size and shape of the weapons to make sure that it fit well with the feeling of the combat loop of Darktide. The general feel that I wanted to go for with the Arbites weapons was heavy, methodical and relentless. I also looked up at some reference material of Arbites figurines and lore to get an idea of their behavior.[/p][p]This time around I didn’t have any matching props for an assault shield, so I posed around using a cardboard cut-out to test and feel how to animate certain motions and actions. The Shotpistol reload actually came to be through me testing around with holding a prop gun in different unconventional ways. As usual, I probably looked like a reject finding out what guns are for the first time.[/p][p]At first with the Shock Maul & Suppression Shield, I animated the shield much slower and heavier, but at some point it felt too similar to the Ogryn slabshield and I made it a bit faster and lighter in motion. This decision made it a bit easier to incorporate the shield into the light attack chains.[/p][p]Instead of making the shield feel slow and sluggish, I tried to mix it up a bit by making the Shock maul feel a bit more top-heavy instead. In the end I animated the Shock maul together with the shield to have a bit more anticipation and windups in the animations and having the impact feel a bit more like a baton. - Jonas[/p][p][/p][p]Were there any challenges in the development of the Arbites’ weapons? In general I think there was a fun challenge in animating weapons with shields. Especially ranged weapons that kinda require you to use both hands when reloading or for a similar action. As an animator on Darktide I really want to highlight reloads or any other unique weapon interactions as much as possible.[/p][p]I think Shotpistol and Shield have been the most challenging weapon overall because of how you can cancel reload to go into a block. That is, since this weapon has a third state that allows you to block when you run out of ammo in-clip, it creates a lot of unexpected interactions for when going to reload and from reload or to any other disrupting action. - Jonas[/p][p][/p][p]Which is your favourite weapon that you’ve worked on for Arbites? Hard to say to be completely honest. I think I like the Shotpistol and Shield most because of how different it is in comparison to other weapons. But I also really like how the new Shock Maul feels. - Jonas[/p][p]My favorite is the Shotgun, I think the model itself is really cool with its chunkyness and with the special ammo casings visible on top, and the designers did a great job with how it plays. I feel like the law! - Julia[/p][p][/p][p]Are there any unique animations associated with them? The Shotgun’s special ammo reload received a bit of a different animation than usual. There is special ammo attached to the top of the Shotgun model, which provided an opportunity to make an animation where you pick the ammo off one by one from the model itself instead of having the ammo arrive from out-of-frame. - Julia[/p][p][/p][p]How long do animations for these take? It depends on the weapon and how it is going to work, but it can definitely take a while! Which was the case for the Arbites weapon family. Since we didn’t have any weapon family in Darktide that has a shield (Except for you Ogryn, you lovely brute), we chose to animate almost everything from scratch. Using Ogryn animations for this wouldn’t have worked because of rig and size differences.[/p][p]There are about 220~ different animations for each weapon family/pattern that needs to work well together in a lot of different ways due to how fast-paced and high-action Darktide is. Around 50% of my time is spent on putting everything together in the state-machine, making sure that all the animations blend well. - Jonas[/p][p][/p][p]What is your creative process? First I figure out how the weapon I’m going to animate actually functions, and try to find solid references for how they’re used. Then, for first person animations, I’m a big fan of using a GoPro as a sketching tool to showcase my early ideas and choreography. I attach it to my face (Yes, face! It looks ridiculous!) or chest, find a suitable weapon prop and then do some first person recording. It enables shaping and showcasing early ideas without having to spend any time in animation software or the game engine.[/p][p]But even without a GoPro, I like to act out the movement for more complex animations, like reloads for example. For me, it enables my first blockout pass to have passable motions and pacing, and having that to begin with makes it easier for me to push and exaggerate the timing within the movements to a speed that I myself am not able to do, but will be smooth and believable in the game context. - Julia[/p][p]The process I have is that I usually look up references for different weapons that I start working on, and learn more about the what, why and how on functionalities. Using those references on stances/poses/handlings I go further with the process of testing out motions myself with props and see what feels and looks convincing and good. After brainstorming ideas and testing around I start animating and tweaking so that it works for first-person view. - Jonas[/p][p][/p][p]Any fun bits of trivia? When recording motion capture for the Shock Mine, we used a duct tape roll as our prop! - Julia[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/a65c70af1027202631df9d22270d8a366b72f32d.png"][/p][p]Thank you for reading our dev blog on the making of your new weapons in your new Arbites Class, releasing on June 23, 2025 on all platforms. We’ll be looking out for any questions over the weekend and we’ll do our best to answer them.[/p][p]This is the Will of the Lex.[/p][p]We’ll see you on the Mourningstar.[/p][p]Wishlist the Arbites Class today![/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/3710910/Warhammer_40000_Darktide__Arbites_Class"][TAG-250][/p][p]– The Darktide Team[/p]
Free Update - Battle For Tertium
Hello Everyone,
[p][/p][p]Alongside the release of the Arbites Class on June 23, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide will also receive a free update, dubbed Battle for Tertium.[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/a65c70af1027202631df9d22270d8a366b72f32d.png"][TAG-10][/p]
New Player Journey
[p]The core player experience has been reworked to provide a new clearer narrative focus, following the conflict of the Battle for Tertium. Players will now experience a linear campaign with new mission debriefs and embedded cinematics. This new progression path is designed to ease in new players and gradually unlock features that were previously gated by character level. [/p][p][/p][p]While previously each new player’s experience was completely random, the Battle for Tertium narrative presents maps, enemies and characters in a specific order, allowing players to discover all aspects of the game at a much better pace.[/p][p][/p][p]The story missions play the same as regular missions, except that these missions have a more tight control over which enemies spawn. You might also hear some new VO lines during missions, and some brand new mission debrief cinematics when completing each mission. [/p][p]Existing players with characters at level 10 or higher can choose to skip the story or play it from the beginning. Players who change their minds about playing the campaign can opt out by using the Personality Scourge at the Chirurgeon. [/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/a65c70af1027202631df9d22270d8a366b72f32d.png"][TAG-30][/p]
Mission Board Rework
[p]A new mission board system will be bringing several changes to how you engage with missions and difficulties. Missions are no longer tied to a specific difficulty, allowing you to select a mission and then choose the difficulty you want. This will effectively increase the amount of mission options available for players of all difficulty levels. While most circumstances remain consistent across difficulty levels, some are disabled on lower difficulties. Notably, Maelstrom missions are exclusive to the Heresy and Auric difficulties. [/p][p]Additionally, the difficulty system has also been overhauled. You now unlock new difficulties by completing missions rather than leveling up your characters. You must prove your skills at your current maximum difficulty to unlock access to the next one. We intend to create a motivation for new players to master the game step by step, and for veteran players to feel assured that their teammates have earned the right to be there. [/p][p]You will make progress by playing missions at your current maximum difficulty. Completing missions advances your progress. Failure reduces progress but very slightly. Additionally, you will never be demoted to a lower difficulty tier, regardless of how many missions you fail. Higher difficulties will require you to complete more missions to unlock them.[/p][p][/p][p]For existing characters, your difficulty progression will be migrated based on their character level and completed missions. [/p][p]Auric is now a standalone difficulty tier, placed above Damnation. We felt that Auric Heresy fell in an awkward spot compared to Damnation, with the increased mission options per difficulty, we decided it was best to turn Auric into its own difficulty level. Additionally, we have removed Sedition difficulty and made a few minor changes to Uprising to take its place, as we felt there was too much downtime with too few enemies between hordes. These changes aim to keep you in the action more often.[/p][p][/p]
[p]The Secrets of the Shipmistress[/p][p]Sefoni’s indiscretions are getting worse! During Mortis Trials, keen-eared Rejects now have the opportunity to sift pieces of Shipmistress Brahms’ past from the psychic chatter. How did she inherit the Mourningstar? What is she hiding? Is she really on the same side as Grendyl, let alone his irksome busybodies? Delve deeper into all these and more across dozens of new memory echoes, unlockable by claiming victory in the Mortis Trials! [/p][p]Dev Note: If you've ever wanted to relisten to the memory echoes you've unlocked in the Mortis Trials, you should take a look behind the pillars in the meat grinder. [/p][p]New difficulty for Mortis Trials[/p][p]Since the release of Mortis Trials we have noticed people requesting a higher challenge in Mortis Trials! So, we are adding a new difficulty, Auric, as well as some other small changes.[/p]
[p]There will now be a shorter time in between waves.[/p]
[p]Waves will now have more enemies and enemy types increasing variety.[/p]
[p]We are changing the base difficulty to match an Auric difficulty mission.[/p]
[p]This initial set of balance adjustments focuses on improving underperforming weapons so they can better compete with top-tier options. Some of these changes also pave the way for new weapons, such as the powerful signature shotgun coming with the Arbites class. Adjustments to existing shotguns were made to ensure the Arbites weapons feel satisfying without completely overshadowing their existing counterparts.[/p][p][/p][p]This first round is not exhaustive but represents a step toward better overall balance. While we are aware of some currently powerful weapons that need addressing, we chose to first elevate the lower-performing options rather than immediately nerfing the top ones. [/p][p]Key Changes in Update 1.8.0:[/p]
[p]"Devil's Claw" Swords[/p]
[p]Tactical Axes[/p]
[p]Shock Mauls[/p]
[p]Heavy Eviscerators[/p]
[p]Helbore Lasguns[/p]
[p]Combat Shotguns[/p]
[p]Double-barreled Shotgun[/p]
[p] Detailed notes of all changes can be found HERE[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/a65c70af1027202631df9d22270d8a366b72f32d.png"][/p][p]– The Darktide Team[/p]
June Update: Early Balance Look
Hey Everyone!
