Warhammer 40K: Darktide Will Feature an RPG-Based Skill Tree, Bringing New Abilities to All Classes

Warhammer 40K: Darktide has had a problematic launch that forced the developer to fix the game before releasing new content and the Xbox Series S|X version. However, developer Fatshark hasn't thrown in the towel and is now presenting a major new feature that will go live in October: full-fledged RPG-style skill trees for each class.

Compared to Warhammer: Vermintide 2, Darktide has only four different character classes. Fatshark plans to address the feedback surrounding reduced variety with the October update. Game Director Anders De Geer told PC Gamer:

When you launch a game and you have a rocky start, you have to start to reprioritize everything and reassess the situation. Some problems are easier to fix and some are harder to fix because in a game all the systems play off each other. So some things have been cooking for a long time. We reacted fast, but it takes time to actually do it. And I don't think players expect this fix, but it's a good fix.

We wanted players to get a bit more agency into the classes, a bit more experimentation, support a lot more different play styles. We felt like the fantasy of the Ogryn was not done. The story of the Psyker was not done. So we wanted to add more. Basically what we've done is reimagine what a class in Darktide is. This is our huge update: we've expanded the talent trees, added a ton of new options and abilities, passives and actives. 

The skill trees will have three main branches. Players will get a skill point at every level, and they'll reach the bottom of the tree before getting all skill points. Some of the new skills added in Warhammer 40K: Darktide include a new shield ability and a Force Lightning-style spell for the Psyker and a taunt as well as a 'gigantic grenade' for the Ogryn.

The new skill tree coming to Darktide with October's update.

Fatshark did confirm that the skill-tree progression system was in development before the launch of Darktide, but developers believed it wasn't ready yet. There's no precise release date yet for this update, but it should land in October.

Written by Muhammad Zuhair