Darktide’s easter eggs have a long time of Warhammer 40,000 world-building to tug from. Fatshark’s earlier video games, the Vermintide sequence, likewise had years of the Warhammer Fantasy setting’s backstory to attract on, and have been delightfully wealthy with references.Â
Vermintide had easter eggs from the Warhammer Fantasy novels (the vampire Franz Lohner talks about is the protagonist of Drachenfels, which additionally supplies the setting for a DLC), the pen-and-paper RPG (expansions like Loss of life on the Reik and Shadows Over Bögenhafen are named after its adventures), and different Warhammer videogames (Lohner has a defend with the heraldry of the Grudgebringers from Shadow of the Horned Rat and Darkish Omen, and makes sly references suggesting he was truly their commander, Morgan Bernhardt).
Darktide could have barely fewer easter eggs than the 2 Vermintide video games in the meanwhile, although that is solely truthful provided that they’ve had years of updates and add-ons to pack them in. The easter eggs Darktide has are nonetheless loads of enjoyable to identify. This is what we have discovered to date.
That Chaos graffiti means one thing
You may need been too busy escaping from jail within the prologue to note, however servants of Chaos on Tancred Bastion took the time to depart some graffiti behind. Whilst you’re heading to the loading bay you cross containers stuffed with junk, considered one of which has cryptic runes painted on the within. They don’t seem to be simply random scribbles; they really do imply one thing. To determine what, we will have to return a number of a long time.
Realm of Chaos: The Misplaced and the Damned, revealed in 1990, was considered one of two books that correctly detailed the primary Chaos gods and their followers for the primary time. It was full of information you may want to your tabletop video games, like pages of runes ought to it is advisable to paint a number of phrases within the Darkish Tongue (opens in new tab) on the banners waved by your miniature Chaos worshippers.Â
With that, we are able to translate a few of Darktide’s graffiti just like the writing in that container on the Tancred Bastion. It says, in phonetic runes, “NURGLE LOVES YOU.” Different cheery phrases repeated in graffiti and on flags in different maps embrace “KILL MAIM DESTROY,” “ROT DEATH,” Â “DEATH TO THE FALSE EMPEROR,” and “FOP THE DARK GODS,” which is clearly alleged to say, “FOR THE DARK GODS,” however you may’t blame cultists for making the occasional typo.
Not each little bit of graffiti has been conveniently translated into English for us. In a number of locations runes spell the phrase “GUNAGHGHYRAN,” which is the identify within the Darkish Tongue for Beasts of Nurgle, or “Gu’nagh’ghyran”. Different runes spell out “AKSHO DAKH,” and whereas “aksho” means “to hunt” in response to the transient Darkish Tongue glossary in Realms of Chaos, “dakh” would not have a that means spelled out. Neither does “BAKGURANI AGKWAMI,” one other repeated phrase, although that is likely to be the identify of somebody we have not met but.
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Different graffiti is written utilizing the runes that consult with mutations and presents of the gods, and people appear extra randomly chosen. En path to major management within the map Relay Station TRS-150 are runes for a number of of the presents servants of Chaos can obtain: tentacles, pin head, and irrational hatred. Elsewhere there are runes for fast regeneration, cloud of flies, resilient, eye of the god, face of a beast, biting tongue, Chaos Lord, and limb loss. Within the Realm of Chaos rulebooks these attributes have been chosen to your characters by rolling on a random desk, and appear to have been utilized to the partitions of Tertium Hive simply as whimsically.
Some graffiti that is not written within the Darkish Tongue is an easter egg for gamers coming from Vermintide. It is the triangular image of the Horned Rat, which the skaven do appear to love scrawling on each obtainable floor, even in video games they are not in.
