The Warhammer 40K‘s Death Korps of Krieg is one of the most popular regiments in the fanbase. Not just because of their mysterious and classy World War I-styled gas mask and trenchcoat. In the lore, they are extremely loyal soldiers of the Imperium of Man. They even nuked their homeworld surface to oblivion to destroy any trace of heretics and prove their allegiance. Here’s how to roleplay as a member of the fearless Death Korps of Krieg and showcase your devotion to the Emperor in Warhammer 40K: Darktide.
Warhammer 40K Darktide: Death Korps of Krieg Roleplay Guide
Death Korps of Krieg Cosmetics
This one is obvious. Grab the Jotun Okrens Veteran cosmetics from the Commodore’s Vestus for the Krieg look. The whole armor set costs 2,900 Aquilas. You can also buy each piece of the armor for:
- Lucius Mk VIIIB Death’s Head: 1,400 Aquilas.
- Krieg Greatcoat Mk I Body: 1,400 Aquilas.
- Krieg Fatigues Mk I Pants: 900 Aquilas.
Veteran Sharpshooter Death Korps of Krieg Darktide Wargear
Before we get to Death Korps of Krieg Darktide Talent Tree though, remember two things. The standard issued equipment of the Krieg according to the Warhammer 40K lore are:
- Sapper Shovel.
- Lucius Hellbore Lasgun.
Of course, in the Warhammer 40K lore, Kriegers can be fielded with other Wargears, such as the Mono Knife, Laspistol, or Lucius Semi-Auto Shotgun. But Darktide only gave us the former two as an option for now. The Laspistol is mainly used as a sidearm instead of the main gun.
The Shovel itself is a crowd-control weapon. While it ain’t fancy in terms of looks, it is a pretty efficient melee weapon since the Stamina usage is very cheap. Utilize the fast attack and shove often to make distance between you and any approaching enemies. To keep your Veteran alive while being surrounded in close combat, you’ll want to get one with the highest Defense and Mobility stats.
Most Veterans who jump in with it will want to cover the Shovel’s weaknesses with a more well-rounded firearm. But we are roleplaying as a Death Korps of Krieg, so your only option in Darktide is to pair it up with a Hellbore Lasgun.
Now, regarding your gun, do keep in mind that the Hellbore Lasgun comes in three flavors: Mk I, Mk II, and Mk III.
- Mk I is the moderate version; with medium damage, medium charging speed, and medium ammo cost. It will eat four ammo per shot and nine per charged shot.
- Mk II is equipped with a faster charge speed but has lower damage overall. Nevertheless, it also consumes less ammo, three per normal shot and six for the charged shot.
- Lastly, the Mk III is the most powerful one as two or three charged shots could easily fall a Chaos Ogryn. However, it eats too much ammo, like 12 ammo per full charge, and the charge takes too much time.
For that reason, we suggest you pick Hellbore Lasgun Mk I and Mk II only. Unless you are sure you never miss and have excellent ammo and enemy management skills. Onslaught is your must-have Blessings because it reduces the weapon’s charge time.
Dressing up as an expert on trench warfare, you might get the urge to go up close and personal with the Shovel. Even so, you should focus on picking out enemies one by one with the Hellbore. Especially against Elite enemies considering Lucius’s charged shot deals a pretty good damage. Not to mention that this guide’s preferred Talent Tree below also plays more on Krieg’s mastery in keeping enemies away out of their trenches.
Weapons
Standard-issue Munitorum Sapper Shovel
Perks:
- +5-20% Block Efficiency.
- +1-2 Stamina
- +10-25% Damage (Flak Armoured Enemies).
- +10-25% Damage (Unarmoured Enemies)
- +10-25% Damage (Maniacs)
Blessings:
- Decimator: Continuously chaining more than 2 attacks gives +2-5% Power. Stacks 10 times.
- Hammerblow: +19-25% Impact for 1.5 seconds on Hit. Stacks 5 times.
- Skullcrusher: Target receives 1-4 Stack(s) of +5% Damage if already Staggered. Lasts 5 seconds.
- Thunderstrike: Target receives 1-4 Stack(s) of +5% Impact if already Staggered. Lasts 5s.
- Trauma: +14-20% Impact for 2 seconds on Repeated Hit. Stacks 5 times.
Lucius Mk I / Mk II Helbore Lasgun
Perks:
- +10-25% Damage (Unyielding Enemies).
- +4-10% Damage (Elites)
- Increase Ranged Critical Strike Chance by 2-5%.
- +5-10% Reload Speed
Blessings:
- Onslaught: Chaining Charged Attacks reduces their Charge Time by -12–6%. Stacks 5 times.
- No Respite: Up to +14-20% Damage on Hit (Staggered Enemy), scaling with Stagger.
- Infernus: +4 Burn Stack(s) on Critical Hit to a maximum of 10-12 Stack(s).
Death Korps of Krieg Darktide Curios
Equip with anything that increases your Toughness and Health. If you like to go melee with your trusty Shovel, then look for Stamina Regeneration. Pick ones with Combat Ability Regeneration if you prefer attacking from a range.
Talent Tree
Considering Death Korps of Krieg’s expertise in trench warfare and holding the line, here’s what we picked for the Darktide Talent Tree. Choose the left side Tree starting with the Shredder Frag Grenade all the way to Executioner Stance. Then continue by picking Deadshot and Stormtrooper until you reach Marksman in the end.
The World War I-inspired regiment is also known to often use heavy bombardment weaponry as well. That’s why, for the last few Talent Points, you might want to pick Talents that increases your Grenade usage. Such as Grenade Tinkerer, Demolition Stockpile, and Grenadier. Depending on your playstyle, you can swap Grenadier with Twinned Blast. Anything that could let you spam Grenades as often as you can.
Related:
Best Class in Warhammer 40K Darktide: All Classes Ranked
In terms of playstyle and utilizing the Shovel and Hellbore combo, you might want to take a peek at the video below. YouTuber milkandcookiesTW has made an excellent guide on how to embody Death Korps of Krieg during one of your Darktide run.
Warhammer 40K: Darktide is now available for Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam and Game Pass.
