Darktide Could Be Joking Around With Genestealer Cults in Warhammer 40,000

When I reviewed Warhammer 40,000: Darktide the previous year, it was in an even worse state. Although I adored the game’s visceral, tactile action and gritty, gritty design, the live-service elements were horrendous. The game is in a good place following a class overhaul and console release, albeit I regret to inform you that many of the cosmetic microtransactions still exist. It would be unfortunate if someone interrupted the good times.

So far, Darktide players have engaged in combat with Nurgle’s forces, crushing Poxwalker skulls like zombies and taking on deadly Plague Ogryns or daemonic Beasts. It’s all pimples and the plague.

I don’t mind the lack of variation, but it would be interesting to include some more Chaos Gods, like Tzeentch or Slaanesh, who are frequently disregarded in favor of their more violent cousins. Although it may seem like the simple solution, I can understand why developer Fatshark wanted to mimic the style of old co-op games like Left 4 Dead with a futuristic zombie horde.

But that could be the result of change. The next teaser, which is featured above and was uploaded to Fatshark’s YouTube page, is another Vox-cast with Imperial agent Wyrmwood, who is firmly positioned in deep cover on Tertium Prime. She has been covering the seeds of chaos sprouting in the Hive City since the beta test. Although no one wants her to suffer any harm, her most recent call indicates that she may be the target of a shadowy predator.

Wyrmwood first heard the rumblings of what would eventually become the Chaos Spawn nine months ago. Players now know that she’s hinting at another inclusion, and the Genestealer Cults spring to mind right away. Magi, the leaders of cults, sneak into Tertium Prime and other such cities to begin recruiting followers of their hive-minded ideology. Before you know it, a Hive Fleet is en route to eat your people and the sewers on your planet are teeming with Genestealers. Is Tertium Prime about to collapse, just like so many other cities have, due to an internal invasion?

According to Wyrmwood’s most recent voice message, she is being followed and stalked by an unknown entity that stays in the shadows and looks for new hiding spots. This is classic Lictor behavior, which suggests that the invasion by the Genestealer Cult is already well underway.

The addition of Genestealer Cults to the game would be fantastic. It would liven things up with the adversaries and provide some variety to the action, but it would also add some flavor to the already unimpressive tale. Elevate and vibrate, my love.

A boss fight with Lictors in particular would be epic. The predatory cousin of the Tyranids, it lurks in the shadows until it pounces with savage jaws and rending claws on unwary foes. There are a ton of awesome ways to use a Lictor in Darktide. The concept of it being a recurrent miniboss that leaps players throughout a mission, causing a ton of damage before hiding in the shadows appeals to me. You eventually corner it for a boss battle that is more conventional in nature, requiring you to aim in the rafters and pay close attention to the corners.

Even with a motley crew of Veterans and Ogryns, a Lictor is a dangerous foe for Space Marines. In keeping with the known fiction of Warhammer 40k, a Sanctus might be a less entertaining but more lore-adherent foe, but Darktide has always treated this as more of a guideline anyway – the Emperor’s best would struggle against a Daemonhost too.

Regarding Daemonhosts, Wyrmwood’s problems may also be explained by another idea. While it’s normal for voice actors to play many roles in a game, Darktide’s cast is rather limited. She is apparently portrayed by the same voice actor as the Daemonhost. There are considerable parallels in Wyrmwood’s portrayal with Natalie Beran, who has already been confirmed to play both the Daemonhost and a Groaner. After all, Wyrmwood frequently states that she hasn’t heard back from your ship, the Mourningstar, and Vox communication is infamously delayed. Is she communicating years behind schedule? Years before the Inquisition even set foot on Tertium Prime, had her fate already been decided?

This time-displacement theory is refuted by the Chaos Spawn intelligence, but it’s important to keep in mind that Wyrmwood serves as Fatshark’s public relations spokesperson, both by revealing new information and advancing the story. Darktide gamers are in for a treat, regardless of whether a Daemon or a Lictor is pursuing her.