Our ravaged our bodies are prepared
The medicae servitors of Tertium Hive get a few of Darktide’s greatest strains, morosely begging to be taken with you and bemoaning their lack of objective after their fees are used up. They’re voiced by David Shaw Parker, who performed innkeeper Franz Lohner in each Vermintide video games in addition to narrating their trailers, and he will get to utter a callback to Fatshark’s earlier Warhammer video games when the medicare servitor asks, “May I heal your ravaged physique?”
That is a reference to witch hunter Victor Saltzpyre’s immortal line, “Holy Sigmar, bless this ravaged physique,” which grew to become one thing of a meme after its use within the unique Vermintide, and was introduced again for the sequel because of fan demand. I’ve even seen it on a T-shirt obtainable from want dot com of all of the locations.
A shout-out to House Marine
The Graia Mk VIII Infantry Autogun’s description explains that it was manufactured on the Imperial forge world of Graia, a planet that is been talked about in Warhammer 40,000 books going again a good approach. Graia’s been singled out for a nod in Darktide particularly as a result of it is also the place one of many different 40K video games that did justice to the setting befell: Relic’s third-person motion sport House Marine was set there.Â
Because the Graia Mk VIII’s description notes, it is a weapon “briefly provide after a sequence of calamities befell the forge world of Graia”, which is actually a method of summing up the occasions of House Marine.
Not all of the tattoos are of skulls
There is a plentiful collection of tattoos to select from when designing your character, some with acceptable slogans like “DEATH BEFORE DISHONOUR.” There are additionally a pair with a extra unlikely motto, just like the lower-back piece with the wreaths, which says, “THE LOVE WE SHARE.”Â
The one time I’ve seen this phrase talked about in reference to Warhammer 40,000 is within the first guide within the Ciaphas Cain sequence, For the Emperor (opens in new tab), the place it is the identify of a tune being sung by Amberley Vail when Cain meets her—considered one of a number of “previous sentimental favourites” she sings. Guess it is nonetheless widespread in any case these years.
Uplifting phrases
With reference to music, Zealot Preachers will sometimes burst into tune mid-mission. One among them sings the phrases “All of us stroll in His immortal shadow,” which is a line from a hymn known as Imperial Lobgesang. The ultimate strains are additionally quoted in a cutscene from Battlefleet Gothic Armada, however listed below are the total lyrics, by way of background guide The Imperial Infantryman’s Uplifting Primer.
Love the Emperor,
For He’s the salvation of mankind.
Obey His phrases,
for He’ll lead you into the sunshine of the long run.
Heed His knowledge,
for He’ll shield you from evil,
Whisper His prayers with devotion,
For they may save your soul.
Honour His servants,
For they converse in His voice.
Tremble earlier than His majesty,
For all of us stroll in His immortal shadow.
I’ve seen that container earlier than
Darktide actually does really feel like being transported right down to a sport of Warhammer 40,000 being performed on the tabletop. The designs of all of the surroundings feels spot-on, from barrels to barricades, and in some instances that is as a result of they arrive instantly from terrain made for the miniatures sport (opens in new tab).Â
The cargo containers are one of the vital apparent items imported instantly from Video games Workshop’s designs, being a part of the Munitorum Armoured Containers set launched as a part of Battlezone Manufactorum. Whereas all Darktide’s autos are additionally based mostly on current 40K machines, a semi-obscure one which normally reveals up related to a trailer close to these containers is a four-wheeler known as a Wolfquad that is additionally utilized by Atalan Jackals (opens in new tab).Â
Our pals from the primary trailer return
The squad of 4 we have been launched to within the teaser trailer (opens in new tab) did not make it out alive, I am afraid. You’ll be able to see them strung up on a wall within the Hab Dreyko map, impaled above an arch on the best way to the HL-16-11-1318 hab. Generally as you cross beneath them Sergeant Main Morrow will clarify they have been “considered one of our recon groups again when this began,” and he’ll be glad to lastly study what occurred to them. You’ll be able to see them meet their sticky finish on the finish of Darktide’s intro video (opens in new tab).
