Warhammer 40K Darktide: What is the Imperium?

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Warhammer 40K: Darktide will allow players to make their own character when they boot up the horde shooter, but no matter what their Reject looks like, each of them will serve the Imperium of Man. While Darktide might set itself apart from the large, galaxy-destroying wars that can take place in the Warhammer 40K setting by locating its plot entirely on one planet, there are still elements of the universe's lore that must be added in order for fans to feel as though they're still playing a Warhammer game.

The Imperium of Man is one of those deeply important things to the Warhammer 40K setting included within Darktide. For the uninitiated, it may be tricky to figure out what the Imperium of Man actually is. It has been mentioned multiple times in the various trailers for Darktide, but it has yet to be properly explained by Fatshark. Essentially, the Imperium of Man in Warhammer 40K is the name used to describe all the systems, planets, and people humanity commands.

Warhammer 40K: Darktide Shows Off Sharpshooter Class

Thousands of planets and trillions of people make up the Imperium of Man. It is the most dominant faction in Warhammer 40K, though it is consistently under threat from Orks, Tyranids, Chaos, and all the other races that make up the galaxy. In order to protect itself, the Imperium of Man has developed an enormous army made up of many types of troops, including the iconic Space Marines that have featured in so many Warhammer games.

Another branch of the Imperium's military is the Astra Militarum. Unlike the super soldiers that are the Space Marines, the Astra Militarum are largely made up of regular soldiers that unfortunately don't sport any impressive power armor or weapons. The Rejects players will make in