As close to a caster as it gets, the Psyker is both a damage dealer and a crowd-control pleaser all in one. WhenWarhammer 40,000: Darktideplayers use one, they need to be ready to manage peril, a new meter that can easily make a player kill themselves when it gets maxed out.
To be what the group needs, gamers need to get the best talents thatWarhammer 40,000: Darktidehas to offer. Better weapons and gear will help, certainly, but they can’t replace the ways that feats can fundamentally change the game for the character.
Updated on October 9th, 2023 by Hodey Johns:The Psyker, along with all the other operatives, has received a significant overhaul with Path #13. Additionally, many changes to gameplay, combat, and leveling have been implemented, altering the landscape and value of various weapons and abilities. The greatest adjustment has been the talent system over the old feats. Ranking talents is a tough thing to do since different builds will have different priorities. Choosing the “best” talents might make for an incoherent character since some of the talents synergize well together. Still, it’s not a bad idea to see which talents seem to be having the greatest success and make the Psyker popular in a given party.
Description
Scrier’s Gaze
Triggers Scrier’s Gaze. When entering Scrier’s Gaze, the Psyker gains 10% Damage and 20% Critical Chance. For every second in Scrier’s Gaze, the Psyker gains 1% Damage up to a maximum of 30%. This effect lingers for 10 seconds after leaving Scrier’s Gaze. While in Scrier’s Gaze, the Psyker builds up Peril. Build up is temporarily slowed down by enemy Kills. At 100% Peril, Scrier’s Gaze ends. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
Venting Shark
Unleashes a wave of warp energy that Staggers Enemies in front of the Psyker. Quells 50% Peril. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
Telekine Shield
Spawns a psychic shield in front of the Psyker for 15 seconds. The shield blocks Enemy Ranged Attacks, while the Psyker and Allies can still shoot through. Cooldown: 40 seconds.
Typical casters will love the upgrade from Psykinetic’s Wrath to Venting Shark. Getting rid of all the extra Peril allows for most casts before overheating. Telekine Shield is a situation choice that is best used when facing hoards of ranged enemies.
It’s hard to beat Scrier’s Gaze when it is managed correctly. The danger for new players is that Peril can easily hit 100% if used at an inopportune time. But when used against groups of lighter enemies, Scrier’s Gaze makes the Psyker feel like one of thebest operatives in the game.
Smite
Unleash a torrent of Bio-Lightning. Charge to deal high Damage and high Impact to an Enemy on release, or channel a continuous stream that deals low Damage but high Impact over time, spreading between multiple Enemies.
Brain Rupture
Charge up the Psyker’s Psychic Power and release it to deal immense Damage to a Single Enemy. Effective against Flak and Carapace Armoured Enemies. +50% Damage over Brain Burst.
Assail
Throw swift, homing projectiles formed of psychic energy. Less effective versus Carapace Armoured Enemies.
There are two single-target damage moves on the Blitz list for the Psyker and both are good. Brain Rupture deals more damage to a greater enemy variety than Assail but Assail is homing which can be nice for newer players learning to aim.
However, if the Psyker is in charge of group damage instead of boss DPS, then Smite is the way to go. A player can use one of thebest ranged weapons in the gameto dish out damage but a talented expert can choose to charge or channel Smite for even better results.
Seer’s Presence
+10% Cooldown Reduction on Abilities for the Psyker and Allies in Coherency.
Prescience
The Psyker and Allies in Coherency gain a 4% Critical Hit Chance.
Kinetic Presence
+10% Damage (Elite and Specialist Enemies) for the Psyker and Allies in Coherency.
It’s possible for Seer’s Presence to allow some builds to get monstrous. A 10% cooldown reduction for the team is great for everyone but the Psyker benefits most of all, especially as an operative that generally specializes in casting damaging psychic attacks.
For those who prefer using thebest melee weapons, Prescience gives everyone an additional 4% critical hit chance which can be overpowering for certain allies. Kinetic Presence’s extra 10% damage looks appealing but do keep in mind it only works against two specific enemy types.
Empowered Psionics
Kills have a 7.5% chance to Empower the Psyker’s next Blitz. Empowered Brain Rupture: 100% Peril Cost Reduction, 50% Cast Time Reduction, +50% Damage. Empowered Smite: +30% Damage, 25% faster Enemy spread. Empowered Assail: 100% Peril Cost Reduction, +50 Base Damage, does not consume charges.
Warp Siphon
Killing an Elite or Specialist Enemy gains the Psyker a Warp Charge for 25 seconds, stacking 4 times. The Psyker’s next Combat Ability spends all available Warp Charges to reduce the Cooldown of that Combat Ability by 7.5% per Warp Charge.
Disrupt Destiny
Every second, Enemies within 25 meters have a chance of being Marked. Killing a Marked Enemy Replenishes 10% Toughness, grants +20% Movement Speed for 2.5 seconds, and adds a Precision Bonus for 15 seconds. Each Precision Bonus grants +1% Damage, +2% Critical Damage, and +2.5% Weakspot Damage. Precision Bonus Stacks 15 times.
It’s hard to choose any Keystone talent for the Psyker except for Empowered Psionics. This talent takes all the abilities and boosts them in a crucial way. Since abilities are bound to be a major part of any build, this is a great option all around.
For those who prefer to shoot and let theirbest weapon traitsdo the talking, Warp Siphon will capitalize on killing Elites and Specialists. Disrupt Destiny is another option but keep in mind it only works when the Psyker kills the Marked target.
Warhammer 40,000: Darktideis available now for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:Warhammer 40K: Darktide: The Audio And Visual Cues For Each Elite Enemy
