Warhammer 40,000 Darktide Veteran class guide
The Imperial Guard is the Hammer of the Emperor, the unending ranks of soldiers with which the Imperium of man does battle. If you want to bring las-shot and chain sword to your enemies, here’s everything you need to know about the Veteran Guardsman in our Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Veteran class guide.
Darktide Veteran class introduction
The Veteran in Darktide is the game’s defacto sharpshooter and ranged damage dealer. The Veteran has the ability to adopt a shooting stance, giving their ranged combat a boost and outlining key targets for the other players.
The Veteran has 150 health and 200 Toughness, making it the second-healthiest class of the four at base, but has fewer options for sustaining that health back compared to some other classes. To succeed with the Veteran will require good space management, teamwork, and an accurate shot, of course.
Veteran abilities
Volley Fire: The Veteran adopts a shooting stance, designating all elite and specialist enemies as priority targets, outlining them in red. The Veteran also gains a massive -50% bonus to ranged damage. The stance lasts four seconds.
Make Every Shot Count: +15% damage to enemies’ weak spots.
Be Prepared: Increase ammo reserves for all ranged weapons by 75%.
Frag Grenade: A thrown explosive that detonates after being thrown, dealing a large burst of damage in an area.
Scavenger Hunt (Aura): Every time your team kills an elite enemy, the Veteran will replenish a small amount of ammo.
Veteran Tier 1 talents
Confirmed Kill: Replenish half of your Toughness on an elite kill, and the rest over time afterward.
Exhilirating Takedown: Replenish one-fifth of your Toughness when killing an enemy at range by shooting a weak spot.
At Arm’s Length: Replenish 7% Toughness per second while more than eight meters from enemies.
Veteran Tier 2 talents
Sniper: Deal up to 25% more damage the further away you are from your target.
Tactical Reload: Reload 20% faster if you have leftover ammo in your magazine.
Demolition Stockpile: Regenerate a grenade every 45 seconds.
Veteran Tier 3 talents
Bio-Optic Targeting: Volley Fire now highlights enemeis for allies in coherency as well as the Veteran.
Demolition Team: You and allies in coherency have an 8% chance to replenish a grenade upon killing an enemy.
Covering Fire: When you kill a heretic with a ranged attack, allies in melee range of your kill gain 4% toughness.
Veteran Tier 4 talents
Unwavering Focus: Take 75% less damage from all ranged attacks while in your Volley Fire stance.
Duck and Dive: Dodging, sprinting, and sliding while avoiding melee attacks grants 20% of your Stamina.
Camo Expert: While standing still, enemies are much less likely to target you.
Veteran Tier 5 talents
Frag Storm: Frag Grenades apply a stack of Bleed to all enemies struck.
Deadshot: While using the alternate fire on a ranged weapon, you gain 25% critical hit chance, 95% reduced weapon spray, but drain 10% of your Stamina every second.
One After Another: Gaint +50% reload speed for a short burst after killing an elite.
Veteran Tier 6 talents
Crackshot: Gain +75% armor penetration during Volley Fire
Killing Machine: Killing an elite or specialist enemy highlighted by Volley Fire fully refreshes Volley Fire’s duration.
Deadly Focus: During Volley Fire, you gain 95% reduced sway, 75% reduced recoil, and 95% reduced shot spread.
Warhammer 40,000 Darktide Veteran class build
The Veteran Sharpshooter is the class that focuses the most on Darktide’s revamped and redesigned shooting gameplay loop. The Veteran’s talent tree offers a few options, but most come back around to making you the team’s personal assassin, striking down key enemies from range.
Our recommended build for the Darktide Veteran is going to be a high-damage ranged threat who keeps the hallways of the hive less crowded for your melee-focused allies.
Cadian Kasrkin Veteran build
Tier one: Confirmed Kill
Tier two: Sniper
Tier three: Covering Fire
Tier four: Camo Expert
Tier five: One After Another
Tier six: Killing Machine
This build focuses on doing damage from range, picking a good firing angle and moving as little as possible from that point during the engagement. Sniper and Camo Expert allow you to find a spot far away from enemies and start rinsing las-shots into the crowds of heretics. At the same time, One After Another, Killing Machine, and Confirmed Kill keep you in Volley Fire for as long as possible, encouraging you to target every elite you can see upon activating your ability.
This build is best paired with melee threats and tanks like the Zealot and Ogryn can offer, and can help protect the Psyker quite well. A team full of Veterans is likely to encounter trouble when it comes to keeping hordes at bay, while one fully-kitted Veteran can take out key targets that the rest of Darktide’s characters would struggle to reach.
The Veteran is the most unlike any of the offerings from Fatshark’s previous Warhammer horde combat game, Vermintide, which had significanty less shooting than this new installment set in the grim, dark future of the 41st millenium. While some builds can boost your team’s destructive power, the Veteran excels when they’re worrying most about themselves and what they can do to drop the most enemies dead before having to reload.
That’s everything you need to know when it comes to playing Warhammer 40,000 Darktide’s Veteran class. Be prepared for the next pre-launch beta for Darktide, which will begin on November 17, 2022.
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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