Are you an experienced Warhammer 40K: Darktide player looking to up your game as a Zealot? If so, this post is for you! Here, we’ll be taking a look at the eight best weapons currently available for Zealots in the Darktide.
We’ve got something special lined up regardless of which play style you prefer – whether it’s close-quarters or ranged combat. Discover which weapons work best with this iconic character class, and learn some tips along the way.
So, power up your virtual armor, and let’s get started on finding out how you can make even more use of your mighty weaponry!
Why Play the Zealot
“Burn the heretic. Kill the mutant. Purge the unclean.” These are one of the many ideals that Zealots of the Imperium of Man hold dear in their hearts. To do the Emperor’s will, you must have the right weapons to strike down your enemies.
In Darktide, the Zealot has over a dozen great weapons to choose from and a few unique to their class. Without further ado, we will share with you the best weapons for the Zealot class in Darktide.
Zealot’s Top 5 Best Weapons in Darktide
1. Crucis Mk II Thunder Hammer
The Thunder Hammer is one of the more iconic weapons and recognizable weapons out of the Warhammer 40k universe. While this Thunder Hammer doesn’t pack the size or power of one that a Space Marine would have, this weapon is still devastating in the hands of a Reject Zealot.
Strengths
The Thunder Hammer’s main strengths involve crowd control, immensely high burst damage, and increased effectiveness against armored targets. Each heavy attack from the Thunder Hammer uses a Relentless attack chain, which cleaves through several enemies while staggering or knocking hordes around, which is where its crowd control strengths originate.
It’s also extremely strong for its burst damage with its unique Activate effect, which charges the weapon to enhance your next attack with a highly damaging shockwave. This charged attack is amazing for dealing high burst damage to bosses or possibly eliminating armored targets in a single swing combined with the Zealot’s Chastise The Wicked ability.
Weaknesses
However, the Thunderhammer’s weaknesses are it can offer low damage without the proper Blessings, and its light attacks are underwhelming. If the Thunder Hammer sounds fun, we recommend trying to equip the Momentum, Slaughterer, Headtaker, Skullcrusher, or Shock & Awe Blessings.
2. Antax MK V Combat Axe
There are many versions of the Combat Axe or the Tactical Axe, but we picked this one above the rest for a few different reasons. Specifically, the Antax MK V Combat Axe has the best moveset out of all Combat Axes. This Combat Axe only does one job and one job, cutting everything in half.
Armored, unarmored, boss, Elite, or Specialist enemies, it doesn’t matter. This weapon will melt through anything and win almost any single target encounter thanks to its bonuses to Penetration and having Strikedown moves on both heavy and light attacks. When combined with the Brutal Momentum, Headtaker, or Thrust Blessings, you can hack and cut your way through anything Darktide throws at you.
The main downside to every Combat Axe is its lack of Cleave or any AOE swings. This version of the Combat Axe has a little Cleave in its moveset, which is why we prefer this one. Still, it best paired well with our next entry.
3. Artemia Mk III Purgation Flamer
It wouldn’t be right to play a religious Zealot in the 41st millennium without having the Flamer as an option to purge the unclean. The Flamer is one of the strongest ranged weapons the Zealot has to choose from, and it’s the only class in Darktide that can wield one.
The Flamer is a monstrous powerhouse for horde clearing and crowd control. Moreover, it can melt anything given enough time. There’s no comparable feeling to watching a horde of 70+ Poxwalkers barreling down on you, and you stand at the frontline and burn them all down without a scratch.
The Flamer is, again, extremely powerful, but it does have some drawbacks. Since it’s a flamethrower, you have a lack of range, meaning you have to rush down any ranged enemies who are stuck behind cover. On top of that, this weapon has a lengthy reload time, which can occasionally catch you in a bad spot.
However, because of the Flamer’s strengths, we wanted to recommend pairing it with our previous entry since the Combat Axe is a pure single-target weapon, and the Flamer is mainly for AOE. It’s a match made on Terra, and the God-Emperor would approve of this loadout.
If the Flamer sounds like your type of weapon, we recommend taking the Quick Flame or the Blaze Away Blessings.
Related Article: Darktide Psyker Soulblaze Build and Effect Guide
4. Tigrus Mk II Heavy Eviscerator – One of the Best and Most Brutal Zealot Weapons in Darktide
The Tigrus Mk II Heavy Eviscerator is another Zealot-only weapon and is hands down one of the more brutal weapons you can use in Darktide. The Heavy Eviscerator is a bigger and two-handed version of the Chainsword.
