Warhammer 40,000: Darktideis in a much better place thanwhen I reviewed itlast year. I loved the game’s grubby, grimy aesthetic and visceral, tactile combat, but the live-service trappings were egregious. I’m sad to say that many of the cosmetic microtransactions remain, but after a class rework and console release, the game’s in a good place. Wouldn’t it be a shame if someone came and ruined the fun?
Darktide players have spent their time fighting the forces of Nurgle thus far, smashing zombie-esque Poxwalker skulls and taking on devastating Plague Ogryns or daemonic Beasts. It’s all pustules and pestilence.
I don’t mind the lack of variety, although introducing some other Chaos Gods would be cool, especially Tzeentch or Slaanesh, who are so often overlooked in favour of their more bloodshed-obsessed cousins. I get why developer Fatshark wanted to ape classic co-op games like Left 4 Dead with a futuristic zombie horde, but it does seem like the easy option.
That might be due to change, however. The most recent teaser, posted to Fatshark’s YouTube channel and embedded above, is another Vox-cast from Imperial agent Wyrmwood, who is entrenched deep undercover on Tertium Prime. She’s been with us since the beta, reporting on the seeds of Chaos blooming in the Hive City. Nobody wants anything to happen to her, but her latest call suggests that she’s being hunted by a creature lurking in the shadows.
Nine months ago, Wyrmwood heard the first rumblings of what became the Chaos Spawn. Now, players are certain that she’s teasing another addition, and the Genestealer Cults immediately come to mind. Cult leaders, called Magi, infiltrate Hive Cities like Tertium Prime and start recruiting to their hive minded cause. Before you know it, your planet’s sewers are crawling with Genestealers and a Hive Fleet is on its way to devour your population. Is Tertium Prime due to fall as so many other cities have in the face of an invasion from within?
Wyrmwood’s most recent vox message details that she has a stalker, a creature lurking in the shadows and tailing her as she constantly finds new places to hide. This is typical Lictor behaviour, which would mean the Genestealer Cult invasion is already well under way.
Genestealer Cults would be a great addition to the game. Not only would it shake up the enemies and add some variety to the gameplay, but it would also spice up the mediocre story. Spice up and shake up, baby.
Lictors in particular would be a hell of a boss fight. The Tyranids’ answer to Predator, it hides in the shadows before pouncing on unsuspecting opponents with rending claws and vicious teeth. There are countless cool ways to implement a Lictor into Darktide. I like the idea of it being a recurring miniboss that jumps players throughout a mission, dealing massive damage before retreating to the shadows. Eventually, you corner it for a more traditional boss fight, where you have to aim in the rafters and keep your eyes on the corners.
A Lictor is a formidable opponent for Space Marines, let alone a ragtag bunch of Veterans and Ogryns. A Sanctus may be a less fun but more lore-adherent foe in keeping with Warhammer 40k’s established lore, but Darktide has always used this as more of a guideline anyway – the Emperor’s finest would struggle against a Daemonhost too.
Speaking of Daemonhosts, there’s another theory for Wyrmwood’s woes. She is reportedly voiced by the same voice actor as the Daemonhost, and while it’s not uncommon for VAs to take on multiple roles in a game, Darktide has a relatively small cast. Natalie Beran is confirmed to play the Daemonhost and a Groaner already, and there are some similarities in Wyrmwood’s performance. After all, Vox communication is notoriously slow, and Wyrmwood keeps reiterating that she hasn’t heard back from your ship, the Mourningstar. Are all of her communication years delayed? Was her fate already sealed years before the Inquisition arrived on Tertium Prime?
The Chaos Spawn intel disproves this time-displacement theory, but we have to remember that Wyrmwood is also a PR mouthpiece for Fatshark, teasing new updates as much as pushing the narrative forwards. Whether she’s being chased by a Lictor or a Daemon, Darktide players are in for a treat.
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