Sharpen your chainswords and reload your bolters, Rejects as Warhammer 40,000: Darktide has been hit by a huge new update. And it’s free!
Fatshark has unleashed Nightmares & Visions, a substantial – and completely FREE – update for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, available today, across all platforms: PC (Steam and Microsoft Store), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
This update brings a brand-new wave-based game mode, a major rework of the Ogryn talent tree, new mutators for Havoc mode, a time-limited event, and more!
This isn’t just a minor patch; it’s a significant content drop designed to add even more depth and replayability to the already visceral co-op shooter.
Enter the Mortis Trials: Wave-Based Carnage and Psyker Visions
The centrepiece of the Nightmares & Visions update is the new Mortis Trials game activity. This wave-based mode plunges you into the twisted visions of the ship’s Psyker, Sefoni. You’ll face hordes of enemies, building unique playstyles with randomised abilities and buffs for each trial.
Before each battle, you’ll choose an “Indulgence,” a buff that significantly impacts your combat style.
Options include:
- Pyrokinetic and Voltaic: Focus on elemental damage.
- Fulminator: Blends both elemental damage types.
- Death Dealer: Excels in close-quarters ranged and melee combat.
- Colossus: Boosts survivability.
Mortis Trials unfold in 12 escalating waves, with objectives appearing every third wave. Success grants supplies and even stronger buffs, culminating in a final gauntlet where you can unleash your full, augmented power.
Completing these trials also unlocks memory echoes, revealing secret information about the main characters on the Mourningstar.
Havoc Mode Refreshed: New Mutators and Progression Overhaul
The endgame Havoc mode also receives a significant overhaul. The Havoc Assignment Rank system has been revamped to be clearer and more rewarding, with all players now progressing if they meet the criteria, encouraging teamwork.
Darktide will also introduce a rotation system for mission pools and mutators in Havoc challenges, keeping the gameplay fresh. And to celebrate the update, player ranks will be reset to the nearest threshold based on their highest rank achieved since Havoc’s introduction last year.
Prepare for four terrifying new mutators
- Heinous Rituals: Heretics attempt to summon a new Daemonhost. Disrupt them, or face the consequences!
- The Encroaching Garden: Specific enemies heal their allies, requiring swift elimination.
- Rampaging Enemies: Fallen enemies empower their allies with increased strength.
- Enraging Elites: Injured Elites become enraged, gaining attack speed, movement speed, and immunity to crowd control.
Ogryn Talent Tree Rework: More Builds, More Brutality
The Ogryn class gets a major overhaul with this update. The talent tree has been redesigned to:
- Expand viable melee builds.
- Introduce stronger tank and support options.
- Improve ranged combat effectiveness.
- Support light attacks.
Melee builds are no longer locked into heavy attacks, tank-focused players have more tools, and ranged builds benefit from a reworked Burst Limiter Override. Movement and survivability have also been improved, with dodging now staggering enemies and new passives enhancing damage resistance and Toughness regeneration.
There are even new talents that reward hybrid playstyles, encouraging Ogryns to mix melee and ranged combat.
Time-Limited Event: “A Day At The Theatre”
Following the release of Nightmares & Visions, Darktide will host a special event focused on playing Mortis Trials, set within the theatre of the Psyker’s mind.
A Reminder of Why We Love Darktide
We reviewed Warhammer 40,000: Darktide back at launch, giving it a 4/5, and praising its “visceral melee combat and great gunplay.” We said: “Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is a very good game stuffed full to bursting with visceral melee combat and great gunplay. The enemies are evil, which always helps with motivation, and the co-op works very well… Still, there is a lot of fun to be had in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.”
This update addresses some of our initial concerns (like mission variety) and adds even more content to an already excellent game.
Key Features of the Nightmares & Visions Update
- New Mortis Trials Mode: Wave-based combat with randomised abilities and buffs.
- Havoc Mode Overhaul: Improved progression, new mutators, and rotating mission pools.
- Ogryn Talent Tree Rework: Expanded build options and improved versatility.
- Time-Limited Event: “A Day At The Theatre,” focusing on Mortis Trials.
- Balancing Changes and General Improvements.
- Free for all players.
Dive into the Madness – For FREE!
The Nightmares & Visions update is available today, March 25th, as a free update for all Warhammer 40,000: Darktide players on Xbox Series X|S (here’s the Xbox Store page for you to download the game), PlayStation 5, and PC.
Download the update and prepare to face new horrors, master new abilities, and continue your fight for Tertium.
