Following the success of Space Marine 2, my personal pick of the best co-op Warhammer 40k games is getting a new game mode very soon. Grimdark co-op FPS Warhammer 40k Darktide lets you blast through the hordes of Chaos in a 40k spin on the beloved Left 4 Dead style formula that developer Fatshark honed with Vermintide 2. Free update Grim Protocols arrives at the start of December, and introduces even more ways to do that with a brand-new game mode, another mission to tackle, and a range of additional weapons to help you get up-close and personal.
The big headline feature in Warhammer 40k Darktide: Grim Protocols is the new Havoc game mode. Fatshark says this endgame mode is aimed at players who have already reached Trust level 30, and who “relish overcoming obstacles and seek to measure and improve their abilities.” It ramps up the stakes of one of the best Warhammer 40k games with a new tiered progression of 40 Order levels to work your way up
Every one of these levels incrementally increases the difficulty with bigger hordes, negative modifiers, and a variety of modifiers including four new additions for the mode. Each Havoc Order will feature up to two mutators, and the negative modifiers will stack up on top of your previous modifiers as you rank up. While these incremental modifiers are pre-defined, each player will get a random mission and mutators at every Order level, meaning different players will be presented with different challenges.
You’ll only have three attempts to beat a given level before you’re demoted by one rank, and if you go an entire week without progressing, you’ll be dropped down one level as well. The good news is that if you invite a group to join your current mission and beat it, all players who were below its Havoc rank will be promoted up to that level together when the week ends. The further you progress, the more materials, mastery XP, and cosmetic rewards you’ll earn.
Alongside this, Grim Protocols also adds another mission, Dark Communion. This sees you returning to the Carnival to tackle hordes of cultists attempting to complete the communion in question. The update also includes a range of new melee weapon families. Zealots get two variants of two-handed Power Swords, a massive melee weapon dealing wide-sweeping attacks that requires you to manage a heat gauge.
Psykers get a pair of more finesse-based two-handed Force Swords, and can utilize their psi-assisted skills to wield these powerful greatswords in a more nimble fashion, with a special Force Cleave attack allowing you to charge up massive psychic sweeps. Finally, Ogryn players get three varieties of Heavy Stubbers, precision support firearms that offer both a heavy but slow auto-fire mode to suppress hordes, and a precision single-shot mode to take down enemies from further away.
Warhammer 40k Darktide Grim Protocol arrives on Tuesday December 3 as a free update for all players. It includes the Havoc game mode, the Dark Communion mission, and three new weapon families.
If you’re on the hunt for more ways to play with your friends, the best co-op games are right here waiting for you. Or you could blast your way through the best FPS games instead.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.