[p][/p][p]Welcome to a new series of balancing blogs for Darktide! Going forward we will be doing regular balance changes to the game alongside big updates. As part of this journey we want to include you, the community, by sharing our intended changes early on to gather feedback and ensure our intention matches your expectations. Let's begin by discussing our approach to balancing Darktide. We strive to create a balanced game environment, recognizing that perfect balance in a PvE-focused game may be unattainable and perhaps unnecessary. However, a reasonable level of balance among weapons is essential. This ensures players feel empowered to experiment with various setups and choose options that are both enjoyable and engaging for their playstyle.[/p][p][/p][p]This initial set of balance adjustments focuses on improving underperforming weapons so they can better compete with top-tier options. Some of these changes also pave the way for new weapons, such as the powerful signature shotgun coming with the Arbites class. Adjustments to existing shotguns were made to ensure the Arbites weapons feel satisfying without completely overshadowing their existing counterparts.[/p][p][/p][p]While we are aware of some currently powerful weapons that need addressing, we chose to first elevate the lower-performing options rather than immediately nerfing the top ones.[/p][p][/p][p]Detailed explanations of the specific changes to each weapon are provided below. Going forward, we plan to implement more frequent balance updates to keep the game fresh, address outliers, and introduce new and interesting playstyles. [/p][p]List:[/p]
[p]This batch of changes for the Devil’s Claw swords aims at further reinforcing the crowd control and reliability of the family.[/p][p][/p][p]We increased the offensive properties of the Light attack profiles, while also significantly increasing the armour damage modifiers of the Heavy Strikedown and Special Riposte profiles against specific armour types.[/p][p][/p][p]We improved the base Stamina statistic, reduced the minimum Block time (the amount of time that the Block stance must be maintained after performing the input) and allowed for most attacks and attack starts to be performed while sprinting.[/p][p]This will make the weapon snappier and more responsive in different situations.[/p][p][/p][p]Finally, we took a pass on all attacks to tweak active windows, ranges and hitboxes to be better aligned with their animations.[/p][p][/p][p]For the Mk I, we added a new Heavy Strikedown attack, only reached from Light 3. In turn, the Light 3 attack is now reachable also from the Push action, and has an increased baseline power multiplier. [/p][p]These additions will grant additional options to a mark which was lacking in single target attacks.[/p][p][/p][p]For the Mk IV, we raised the power level multiplier of the Light 4 attack as it was very far into the attack chain and not particularly enticing.[/p][p][/p][p]For the Mk VII, we increased the power level multiplier of the Pushfollow and Light 3 attacks while also changing the possible combos after a Riposte attack.[/p][p]Now after a successful Special Parry, the combo will chain into the Pushfollow attack instead of Light 3; as the Pushfollow attack still chains into Light 3, this will give the mark a new unique chain.[/p][p][/p]
Detailed Changes - Catachan "Devil's Claw" Swords
[p]Damage profiles[/p]
[p]Light Vanguard[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {40, 80} to {60, 100}[/p]
[p]Dev Note: The change will also affect the Turtolsky Heavy Swords Special followup Light attacks[/p]
[p]Light Strikedown / Light Strikedown Stab[/p]
[p]1st target adm vs Maniac from 1 to 1.25[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {100, 200} to {115, 230}[/p]
[p]2nd target damage from {25,60} to {40,80}[/p]
[p]Dev Note: The changes will also affect the Turtolsky Heavy Swords Pushfollow attacks and the Maccabian Mk V Duelling Sword Light 3 attack[/p]
[p]Heavy Strikedown[/p]
[p]1st target adm vs Unarmoured from 1 to 1.1[/p]
[p]1st target adm vs Unyielding from 0.75 to 1.25[/p]
[p]Riposte[/p]
[p]1st target adm vs Unarmoured from 1 to 1.25[/p]
[p]1st target adm vs Unyielding from 1 to 1.25[/p]
[p]1st target adm vs Carapace armour from 0.25 to 0.5[/p]
[p]All marks[/p]
[p]Added Allowed during sprint to most attacks and attack starts[/p]
[p]Block minimum time from 0.3 to 0.225[/p]
[p]Stamina template update:[/p]
[p]Base Stamina from 4 to 4.5[/p]
[p]Tweaked damage windows, hitboxes and ranges for several attacks[/p]
[p]Updated Inspect screen to correct some attack gestalt icons (visual only change)[/p]
[p]Mk I[/p]
[p]Added a new Heavy Strikedown attack with 540 power level multiplier [/p]
[p]This attack will chain only from Light 3[/p]
[p]Light 3 chains now to Light 2 / new Heavy Strikedown instead of Light 1 / Heavy 1[/p]
[p]Push chains now to Light 3 / Heavy 1 instead of Light 1 / Heavy 1[/p]
[p]Heavy 2 chain time to Start attack from 0.55 to 0.5[/p]
[p]Push chain time to Start attack from 0.35 to 0.3[/p]
[p]Added 545 power level multiplier to Light 3[/p]
[p]Added 535 power level multiplier to Pushfollow attack[/p]
[p]Mk IV[/p]
[p]Heavy 1 windup from secondary start from 0.56 to 0.46[/p]
[p]Added 550 power level multiplier to Light 4[/p]
[p]Mk VII[/p]
[p]Pushfollow damage profile from Light Strikedown to Light Strikedown Stab[/p]
[p]Riposte chains now to Pushfollow / Heavy 1 instead of Light 3 / Heavy 1[/p]
[p]Added 535 power level multiplier to Light 3[/p]
[p]Added 525 power level multiplier to Pushfollow attack[/p]
[p][/p]
Atrox Tactical Axes
[p]While sporting overall good mobility, the Tactical Axes had only average Sprint values.[/p][p][/p][p]We significantly improved their Sprint profile, while also allowing for most attacks and attack starts to be performed while sprinting. [/p][p]We also significantly raised the damage of the Special attacks and added a new profile for the Heavy Strikedowns with a vertical or uppercut direction, with increased damage and Carapace armour modifier. [/p][p]Finally, we took a pass on all attacks to tweak active windows, ranges and hitboxes to be better aligned with their animations. [/p][p]For the Mk II, we added a power level boost to the Light 3 attack, as it is further into the attack chain, and to both Special attacks, as they are slower compared to the other two marks. [/p][p]For the Mk IV, we upgraded the damage profile for both Heavy attacks and slightly lowered their chain timings, as they are both performed in a vertical or uppercut direction. [/p][p]For the Mk VII, we added a power level boost to all Light attacks, as they inflict a higher movement speed penalty compared to the Lights of the other marks, and changed the Heavy 2 profile to the new Heavy Strikedown. [/p]
Detailed Changes - Atrox Tactical Axes
