How to get into Warhammer 40,000 through Darktide

Nicholas James Published 26/11/2022

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is the latest game set in the grim darkness of the far future. If you want to jump from video game to tabletop, here’s how to get into Warhammer 40,000 through Darktide.

Darktide is one of the highest-quality games to ever feature Games Workshop’s dark version of the Milky Way galaxy, and is sure to reel many fans into the tabletop version. If you’re enamored with Darktide’s setting and want to know how you can transfer your Inquisitorial agent to the world’s most popular wargame, here’s how.

How to get into Warhammer through Darktide

Warhammer 40,000 is the most popular tabletop wargame in the world. The hobby involves buying, assembling, painting, and playing a science-fiction faction of your choice in a dark and uncaring Milky Way set in the year 40,000.

There are tons of factions and more lore than one could ever hope to cover all at once, so this guide will focus on highlighting the factions that players play in Darktide itself.

What Warhammer factions do you play in Dark Tide?

The two factions that you directly play as in Darktide are the Imperial Guard and the Inquisition. The Imperial Guard, otherwise known as the Astra Militarum, are the normal human armed forces. The Veteran Sharpshooter is a member of the Imperial Guard, and Sanctioned Psykers can also appear among its ranks.

The Astra Militarum is a mixed-force army that focuses on overwhelming the opponent with number of infantry while providing fire support with tanks and artillery.

The Inquisition on the other hand is much less a fully-fledged faction, and more of a mini-faction that can be added in small doses to other armies. Inquisitors, their Voidsmen-at-arms, and the like can appear alongside the other human factions but don’t have an army dedicated to them.

A great place to start with Warhammer is considering the Combat Patrol boxes, which give you a quarter of a fully-sized army in order to begin your journey. The rules for the Imperial Guard have just been published in Codex: Astra Militarum, so you’ve got plenty of time before the next rules switch-up to get into the faction. New Kasrkin infantry, Rogal Dorn Tanks, and other models offer gorgeous starting points for new players to begin their journies.

Since every army is unique in Warhammer, you’d absolutely be able to recreate a regiment of penal soldiers serving under the Inquisition as your army, just like Darktide. Selecting your faction and your first models are just the start of a long road, so enjoy this opportunity to get into Warhammer

Nicholas James

About Nicholas James

Nicholas James is a gaming writer with a passion for all things geekdom, as well as live theater. Nicholas is best known for covering League of Legends and other top MOBA titles, but his expertise covers numerous games across multiple genres. When not watching the LCS or playing the latest new release, Nicholas can be found doing some tabletop gaming and painting his favorite miniatures. Nicholas has also published with Hotspawn, TheGamer, Dexerto, Esports.gg and other industry outlets.

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