Warhammer 40K: Darktide Gets New Expeditions Mode on March 17th

Fatshark is dropping a big free update for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide on March 17th. The Beyond the Hive update introduces Expeditions, a new game mode that takes players outside the hive city of Tertium and into the open ruins of Atoma Prime for the first time.

Expeditions is a significant departure from how Darktide normally plays. There are no fixed routes, no clear front lines, and the open environment means enemies can come at you from any direction. Your objective is to scour the planet for Tech-Remnants and investigate points of interest, but you’re working against the clock since the polluted atmosphere will kill you if you stay out too long. You call the Valkyrie for extraction when you decide to leave, which means every run involves making real decisions about risk and reward. Design Director Victor Magnuson called it the biggest content addition to the game since launch, which is a pretty strong statement.

The environmental hazards are a new wrinkle too. Twisters, lightning storms, and the toxic atmosphere all work against you, with scattered safe zones offering only temporary relief before you’re back in the open getting swarmed. A new enemy called the Ogryn Pack Master roams the ruins with a pack of Pox Hounds and Armoured Pox Hounds in tow. He’s apparently fast for an Ogryn, which sounds like a problem. The update also brings new weapons and modified versions of existing ones, including a Modified Grenade that can wipe everything nearby but will draw more enemies to your position in the process.

Expeditions is available to players who are midway through character progression, so it’s not something you’ll be dropped into immediately. The Beyond the Hive update is free and goes live March 17th.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.