[p]Damage profiles[/p]
[p]Light Assassin[/p]
[p]Added 3rd target[/p]
[p]Heavy Strikedown (diagonal)[/p]
[p]Adm vs Carapace armour from 0.25 to 0.3[/p]
[p]Added a new Heavy Strikedown profile for vertical and uppercut attacks, with the same properties as Heavy Strikedown (diagonal) aside from:[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {100,200} to {115,230}[/p]
[p]1st target adm vs Carapace armour from 0.3 to 0.5[/p]
[p]Special Stab[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {25,50} to {70,140}[/p]
[p]Removed Crit Chance bonus[/p]
[p]Special Strikedown[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {25,50} to {60,120}[/p]
[p]1st target impact from {8,16} to {10,20}[/p]
[p]Removed Crit Chance bonus[/p]
[p]All marks[/p]
[p]Sprint template from “default” to “assault”[/p]
[p]Forward acceleration from {0.15, 0.4} to {0.4, 0.8}[/p]
[p]Forward deceleration from 1.25 to 2.1[/p]
[p]Sprint speed modifier from {-0.5, 0.5} to {-0.25, 0.85}[/p]
[p]Increased action total time for most Heavy attacks[/p]
[p]This will make continuing the combo chain after the attacks more forgiving[/p]
[p]Added Allowed during sprint to most attacks and attack starts[/p]
[p]Tweaked damage windows, hitboxes and ranges for most attacks[/p]
[p]Buffer time for the Special input from 0.2 to 0.4[/p]
[p]Mk II[/p]
[p]Added power level multiplier 515 to Light 3[/p]
[p]Added power level multiplier 550 to Special 1 and Special 2[/p]
[p]Mk IV[/p]
[p]Changed damage profile of Heavy 1 and Heavy 2 from Heavy Strikedown (diagonal) to the new Heavy Strikedown (vertical/uppercut)[/p]
[p]Lowered chain times to Start Attack and Special Attack from Heavy 1 and Heavy 2 from 0.5 to 0.4[/p]
[p]Added power level multiplier 515 to Heavy 2[/p]
[p]Mk VII[/p]
[p]Changed damage profile of Heavy 2 from Heavy Strikedown (diagonal) to the new Heavy Strikedown (vertical/uppercut)[/p]
[p]Added power level multiplier 550 to Light 1, Light 2, Light 3 [/p]
Shock Mauls
[p]The Shock Mauls, while being dependable in inflicting stagger, were also below average in damage output and overall not very exciting. [/p][p]We increased the damage against the 1st target on most profiles, with a particularly large bonus to the Heavy Strikedown and Special attacks.[/p][p][/p][p]We also enhanced the base Stamina template, and tweaked hitboxes and active windows of some attacks to better align with their animations. [/p][p]For the attacks with an uppercut direction (Light 3 on the Mk Ia / Light 4 on the Mk III) we slightly delayed the start of the attack active window to make it easier to connect with weakspots. [/p][p]Finally, for the Mk Ia, we added power level multipliers to the Light 3 and Light 4 attacks, to make them a more enticing combo alternative to just returning to Heavy 1. [/p]
Detailed Changes - Shock Mauls
[p]Damage profiles[/p]
[p]Light Strikedown[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {100,200} to {115,210}[/p]
[p]Light Vanguard[/p]
[p]Cleave from “light” to “medium”[/p]
[p]From {3.0,6.0} to {4.0,9.0}[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {100,150} to {110,165}[/p]
[p]Heavy Relentless[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {110,260} to {120,270}[/p]
[p]Heavy Strikedown[/p]
[p]Cleave from “big” to “light”[/p]
[p]From {8.5,12.5} to {3.0,6.0}[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {140,350} to {160,390}[/p]
[p]4th target damage override removed (from 0 to {30,50})[/p]
[p]Light Relentless[/p]
[p]adm vs Maniac from 0.8 to 0.75[/p]
[p]adm vs Carapace armour from 0.75 to 0.4[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {80,150} to {90,165}[/p]
[p]Special attack[/p]
[p]Sticky damage tick from {10,70} to {30,80}[/p]
[p]Stun damage tick from {40,50} to {50,65}[/p]
[p]All marks[/p]
[p]Stamina template update:[/p]
[p]Base Stamina from 4 to 4.5[/p]
[p]Sprint cost per second from {1.5, 0.5} to {1.25, 0.75}[/p]
[p]Inner angle Block cost from {1.5, 0.5} to {1.0, 0.5} [/p]
[p]Mk Ia[/p]
[p]Light 1 damage profile from Light Relentless to Light Vanguard[/p]
[p]Added power level multiplier 530 to Light 3[/p]
[p]Added power level multiplier 550 to Light 4[/p]
[p]Tweaked hitboxes for Light 3 and Light 4[/p]
[p]Tweaked damage windows for Light 4 to make it easier to connect with weakspots[/p]
[p]Mk III[/p]
[p]Tweaked hitboxes and damage windows for Light 1 and Light 2[/p]
[p]Tweaked damage windows for Light 3 to make it easier to connect with weakspots[/p][p][/p]
Tigrus Heavy Eviscerators
[p]The Eviscerators thunder was in part stolen by the Relic Blades, which have overall better cleave properties while also being no slouch in the single target department. [/p][p]To give these iconic Zealot weapons a deserved bump, we tweaked most of the attack profiles: we removed the damage caps on secondary targets for the sweeping Vanguard/Relentless attacks, but also increased several armour modifier values, significantly improved the damage on the Heavy profiles and normalised most of the Special active profiles. [/p][p]For the Mk III, we changed the chain times to key actions after the Heavy 1 attack to make it more responsive but less spammable with swap cancelling, slightly increased the speed of the Light 2 attack and added a power level multiplier to the Light 3 and Heavy 2 attacks. [/p]
Detailed Changes - Tigrus Heavy Eviscerators
[p]Damage profiles[/p]
[p]Light Strikedown[/p]
[p]adm vs Maniac from 0.5 to 0.9[/p]
[p]adm vs Infested from 0.75 to 1[/p]
[p]Removed adm reduction on 1st target vs Carapace armour; from 0.1 to 0.25[/p]
[p]Light Vanguard/Relentless[/p]
[p]Upped damage on secondary targets[/p]
[p]Removed damage cap after 4th target[/p]
[p]Heavy Vanguard[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {150,300} to {165,345}[/p]
[p]1st target finesse multiplier from 0.5 to {0.4,1.0}[/p]
[p]Upped damage on secondary targets[/p]
[p]Heavy Strikedown[/p]
[p]1st target damage from {150,300} to {175,350}[/p]
[p]1st target adm vs Carapace armour from 0.25 to 0.5[/p]
[p]1st target finesse multiplier from 0.5 to {0.5, 1.0}[/p]
[p]Added 0.4s buffer time to the Unwield input[/p]
[p] Mk III[/p]
[p]Heavy 1 chain to Unwield from 0 to 0.45[/p]
[p]Heavy 1 chain to Start attack from 0.6 to 0.45[/p]
[p]Heavy 1 chain to Block from 0.7 to 0.6[/p]
[p]Light 2 time scale from 0.85 to 0.9 (sped up)[/p]
[p]Added power level multiplier 525 to Heavy 2 and Light 3[/p]
[p]Updated Heavy 2 and Pushfollow attack damage profiles on Special abort [/p]
[p]Mk XV[/p]
[p]Updated Pushfollow attack damage profiles on Special active and Special abort [/p]
Lucius Helbore Lasguns
