Bound by Duty - Free Update Out Now

Hey Everyone, 

The latest Free Update for Darktide, Bound By Duty, is now releasing across all our platforms! Balance changes, new weapons, a new enemy, a new arena, buffs and Memory Echoes for Mortis Trials, and more!
 

Without further ado, let’s get right into it!

Note: These patch notes were too big to fully fit inside this Steam post. For the full changes, please check out our web post!

New Features

Mortis Trials New Theatre of Mortification & Story Echos

The latest update adds a whole new Theater to the Mortis Trials. The Theatre of Rectitude is a cold and unforgiving arena, reminiscent of the abandoned hallways of Clandestium Gloriana. 

Sefoni has prepared new challenges for you to face while battling the hordes. If you are successful, and listen carefully, you might hear more from Morrow and Zola, and maybe even learn a bit about Proctor-Exactant Zorin.

There are also a swathe of new Indulgences to explore. Make yourself an unstoppable tank with Goliath or focus on precise, critical hits with Emperor's Favoured.

New Enemy

Scab Plasma Gunner: A dangerous new Elite enemy joins Darktide’s roster. The Scab Plasma Gunner wields a powerful plasma weapon, forcing players to adapt their tactics and brace for intense, high-damage attacks. Expect to feel the heat in any mission where this adversary appears.

Havoc Mutators

This latest update will bring new and familiar content to Havoc: with 1.9.0 Rotten Armour will return in the form of a Havoc Mutator in addition to a brand new one.

Contaminated Stimms

Enfeebled by the relentless assaults by the forces of Grendyl, the Cult of Admonition and the Moebian 6th have begun increasing their use of stims to enhance their capabilities in combat.

Rotten Armour

The Blessings of Nurgle return once again, rewarding his followers with the gift of toxicity.

New Patterns & Marks

Power Falchion

“Mazosi, fly us closer!”

Overview

The Veteran Power Falchion is a 1-handed, single-edged sword which pairs elegance with deadly offensive output.

The Special action activates the weapon in a similar way as the Zealot Relic Blade, further augmenting its attack properties at the cost of increasing Heat.

The Power Falchion has a relatively reduced damage in activated mode compared to the existing Veteran Power Sword, compensated however by its ease of use and improved mobility values.

Compared to the Relic Blade, the power source is more reliable, leading to a longer activated total time (but at the cost of a longer cool down period).

Weapon Special

The Power Falchion’s Special action empowers the sword, improving its swings while it is active.

It particularly buffs the weapon’s Cleave values and Damage Multipliers against certain armour types (e.g. Carapace armour).

Activating the weapon Special will start filling a Heat bar. Each activated swing will also increase Heat by a small amount.

When the weapon is deactivated, the Heat bar will passively cool down.

If the Heat bar is completely filled, the weapon overheats. On overheating, the weapon deactivates and cannot be activated until the Heat bar is completely emptied.

The weapon will also deactivate from the following actions:

• Automatically, when swapping out of the Power Falchion
• Manually, when performing the Special action while the weapon is already activated.

After performing the Special activate or deactivate action, the attack chain will not be reset.

Additionally, the weapon will receive Block properties while activating or deactivating.

This will provide flexibility to weave in the Special action in between attack combos.

Aridin Mk I Power Falchion

The default mark of the Power Falchion is simple to approach, with straightforward attack directions and great ease of access to both single and multi target combos.

Attacks

Light 1: Moderately fast, diagonal Vanguard attack with good Cleave.

Light 2: Moderately fast, horizontal Vanguard attack with good Cleave.

Chained into also after a Push.

Light 3: Fast stab Strikedown attack with good damage, Finesse and armour penetration.

Pushfollow attack: Vertical Strikedown attack with good damage and armour penetration. Chains into Light 3 and Heavy 1.

Heavy 1: Slow, vertical Strikedown attack with great damage, Finesse and armour penetration.

Heavy 2: Slow, vertical Strikedown attack with great damage, Finesse and armour penetration.

Chained into also after a Push.

Heavy 3: Slow, horizontal Vanguard attack with great Cleave and good damage also to secondary targets.

Chains into Light 2 and Heavy 2.

Suggested Horde combos

L1 > L2 > H3 > L2 > …

Push > L2 > …

Suggested Single Target combos

H1 > H2 > L3 > H1 > …

Pushfollow attack  > H1 > …

Pushfollow attack  > L3 > …

Push > H2 > …

Lawbringer Mk IIb Power Falchion

This second mark has a slightly more advanced attack chain structure, and a moveset with very particular and different swing directions.

Attacks

Light 1: Moderately fast, vertical Strikedown attack with good damage and armour penetration.

Light 2: Moderately fast, diagonal Vanguard attack with good Cleave.

Light 3: Fast, horizontal Vanguard attack with good Cleave.

Light 4: Fast, uppercut Vanguard attack with great damage and good Finesse.

Light from Push: Moderately fast, vertical Strikedown attack with good damage and armour penetration.

Chained into only after a Push.

Pushfollow attack: Horizontal Relentless attack with good Cleave and Impact.

Chains into Light 3 and Heavy 1.

Heavy 1: Slow, horizontal Vanguard attack with great Cleave and good damage also to secondary targets.

Heavy 2: Slow, uppercut Strikedown attack with great damage, Finesse and armour penetration.

Chains into Light 1 and Heavy 1.

Chained into also after a Push.

Suggested Horde combos

H1 > L2 > H1 > …

H1 > L2 > L3 > L4 > H1 > …

Pushfollow attack  > H1 > …

Pushfollow attack  > L3 > …

Suggested Single Target combos

L1 > H2 > L1 > …

Push > H2 > …

Push > L from push > L1 > …

Locke Mk III Spearhead Boltgun, Godwyn-Branx Mk VI Bolt Pistol

Overview

These new marks of the Boltgun and Bolt Pistol pack an even larger payload, dealing increased damage and impact to the target and everything in a huge area around it.

The bolt is set to explode on impact, causing it to trigger the full explosion also when hitting terrain, but removing any Cleave property.

Additionally, the explosive will be primed after only 3m, instead of the minimum 5m of the default marks.

However, the projectile direct hit offensive properties will be reduced, especially in their damage and Finesse scaling.

Also, the magazine and reserves will contain less ammo compared to the default marks.

For the Locke Mk III Spearhead Boltgun, the hipfire mode remains full-auto, but with a reduced rate of fire compared to the default mark. While this will make the damage potential less spiky when mag-dumping, it will also allow for an easier control of recoil and spread on continuous fire.