'Darktide' Guide: Advanced Psyker Tips And Tricks

The Psykinetic is a class full of nuances. Though they might seem less efficient than the rest of the "Darktide" cast in terms of ranged and melee combat, they are still more than capable of supporting themselves and their team.

Here are a few more important tips that every Psyker player must know.

Psyker Feats for High Difficulties

As of Patch 1.0.13, the Psyker Psykinetic's feats have little synergy with each other apart from one chain of perks that revolve around gaining Warp Charges passively and expending them all into a big, burn-inflicting blast.

Ascendant Blaze, Essence Harvest, Psychic Communion and Kinetic Flayer are arguably the best feats to use on Psyker thanks to their synergy with each other. They also save players the trouble of having to use Brain Burst manually to gain Warp Charges. The damage they provide isn't bad either.

Critical Peril Thresholds

Using too much magic will eventually cause Psykers to explode when they reach 100% Peril, but hitting this number doesn't necessarily mean that they'll blow up immediately. Players can still use Brain Burst, Force Sword charges and certain special staff attacks while at critical Peril levels without risking their entire health bar.

For example, while Brain Burst typically generates up to 45% Peril per cast, it can still be used even when the Psyker is 97% Peril at most. A fully-charged staff is also safe to cast at around 80% Peril depending on its Warp Resistance stat. However, keep in mind that Surge and Purgatus staves will kill players if they reach 100% Peril while still in their cast animations.

Reaching 100% Peril while charging Brain Burst or any of the staves will not cause explosions unless they actually launch their attack, so try to switch to a different weapon to prevent accidental deaths.

Brain Burst and Staff Specialties

When selecting a staff, it is very important to understand their strengths and the roles they are meant to fulfill:

• Trauma: AoE damage and knockdown
• Surge: CC and damage vs. Flak Armor
• Purgatus: Soulblaze DoT and Stagger
• Voidstrike: Linear horde clear

Additionally, Brain Burst becomes a much more specialized tool when it comes to Heresy and Damnation difficulties. Ideally, it should be used to take out Snipers, Gunners and Reapers while they are firing on the squad.

Brain Burst does not rely on line of sight, which means Psykers can easily take out these priority targets from the safety of cover. This also saves the team's Veteran from having to go out of their way to find a safe angle to shoot from.