[p]The Helbore Lasguns suffered from a very long Wield action duration, making it hard to quickly swap to them to shoot at priority targets (especially accounting also for the shot charging).[/p][p]While this behaviour was intended, it also became increasingly punishing as the enemy numbers grew in higher difficulties. [/p][p]In this balancing pass we sped up the Wield action, walking the line of maintaining the cumbersome feeling while also allowing for the weapons to be easier to swap into. [/p][p]Alongside this change, we improved some of the armour and Finesse modifiers for ranged shots, and extended the hitscan radius of the las projectiles*, to make it easier for the weapon to shine as a marksman tool. [/p][p]* This will make the hitscan detection more generous and allow for shots that would have slightly missed the target to still be considered a hit. [/p][p]For the Mk V, we slightly increased the camera zoom in ADS mode. [/p][p]For the Mk IV, we increased the camera zoom in ADS mode to be equivalent as the Mk IIIa. [/p][p]We also improved the speed and offensive properties of the Special Slash attack, to be more in line with the Special Stab used in the other marks. [/p]
Detailed Changes - Lucius Helbore Lasguns
[p]Damage profiles[/p]
[p]Near charged shot [/p]
[p]adm vs Unarmoured from 1 to 1.1[/p]
[p]adm vs Maniac from 1 to 1.25[/p]
[p]adm vs Infested from 1 to 1.1[/p]
[p]Far charged shot[/p]
[p]adm vs Unarmoured from 1 to 1.25[/p]
[p]adm vs Infested from 1 to 1.25[/p]
[p]All shots Finesse Boost[/p]
[p]vs Carapace armour from 0.1 to 0.2[/p]
[p]vs Maniac from 0.25 to 0.35[/p]
[p]vs Unyielding from 0.25 to 0.3[/p]
[p]Special Slash[/p]
[p]Added Ignore stagger reduction[/p]
[p]1st target finesse multiplier from 0.75 to 1[/p]
[p]All Marks[/p]
[p]Added time scale 1.5 to Wield action (sped up)[/p]
[p]Added 0.05 radius to hitscan templates[/p]
[p]Buffer time for the Special input from 0.2 to 0.4[/p]
[p]Mk V[/p]
[p]ADS Vertical Field of View from 65 to 55[/p]
[p]Mk IV[/p]
[p]Chain from Special start to Special attack from 0.3 to 0.25[/p]
[p]Chain from Special attack to Special start from 0.7 to 0.645[/p]
[p]Tweaked Special attack hitbox and damage window[/p]
[p]ADS Vertical Field of View from 65 to 45[/p]
[p][/p]
Combat Shotguns
[p]The Combat Shotguns have been in a spot where they are mostly used for their Special shells, while the normal shots felt underwhelming in most circumstances. They also suffered from long reload times relative to other weapons.[/p][p]With this update we are trying to improve the overall usability without relying solely on the Special mechanic. Along with increased base damage and reload speed, the Combat Shotgun family gets updated Sprint and Stamina templates, to enable a more mobile, close-range playstyle and not rely only on precision weak-spot shots.[/p][p]We also significantly increased the ammo reserves for all marks.[/p][p][/p][p]Finally, we slightly increased the Cleave and Impact values to allow it to punch through lesser enemies. [/p][p]For the Mk VII, we aligned the Finesse boost curve between hipfire and ADS modes. [/p][p]For the Mk IX, we slightly extended the Near and Far effective ranges. [/p]
Detailed Changes - Combat Shotguns
[p]All Marks[/p]
[p]Sprint template from “killshot” to “assault”[/p]
[p]Sprint forward acceleration from {0.15, 0.4} to {0.4, 0.8}[/p]
[p]Sprint forward deceleration from 1.25 to 2.1[/p]
[p]Sprint sideway acceleration/deceleration from 5 to 7[/p]
[p]Sprint speed modifier from {0.5, 0.5} to {0.25, 0.85}[/p]
[p]Updated Stamina template [/p]
[p]Stamina modifier from 2 to 4[/p]
[p]Sprint cost per second from {2, 1.5} to {1.5, 0.5}[/p]
[p]Increased Reload speed by around 10%[/p]
[p]Affecting both regular and special shells[/p]
[p]Damage profiles[/p]
[p]Zarona MK VI[/p]
[p]Damage from {250, 500} to {300, 600}[/p]
[p]Cleave[/p]
[p]Cleave attack From 0.01 to {2, 4}[/p]
[p]Cleave impact from 0.01 to {2, 4}[/p]
[p]Ammo reserve from {60, 80} to {70, 95}[/p]
[p]Agripinaa Mk VII[/p]
[p]Damage from {200, 400} to {250, 480}[/p]
[p]Cleave[/p]
[p]Cleave attack From 1.3 to 2.5[/p]
[p]Cleave impact from 1.3 to 2.5[/p]
[p]Ammo reserve from {75, 95} to {80, 105}[/p]
[p]Finesse boost curve shooting from HipFire increased to match ADS.[/p]
[p]{0.6,1.2} to {1.25,2.5}[/p]
[p]Accatran Mk IX[/p]
[p]Damage from {450, 700} to {550, 740}[/p]
[p]Cleave[/p]
[p]Cleave attack From 2 to 3.5[/p]
[p]Cleave impact from 1 to 3[/p]
[p]Ranges[/p]
[p]Close range from {6, 8} to {6, 11}[/p]
[p]Long range from {12, 16} to {12, 17}[/p]
[p]Ammo reserve from {45, 65} to {55, 85}[/p]
[p][/p]
Double-barreled Shotgun
[p]To increase the reliability of the weapon against bigger targets, we increased the armour damage modifier against the Unyielding type at both Near and Far ranges.[/p][p]Additionally, we slightly raised the ammo reserves to allow for more aggressive approaches.[/p][p][/p]
Detailed Changes - Double-barreled Shotgun
[p]Damage profiles[/p]
[p]adm vs Unyielding[/p]
[p]Near from 1.0 to 1.1[/p]
[p]Far from 0.5 to 0.65[/p]
[p]Ammo reserve increased from {40, 80} to {50, 90}[/p]
[p]While not included in this round of changes (and not the only tweaks considered) these are on our radar for a future balancing pass.[/p]
Duelling Swords
[p]We are currently undertaking a comprehensive rework of the weapon, examining every aspect. While a damage reduction is probable, and will likely contribute to the solution, our aim is to bring its power level in line with other weapons while reinforcing its player fantasy and raising its skill ceiling.[/p]
Plasma Gun
[p]We recognise that the Plasma Gun's primary attack presents an issue. This often leads to gameplay revolving around quick attacks, bypassing the intended trade-offs associated with the potent, yet volatile, secondary charged attacks.[/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/a65c70af1027202631df9d22270d8a366b72f32d.png"][/p][p]Give this a read and let us know your thoughts in the comments below! We’ll be reading the comments and feedback to our plans. [/p][p]See you on the Mourningstar.[/p][p][/p][p]– The Darktide Team[/p][p] [/p]
Introducing: Dev Blog: Arbites Talent Tree
Hello everyone!
[p][/p][p]This is one of several developer blogs centered around different aspects of the recently announced upcoming class, the Arbites! This dev blog will focus on the class’ talent tree![/p][p][/p][p]We’ve interviewed Design Director Victor and Game Designer Gunnar to get their insight into its design, and the three distinct styles that can be found in it.[/p][p][/p][p]“I’m Victor, I’m the Design Director at Darktide. I’ve been at Fatshark for 16 years, working as a designer in different ways.” - Victor[/p][p][/p][p]“My name is Gunnar and I am currently a Game Designer, but I started at Fatshark in 2018 as a Gameplay Coder on Vermintide, and a few years ago I switched to become a Designer instead.” - Gunnar[/p][p] [img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/a65c70af1027202631df9d22270d8a366b72f32d.png"][/p]
What was the process for making the Arbites’ talent tree?
