The Zealot class in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is designed with melee prowess in mind. These faithful servants of the God-Emperor strikes down heretics with great fervor, leaving a trail of righteous wrath in their wake. Gameplay-wise, they excel in close-quarters combat with their brutal weapons.
8 Things Only Pro Players Know You Can Do In Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is a mechanically complex game by design. And, these are some of the biggest things pro players have found so far.
Patch 13 introduced two new ways to play the Zealot while also refining the class' original playstyle from the earlier days of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. This build focuses on the latter to help new and returning players get used to how the Zealot class plays with the revamped skill system.
Darktide Zealot Preacher Build
The left side of the Zealot's skill tree features abilities that cater to up close and personal fighting. The majority of the skills here improve the Zealot's offensive ability and staying power when locked in melee combat by providing self-revives, Toughness boosts, and improved critical hits.
1-10 Skill Points | |
Skill | Effect |
Disdain | Increases melee damage for each enemy hit |
Enemies Within, Enemies Without | Replenish Toughness per second if there are at least three nearby enemies |
Toughness Boost | |
Vicious Offering | Replenish 7.5% Toughness on Heavy Attack Kill |
Stunstorm Grenade | Stuns enemies in a large radius |
Melee Damage Boost | |
Movement Speed Boost | |
Duelist | Increases Weakspot and Critical Hit damage on successful dodge |
Desperation | Increases melee damage when Stamina is depleted |
Until Death | Become invulnerable for five seconds instead of dying; Can occur once every 120 seconds. |
11-20 Skill Points | |
Skill | Effect |
Holy Revenant | When Until Death ends, heal for a percentage of damage dealt while invulnerable. Melee damage heals 3x more. |
Benediction | +15% Toughness Reduction for all allies in Coherency |
Toughness Boost | |
Fury of the Faithful | Augments Chastise the Wicked. Rush forward and gain 100% crit chance and 25% extra damage on next melee hit. Increases attack speed by 20% for 10 seconds after rushing. |
Redoubled Zeal | Gain an extra Combat Ability charge |
Suppression Boost | |
Punishment | Melee attacks gain +30% Impact Strength after hitting at least three enemies (stacks up to five times). Gain Uninterruptible after reaching max stacks. |
Movement Speed Boost | |
Invocation of Death | Melee critical hits reduce Combat Ability cooldown by 1.5 seconds |
Blazing Piety | Enter Fury state when 25 enemies die within 25 meters of the Zealot. Fury increases crit chance by 15%. |
21-30 Skill Points | |
Skill | Effect |
Fury Rising | Crits count toward building Fury |
Righteous Warrior | Gain +10% more crit chance from Blazing Piety |
Toughness Damage Reduction | |
Faithful Frenzy | Increases melee attack speed |
Health Boost | |
Faith's Fortitude | Increases max Wounds |
Melee Damage Boost | |
Sustained Assault | Increases melee damage when hitting an enemy with a melee attack. Stacks up to five times. |
Backstabber | Deal more damage when hitting enemies from behind |
Blood Redemption | Toughness gained upon killing an enemy with melee attacks increased by 50% |
Disdain, Desperation, and Sustained Assault greatly increase the Zealot's melee damage, and it only gets higher once Blazing Piety and Duelist come into play. For maximum damage, try to reach the enemies' backs to trigger Backstabber. All of these combined makes the Zealot the best melee class in the game so far.
Until Death and Holy Revenant serve as the build's main safety nets. Once every three minutes, players can recklessly dive into the middle of a horde and start swinging without fearing death. Until Death's invincibility won't save players from crowd control, though, so be mindful of Specialists like Trappers and Pox Hounds.
This build is very flexible when it comes to weapon choices. Finesse weapons like the Combat Blade and Tactical Axes benefit most from Blazing Piety, though players can't go wrong with picking anything else in their arsenal. Still, bringing an anti-armor weapon like a Bolter or Thunder Hammer is highly recommended, especially in Heresy and Damnation difficulties.
As for the recommended curios, focus on building Health and Combat Ability Regeneration. Stamina blessings may make Desperation harder to trigger, but they're not if players are having trouble dodging attacks.
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.