Our first update for the year, Path of Redemption, will be released in late April 2024.
This update will introduce a new version of the penance system, but it’ll also come with additional supporting content. Here is a list of what is coming to you in April:
- A new free way to collect rewards: penance points will now count towards a progression track composed of 40+ tiers, allowing players to unlock earnable rewards.
- A new home for penances in the Mourningstar: Hestia will be in charge of keeping a record of the rejects’ penances and will join the rest of the Mourningstar crew in voice-overs during missions.
- 200+ new penances: a slew of new penances will be added to the game for players to complete. These will be divided into new categories.
- 100+ new earnable rewards: these will include new insignias, portrait frames, emotes, poses, weapon trinkets, and cosmetics such as the loyalist Moebian 6th outfits.
- New reward type - Titles: allowing players to brag about their most impressive achievements.
- Improved penance UI and menu: allowing players to better track penances and progress toward rewards.
- New puzzles, challenges, and collectibles: we are adding several puzzles across Tertium Hive for players to discover and solve.
- New enemy: the Dreg Tox Bomber will join the ranks of the heretics, hurling Blight Grenades filled with toxic fumes.
- New condition: Pox Gas will join the roster of conditions that can spread across Tertium. Recommendation: don’t breathe too deeply.
- The Personality Scourge: players will have the option to change additional aspects of your operative (background, height, name, and voice) in exchange for ordo dockets.
Continue reading below for a deep dive into the reinvented penance system.
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Let Thy Deeds Be Known
Hello everyone!
Today, you’ll have two writers for this dev blog: Björn - Team Lead in charge of coordinating efforts for the Path of Redemption Update, and Victor - Design Director on Darktide. In this blog, we’ll tell you more about the reinvention of the penance system, why we have chosen to focus our efforts on them, and what players can expect from this update. Let’s delve into it!
There was one main driver behind reimagining the whole penance system: giving players more agency in Darktide. We wanted to add fun and meaningful ways for players to earn more cosmetics, and give them new ways to challenge themselves. This update adds new and diversified goals to achieve, with a slew of rewards matching their investment in the game - whether they just started playing or are a returning player.
We looked at giving penance points a more center stage position and put them to good use. These points will now be counted on a progression track, the ‘Path of Redemption’ (cue title), which will allow players to unlock new rewards. For those of you who worry about your hard-earned penance points: fret not! They will remain untouched. We will be raising the ceiling of maximum penance points, and adding 40+ tiers of rewards in between. To make players’ life easier we’ve also added a section in the overlay during missions to track their penance progress (and yes, it will also track Sire Melk’s contracts).
The team spent a good amount of time designing new penances, more player-driven and less focused on the grind, making them more engaging. Penances will be divided into different categories: combat, mission, class, talent, and ability. We’ve also created penances tied to new puzzles, challenges, and collectibles that we have sprinkled throughout all missions for players to find.
As you saw in the announcement, we will be adding lots of new exciting rewards. In essence, you can expect rewards of every kind: frames, insignias, trinkets, emotes, end of round poses, character cosmetics, and weapon skins. Regarding cosmetics, we’ll be adding a full Moebian 6th set for players to unlock (pre-heresy of course, lest the Inquisition hunt you down), as well as the cosmetics worn by the four rejects on the official art of Darktide. One thing that is not mentioned in the announcement - and that we greedily kept here - is that we will also have new backpacks as rewards! All of these rewards can be unlocked either through the progress track, or through individual penances.
We will also be adding titles, a new type of reward, that will grant players the ability to show off their accomplishments. Titles will be visible to other players both in the Mourningstar and in missions, and will have a few variations in colors depending on rarity.
Now, where are players going to find penances in the Mourningstar? We’re giving them a prime location, straight across from Sire Melk’s Requisitorium. This corner of the ship will be managed by Hestia, who was hiding behind her lectern until now. She will be taking care of all players’ penances, and guide them on their ‘Path of Redemption’ (cue title, again) track. When interacting with Hestia, players will be able to access an overview of all the penances they have collected harkening back to sticker-book collecting. Players will also be able to check their penance progress, the penances they’re close to completing, and claim the penances they’ve completed.
We hope that you’ve enjoyed this dev blog and we look forward to hearing the stories our players will build around unlocking the craziest and most challenging of penances.
– Björn and Victor, on behalf of the Warhammer 40,000: Darktide team.
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