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We’ve already gone over two of the more…esoteric characters in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide with the Ogryn and the Psyker. With those out of the way, let’s get a bit more, ‘boots on the ground’ – a smidge more, ‘hooah’. Of course, you’d need to say that with a bit of a futuristic twist for it to make any sense in the 41st millennium.
The Veteran Sharpshooter is there for all you players who just want to shoot stuff and shoot it good. Pew, pew, pew, everything falls down. Darktide mostly has a melee-focused combat system – often putting the ranged weapons as accoutrements. The Veteran refuses to buckle in the face of mechanical limitations, however. Guns are where it’s at.
More Warhammer 40,000: Darktide content:
Combat Guide | Beginner’s Guide | How To Kill The Plague Ogryn
Veteran Sharpshooter Skills
Of course, everyone can use a gun, but only the Veteran can use a gun well. This is in part to their long list of Feats, but mostly due to their unique skills that push you towards lasguns and all of that jazz.
| Skill | Type | Explanation |
| Frag Grenade | Blitz | Throw a frag grenade that explodes after a short timer. |
| Scavenger | Aura | Allies in Coherency gain ammo whenever anyone kills an Elite foe |
| Volley Fire | Ability | Auto-equip your Ranged Weapon and enter a Ranged Stance for 5s. Gain a 50% damage boost and highlight Priority Targets (elites and specialists). |
| Make Every Shot Count | Iconic | +15% Weak Spot Damage |
| Be Prepared | Iconic | Increase Ammo reserves for all weapons by 40% |
Veteran Sharpshooter Feats
Feats are where the magic happens. You get three Feats every five levels, and it’s up to you to decide which Feats fit your playstyle. You can swap them freely between missions, so this isn’t a permanent choice. There’s an awful lot to pick between, so let’s break them down.
| Feat | Level | Explanation |
| Confirmed Kill | 5 | Replenish 25% Toughness on Elite kill. Heal an additional 25% Toughness over time. |
| Exhilarating Takedown | 5 | Replenish 10% Toughness on Ranged Weak Spot Kill |
| At Arm’s Length | 5 | Replenish 5% Toughness/second while more than 8 metres from enemies. |
| Sniper | 10 | Deal up to 20% bonus damage based on the distance between you and the target. |
| Tactical Reload | 10 | +20% Reload Speed if you have ammo in your clip. |
| Demolition Stockpile | 10 | Replenish 1 Grenade every 60s |
| Bio-Optic Targeting | 15 | Volley Fire highlights Priority Targets for Allies in Coherency |
| Demolition Team | 15 | You and Allies in Coherency have a 5% chance to gain a Grenade on an Elite Enemy kill. |
| Covering Fire | 15 | When you kill an enemy with a ranged attack, allies in melee range of the target replenish 10% Toughness. |
| Unwavering Focus | 20 | +75% Toughness Damage Reduction from Ranged Attacks during Volley Fire. |
| Duck And Dive | 20 | Dodging, Sprinting, and Sliding to avoid ranged attack grants 20% Stamina regeneration |
| Camo Expert | 20 | While standing still, enemies are significantly less likely to target you. |
| Frag Storm | 25 | Frag Grenades apply 8 stacks of Bleed on all enemies hit by the blast. |
| Deadshot | 25 | While using your alt-fire you have a +25% crit chance and 60% reduced sway. You lose 10% Stamina every second, and an additional 5% for every shot taken. |
| One After Another | 25 | +30% Reload Speed on Elite Kill |
| Sustained Fire | 30 | Volley Fire reloads your weapon and replenishes 60% Toughness. Killing a Priority Target refreshes Volley Fire duration. |
| Counterfire | 30 | +25% Weak Spot Damage during Volley Fire. Volley Fire now designates all Shooters as Priority Targets. Killing a Priority Target refreshes Volley fire duration. |
| The Bigger They Are… | 30 | +50% damage to Ogyns and Monstrosities during Volley Fire. Volley Fire designated Ogryns and Monstrosities as Priority Targets. Killing a designated enemy during Volley Fire refreshes its duration. |
Tips And Tricks To Playing The Veteran Sharpshooter
The Veteran is all about staying back and blasting away with their various ranged weapons. Veterans are far more accurate than other classes, and their weapons tend to be more powerful and sport larger ammo supplies. This makes them excellent at holding the backfield and supporting your melee-based allies.
You want to be using Volley in any major encounter because it highlights Specialists. Specialists can be a nightmare for your team, especially on higher difficulties. They are also pretty hard to spot in a horde. Veterans remove these issues entirely. Even if you can’t land the shot yourself, your team now knows who to target. Psykers in particular love you for this.
A bit of a silly sidestep, but remember to use your flashlight. Many guns used by the Veterans have underslung flashlights. Turn it on in dark areas and improve your visibility. It will also make it easier for your allies to see what they are doing too. Ogryns – a class that typically doesn’t have access to light – will be very grateful for the visual aid in battle.
Your weapons are very powerful but don’t forget to throw your grenades. A horde of enemies can be displaced or wiped out with a solid throw, and you should aim to do this often. If you aren’t lobbing them at hordes, be sure to yeet them at specialists and elites. This can stagger or even down them, giving your team a brief respite from these powerful foes.
Finally, don’t forget about melee. Just because you like to use guns doesn’t mean you can’t hit things with a big stick. Sometimes you have no choice but to get stuck in and to be blunt, your gun is not great at close quarters. Strap it on your back, pull out a club, and get thwacking, soldier.
That’s all we have on the Veteran Sharpshooter, 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.
