Endless hordes, cunning specialists and giant monstrosities haunt the mechanical walkways and desolate corridors of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. However, they are not the only terrors that hunt you. Sometimes enemies are just plain tough, brutal, and a smidge violent, and these enemies are not to be trifled with.
Not to be mistaken for Specialists, Elites are the next tier of nasty. Packing the biggest weapons, and donned in the hardiest of armour, these staunch foes will be a threat from the word go. If they aren’t dealt with quickly, you may find yourself clobbered to death – which is something you want to avoid at all costs.
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Rager
Ragers are fast-moving, high-damage enemies who often move in packs. These guys are incredibly dangerous, and will relentlessly charge at the first enemy they see. If they get close to you, their constant barrage of attacks will surely end the life of anyone not prepared to dodge and weave constantly.
Not only that, Ragers are incredibly tough and highly resistant to stun and stagger. Once they start attacking, very few attacks will stop their attack. The only way to end a Rager’s rampage is to end their life. Ideally, you want to do this from a distance using things like Psykers and Sharpshooters to land killer blows to their heads. Just be aware that these guys have friends, and killing one is not always enough to ensure your safety.
Mauler
Maulers, like Rager’s, want to get into close combat and bash your skull in. Unlike Ragers, they might make it into combat – even when spotted – due to their incredibly high toughness. These guys are covered head-to-toe in thick metal armour, and this makes them rather hardy in the face of firepower.
Thankfully, Maulers have one crippling weakness – their movement speed. Maulers are very slow, and this allows you to focus your fire and take them out before they get to you – provided they don’t spawn too close. However, Maulers will often move in packs, so you’ll have to unleash everything you have to take out the squad. This is easier said than done when you have countless Poxwalkers distracting you!
Bulwark
If you thought Ragers and Maulers were tough, then you’re in for quite the surprise when you meet the indomitable Bulwark. Where The previous enemies were merely human, Bulwark’s are Ogryns. Ogryns dwarf a regular man, and a Bulwark is the biggest of the bunch. Not only that, they are heavily armoured and carry a Slab Shield.
What does this mean in game? Bulwarks are almost unkillable by traditional means – even more so when you try to fight them up-close and personal. To kill a Bulwark, you have two options – work as a team and surround it, or, use a Psyker and blow its brains out. In either case, this can take a while, and Bulwarks just so happen to be great at clobbering. They aren’t fast, however, so take your time, back away, and play it safe.
Crusher
Imagine a Mauler – now make that Mauler an Ogryn. That’s what a Crusher is. Rocking up the field as a 10ft tall, armoured plated death machine packing a mace larger than most fully grown men. Crushers are devastatingly effective at staying alive, and equally as proficient at killing.
If a Crusher gets to your lines – especially to your squishy units like Psykers – then they are not going to have a good time. Crushers will more-or-less delete your Toughness and very quickly deplete your HP if left to their own devices. How do you stop them? You aim for the head and unleash as much firepower as you can muster. Psykers can also spam Brain Burst to deal huge damage.
Reaper
Up until this point, all Elites have followed the same general game plan – get into close combat and hit things with sticks. Reapers are not like that, Reapers, despite being Ogryns, are much more comfortable sitting back with a big gun and filling your team with lead.
Not only does this do massive damage if he lands his shots, but even if he doesn’t, he will suppress your team. This disruption makes it much harder to kill the Reaper as your aim gets rattled, and since you can’t move as fast, your ability to engage in close combat is severely weakened. The solution? Watch out for them, and shoot first. Reapers are easily staggered (for an Ogryn), and keeping them staggered prevents them from shooting.
They also have the lowest HP and Defense of all the Ogryns, so they go down quickly to boot. Focus them down as a priority, or you will live a very short life of regret.
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