I played Dark tide on and off since its launch in 2022, and developer Fatshark has continued to update the game. Some of these patches are quite minor: balance adjustments and bug fixes. Others, like the Grim protocols update released on Tuesdayare considerably sturdier. Dark tide is finally available on the PlayStation, allowing new players to give the game a spin, and Fatshark has added a new endgame mode called Havoc.
Havoc gives players a new leveling system called Havoc Assignment Ranks, which will be unlocked for eligible players at level 30. A new character, a ruthless Imperial Guard commissioner, will task players with completing a Maelstrom mission. Once that’s complete, players will have access to a new progression system: 40 levels of Havoc Assignment Ranks.
Havoc missions add negative modifiers and mutations to the game, such as a skull parasite that pushes pox runners into a frenzy, pus-hardened skin to nullify ranged attacks, or a Nurgle plague that liquefies enemies and infects surrounding enemies. Players who brave this new gameplay mode will earn a weekly cache of loot based on their weekly rank, so players can try to beat their previous records each week.
Players who have mastered most of what Dark tide has to offer is the clear audience for Havoc missions, and it will be interesting to see how Fatshark continues to adapt the new game mode. Fatshark has added quite a bit to the story of Dark tidewith characters like Captain Wolfer, but the majority of the game will always be based on mowing through infected armies and cleaning up the rot. Havoc could be an experimental way for Fatshark to try out new complications and combinations, and I’m curious to see how tough these matches can be.
Grim protocols also adds a new mission set in a massive cathedral hijacked by horrible cultists, three new weapons, and the ability to report teammates who are causing trouble during a match. Dark tide has plenty of fun moments, like ripping through hordes of bad guys with a chain axe, or blasting a sniper from afar with the perfect brainteaser. The soundtrack is also a wall-to-wall banger, so it’s nice to have an excuse to return to Atoma Prime and get back into the fray.