Warhammer 40,000: Darktide sees Big Player Boost after Artistes class releases, but monetization complaints continue with sales of Dev Sells Selles Helmet and raised sun visors

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide The player has a lot of push after the first new course was launched, but complaints about monetization were particularly after developer Fatshark released the arbitrator’s default helmet version, which cost $5.

This week's The third update battleArriving with the new Adeptus Arvires-class DLC, redesigning the core participants’ experiences, providing a new, clearer narrative focus for the co-op first-person melee/shooter hybrid.

Players will now experience linear motion through new mission reports and embedded movie worlds. Fatshark said it aims to “relax new players and gradually unlock the previously gated features that were previously gated by character level.”

But the biggest attraction for veteran players is the release of the Adeptus Artistes class, which seems to have done. This $11.99 DLC looks like it sparked interest from players who have stuck with the game since its troubled release and convinced the lost players to re-immerse.

After the release, Darktide reached its peak on Steam and the number of players has just exceeded 43,000, which is Valve's highest number on Valve's platform. And, given that it's also on the console, that won't even paint the full picture of the game's success.

Product Marketing Manager Rodrigue Delrue said in a statement provided to IGN that Fatshark noticed this uptick, but failed to say exactly how many people played Darktide on PC and console.

“Even if there are no exact numbers to share at the moment, we have seen high levels of engagement across all platforms,” Delaru said. “It is important that the community remains active and enthusiastic and we are very grateful.”

However, there is one symptom: monetization. Darktide's Adeptus Arbires DLC was launched with fresh premium cosmetics and bought Aquilas with in-game currency (Aquila is an ancient symbol of the human empire in the Warhammer 40,000 universe). In this monetization debate, one in particular shuts down the community: a helmet with a sun visor.

This helmet, specifically for arbitrators, is the same as the default sunshade helmet you get with the new course. So you're paying 900 Aquilas (about $5) just to improve the visor.

As you might imagine, this is not going well for some Darktide players. “We have reached the current peak of Fatshark Greed.” A thread on Darktide subredditvoted 3,000 times.

“Yes, Bull**t includes not only the same default sunshade helmets that run side by side,” one player said. “Just give me a button and let me do that,” another suggestion. “A fan joked, “I'm glad the visors' UPs don't default, they will make you pay.” “You mean I have to pay extra to actually see the ugly face of my character? I'm buying skin to cover it up. ”

IGN usually handed over complaints about the monetization of this cosmetics and Darktide to Fatshark, Delrue explained that the studio would need to sell merchandise to continue the game, but would provide feedback.

“Cosmetic pricing is always a balancing act,” Delrue said. “As a live service game, we hope to continue to work on the game while respecting what players consider to be fair value. We appreciate that these conversations help us better understand community values ​​when these topics are presented and help inform us how to achieve cosmetics.”

The question now is, how long will Fatshark continue to add new content to Darktide, which is approaching its third birthday? Delrue noted that the studio continued to support even older Warhammer games, as evidence of its commitment to players, even confirming that more new courses are on the way.

“We have been offering free updates to Darktide since its launch, and that promise has not changed,” Delaru said. “As we showed on Vermintide, we are working for a long time. Players can naturally expect ongoing support, including as the game continues to evolve, including new courses and additional free content.”

Wesley is IGN's news director. Find him on Twitter via @wyp100. You can reach Wesley via [email protected] or secretly visit [email protected].