[p]The class rework from Patch #13 was our first dive into the style of talent tree that we now have, with plenty of choices and flexibility but also a defined design goal behind it. We’ve learned a lot since then, and we hope that reflects on the Arbites’ tree.[/p][p][/p][p]We looked at the existing talent trees and we considered what worked and what was necessary to build the core skeleton of the tree. Once that was done, we built from that foundation into the various talents and choices you’ll have available. We purposely aimed to not overextend with the amount of nodes available and tried to focus on making each node meaningful and impactful. [/p][p]“As you’re going through the tree you’re not just looking at stat bonuses, you’re looking at ‘what would your Arbites in the Warhammer: 40,000 universe do or be good at.” - Gunnar [/p][p]A key aspect that guided the design of the tree is enabling different Player Fantasies, the cool thing that each individual player is seeking to do while playing Arbites. This is what resulted in the three distinct gameplay styles mentioned earlier, but it also made us focus on enabling anything in between. The system is meant to be flexible and players are encouraged to come up with their own variation of a build, and that goes for all of the existing talent trees.[/p][p][/p][p]“It’s up to the players to figure out and come up with their own sort of playstyle of fantasy of how THEY think their dream Arbites (in this case) functions.” - Victor[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/a65c70af1027202631df9d22270d8a366b72f32d.png"][/p]
The Three Paths
[p][/p][p]Due to the nature of the talent trees, players are free to mix and match whatever talents they wish, provided they have the points and can path their way down the tree. However, as with our existing classes, there are three distinct gameplay & combat styles that the main branches of the tree embody, and players can focus on these paths to specialize in these styles.[/p][p][/p][p]While they don’t have an official name, for this dev blog we can refer to them as Subjugator, Exterminator, and Investigator.[/p][p][/p]
Subjugator
[p]Following the right side of the talent tree you will find talents that will allow you to dive into the thick of combat to break apart the formations of the criminal scum, tapping into an identity akin to riot police. These talents focus heavily on melee, staggering enemies and tanking.[/p][p][/p][p]Sneak peak at some of the talents:[/p]
[p]Hammer of Judgement: Increased Attack Speed when hitting multiple enemies with a single Melee Attack.[/p]
[p]Suppression Protocols: Hitting multiple enemies with a single Melee Attack grants Toughness Damage reduction.[/p]
[p]Target the Weak: Enemies staggered by your Melee Attacks take more damage from Melee.[/p]
[p][/p]
Exterminator
[p]“Then we’ve also always been keen on fulfilling the shotgun fantasy of being this unstoppable force… walking down a corridor… just blasting everything that gets within range.” - Gunnar[/p][p][/p][p]Relevant talents for shotgun gunplay can be found all over the talent tree, but it is the middle branch that has the most focus on it. This gameplay style focuses on high firepower at close range, blasting enemies of the Law with unflinching and implacable impunity.[/p][p][/p][p]Sneak peak at some of the talents:[/p]
[p]Withering Fire: Improved Ranged Damage after Reloading.[/p]
[p]Up Close: Replenish toughness on Close Kill.[/p]
[p]March: Increased Movement Speed on Ranged Hit.[/p]
[p][/p]
Investigator
[p]Found on the left side of the tree, this playstyle focuses on eliminating high priority targets. Elites, Specials, even Monsters. It’s about being ‘on the chase’, relentlessly hunting down a perp and bringing them the Emperor’s Justice. [/p][p]The talents here are quite varied and flexible. There’s a mix of melee and ranged talents, as well as some support nodes. This is also where most (but not all!) of the talents related to the Cyber Mastiff are (although you can easily build into the Investigator branch without picking them!)[/p][p][/p][p]Sneak peak at some of the talents:[/p]
[p]No Escape: Improved Damage and Movement Speed after killing a Special or Elite.[/p]
[p]Canine Morale: Killing enemies Pounced by your Cyber Mastiff grants Toughness and Toughness Damage Reduction to Allies in Coherency.[/p]
[p]Serrated Maw: Your Cyber Mastiff applies Brittleness on attack.[/p]
[p][/p][p]“That was also an important point \[...] We wanted to make sure that no matter if you went left, right or middle, you could always create a build that interacted with your Mastiff - So that you didn’t lock yourself out of playing with your Mastiff just because you also wanted to be melee focused, or because you wanted to do well with the shotgun.” - Gunnar[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/a65c70af1027202631df9d22270d8a366b72f32d.png"][/p][p] While there’s three distinct identities to be found for the Arbites if you focus on a particular talent tree path, it’s important for us that the tree itself remains flexible and allows players to combine talents as they wish and develop the playstyle that best suits them. [/p][p]For that reason, we took great care in making sure that any of the three options for your Combat Ability, your Blitz and your Coherency aura are easily accessible regardless of what path you’re going down, and easily connect to any of the three paths. You can then think of them as independent of those three playstyles, even if there’s a niche that they fit best into.[/p][p] [/p]
Coherency Aura
[p][/p]
Base Coherency Aura: Ruthless Efficiency
[p]Simple, but effective: this is the initial Aura for the Arbites and it givesyou and your Allies in Coherency a bonus to reload speed.[/p][p][/p]
Part of the Squad
[p]For those focusing on the Cyber Mastiff, this option makes your loyal companion count as an Ally for the purposes of Coherency. Additionally, this talent also gives every Ally in Coherency a small bonus to Toughness Damage Reduction.[/p][p][/p]
Breaking Dissent
[p]This Coherency Aura increases the damage dealt by you and Allies in Coherency against enemies that are currently Staggered.[/p][p][/p]
Blitz
[p][/p]
Base Blitz: Arbites Grenade
[p]The default Blitz that all Arbites players start with is a standard issue Arbites Grenade. Compared to the Veteran’s frag grenades, it packs a stronger punch but has a smaller radius and explodes on impact rather than after a delay.[/p][p][/p]
Remote Detonation
[p]The Remote Detonation Blitz requires some coordination with your loyal companion! Upon activating it, an electric discharge will burst from your Cyber Mastiff’s position, dealing damage and heavy stagger impact.[/p][p][/p][p]“It has quite a powerful stagger as well, so if your Mastiff is in the middle of attacking a Monster, like on the Plague Ogryn’s back, and you use it, the Plague Ogryn will stagger forward, disrupting its attacks. So it’s a lot about timing and keeping track of where your Mastiff is to get the most benefit out of it.” - Gunnar[/p][p][/p][p]This Blitz also recharges on a cooldown, rather than by picking up a Grenade Box.[/p][p][/p]
Voltaic Shock Mine
[p]Choosing Voltaic Shock Mines as your Blitz will allow you to set up proximity mines on the ground at spots of your choosing. As enemies draw close to it, it will activate and shock anything that comes near it for a sustained duration. Compared to the Zealot’s Shock Grenade, it has a smaller radius but lasts a lot longer. [/p][p]“It’s one of the first Blitzes that we have that allow you to actually prepare for what’s to come. So if you come into an event area and you know that they’re gonna come from that door, or that direction, you can set up before engaging with the event.” - Victor[/p][p] [/p]
Combat Abilities
[p][/p]
Base Combat Ability: Nuncio-Aquila
[p]The default Combat Ability for the Arbites is Nuncio-Aquila, which brings forth a booming loudspeaker on a specific point you aim it at. It will blast the word of the Imperial Law at full blast, empowering nearby allies and debilitating nearby enemies.[/p][p][/p][p]“It’s like that scene in a movie, where the bad guys are hiding in a house and the police turn on the speakers and start telling them ‘You better give up, you’re surrounded.’, so they start freaking out.” ~ Victor[/p][p][/p]
Castigator’s Stance
[p]This Ability turns you into an unstoppable juggernaut, unleashing the Emperor’s Judgement on the enemy as you walk menacingly forward, unflinching and unphased. Entering the stance removes your ability to sprint, but increases your base movement speed and massively reduces your damage taken for a time.[/p][p][/p]
Break the Line
[p]This Ability makes your Arbites perform a short lunge forwards and then bash every enemy in front of you with your equipped Melee weapon, staggering enemies in a wide area in front of you but without dealing any damage.[/p][p][/p][p]This Ability is on a very short cooldown (the shortest in the game!) so make sure to use it often to clear the way and subjugate the criminal mob![/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/a65c70af1027202631df9d22270d8a366b72f32d.png"][/p]
Design and Development
[p][/p]
Were there any noteworthy changes in design that happened during development?
[p]Originally, the base Combat Ability was going to be the Castigator’s Stance! However, during playtesting we found that it was very unintuitive for players just starting out, as visually it doesn’t really convey all of the effects that it has and it’s hard to tell how it’s meant to be used or what it’s doing for you. Nuncio-Aquila is far more straightforward and easier to understand without having to read its description, while still being sufficiently iconic for the Arbites, so we ended up changing the default Ability to that one.[/p][p][/p][p]Another thing is that at one point, a chunk of the tree was dedicated to talents about picking your Arbites’ armour, based on various options from the lore or tabletop. So you’d pick things like what kind of visor your Arbites wore, or from what areas was the gear made, and so on. In the end we weren’t happy with how that was turning out in practice, but it was an interesting aspect that we explored. [/p][p]At the time of writing, the talent tree was on version #16, so it’s definitely been through its fair share of iteration and polishing! Granted, as we approach the end development, the later versions involved less drastic changes and more fine-tuning and adjustments.[/p][p][/p]
What was the most fun part of designing the talent tree for you?
[p]“It’s just very fun to path down a talent tree. \[...] I think it’s even more fun to build it yourself; it’s a creative process of mixing and matching nodes or creating these crazy structures \[…] I just think it’s a lot of fun to create a tree, in itself.” - Gunnar [/p][p]“This goes for pretty much all of them: the first time most of the nodes are working and you can for the first time actually start theory-crafting in the game. Like actually making your first build, not just in theory. \[...] That’s the most fun I think, ‘cause that’s very exciting.” - Victor.[/p][p][/p]
Of all the talents, what’s your personal favorite?