This great Zealot weapon features an impressive moveset in Darktide with both Vanguard cleaving light attacks and visceral Strikedown heavy attacks. Like the Chainsword, the Eviscerator has an Activate ability that activates the weapons motor to turn your next swing into a devastating strike that tears through flesh and armor with its razor-sharp teeth.
The Eviscerator has one of the best push attacks, allowing you to create space against a group of enemies before bashing them for a ton of damage. This weapon melts through any target, including armored units, and becomes a fan favorite for many reasons.
However, this weapon can be a bit slow at times, especially if you’re constantly revving up the motor to cut through your enemies since the animation is quite long.
Still, if this lovechild of a sword and a chainsaw sounds like your type of weapon, we highly recommend using the Momentum, Rampage, Wrath, or Savage Sweep Blessings. As a bonus note, this weapon pairs extremely well with Zealot crit Bleed builds.
5. Locke Mk IIb Spearhead Boltgun
Last but certainly not least is the Boltgun. Boltguns are the most iconic weapon in the 40K Universe. This version of the Boltgun is a variant of an old Adeptus Arbites design. Boltguns are widely known for their reliability, stopping power and are often referred to as a status or rank. These deal insanely high damage with each shot, and since each bullet is akin to a miniature rocket-powered missile, they are also AOE.
Boltguns are great for every situation and have loads of stopping power, damage, and pierce through armor. Even with so much power in the hands of a mere mortal, there are some limitations to the weapon. Every time you equip a Boltgun, you must pull the charging handle back before firing. Along with a lengthy reload time, this gun has a lot of downtime.
However, when you fire a Boltgun, assume whatever is on the other end of the barrel will die in a matter of a few seconds or more. It’s one of the best weapons you can bring on a Zealot in Darktide. Yet, be mindful of its lack of ammo, so save the big guns for the bigger targets. If you like the sound of this gun, then we recommend using the Pinning Fire or Shattering Impact Blessing.
Related Guide: What is Coherency in Darktide, and Why is It Important?
6. Catachan Mk III Combat Blade
The Catachan Mk III Combat Blade is a deadly and agile knife that can output a serious amount of damage. This combat blade is fast and is great against armored enemies. It has the finesse trait, so it deals more damage against weak spots and offers great movement. This is one of the best weapons in Darktide for Zealot players who wants to really spice up their crit Bleed build.
However, the downside of the weapon is it has great single-target damage but bad horde clear. You can melt through crushers, especially if you take the Flesh Tearer, Lacerate, or Shred Blessings. Using a smaller weapon can take some getting used to, but give it a good few tries, and you might like it. Also, remember to aim for those weak spots, or else your damage might be a little off.
7. Turtolsky Mk IX Heavy Sword – One of the Best Melee Zealot Melee Weapons in Darktide
If you want to emulate the feeling and power of cutting through a dozen enemies with a gigantic sword, give this one a try. The Heavy Sword specializes in Vanguard strikes for Cleave and Relentless heavy swings for some crowd control. This weapon also features a Special Melee Attack called the Backslash, which can be a great opener for your combo swings.
We picked this version of the Heavy Sword because it has better moves than other versions. The only downside to this weapon is that it’s underwhelming regarding single targets or hitting heavy armor. Still, if you want to try out this weapon, we recommend the Brutal Momentum or Deathblow Blessings.
8. Kantrael MG XII Infantry Lasgun
However, if you’re looking for more consistent ranged firepower or lack a Veteran on your team, you can’t go wrong with a good old Lasgun. A Lasgun will always be powerful in the hands of whoever can use it, and that’s why it’s a staple weapon of the Imperial Guard. This weapon has tons of ammo and is great for picking off Gunners or any threat that’s out of your reach for a swift charge kill.
Sometimes there’s nothing wrong with keeping it simple. If you want to use a reliable Lasgun but want to avoid man handing it as a Veteran Sharpshooter does, we recommend using the Between the Eyes or Opening Salve Blessings.
Disclaimer for our Darktide Zealot Weapons List
Before we conclude this article on Darktide, we want to give a quick disclaimer for our top Zealot weapon rankings. We are not ranking these weapons in order; we think our choices are currently among the best options for Zealot to equip.
We also made our picks based on how each weapon performs on Heresy difficulty and above. Every weapon in Darktide is at least moderately viable, and if you enjoy using a weapon that’s not mentioned on our list, that’s completely fine.
Wrap Up on the Best Weapons for Zealots in Darktide
Those were our picks for the best weapons you can use for Zealot in Darktide. There are plenty of other options we didn’t mention, like the Tactical Axe or the Devil’s Claw Sword, so let us know if you have any other builds or weapons you like.
If you enjoyed our list and want to learn more about Darktide, check out our list for the best weapon Perks for your build in Darktide.
Good hunting, Rejects!
