Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is an upcoming four-player co-op title. On Wednesday during Warhammer Skulls, the annual video gaming festival, a new trailer for Darktide released. That trailer gives us a closer look at the hive city of Tertium, and our cast of heroes — well, kind of. Since this is Warhammer 40K, the famously grim and dark franchise, even the protagonists are mercenaries, criminals, and assorted scum from around the galaxy. Players will customize their characters from four archetypal classes and head into battle on behalf of the Inquisition. The game is now available for pre-order.
Darktide is a promising game, created by developer Fatshark, who also created Warhammer Fantasy’s similar Vermintide games. The 40K setting is much larger and more intense, and it looks like Darktide is scaled up to match. Players will be taking on the tides of Chaos in their new roles as Inquisition Acolytes — one step above prisoners, and essentially cannon fodder. Sorry, no space marines to save the day here. While there are four Chaos Gods, it looks as though we’re mostly up against the forces of Grandfather Nurgle. While fans love Papa Nurgle for his good nature, he’s also out to curse humanity with hideous plagues (as in the recently released Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters), so it’s probably best we fight him back.
The game’s narrative is also partially penned by Dan Abnett, author of the Inquisitor series of Black Library novels. These books follow Inquisitors Eisenhorn and Ravenor and their crew of companions (called a warband) as they travel across the galaxy in service of the Imperium. Abnett’s Warhammer stories feel very human and lived-in, so it’ll be intriguing to see what nuances and secrets the city of Tertium ends up holding. The writing team also includes Games Workshop veterans John French, Matthew Ward, Sarah Cawkwell, Mark A. Latham, Jude Reid, and V J Hayward.
Darktide will launch with two editions. The first, at $39.99, includes the base game, a weapon trinket, and a portrait frame. The Imperial Edition, at $59.99, includes a “loyalist pack” of class outfits and skin patterns, another portrait frame, a cosmetic backpack, and 2,500 units of the game’s premium currency, Aquilas. It also includes the base game and its cosmetics. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is scheduled for a Sept. 13 release on Steam and Xbox Game Pass.