Warhammer 40,000: Darktide gets a free update adding new enemies and an expeditions mode revamp as the Skitarii parachute in via DLC

Following in the footsteps of some Hive Scum, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide has been descended upon by another new DLC class - the Skitarii. Alongside the arrival of the the Machine God's elite the game's gotten a fresh patch with some free additions.

As detailed in its patch notes, patch 1.12.0 delivers a couple of new enemies and a bunch of fresh additions to expeditions mode. The new baddies are Scab and Dreg Vanguards, human melee bruisers carrying breakable shields whose job is to make hordes tougher to mow through. "The Scab variant is equipped with a harder more durable shield that will last longer, but comes in more scarce numbers, while their Dreg equivalents are more numerous but only equipped with scrappy handmade shields that are more prone to breaking," developers Fatshark wrote. They added that even once the vanguard lose their shields, they're still tougher than non-shielded foes.

Moving on from the grunts, the patch has retooled the expeditions mode. You can now set out in search of tech-remnants at dawn, with a new scavenge zone, sites of interest boasting electric hazards, and a new Deadsider Sanctuary spicing things up once you're out in the field. Meanwhile, stuff like hog-tied players will now be displayed on the Auspex and the personal tech-remnant pool's been done away with. In place of the latter, teams now have a shared pool, which risks being depleted whenever a member dies. You do get a chance to reclaim some of the dropped swag by rescuing your downed buddy.

Beyond those, I'll let you dig into the beefy patch notes. On the DLC side, the Skitarii class will set you back £9.99 / $11.99 / €11.99.

"The Skitarii Alpha Primus are special operatives, favoured soldiers of the Machine God, blessed with mental and physical augmentations beyond those of their fellow Skitarii," Fatshark wrote of these metal mashers. "Their non-linear talent tree enables unprecedented levels of build customisation. Whether you envision your Skitarii as a ruthless long-range assassin with deadly aim, a frenzied servant of the Omnissiah carving through flesh with a Transonic blade, or a walking storm of living electricity - all who behold you will cower."

If you've never given Darktide a go, first of all congrats on getting this far without retreating to comments to unleash a barrage of questions, and second, you might want to read our Warhammer 40,000: Darktide review from 2022.