Cry Havoc! – Let loose the Grim Protocols of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

thesixthaxis.com:

As we come to the second anniversary for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, Fatshark has dragged their grimdark co-op shooter back from a difficult initial launch. This week sees the latest free update arrive, Grim Protocols, which kicks off a free new story arc and new Havoc endgame mode, and comes alongside the PS5 launch of the game.

The new Dark Communion mission nudges the overarching story of Darktide along, as Interrogator Rannick sends your team of misfits back to the area nicknamed the Carnival to try and figure out where Chaos-infused Tainted Stimms are coming from. As you get dropped off at a landing pad, it’s pretty damned obvious that it’s the Cathedrum that’s blanketed by a glowing green storm.

The Carnival first appeared as a location with The Traitor’s Curse update for the game’s first anniversary, and Dark Communion picks up on some common threads here, fighting along a different path to reach new areas added onto common spaces. It’s a great-looking location, blending together cyberpunk vibes from the red neon lights that illuminate the market place with the gothic architecture that dominates the Imperium.

It builds up nicely to the final battle at the Cathedrum, as you battle through barriers conjured by cultists to reach and destroy the apparatus that’s producing the tainted Stimms. It’s an abrupt ending though, and it really feels like there’s much more to come.

For long-time players, though, the real draw of this update will be the new Havoc game mode. Pitched as a new endgame that promises to ramp up the challenge higher and higher the more you play, it comes with new modifiers and challenges as you battle at the behest of Commisar Dukane.

At first it won’t necessarily be that stern of a test for you. Running our first mission saw us confronted by certain enemies having Pus-hardened Skin, making them glow green as they could soak up a bit more damage than usual, but there could also be faster-firing enemies, more highly corrupted foes, enemies with head