I’ve played 350 hours of Darktide — and I’m convinced Warhammer 40K is better without Space Marines

Last week, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide received another major update: this time, the developers added a new mode in the style of extraction shooters. Overall, the project’s support over the past year has been genuinely encouraging. The Swedish studio Fatshark has never been known for fast development cycles, but it seems they’ve finally found their rhythm. Darktide, which players initially received rather coldly at launch due to numerous issues, is transforming and beginning to reveal its full potential. At the same time, I believe that even with all its objective shortcomings, Fatshark’s title already outclassed other co-op games right from the start. In its current state, even more so — it’s the most engaging shooter for a group of friends and the most successful adaptation of Warhammer 40,000. What exactly makes the game special? That’s what this article is about.

Everything Darktide does best comes from its predecessor — Warhammer: Vermintide 2, which, by the way, can also easily compete for the title of the greatest co-op game. And when such a high-quality and already legendary project becomes the foundation for an even more ambitious and high-budget title, it’s no surprise the result turns out to be a masterpiece.

I’ve already covered the core strengths of Fatshark’s previous game in a separate article about my 1 000 hours in Vermintide 2. In many ways, it feels like an evolution of the Left 4 Dead formula — with a similar structure and systems like the AI Director, which dynamically adjusts difficulty. But Fatshark doesn’t just copy Valve’s project — it expands on the formula by adding classes, builds, loot, and crafting, significantly increasing replayability. On top of that, Warhammer: Vermintide 2 features a deep melee combat system — one of the best in first-person games — with diverse weapons, complex combos, blocks, and dodges that require precise timing and a solid understanding of the mechanics.

At the same time, Vermintide 2 is not just about strong gameplay — it’s also an atmospheric, characterful adventure. The five heroes create a lively dynamic, constantly exchanging banter during missions, and players often grow so attached to them that they start roleplaying in text chat.

Why all this matters? To better understand Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, it’s important to know what sets Vermintide 2 apart from other popular co-op games. After all, both Fatshark titles are cut from the same cloth, and their key differences are primarily defined by their settings.

The fact that Darktide adapts the futuristic Warhammer rather than the fantasy one is a major advantage over Vermintide 2. Don’t get me wrong — classic Warhammer has plenty to offer, but it’s still not as unique a setting as Warhammer 40,000.

Darktide masterfully conveys both the fatalism and the heroism that define the futuristic Warhammer. Here, players don’t take on the role of demi-god Space Marines, but rather outcasts and veterans of the Imperium. In other words, ordinary humans (aside from psykers and ogryns) who are destined to fight countless legions of heretics for the future of one of millions of worlds, rotting under the corrupting influence of Chaos. Victory may never come, but surrendering to the mercy of daemons is not an option either.

The decision not to focus on overused Space Marines is absolutely the right one. It raises the stakes and better communicates the essence of Warhammer 40,000: a universe full of horrors where humans sit at the bottom of the food chain. Defeating a single Nurgle beast or a plague ogryn in Darktide is an event, whereas for a squad of Adeptus Astartes, it would be routine.

Darktide not only successfully explores the core themes of the setting but also recreates it with remarkable attention to detail. The game runs on a powerful graphics engine capable of delivering environments with impressive geometry detail. Wherever the player looks, there’s an abundance of detail: gothic ornaments, retro-futuristic machinery, propaganda posters, and everyday objects typical of a hive world. Darktide shows how 90% of the Imperium’s population lives — something most Warhammer 40K games don’t do.

Another key element of its grim-heroic atmosphere is the music by composer Jesper Kyd. His aggressive electronic tracks seamlessly transition into epic choral arrangements at the right moments, emphasizing the scale of situations where four brave fighters hold the line against daemons and hundreds of bloodthirsty fanatics.

And of course, Darktide’s voice acting deserves special praise. Unlike Vermintide 2, there are no fixed named heroes here — players create their own characters. However, they can choose a voice (six per class), which defines the character’s personality and their dialogue with teammates. Despite the variability, every actor delivers a strong performance: Emperor-worshipping zealots, battle-hardened Imperial Guard veterans, cold-blooded arbiters cosplaying Judge Dredd, unstable psykers, and naive, kind-hearted ogryns — all of them help sell the illusion that you are truly inside the Warhammer 40K universe.

