One of the first things to learn about living in Warhammer 40k: Darktide's dangerous hive undercity is that a chainsword works whether or not it's switched on. Without powering it on, you can use it as a perfectly good cudgel that can also help with pushing back hordes of the Chaos-touched. At the press of a button, however, it'll chew through armour and bone with an upsettingly satisfying ease. That's the mode you'll want for one-on-one encounters with Hive Tertium's more dangerous elites.
Developer Fatshark brought Darktide to Summer Game Fest Play Days in Los Angeles, and I played two sessions, and the experience left me excited. Darktide is dripping with grimdark atmosphere, but this is more than a 40K-flavoured reskin of Vermintide 2. The new theme has driven a new focus on firearms and ranged combat, but Fatshark's managed to pull this off without sacrificing the frantic, in-your-face meatiness of the Vermintide games.
During my first session, I play as the zealot. She's armed with both a powerful thunder hammer and a standard-issue Imperial autogun, and while I start out favouring the new rifle, my Vermintide reflexes kick in after a few minutes and I find myself frequently switching between ranged and melee.
RELATED LINKS:
Warhammer 40K Darktide expands Vermintide into a "proper FPS"
Warhammer 40K: Darktide's new trailer teases hero abilities
Warhammer 40K: Darktide release date confirmed
