Heretics, traitors, and the enemies of the Imperium of Man are all around us. Bringing down your enemies means knowing your enemy, and they are numerous. Even if there are dozens of Pox Walkers or patrols of Traitor Guardsmen, the Elite and Special enemies in Darktide will be your most prominent threats in any combat situation.
Darktide follows Vermintide’s style by splitting enemy types into groups. Elites and Specials serve a unique role and can influence the flow and danger of combat counters depending on how many are present or grouped. We will go over all the Elite and Special enemies in Darktide, how they influence combat and how to defeat them.
What is the Difference between Elite & Special Enemies in Darktide?
Both Elite and Special enemies serve vastly different roles in combat. Elites are designed to get into the thick of a fight and act as highly armored or dangerous melee threats. Elites break your formation and demand immediate attention because of their overwhelming melee power. They are harder to kill, damage, and stagger in comparison to your typical cannon fodder units. Elites can be highly armored like the Scab Mauler or Scab Gunner, but Elites can also be unarmored but deadly melee fighters like Dreg Ragers.
Special enemies in Darktide, aside from the Pox Hound and the Mutant, like remaining in cover or fighting in mid-ranged combat to support any melee units. Special enemies act as reinforcers or disruptors that can separate players from your team or act as ranged threats. Specials typically have average HP like the Pox Hound or the Tox Flamer, but they can deal tons of damage to your team if they aren’t immediately dealt with.
Players can ping both enemy types to alert the team to their presence, and most Specials and Elites in Darktide have voice lines or character callouts that give players a warning before they enter the fray.
All Elite Enemies in Darktide
1. Rager
- Range: Melee
- Weapon: Dual Axes
- Warning: None
- Armor: Unarmored or Armored
The Rager is an Unyielding, elite enemy in Darktide who runs headlong into battle, capable of overwhelming your team with a barrage of attacks. There are two variants of the Rager, a Scab and a Dreg variant. The Dreg ranger is easier to spot because of its pasty white skin and lack of armor, but the Scab Rager is protected by a full set of black armor, making them more damage resistant and harder to spot.
Both Ragers deal insane amounts of single-target damage since their primary attack is a barrage of strikes that can easily break your Toughness and half your HP if unavoided. Ragers can be found roaming with patrols and can come in groups, typically one to three at a time.
Because Ragers are unyielding enemies in Darktide, they are also difficult to stagger, and shoves won’t interrupt their attacks. A good Ogryn build can continuously knock Ragers to the ground, and the armored and unarmored variants die from one Brain Burst or a few headshots.
Ragers are easy to deal with if you spot them before they close into melee range. If you lack a weapon with high stagger power, avoid their barrage until they grow tired, then strike quickly to ensure a quick takedown. Ranged weapons are far more potent at eliminating them, but Scab Ragers will require more attacks to defeat since they are armored.
2. Bulwark
- Range: Melee
- Weapon: Shield and Mace
- Warning: None
- Armor: Flak Armor + Shield
The Bulwark is a towering Ogryn with a massive riot shield, capable of blocking nearly any attack you throw at them. This elite enemy’s job is to soak up damage and push Darktide players back since their gigantic shield can block almost any attack, aside from purifying flame.
Bulwarks typically focus on one player, making it extremely difficult for them to retaliate since their shield reflects ranged and melee attacks.
Bulwarks are extremely weak against Psyker loadouts since their Brain Burst bypasses their defenses, but if you don’t have a Psyker in your team, it’s best if you attack them from the sides or after they take a swing with their mace. If a Bulwark corners you, stagger them, create some distance, or wait for your team to strike them from behind.
3. Mauler
- Range: Melee
- Weapon: Chain Axe
- Warning: None
- Armor: Carapace Helmet + Flak Armor
The Scab Mauler is one the strongest all-around Elites to eliminate. 2’s Maulers are slow but ruthless melee fighters, capable of downing a player with a single overhead strike or easily taking chunks out of your health from one melee swing.