Darktide’s gameplay hooks players with the same unpredictability of runs found in Left 4 Dead or Vermintide 2. On higher difficulties, it becomes an extremely hardcore experience where mission success depends on players’ ability to coordinate and use their weapons effectively.

Darktide inherits the best-in-class melee combat system from Fatshark’s previous project. The game’s falchions, one-handed and two-handed swords, axes, daggers, and other tools of destruction all differ significantly in their movesets. Even within the same weapon model, there can be variations with alternative attack patterns. Using these stabbing, crushing, and slashing instruments of war against the spawn of Chaos is both spectacular and deeply satisfying — and it’s what keeps players coming back. The main draw is the gameplay itself, not the grind.

Moreover, in some ways, Darktide’s combat feels even better than Vermintide 2 simply because of the types of weapons available. After all, its fantasy counterpart doesn’t have chainswords that slice enemies in half or massive power blades capable of decapitating ten foes in a single swing.

Most importantly, Darktide’s developers approached firearms with the same level of care as melee weapons. Eliminating heretics at range is just as enjoyable as fighting up close: every weapon feels powerful, sounds incredible, and has its own distinct personality. The game perfectly demonstrates why, in the Warhammer 40,000 lore, there are people who literally worship bolters or plasma guns — given the devastation they unleash in Darktide, it’s not surprising at all.

However, for many modern players, even the most engaging gameplay alone isn’t enough to hold their attention — they also need progression systems and events to encourage regular returns. This is exactly where Darktide had its biggest issues at launch in 2022, but the situation has improved significantly since then.

Darktide answers the question: what if Left 4 Dead were turned into an MMO? It’s quite an intriguing concept. On top of its solid gameplay foundation, the developers layered numerous additional systems typical of live-service games: progression, complex character builds, material farming for weapon upgrades, shops with randomly generated items, and challenges that reward players for their toughest feats.

At launch, Darktide featured an extremely frustrating grind built around randomness. Some players spent over a hundred hours without unlocking the specific random blessings (powerful upgrades) they needed for their weapons. Over time, the system was reworked: weapon mastery was introduced, which increases through use, eventually granting access to all possible blessings.

It’s easy to lose hundreds of hours in Darktide, leveling up favorite weapons and characters, completing challenges, and gradually unlocking higher difficulty levels. The game also features mission rotation, where even the same maps can feel different thanks to modifiers — for example, levels can take place in complete darkness or with increased numbers of special enemies.

The game’s freshness is further maintained through major content updates, which, as mentioned earlier, have become more frequent. In recent months, Fatshark added two new classes, and recently introduced a mode called Expeditions.

Expeditions differ significantly from standard missions. Essentially, they follow the rules of popular extraction-based online games, which we also covered in a separate list of the best extraction shooters. Players deploy onto a planet’s surface, explore a large open area with points of interest, gather resources, fight enemies, and then evacuate with their loot. Each expedition is time-limited, so players must act quickly.

The mode turned out engaging and distinct from the rest of the game. Most importantly, it demonstrates Darktide’s potential as a live-service project. The core mechanics are so well-polished that the developers can experiment with genres instead of strictly sticking to the “Left 4 Dead clone” formula.

My only complaint about how Fatshark is handling Darktide is the MTX store. More specifically, the fact that the most interesting skins are locked behind it, while completing challenges unlocks rather underwhelming options. It’s an understandable part of the business model, and I personally don’t mind supporting the developers through additional purchases, but it would be nice if they didn’t forget about players who deliberately avoid microtransactions.

If I spent around 1,000 hours in Vermintide 2, I suspect that with Darktide this number will end up at least twice as high. Could it be any other way? The combat system is just as engaging, if not better, and it’s complemented by refined gunplay on par with top-tier FPS titles and deeper build customization. The setting is also more compelling, with enormous potential for future DLC: dozens of classes could be introduced, wild weapons from the lore added, and more unconventional modes implemented — and just like that, you have a timeless hit. And no Space Marines are needed: Darktide proves that the true heroes of Warhammer 40,000 are ordinary guardsmen with lasguns and unshakable faith in Golden Throne.

What do you think? Have you tried Darktide? Are you still playing or have you dropped it? Share your thoughts in the comments.