[p]“I really like the shock mine. It allows you to sort of pre-emptively strike, which I think is really cool. I also really like the Nuncio-Aquila; it allows you to ‘place’ a buff and then you can move in and out of it and you can be tactical about where you place it. - Victor [/p][p]“One that is quite interesting is the Coherency - the aura - that is related to the Cyber Mastiff \[...]. As one of its effects it will make your Mastiff count as one in the coherency pool, so it more easily chains and you get the increased regeneration… and, if you have four Arbites with that aura, you can up to a total eight in your Coherency pool.” - Gunnar[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/a65c70af1027202631df9d22270d8a366b72f32d.png"]That’s all we have for today! Stay tuned for the next Dev Blog on the Arbites! [/p][p]This is the Will of the Lex.[/p][p][/p][p]We’ll see you on the Mourningstar.[/p][p][/p][p]Wishlist the Arbites Class today on Steam.[/p][p][dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/3710910/Warhammer_40000_Darktide__Arbites_Class/"][TAG-409]– The Darktide Team[/p]
Extended Arbites Gameplay
[p]Aspiring Arbitrators of the Lex Imperialis! [/p][p][/p][p]As we promised with the release of the Arbites Gameplay Trailer at the PC Gaming Show, we’re bringing you a 7 minute long video showing gameplay of Arbitrators and their terrifying cybernetically-enhanced companions in their element, dispensing the Emperor’s justice with ruthless efficiency.[/p][p][/p][p]Give it a watch! [/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/5b8a0fa6df58683b86cf4c8b5862f60ba2b2cf87.png"][TAG-20][/p][p]Regrettably, as this extended gameplay video is not a trailer nor, as it happens, a teaser, we were unable to stir the caption guy from his profoundly deep slumber - so you will have to do without this time around![/p][p][/p][p]Wishlist the Arbites Class today on Steam.[/p][p][dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/3710910/Warhammer_40000_Darktide__Arbites_Class/"][TAG-30][/p][p]The Emperor Protects.[/p][p] [/p]
Arbites - Dev Blog: The Voices of the Lex
Hey Everyone,
[p] [/p][p]With the introduction of Arbitrators to the Mourningstar and to celebrate the upcoming release of our new DLC we’re going to talk a bit about the voice work. Matthew Ward, Michael Knight and David Wahlund tell us what it’s like working with Darktide’s cast and the process we go through to get the performances just right.[/p][p] [img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/a65c70af1027202631df9d22270d8a366b72f32d.png"][/p][p]What does the audition procedure look like?[/p][p]Matthew Ward: The casting process for Darktide never really stops. We’re always adding new characters to the game, which means that we’re always in contact with new talent, either for specific roles or with an ear to getting them involved at some point in the future when something suitable arises. [/p][p]As to how we find our actors, it’s always a mix. Some are from blind casting processes where our studio partners source self-taped auditions in line with a casting brief that we provide. Others we approach based on their past work in one medium or another, and more via recommendations from the recording studios or existing cast members. It’s a broad spectrum approach that over the years has given us a great mix of industry veterans, rising stars and the odd member of video game royalty.[/p][p][/p][p]In almost every case, the casting process ends with a directed live audition session at one of our studios, where we hone the actor’s interpretation of the character and hopefully hit that sweet spot of what works for them and matches what we’re looking for. [/p][p]Of course, sometimes we hear something we didn’t know that we were looking for, and that’s really where the magic happens. [/p][p]Michael Knight: I’m constantly blown away by the talent we manage to draw to our game. I think it speaks to the effort that’s always been put into the voices we feature in the Tide games. [/p][p]Are there many Warhammer: 40,000 fans among the contenders?[/p][p]MW: It’s not something that we stipulate, but it’s always a bonus when it comes together that way, as the accompanying knowledge and enthusiasm always shows. Greg Jones and Alex Jordan are some examples from our longstanding cast, Michael Geary from our more recent intake. And of course, we have several actors who are familiar with the Warhammer: 40,000 setting from their work on other projects. [/p][p]MK: We also often find people who’ve never interacted with the IP being fascinated by its depth (and darkness!) [/p][p]How specific are the VO directions? I've seen footage of actors holding prop guns and running on the spot to get the right dynamic and exertion sound for the lines. Is there any more like that?[/p][p][/p][p]MW: Some of our actors - and they know who they are - would probably refuse to record if they didn’t have their stand-in weaponry to tote around. I’m almost entirely sure that’s healthy, and I’ll always say that if there’s any chance that they might be listening. Or armed. [/p][p]But seriously, everyone’s method is different. We record almost exclusively with head-mounted microphones, which allow the talent to roam - or literally throw themselves - around the recording booth if they want. Others get the motion and inflection we’re looking for while standing still or perched on a chair. Whatever gets the results, gets the results. [/p][p]What's the weirdest direction that has been given to a VA for this game?[/p][p]MW: I don’t know about “weirdest”, but something that always gets good results is directing the actor to shout at the recording engineer. It’s nothing personal (at least I hope not) but that always gets a great result. As far as I know we haven’t yet traumatised an engineer. In fact, most of them tend to end up grinning. People are strange. [/p][p]David Wahlund: A maybe unknown and odd part of voice work is the exertions, efforts or grunts. It's the vocals that are not verbalized. In an action game we have a lot of these. When you swing the sword or get hit by a bullet for example. We have 15 different categories. Some efforts or grunts can be used in several different situations. For example a jump grunt can be used when you get pushed etc. These are all quite private sounds. Sometimes, especially when time is short, you might need to give an example yourself. That’s certainly weird the first time you do it. But by doing it yourself you might also take the edge out of the weirdness in the situation for the actor.[/p][p][/p][p]How does the performance process for the monstrosities work? How do you decide, or communicate to the actor "that's what we want this thing to sound like"?[/p][p]DW: As Matt mentioned earlier, the actor's interpretation is super important. We need to give them as much details and context as possible so that they can be creative. When it comes to creatures or monster-like humans, animations and graphics play a big part. So if you can give as much visual information as possible that will certainly help. What does the mouth look like? How does the creature move? All details matter.[/p][p][/p][p]What's the average length of a recording session?[/p][p]MW: Because we ask for a lot of shouting from our actors - “Darktide Conversational Level” has become a bit of a running joke because it’s really not that conversational - most sessions run for an hour, although some of our hardier actors are happy to record for longer sessions. It’s a style of performance that’s very demanding on not only the voice but the whole body.[/p][p][/p][p]How many lines on average are recorded in a session?[/p][p]MW: We plan for around a hundred lines a session. Often that goes higher - when the actor’s in the zone - and sometimes it goes lower, especially when it gets very shouty. It’s always a balance between speed, quality and the actor’s comfort, with the latter being the absolutely most important of the three.[/p][p][/p][p]We’re always adding new voice lines. How often does Fatshark have recording sessions?[/p][p]MW: It varies depending on what we want to capture. The Arbitrator sessions have been pretty full on (roughly 150 recording hours since the start of the year), but for other updates where we only need to add more NPC lines, it might just take a couple of hours. [/p][p]We might not invite an actor back into the booth for months (or even years), or sometimes they’ll be in for a couple of hours for several weeks (or months) in a row. It’s all about matching our needs to their availability. Most are very busy individuals, so we try to get our asks in early.[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/a65c70af1027202631df9d22270d8a366b72f32d.png"][/p][p]Thank you for reading our dev blog on what goes into the performances and the work behind your new Arbites Class, releasing on June 23, 2025 on all platforms. We’ll be looking out for any questions over the weekend and we’ll do our best to answer them.[/p][p][/p][p]This is the Will of the Lex.[/p][p][/p][p]We’ll see you on the Mourningstar. [/p][p]Wishlist the Arbites Class today on Steam.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/3710910/Warhammer_40000_Darktide__Arbites_Class/"][TAG-140][/p][p]– The Darktide Team[/p][p][/p][p] [/p]
