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One of the best things about the Warhammer 40,000 universe is the idea that magic exists, and that magic is drawn directly from the physical and emotional manifestation of hell. That every now and then a human is born with the innate ability to bend reality and harness this power to do great and terrible things.
These humans are called Psykers, and the ones you find in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide are equal part insane and deadly. If you look at them wrong, your head will probably explode. If you leave them alone in a room for too long THEY might explode. It’s a jolly good time for everyone involved really.
More Warhammer 40,000: Darktide content:
Combat Guide | Beginner’s Guide | How To Kill The Plague Ogryn
Psyker Psykinetic Skills
Psykers start as fragile glass cannons, but can, with time, become nigh indestructible gods of death and destruction. So mighty that even the Ogyrn looks on in envy, and so chaotic in their power that entire hordes fizzle and turn to dust. When you first start off, however, you have a rather humble number of Feats at your disposal.
| Skill | Type | Explanation |
| Brain Burst | Blitz | Target an Enemy and charge the ability to deal high Damage |
| Kinetic Presence | Aura | Allies in Coherency gain +10% Damage (Elite Enemies) |
| Psykinetic’s Wrath | Ability | Quell 50% Peril & Stagger enemies in front of you |
| Warp Syphon | Iconic | Killing an enemy with Brain Burst earns Warp Charge. Each Warp Charge grants +3% damage. Warp Charges are retained for 25s. You can store up to 4 Warp Charges. |
| Battle Meditation | Iconic | 10% Chance to Quell 10% Peril on Kill |
Psyker Psykinetic Feats
Feats are where the Psyker really shines, however. Psykers can enhance just about every aspect of their play here, but you can’t take them all. When built properly, however, Psykers can be very hard to kill thanks to the ease with which they can regenerate their toughness. This rarely comes at the sacrifice of combat efficacy, however.
| Feat | Level | Explanation |
| Essence Harvest | 5 | Replenish 30% Toughness over 5s on gaining Warp Charge |
| Warp Absorption | 5 | Replenish 10% Toughness when you kill an Enemy with a Warp Attack |
| Quietude | 5 | Replenish 5% Toughness for each 10% of Peril Quelled. |
| Psykinetics Wrath | 10 | Gain between 5% and 15% damage with Force Weapon attacks based on your current Peril. |
| Inner Tranquillity | 10 | +6% Peril Resistance per Warp Charge |
| Wrack and Ruin | 10 | Killing an Elite or Specialist with Brain Burst applies 2 Stacks of Soulblaze to all enemies within 3 metres of the target |
| Psychic Communion | 15 | Whenever you or an ally in Coherency kills an enemy, you have a 4% chance to gain a Warp Charge. |
| Psykinetic’s Aura | 15 | +15% Combat Ability Cooldown (Allies in Coherency) on Elite Kill |
| Cerebral Lacerations | 15 | Damaging an Enemy with your Brain Burst ability causes them to take +15% damage from all non-Warp sources for 5s |
| Kinetic Deflection | 20 | While below Critical Peril, Blocking an attack causes you to gain Peril instead of losing Stamina |
| Kinetic Shield | 20 | Take between 10% and 33% reduced Toughness damage from Ranged Attacks based on your current number of Warp Charges |
| Mind In Motion | 20 | Your Movement Speed is not reduced while Quelling Peril |
| Warp Battery | 25 | Can Store up to 6 Warp Charges |
| Kinetic Overload | 25 | Whilst you have Maximum Warp Charges, gaining a Warp Charge instead applies 4 stacks of Soul Blaze to a nearby enemy, prioritising Elite enemies. |
| Kinetic Flayer | 25 | All attacks have a 10% chance on hit to Brain Burst the target. This cannot occur whilst at critical Peril and has a cooldown of 15s. |
| Quicken | 30 | Psykinetic’s Wrath expends all Warp Charges, reducing Cooldown by 12.5s for each Warp Charge removed. |
| Ascendant Blaze | 30 | Psykinetic’s Wrath expends all Warp Charges and applies stacks of Soulblaze to enemies hit based on the number of Warp Charges expended. Enemies killed by your Soulblaze effects (from any source) have a 10% chance to grant you a Warp Charge. |
| Kinetic Barrage | 30 | For 10s after using Psykinetic Wrath, your Brain Burst charges 25% faster and consumes 50% less Peril. |
Tips And Tricks To Playing The Psyker Psykinetic
The first thing you need to understand about the Psyker is its role on the battlefield. Due to its low health and relatively piddly defences, the Psyker starts fragile – more so than any other class. What the Psyker brings, however, is single-target destruction. Brain Burst should be your go-to choice of attack in any scenario where you are not needed on the frontline.
Brain Burst is more than capable of one-shotting specialists from across the map, and more elite enemies can be downed in two. Very few classes have that kind of range and ability to respond. Because of this Psykers are more like Scalpels – a first.
Of course, Psykers are not defenceless in other forms of combat – they are just less effective. Their basic weapons are not very impressive, and their stats in combat are nowhere near as impressive as other classes. They can do alright about hordes, but anything tougher can be a real threat.
Thankfully, as the Psyker grows in power, new Feats unlock and this leads to more power – not to mention the wide array of weapons at your disposal. Force Swords can inflict incredible damage in melee. Force Staves can give you an incredibly potent AOE attack (multiple in fact). Just blowing somebody’s head up can set an entire room on fire.
All of this comes at a cost, of course, Peril. As you use your powers, Peril will rise. If it ever reaches 100% you quite literally explode. This can be devastating if it happens at the wrong time. On higher difficulties, this could lose your team the game. Always keep an eye on your Peril otherwise you will regret it.
There is one way to reduce your Peril quickly, and that is to use your Ability, Psykinetic’s Wrath. This drastically reduces your Peril and knocks all enemies back (and more at higher levels). This lets you very quickly get back into the fight and can even be used to perform some rather incredible mental combos to deal immense damage without the risk of death.
That’s all we have on the Psyker Psykinetic, but keep an eye out for more Warhammer 40,000: Darktide guides. This is an excellent game, and we have a lot more to talk about.
