Before Space Marine 2 stomped onto our PCs in 2024, Warhammer 40k Darktide was my go-to for futuristic Chaos-smashing action, and the co-op FPS game still feels the most replayable of its ilk, standing alongside its Warhammer fantasy sibling Vermintide 2 as a mighty, meaty offering to keep you and your friends in the thick of things. Developer Fatshark has been hard at work improving Darktide since launch with a series of updates, and now it gives us a comprehensive look at many of the big changes coming in its next overhaul, titled Nightmares and Visions.
The new Warhammer 40k Darktide update is going to bring even more endgame action to one of the best Warhammer 40k games on PC. At the top of the list is a new activity, Mortis Trials. These drop you into horde-based encounters that take place in visions induced by the ship’s Psyker. You’ll pick different abilities and buffs on each run, and completing them will earn you “secret information on some characters present on the Mourningstar.” Furthermore, a time-limited event following the update’s release will bring even more rewards to the mode.
Fatshark has also been hard at work on Havoc mode, which was introduced with the Grim Protocols update in late 2024. You can expect to face greater challenges than ever, along with four new mutators and a redesigned ranking system. The most dramatic overhaul, however, is for Darktide’s big guys – a complete Ogryn talent tree rework is on the way, alongside changes to several weapons.
The Ogryn tree’s left branch has been reworked so that other melee options besides heavy attacks feel viable. The middle branch has been revamped to offer talents designed to amplify support and tank builds, while the right branch aims to flesh out the ranged options available to the bruisers, with a focus on “critical hits, explosives, and sustained fire.”
Defensive and toughness nodes have been stripped back from the Ogryn passives, with a bump to the base rating of both to compensate and make them hardier from the early levels. There’s also a new passive ability that makes his dodge more consistent, and also causes your evades to stagger any nearby human-sized enemies (aside from elites and specials), knocking them out of your way.
That’s just the beginning, with a list of adjustments for the class that runs so long Fatshark has broken it out across three separate Steam blog posts. Numerous Ogryn weapons have been adjusted, with upgrades “to spice up some of those that felt a bit out of vogue.” You can expect improvements to the Blastoom Mk III Grenadier Gauntlet, Cleavers, Brute-Brainer Latrine Shovels, Foe-Rend Ripper Guns, and Bully Clubs.
If you’re not an Ogryn main, there are still some more tweaks to look forward to. For other classes, the Catachan ‘Devil’s Claw’ Swords and the Ius Mk IV Shredder Autopistol both get a boost, and attack speed buffs will now apply to melee attacks on secondary weapons.
Fatshark plans to release the free Warhammer 40k Darktide Nightmares and Visions update on all platforms on Tuesday March 25. You can dig through the full list of proposed balance changes here – the developer says it’s eager to hear player feedback in the run-up to launch, so be sure to take a look. This is the first of four planned updates for Darktide in 2025, so expect to hear more as the year rolls on.
If you love blasting with your buddies, we’ve picked out the best co-op games and the best FPS games you can play in 2025 to keep you plenty busy on that front.
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