[p]During today’s PC Gaming Show, we gave you a first gameplay glimpse at the Adeptus Arbites and announced the Deluxe Edition. [/p][p][/p][p]Check out the gameplay trailer below to see the Arbites unleashing their loyal Cyber-Mastiffs upon lexbreakers, and delivering judgment with extreme prejudice.[/p][p]We’re not done yet.[/p][p]In the lead-up to launch, we’ll be releasing more reveals. We’ll also be sharing more over the coming days, including a longer gameplay video on June 12. Additional dev blogs on the Arbites' talent tree, weapons, and more, will be published in the weeks prior to release. [/p][p][/p][p]On June 23, you’ll be able to purchase the Arbites Class in two different editions:[/p]
[p]Standard Edition: $11.99 / €11.99[/p]
[p]Deluxe Edition: $18.99 / €18.99[/p]
[p]Cosmetic Upgrade (Upgrade to Deluxe): $7.99 / €7.99 [/p]
[p]The Deluxe Edition includes the class and cosmetics for your Arbitrator and Cyber-Mastiff:[/p]
[p]Arbites Class[/p]
[p]1 Unique Class Outfit[/p]
[p]1 Unique Companion Outfit[/p]
[p]1 Portrait Frame[/p]
[p]4 Weapon Skins[/p]
[p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/391adc4a4acb50ff80eeccd7e63e5a69c746b72b.png"][TAG-60][/p][p]Thanks for sticking with us through this reveal, we’re beyond excited for you to take control of the Arbites on June 23, 2025! Make sure to wishlist the Arbites Class now so you're ready to restore order on Tertium Day 1.[/p][p]
[/p]
Behind The Arbitrators - BTS Dev Blog
Hey Everyone,
[p][/p][p]To celebrate the upcoming release of our new DLC and the introduction of Arbitrators to the Mourningstar, we’re going to delve into the lore behind them. As always, we want to give you an overview, but we’ll be leaving some things unsaid for you to discover for yourself.[/p][p][/p][p]To the people of the Imperium, the officers of the Adeptus Arbites are instruments of repression. Visible and feared enforcers of Imperial tyranny, the Arbitrators uphold the Emperor’s justice, but the laws they ruthlessly enforce have nothing to do with protecting the innocent or the weak. The Lex Imperialis exists to ensure the perpetuation of the despotic Imperial machine, for the alternative is anarchy and the extinction of Mankind.[/p][p][/p][p]By contrast, the primary duty of the Adeptus Arbites is to make sure that the Imperial tithe is paid in full and on time. Their squads of armoured officers put down industrial riots that would endanger a world’s production quotas, close down traffickers bleeding useful workers away from their rightful position and break up illicit trading cartels that imperil sub-sector economies or, worse, treat with xenos. Planetary governors who evade their tithe payments can also find themselves under the Arbitrators’ eyes.[/p][p][/p][p]The men and women who dispense justice as Arbitrators are grim and uncompromising individuals. Arbitrators must be harsh in the execution of their duty; mercy is a weakness unbecoming of an officer of the Lex Imperialis. [/p][p]To find out more about the role the Arbitrators are going to play in the war for Atoma, we spoke to Michael Knight and Matthew Ward.[/p][p] [img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/a65c70af1027202631df9d22270d8a366b72f32d.png"][/p][p]Are the Arbitrators going to be Rejects? Do they start aboard the Tancred Bastion?[/p][p]Michael Knight: The Arbitrators are definitely not Rejects. They’ve always had a presence on Atoma, working to enforce order and ensure that the Imperial Tithe was met. In fact, the Tancred Bastion was actually an Adeptus Arbites prison ship. Not only do they hold Grendyl responsible for the mass breakout that followed Wolfer’s escape, they’re really not happy that Zola has put convicts to work as a private army.[/p][p][/p][p]Matthew Ward: In fact, they’d dearly like to be in charge of the warzone.[/p][p][/p][p]MK: Totally. The problem they have is that an Inquisitor’s relationship to the Lex Imperialis (the law that governs the Imperium) is… let’s say it’s “complicated”. As an Arbites player, you’ll arrive on the Mourningstar some time after the events of the Reject prologue, ready to join the fight.[/p][p][/p][p]How are the Arbitrators introduced to the Narrative?[/p][p]MW: As Mike’s already hinted at, they were always active on Atoma - we just haven’t crossed paths with them yet. Up until now, Marshal Vortern has stood by and let Grendyl’s Warband handle the invasion, but now he’s decided that the Arbitrators will be taking a more active role.[/p][p][/p][p]How many different Personalities can Arbitrator players choose from?[/p][p]MW: As with the other (non-Ogryn) classes there are three distinct Personalities to choose from, with a male and female version of each. [/p][p]The Authoritarian, performed by Devora Wilde and Mark Takeshi Ota, is very much a by-the-book Arbitrator, unflinching in their duty to the Lex Imperialis. By contrast, the Fatalist, played by Lara Sawalha and Michael Geary, is much more aware of the price that law-keeping exacts. Last of all is the Maul, brought to life by Alix Wilton Regan and David Boyle. They’re a lot more…[/p][p][/p][p]MK: Antisocial.[/p][p][/p][p]MW: Yes, that’s a good way to put it.[/p][p][/p][p]Is there going to be an Arbitrator NPC aboard the Mourningstar?[/p][p]MK: There is indeed. Proctor-Exactant Zorin serves as Marshal Vortern’s representative aboard ship, directing the efforts of the Arbitrators under his command. He might not have a huge impact right away, but he’s a constant reminder to all that the Emperor’s judgement is now present aboard the Mourningstar. We may even see him running missions and more in the future. Rannick and his team are already resentful of how Commissar Dukane has inserted herself into the War for Atoma. The last thing they need is another source of interference. But the Lex is the Lex. There’s only so much they can do, especially as Grendyl’s still refusing to show his face. [/p][p]Do you think they’ll learn to work together?[/p][p]MW: We’ll have to see. What’s the worst that can happen?[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/38365286/a65c70af1027202631df9d22270d8a366b72f32d.png"][TAG-104] [/p][p]Thank you for reading our dev blog on some of the lore and narrative behind your new Arbites Class, releasing on June 23, 2025 on all platforms. We’ll be looking out for any questions over the weekend and we’ll do our best to answer them.[/p][p][/p][p]This is the Will of the Lex. [/p][p]We’ll see you on the Mourningstar.[/p][p][/p][p]Wishlist the Arbites Class today.[/p][p][dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/3710910/Warhammer_40000_Darktide__Arbites_Class/"][/p][p]– The Darktide Team[/p][p] [/p]
Introducing: The Cyber-Mastiff - Dev Blog
A cybernetically-enhanced attack hound never far from your side. Send your kill-dog to disable priority targets, maul enemies, and provide vital support to your strike team.
Hello everyone!
This is the first of several developer blogs centered around different aspects of the recently announced upcoming class, the Arbites! This dev blog will focus on a key aspect of the Arbites’ gameplay: His loyal pet and companion, the vicious Cyber-Mastiff! This deadly enhanced canine darts through the battlefield, mauling criminals and pinning them down so that Judgement may be passed upon them.
We’ve interviewed Game Designer Gunnar, Gameplay Programmer Diego, Animator Olliver, and Sound Designers Jonas & David, to find out more about what the dog is like and how it was developed.
What is a Cyber-Mastiff?
The Cyber-Mastiff is a massive, deadly robotic Imperial hunting dog, bred, trained and enhanced to track and catch their master’s prey. How much of a Cyber-Mastiff’s body remains organic and how much has been replaced with mechanical enhancements depends on each hound. Many have been entirely servitorised but they’re all ruthless killing machines.
The Adeptus Arbites routinely deploys agents with a loyal Cyber-Mastiff companion, and our Arbites class is no different: The Cyber-Mastiff is core to the Arbites’ gameplay.
Design and Gameplay
What was the process when designing the Cyber-Mastiff?
When we were thinking about which class we could do, what direction we could go in and what was feasible for a class, the Arbites was on the table, and we were never going to do the Arbites and not do the Cyber-Mastiff. The dog is a core theme of what makes Arbites different from the other classes, so as soon as we decided on the Arbites as a class, we had decided on doing the Cyber-Mastiff.
We looked at different games that had done companions as a mechanic, dogs or not. There were all different sorts of avenues of what makes a good companion and how it needs to differ in our game due to our unique combat loop. From that initial idea, we developed the design and set these directives: ● The dog should always act how the player expects it to ● The dog should always be in the player’s field of view ● The dog should never be in the way.
That was the gist of it; an initial idea, set goals, and then start developing it from there.
How does the Cyber-Mastiff work, gameplay-wise?
From the very beginning, we wanted the Cyber-Mastiff to be a full companion, to accompany the player through every step of the mission. That was our end goal. In case that proved too difficult, we were prepared to fall back on a more simple implementation that would have it be a temporary ally. Maybe you summon it to attack and pin down an enemy, or it’d only stick around for a limited time on a cooldown, that sort of thing.
But we never wanted this as a solution if we could avoid it, so we’re very pleased with how it’s turned out. From starting the game and loading into the Mourningstar, to the end of a mission you’re gonna have a companion, the Cyber-Mastiff. It will follow its master throughout the mission, always staying in sight when out of combat. Usually it’ll be to the sides, but if the area is more cramped or filled with obstacles it can instead opt to be in the front.
