Warhammer 40,000: Darktide has seen a big boost in players after launching its first new class, but complaints over monetization have continued especially after developer Fatshark released a version of the Arbitrator’s default helmet with its visor up for $5.
This week’s Battle for Tertium update, which arrived alongside the new Adeptus Arbites class DLC, reworked the core player experience to provide a new, clearer narrative focus for the co-op first-person melee / shooter hybrid.
Players now experience a linear campaign with new mission debriefs and embedded cinematics. It’s designed to “ease in new players and gradually unlock features that were previously gated by character level,” Fatshark has said.
But the big draw for veteran players was the release of the Adeptus Arbites class, and it appears to have done the trick. This $11.99 DLC looks like it’s sparked the interest of players who have stuck with the game since its troubled launch, as well as convinced lapsed players to dip back in.
Following the launch, Darktide hit a peak concurrent player count of just over 43,000 on Steam, the highest it’s been on Valve’s platform for over two years. And this doesn’t even paint the whole picture of the game’s success, given it’s also out on console.
In a statement provided to IGN, Product Marketing Manager Rodrigue Delrue said Fatshark had noticed the uptick, but failed to say exactly how many were playing Darktide across PC and console.
“We’ve seen a high level of engagement across all platforms, even if we don’t have exact numbers to share at this time,” Delrue said. “What’s important is that the community remains active and passionate, and we’re incredibly thankful for that.”
However, there is one sticking point: monetization. Darktide’s Adeptus Arbites DLC launched alongside a fresh round of premium cosmetics, bought with the in-game currency called Aquilas (the Aquila is the ancient symbol of the Imperium of Man in the Warhammer 40,000 universe). And within that monetization debate, one item in particular has set the community off: a helmet with its visor up.
This helmet, specifically for the Arbitrator, is identical to the default visor-down helmet you get with the new class. So, you’re paying 900 Aquilas (approx. $5) just to lift your visor up.
As you’d imagine, this hasn’t gone down well with some Darktide players. “We’ve reached the current peak of Fatshark greed,” reads one thread on the Darktide subreddit, upvoted 3,000 times.
“Yeah, it’s bulls**t that this wasn’t just included alongside the otherwise identical default visor-down helmet,” said one player. “Just give me a button push that lets me do this,” suggested another. “I’m just glad the visor up isn’t default and they make you pay for down,” joked one fan. “You mean I have to pay extra to actually see my character’s ugly face? I was buying skins to cover it up.”
IGN put the complaints about this cosmetic and Darktide’s monetization generally to Fatshark, and Delrue explained the studio needs to sell items in order to continue working on the game, but took the feedback on board.
“Cosmetic pricing is always a balancing act,” Delrue said. “As a live service game we want to be able to keep working on the game while respecting what players feel is fair value. We appreciate when these topics are brought up, these conversations help us better understand what the community values and helps inform how we approach cosmetics going forward.”
The question now is, how much longer will Fatshark continue to work on adding new content to Darktide, which is approaching its third birthday? Delrue pointed to the studio’s continued support of the even older Warhammer game, Vermintide, as evidence of its commitment to its players, and even confirmed more new classes are on the way.
“Since launch, we’ve continuously supported Darktide with free updates — and that commitment isn’t changing,” Delrue said. “As we’ve shown with Vermintide, we’re in this for the long haul. Players can naturally expect ongoing support, including new classes and additional free content as the game continues to evolve.”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
