Warhammer 40K: Darktide shows off the features of the Veteran archetype and its Sharpshooter class. Warhammer 40K: Darktide is the latest co-op horde shooter from Fatshark, the developer behind the popular Vermintide games. Darktide was set to release on Game Pass back in 2021, though multiple delays have since pushed the launch of the game back to November 30, 2022. However, with its latest release date quickly approaching, Fatshark has been giving fans some new looks at Darktide gameplay, with a specific focus on each of its classes.
It seems each week in the lead up to the release of Darktide will see Fatshark drop a new short trailer spotlighting one of the game's classes. Last week, fans got a close look at the Zealot archetype and its Preacher class. Despite Warhammer 40K offering a setting with a lot more ranged weapon choices for the player in Darktide, the Zealot has a large focus on melee combat, with its Preacher class giving buffs during close-quarters engagements.
Now, the latest archetype to be showcased is the Veteran, which differs greatly from the Zealot. As fans may have predicted from previous Darktide gameplay trailers, the Veteran focuses heavily on ranged combat, using rifles, pistols, and more in their arsenal to keep the hordes at bay while the rest of the party launches into battle. Like the Preacher for the Zealot, the Sharpshooter epitomizes what the Veteran class is all about, giving them even greater proficiency with long-range weapons such as the lasgun and autogun.
The Sharpshooter's ability allows them to spot foes' weak points from afar, exploiting them for massive damage. When activating their ability, the Sharpshooter will lose some movement speed, but they'll gain increased damage, accuracy, and handling with their long-range weapons. To stop them getting swarmed, Darktide's Veteran also has a frag grenade to deal with groups of enemies. However, even with tools to deal with enemies that get too close, it seems that the Veteran will mostly rely on its teammates when the hordes swarm around them. According to Fatshark's comments, the Veteran will find allies easily within most of the game's other classes, something that'll be shown in the thousands of voice lines for Darktide's characters.
With two of Darktide's archetypes given their own spotlight, there are only two more left to see: the Ogryn and the Psyker. The Ogryn seems to act as the tank of a Darktide party due to its increased size, while the Psyker will give players access to Warhammer 40K's twist on magic, trading powerful abilities for some big drawbacks. Considering the Psyker was the last class to be unveiled for Darktide, Fatshark may save its spotlight for last as well.
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide releases on November 30, 2022, for PC and Xbox Series X/S.