In combat, the Cyber-Mastiff will mostly act on its own, picking out enemies to harass and attack, but you can command it to attack specific enemies like Elites or Specials by pinging said enemy twice.
Like the Pox Hound on the players, it will pounce and lock down human-sized enemies. On the Ogryns it will do a heavy stagger and some damage, but it’s not gonna lock them down permanently. On Monsters, it will attack and it will bite. It’s not gonna do much on the stagger front but it’s definitely gonna pack a punch.
“And then of course you can command the dog to attack something else, like if it’s attacking a Berserker on the ground and you want it to chase down a sniper, you can do that.” ~ Gunnar
When not following an order from the Arbites player, the Cyber-Mastiff will move independently on the battlefield, picking out what it thinks is the best target and chasing it down on its own. It can even rescue its master when disabled by a Pox Hound or a Mutant.
While it will often find itself in the thick of danger, the Cyber-Mastiff is very good at taking care of itself. In-game, it cannot be shot or take any damage, and enemies will instead opt to focus on you and the rest of your strike team as it darts around the battlefield. Darktide is a fast-paced game and we did not want players to have to worry about their loyal companion instead focusing on directing it towards high-priority targets while laying down fire on the remainder of the enemies.
Through the talent tree, you can further improve the Cyber-Mastiff’s capabilities with certain nodes. How many nodes you dedicate to the dog and how many you dedicate to improving your own personal arsenal will drastically change how your Arbites ends up!
You can also opt out of the Mastiff if you want to; there’s a talent in the tree that removes the dog if you’re going for a different playstyle or player fantasy, and you’ll get some pretty decent bonuses to make up for the lack of a companion.
What were the challenges when designing and developing the Cyber-Mastiff?
We had to be very careful about the Mastiff’s power. In Darktide, if you’re sufficiently skilled, a player can achieve some amazing feats on their own and overcome some really tough situations by yourself. Adding the Cyber-Mastiff on top of that had the potential to create some very overpowered scenarios.
So while it can lock down elites and rescue you from certain situations, you can’t just run around blocking and hope to finish the level letting the Mastiff kill everything.
Mainly, though, since Darktide didn’t have any systems for something like an AI companion, we had to develop everything from scratch, especially how we were going to make it move. The work done on Vermintide 2’s Necromancer class wasn’t suitable for this use case (although many lessons were learned from that implementation), the Cyber-Mastiff’s behaviour and gameplay was just too different.
Making the dog navigate the levels smoothly, while always being in your field of view but also not being a bother or in the way was the most difficult part. The pathfinding had to be solid and consistent throughout the level as the Cyber-Mastiff accompanies its master.
“Since the dog is a part of you, we couldn’t just make the game go ‘Oh, the dog is in a bad position, we just despawn it and bye bye’. […] We want it to always fall in a good position.” ~Diego
We also went through several iterations of how we handled the player issuing commands to the dog. We couldn’t just add a whole new input and use that, we had to work with the inputs and commands that we already have in-game. We toyed with having it as a Blitz, or as a Combat Ability, but in the end we opted for relying on the tagging system, by double tagging.
Animations
While we had a solid base to start with thanks to the Pox Hound, a lot of work had to be done to make the animation set for the Cyber-Mastiff. This involved a rework of the locomotion system and a suite of brand new animations.
“For references, I’ve been looking at A LOT of dog videos, and we’ve been quite lucky to have several dogs in the office that I have been recording for reference data. Sadly I haven’t done any mocap for the dog, but they’ve been good actors for videos, hehe.” ~ Olliver
Molly hard at work!
When making new animations, the process involved a lot of iteration. The basic workflow involved getting references, making a rough blockout animation to test in-game, then either re-do or commit to it with a more polished animation that would fit the final product.
A guiding principle while making the animations was to properly convey that the Cyber-Mastiff is not a cute dog. It’s primarily a lethal killing machine, and it is also a cyborg! The animations need to be ruthless and cold, as well as robotic and stiff in some places, rather than fluid and playful; all while still properly acting like a dog.
At the same time, however, we wanted the player to be able to engage with the companion in fun ways. In the Mourningstar, where things are more relaxed, you can do things like give casual orders to the dog, such as telling it to bark or sit. You can then reward the Mastiff with food or by petting it!
These kinds of animations were the most fun to implement, but they also proved a challenge in design, as the interactions had to be implemented without going against that guiding principle (mentioned above).
“Overall, working with a quadruped is difficult. […] I do like animating, like, monsters and creatures and stuff. But in my previous works they’ve mostly been enemies, so they had very stiff behaviour. And the challenges with the dog were that we realized as we went that ‘Oh, we need this. Oh, we need that’.” ~ Olliver
Sound Design
Almost from the very beginning, the process for designing the Cyber-Mastiff’s sounds was split into two areas: ● The voice, which covers things like barks, growls, breathing sounds and so on ● And the sound effects, which covers every other sound involved, like footsteps, bites, mechanical gear and the like.
Voice The very first step was finding a base for the voice of the Cyber-Mastiff. Looking through various sound libraries, our Sound Designers searched for dog sounds that sounded big and imposing to fit the aura of the Arbites’ Mastiff. Barks, whines, attack sounds, and especially breathing sounds.
“[…] we finally got it into the game with help from coders and then we got instructions that it was a bit too much like a normal dog. […] they wanted more aggressive sounds mixed into the voice. That’s when David took over and took a shot at making it more monstrous.” ~ Jonas
“[…] I then went through and found all kinds of other growls and barks, from bears, tigers and lions, and pretty much surgically fit them to match the dog sounds Jonas made. […] So it had a lot more aggressiveness, basically. A deeper voice, and louder as well.” ~ David
Making the Mastiff sound menacing enough wasn’t the only challenge! Due to the cyborg enhancements, a Cyber-Mastiff can sound more or less robotic, and this depends on what cosmetics the player equips on their dog. This led to the Sound Design team making three separate ‘voices’ for the Cyber-Mastiff: a fully ‘natural’ voice, a fully robotic one, and one in between.
This has also been the hardest part of the Cyber-Mastiff’s sound design: Having a ‘cyber’ voice that sounds cool while still sounding like a dog and making sense. It wouldn’t do to just have any robot voice, after all.
“It needs to be a cool 40K dog. […] That’s why we want it to sound cool, especially when it’s more cyber-dog as well. ‘Cause we want to set some kind of staple, like ‘This is how Cyber Dogs sound in Darktide’. That’s why it’s so important to nail it.” ~Jonas
Sound Effects and Foley Depending on what Cyber-Mastiff cosmetics the player has equipped, it can affect which of the Cyber-Mastiff’s legs are made of metal and which aren’t. This led to us needing proper sounds for different combinations, so that the dog would make the correct sounds when moving around depending on your set up.
This was also an opportunity for our designers to make their own sounds from scratch rather wherever possible. A metal cycle pump, for instance, was a perfect base for the metal footsteps, and sound recordings of it in different locations and on different surfaces gave plenty of material. Or using a glove with paperclips at the tips to make the normal paw sounds!
When you hear the Cyber-Mastiff move, you’ll probably be hearing one of these!
Playtesting led to a lot of fine tuning and iteration on the volume levels of the different sounds, the footsteps, the barks and so on. The player should be able to hear those sounds without it being annoying, which was a particular challenge with the metal footsteps. At the same time, the sound of combat should drown out some of the sounds but you should still be able to hear the voice of your own dog.
Bonus questions
Will the Cyber-Mastiff have cosmetics? Yes! You’ll be able to customize their loyal companion by giving it a name and picking its fur colour and pattern!
Players will also be able to further customize their loyal companion with various cosmetics, obtained either from the class penances and through the Commodore’s Vestures.
Can you pet the Cyber-Mastiff? Yes! Only in the Mourning Star, but there’s various interactions you can have with your companion in the hub, including giving it a quick pet for being a loyal companion.
Is the Cyber-Mastiff a good dog? “I mean… It’s a good dog… to its owner. It’s a terrifying killing machine to everything else.” ~ Gunnar
“I want to give a shoutout to Molly here at the office, which is the Art Director’s dog. She is such a well-trained dog […] and she’s been a great source of inspiration for me, haha.” ~ Olliver
Good job, Molly!
That’s all we have for today, but stay tuned! More Dev Blogs about the Arbites will be released soon!
