Darktide patch finally gets us crossplay between Steam and the Microsoft Store
Patch 11 for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is rolling out, and with it comes crossplay support between the game's two PC storefronts: Steam and the Microsoft Store. It's good news for those who were displeased to find that they were unable to play with friends after Darktide launched—at least if they still want to cooperatively shoot some plague cultists here seven months later.
"We will rollout crossplay soon after the update goes live, and closely monitor our servers for a couple of days. If we detect any needed improvements, we may disable it temporarily to further work on it," said developer Fatshark. It expects the process to take a few hours as servers and players migrate to the new version.
Players on both platforms will be able to matchmake, add friends, and join games using Darktide's internal cross-network servers. Players on Steam cannot opt out of crossplay, though players on Microsoft can via their Microsoft account settings. (Not being able to disable crossplay in Steam games is a common complaint.)
Lack of crossplay between PC storefronts has been an increasingly common issue in the past few years as viable competitors to Steam establish themselves in the market—first cropping up for me when Mechwarrior 5 came to Steam from Epic.
Fatshark is also clear that crossplay is not cross-progression. You can't move your progress from one game platform to the other.
Other new tweaks for Darktide in update 11 include a new mission condition, Elite Resistance, that sounds pretty appealing to me. Rather than larger hordes, Elite Resistance missions will have fewer but stronger enemies, more vicious and opportunistic specialists, and apparently make for some downright deadly hordes.
"All of these changes create a very different gameplay loop that is more slow and tactical but very punishing if players make mistakes," says Fatshark.
Fatshark has also tweaked a number of blessings and weapons, but the big upgrade is for the Ogryn's slab shield: It's more dangerous, useful, and generally better at tanking. That's the vanguard of a more thorough weapon rework in the future that Fatshark says will "make tanking for your team more appreciated." The Enclavum Baross mission also has a new, reworked ending with more enemies from more directions and a general environmental overhaul, including changing the position of cover around the map.
You can read the full notes for Darktide Patch 11 on the PlayDarktide website. You can find Warhammer 40,000: Darktide on the Microsoft Store and Steam. You can even play it with your friend who bought it on the other one—wonders never cease.