The master of ranged physical damage, the Veteran is the primary damage dealer in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide regardless of how much other classes try to contribute. Being able to shoot from up close or afar and without any need to slow down, teams depend on this operative to shoulder the load in combat.

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To be what the group needs, gamers need to get the best feats that Warhammer 40,000: Darktide has to offer. Better weapons and gear will help, certainly, but they can't replace the ways that talents can fundamentally change the game for the character.

Updated on October 9th, 2023 by Hodey Johns: The Veteran, along with all the other operatives, has received a significant overhaul with Path #13. Additionally, many changes to gameplay, combat, and leveling have been implemented, altering the landscape and value of various weapons and abilities. The greatest adjustment has been the talent system over the old feats. Ranking talents is a tough thing to do since different builds will have different priorities. Choosing the "best" talents might make for an incoherent character since some of the talents synergize well together. Still, it's not a bad idea to see which talents seem to be having the greatest success and make the Veteran popular in a given party.

Best Ability Talent

Warhammer 40000 Darktide Veteran Executioner's Stance Talent

Best Choice

Description

Executioner's Stance

Enter a ranged stance for 5 seconds. When in Ranged Stance, the Veteran instantly equips a ranged weapon and deals +25% Ranged Damage and +25% Weakspot Damage. The Veteran's Spread and Recoil are also greatly reduced. Elite Enemies and Specialist Enemies are highlighted for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 25 seconds.

Other Choices

Description

Voice of Command

Replenishes the Veteran's Toughness and Staggers all Enemies within 9 meters. Cooldown: 45 seconds.

Infiltrate

Replenish all Toughness and enter Stealth for 6 seconds, gaining +25% Movement Speed. Leaving Stealth Suppresses nearby enemies. Attacking makes the Veteran leave Stealth. Cooldown: 60 seconds.

The Executioner's Stance upgrades the Veteran's Volley Fire and immediately makes this likely the highest DPS build in the game. The cooldown is absurdly low considering what the ability effectively does. The Veteran is one of the best operatives in the game when fully equipped.

Voice of Command is fine for certain situations although the cooldown is a little too long to justify. Likewise, Infiltrate can get players out of a jam with Stealth and speed but the cooldown is also pretty long. These are fine enough choices when playing without a balanced group but if there is a support and tank, then go for Executioner's Stance.

Best Blitz Talent

Warhammer 40000 Darktide Veteran Shredder Frag Grenade Talent

Best Choice

Description

Shredder Frag Grenade

Throw a frag grenade that explodes after a short delay. Applies 6 Stacks of Bleed to all Enemies Hit, causing Damage over time.

Other Choices

Description

Krak Grenade

Throw a grenade that deals devastating Damage. Sticks to Flak Armoured, Carapace Armoured, and Unyielding Enemies.

Smoke Grenade

Throw a grenade that creates a lingering smoke cloud for 10 seconds. The cloud blocks line of sight for most enemies and reduces the sight range of enemies inside it.

The Krak Grenade deals a ton of damage in a smaller area but because it sticks to specific units, it can potentially be the right weapon for the job. Experts will love the Smoke Grenade for the Veteran since they can predict where enemies like to deal ranged attacks and cut off the window.

The Shredder Frag Grenade is great for all scenarios. The burst will kill most enemies and those who are too strong will start to bleed to death. Get in there with the best melee weapons and finish the job personally or mop up the stragglers from range.

Best Aura Talent

Warhammer 40000 Darktide Veteran Fire Team Talent

Best Choice

Description

Fire Team

+3% Damage for the Veteran and Allies in Coherency.

Other Choices

Description

Survivalist

Replenish 1% Ammo for the Veteran and Allies in Coherency whenever anyone kills an Elite or Specialist Enemy.

Close and Kill

+5% Movement Speed for the Veteran and Allies in Coherency.

The extra movement speed from Close and Kill is situationally useful but generally running around means the Allies in Coherency Aura range isn't far enough. Besides, with the best ranged weapons, Veterans should be more focused on dishing out damage than sprinting around the battlefield.

Fire Team and Survivalist are relatively close in power. On easier settings, Elite and Specialist opponents won't appear as often, making the extra damage from Fire Team ideal. However, there are some maps that will reward the Survivalist talent a bit more.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is available now for PC and Xbox Series X/S.

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