Scab Maulers are armed with a chain axe and full plate armor and function like Vermintide 2’s Chaos Warriors.
Along with their deadly chain axe, their heavy armor requires heavy attacks or armor piercing to damage them. The Mauler’s weak point is their head, but their helmet is twice as thick compared to their armor, making headshots deal almost no damage.
Melee classes like the Zealot Preacher should strike after the Mauler has swung since you need to use heavy attacks to get past their heavy armor. Ogryns and high stagger weapons can knock Maulers to the ground, making them easier to manage, but Psykers are the best for eliminating them since their Brain Burst bypasses their thick helmet.
Maulers can also be found roaming in patrols and sometimes come in groups. If you encounter one of these elite enemies while playing Darktide, strike them in the chest since their body armor is weaker than their helmet, even though their weak point is still their head.
Prioritize Maulers whenever you encounter one since their overwhelming power and high defense keeps them in the fight even if they take a few blows. If left unattended, they will become a more significant threat as the fight progresses and become harder to eliminate when Pox Walkers swarm you.
Related Article: Everything You Need to Know about Curios in Warhammer 40K: Darktide
4. Crusher Elite Enemies in Darktide
- Range: Melee
- Weapon: Mace
- Warning: None
- Armor: Carapace Armor
The Crusher is one of the most formidable Elites in Darktide. The Crusher is a gigantic Ogryn wielding a massive rock mace with full plate armor. Not only is the Crusher’s HP and damage significantly higher than the Maulers, but their armor is highly damage resistant.
The Crusher’s armor is thick; every inch blocks light attacks and ricochets most ranged attacks like the Maulers helmet.
They are also significantly harder to stagger since they are an Ogryn, but Thunderhammers and Ogyrn Skullbreakers can still knock them off balance for a short period.
Crushers are one of the biggest threats to your team since non-armor-piercing gunfire or melee strikes will bounce off their armor.A Crusher’s size can also be a disadvantage to you since their large bodies can block ranged units from being targeted, making them difficult to bypass.
Take these elite Darktide enemy monsters down with your team whenever possible, but if you find yourself alone, attack them after they swing as if you were fighting a Mauler.
Psykers are also extremely valuable when fighting against a Crusher since their Brain Burst bypasses their thick armor, typically requiring around three Brain Burst casts to kill one Crusher based on difficulty. If you don’t have a Psyker, gang up on a Crusher, and stagger them whenever possible.
5. Reaper
- Range: Long Range
- Weapon: Autogun
- Warning: None
- Armor: Flak Armor
The Reaper is the last Ogryn Elite you will face, and they can be a formidable ranged threat if left unattended. The Reaper is an Ogryn wearing flak armor and armed with a massive Autogun that spews high-caliber rounds at an alarming rate. On top of their weapon’s high rate of fire and damage, their gun also has a large magazine, which can pin your team down for nearly half a minute before reloading.
Even as formidable as Reapers are, once you close the distance, they are the easiest Ogryn to eliminate in melee, but they still take a long time to kill because of their flak armor and high HP. However, a reaper is still an Ogryn, and they are hard to stagger, especially at range. Stun grenades, Brain Burst, or knocking them down in melee is best to cease their constant barrage of bullets.
Like other Elites, Reapers can be found roaming in squads and become far more deadly in open areas or when supported by other Gunners. If you have no way to stagger them from range, attempt to close the gap whenever they stop to reload.
Related Article: How to Defeat and Banish a Daemonhost in Darktide
Wrap Up on Every Elite Enemy in Darktide
That’s our in-depth guide to every Elite enemy in Darktide. Darktide has numerous threats and a plethora of Heretics for Rejects to cleanse from the depths of Tertium. We are glad to see that a lot of enemies have taken some inspiration from Vermintide 2 while maintaining their new Warhammer 40K style.
For other great insights into playing the game, check out our guide on how to build a Veteran Sharpshooter in Darktide.
Happy hunting, Rejects!
