Warhammer 40,000: Darktide blows up big with Arbites DLC

The team at Fatshark have more than doubled their playerbase on Warhammer 40,000: Darktide with the help of one feisty canine. Oh, and the Arbites class that goes with it. The first paid DLC for the already-successful base game, Arbites brings with it a brand new class – the Arbites. Let's get into what that class is and does.

The Adeptus Arbites enforce the Lex Imperialis – the Imperial Law. The institution’s most visible officers, known as Arbitrators, are utterly unforgiving of those who dare transgress the Law. They are swift to unleash brutal punishment upon those guilty of threatening the Imperium’s working, and no one is beyond their long reach.

They have been present on Tertium for at least as long as Inquisitor Grendyl’s forces, investigating anomalies in the planet’s Tithe offerings.

The situation has grown so grave that Marshall Vortern has decided that the long arm of the Imperial Lex needs to take a firmer grasp of the situation.

It is worth noting that the Arbites’ arrival takes place after the events of the Battle for Tertium, so while you can absolutely play as an Arbites through the new campaign, some of the story scenes will not be addressed to your type of character. For this reason, we suggest playing the Battle for Tertium for the first time with one of the core characters.

No Arbites is complete without his cybernetically-enhanced companion – the Cyber Mastiff!

Cyber-Mastiff

The Arbitrator's loyal companion and best friend will join you in the slaying of lawbreakers and other scum. After you’re finished with customizing its name and looks, you’ll soon have it fighting alongside you. The Cyber-Mastiff has its own Passive target selection, which it will use to help you against anything that comes too close. You can also command it to attack a specific target, which will override any behaviour of its own. To command your Mastiff, you simply double-tap your Tag Input on any enemy that is eligible to be Tagged.‍

‍When the Cyber-Mastiff attacks a Human-Sized enemy, it will pounce on it, knocking it down and keeping it that way until it kills the enemy, or you order it to attack something else. When attacking any larger enemy the Mastiff will do a jump attack, staggering and dealing damage to the enemy.

No doubt these beasts will turn the tide, giving the enemy more than they can handle in the field. In addition to the Cyber Mastiff, the Arbites brings with it a ton of new gameplay mechanics, including a Shock Maul for stunning, a massive Shock Shield to push back foes, and more. As always, the tree is massive, so feel free to find your own method of play.

Here's what CEO and Co-Founder of Fatshark Martin Wahlund had to say:

“We more than doubled our estimated player goals on launch day alone. Thank you for making this launch one to remember!”

Succinct and to the point, just as the Emperor demands.

And now to the most important stat of all –

Since the launch of the Arbites Class, the Cyber-Mastiff has been petted more than 459,760 times. We’ve said it before, but seriously – he’s such a good killing machine. Yes, such a good killing machine!

There are a few other important stats, but frankly how could they ever be as cool as that one?

• 553,082,097 enemies killed with Arbites
• Most used melee weapon: Mk III Branx Pattern Arbites Shock Maul, used 969,008 times
• Most used ranged weapon: Mk III Executioner Pattern Arbites Shotgun, used 1,157,103 times
• Favorite Ability: Break The Line, used 715,525 times

Our own team is taking to the field to review Arbites, so stay tuned for what Corvo Rohwer has to say! In the meantime, you can pick it up for yourself at the following links.

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3710950/Warhammer_40000_Darktide__Arbites_Class_Deluxe_Edition/

Xbox: https://www.xbox.com/en-us/games/store/warhammer-40-000-darktide-arbites-class-deluxe-edition/9p6mpzr3334d

Playstation: https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/EP4122-PPSA21255_00-0092450731028132