Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Drops 'Unlocked & Loaded' Update

Warhammer's popularity is pretty high right now, especially with the rising Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. Space Marine 2 has also boosted attention towards other Warhammer titles, such as Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. The game, which is based on the fan-favorite Vermintide series, was not very well-received upon release.

It was initially released on PC on November 30, 2022, and then on Xbox in October 2023. The game will likely be released on PlayStation soon, as it has been rated for the system in Taiwan. The devs are also releasing a massive update.

Unlocked & Unloaded releases on September 26, 2024, bringing a series of overhauls to itemization, new missions, and more. Over the past few years, the game has seen a series of updates that have netted it a 'Mostly Positive' status on Steam. These updates have ranged from good to bad but have completely overhauled the game.

The itemization overhaul sees the introduction of the new master system. It is essentially leveling up a certain weapon type, giving you access to various perks and bonuses. A new power system lets you easily assign these perks.

The devs have also mentioned their willingness to improve Darktide's social aspect. Currently, most people have to use third-party channels to find people to play with, and with Darktide being a co-op, that really detracted from the experience.

You will now get access to a party finder that offers an array of options to mark your preferences. You can select your game mode, difficulty level, and other tags. The developers have elaborated that these tags might be expanded on later; overall, the addition is much more welcome.

The new update also offers a new mission, with details yet to be revealed. Other quality-of-life changes include the ability to see a weapon's max stats. The game looks to get better as the months and years drag on, as Darktide in 2024 feels like a great game to play. The new update looks to only make things better and now claims to be a good successor to Vermintide 2.