Are you getting started with Warhammer 40K: Darktide? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered! If you’re looking to join the fun and get playing as quickly as possible, then let us fill you in on our Darktide beginner’s character tier list. We’ll give an overview of each character’s specialty and tell you some tips to maximize your success when using them. Moreover, we’ll let you know which character is the best right now and is worth your time to learn to play. So, get ready, and let’s take a look at the definitive Darktide Characters Tier List for Beginners!
As of Darktide’s official release, there are four character classes in the game. Each has a different gameplay style, unique weapons, and roles they fill in a team. We have formed a Darktide Character Tier List to walk you through what each character does and our thoughts on why you should consider picking them to learn in the game.
If you are a veteran player, we recommend you check out our Darktide class tier list for Heresy/Damnation difficulty to learn more about the rankings of these characters in the game’s most challenging modes.
B Tier
Psyker – Steep Learning Curve that is Challenging for New Players
The Psyker is at this low position on our list for the unique mechanics that new players have to micromanage. Beyond that, their special Force Staffs can be challenging for newer players to learn.
Why Players Enjoy Psykers
The Psyker is a wonderfully fun Darktide character who excels at dispatching Elites and Specialist enemies from afar and has a handful of Force Staffs to augment their damage or crowd control. However, to perform your role adequately, you must learn how to manage your Peril.
Psyker Characters in Darktide Require a Lot of Micromanagement
For newer players who need to learn about the Psykers Perils of the Warp meter, it’s a meter that builds up whenever you cast spells like Brain Burst or use your Force Staff. If you fail to manage this Peril by Quelling, you will explode and lose your HP. This is the only class that constantly worries about exploding if they use their powers too much, requiring you to take brief pauses in combat to Quell your Peril.
On top of managing your Peril, you gain a stacking damage buff from constantly killing enemies with your Brain Burst. This is another layer of complexity that you need to micromanage to keep a damage buff.
The best Psyker weapons in Darktide are also tied to your Warp meter. This means that even regular ranged combat weapons will require management.
Psykers are Glass Cannons
Psykers are also one of the squishiest classes in Darktide, often compared to a glass cannon. However, with enough time and practice, they can become monstrous powerhouses if their team can provide space for them. Yet, for beginners to Darktide, we do not recommend starting with a Psyker character.
If you want to learn more about playing as a Psyker, you can check out either our Darktide Psyker class guide or our Psyker Soublaze build.
A Tier
Ogryn – A Unique Tank Class for Aspiring Darktide Players
Some players may disagree with placing the Ogryn Skullbreaker class this low on our list, but there are several reasons why we put the lovable giant at the bottom of A tier.
Ogryns Play Very Differently from Other Classes in Darktide
When it comes to learning Darktide’s mechanics and enemies, Ogryn provides an entirely different experience, and it can make learning other classes more problematic when it comes to picking up another character. Ogryns have a bigger size and hitbox, which can make avoiding damage a bit more difficult.
Ogryns also have increased Stagger power from one of their passives, and it’s a great feature of the class, but we have witnessed new players die when fighting an Elite because they are used to the Ogryn’s remarkable strength of easily knocking them down. Other characters only have that much Stagger strength if they have certain weapons like the Thunder Hammer with great weapon blessings in Darktide.
Lastly, Ogryns have an utterly unique arsenal of weapons, which is another fun that makes Darktide’s characters feel different. Still, since other classes don’t use the best Ogryn weapons, it can also make picking up a separate class a bit jarring a first. Yet, Ogryns are very forgiving because of their extra HP, bonus Stagger, and frontline playstyle.
Ogryns are still a great class, but because of their unique qualities, they can make learning basic mechanics like Staggering an opponent a bit jarring when beginners decide to move on to another class.
We still highly recommend playing them if you like the aesthetic of Ogryns, but remember they play entirely differently compared to other characters in Darktide.
Veteran – The Most Familiar and Easy Class to Pick Up for FPS Players
At the top of the A tier, we have the Veteran. The Veteran Sharpshooter class is an excellent choice for learning Darktide’s mechanics, especially if you want to focus more on ranged combat.
Why You Should Consider Playing the Veteran
The Veteran is extremely strong, and the best weapons for Veteran in Darktide are shared across both the Psyker and the Zealot, which initially makes transitioning to other classes easier. However, the Veteran’s main job is to stay in the backline and either pick off high-priority targets from afar or blast into hordes of enemies.
The Veteran will always put out more damage and be beneficial to their team due to their capability of picking off ranged threats because sometimes the best method is fighting fire with fire.
However, the significant downsides to the Veteran are their weaknesses in melee. This character has no benefits or talents that help them excel in melee, and they are relatively squishy like the Psyker.
However, the Veteran has a simplistic gameplay style which is easy to pick up and learn. Point and shoot until whatever you’re aiming at is dead. This very simplistic gameplay loop allows you to learn some of Darktide’s basic mechanics, like Suppression, or how Critical Strikes differ from striking weak points (headshots).
S Tier
Zealot – The Best Darktide Character Class for Beginners on Our Tier List
Zealot is the most accessible class for newer players to pick up and learn Darktide. She primarily focuses on melee combat, which has a far more complex system than ranged combat. Darktide focuses on a hybrid combat flow, so ranged and melee combat is essential to learn, but we wager that melee combat requires more time to learn.
Zealot has Toughness damage reduction in Darktide, making their gameplay a little more forgiving whenever new players suffer damage. As an added bonus, playing a Zealot will help players learn the basics of dodging, blocking, and learning melee weapon attack chains. Of course, you can learn all these features on any character, but Zealot provides the best experience.
Learning how to play Zealot allows you to bring the skills you learned from leveling that class into either Psyker or Veteran because of their standard weapons and strengths.
Conclusion on our Darktide Character Tier List for Beginners
Those are our picks for the best characters to start learning Darktide. We made our picks based on what we thought provided the easiest learning experience for new players so they can begin to tackle the more complex elements found in Darktide slowly. Feel free to check out our many guides explaining the basic mechanics of Darktide, including Wounds, Coherency, and Corruption.
We also cover the more advanced mechanics players will encounter more often when they reach late game, like curio perks. Overall, if you are looking for more Darktide content, we have you covered, but if you want a more hands-on learning experience, we recommend starting with our top picks for Darktide’s characters presented here in our tier list.
Good hunting, Rejects!
Disclaimer for our Darktide Character Tier List for Beginners
Before we conclude, we would like to give a quick disclaimer about our Darktide characters tier list. We made this list as an overall rating for what characters are easier to learn Darktides mechanics for beginner players.
Some characters perform better in the late game or on greater difficulties, so our choices mainly reflect the level 1 to the early level 30 experience.
