Warhammer 40K: Darktide's Lead Level Designer Explains How Players Should Not Feel "Completely At Home" In Tertium

Fatshark's Lead Level Designer, Joakim Setterberg, recently published a blog discussing the design of Tertium in Warhammer 40K: Darktide, from its environments to missions to the city's three-dimensional scale of neglected machinery with newer components built over them. Setterberg illustrates all the moving parts of Tertium, explaining later in detail how players should not feel "completely at home" due to a specific principle the team followed for Tertium's missions.

"One of our driving level design principles is that no player, or playstyle, should feel completely at home in all areas of a mission," Setterberg said.

Corridors are the perfect areas for long-ranged players to snipe at the heads of elite mobs, but they'll have a rough time in the more labyrinthine areas with enemies flooding in from all sides. A teammate with a flamer or close-ranged weapon excels best in those overwhelming odds but will have to rely on someone else to kill specific dangerous mobs far away.

"This contrast in topology is essential for player and enemy gameplay," Setterberg continues. "Where shifting spaces and situations promote a balanced team composition and allow different team members a time to shine."

Adding more variety to these situations is that "sometimes the same game space will play out quite differently between missions, changing the approach or mission objective." With its melee weaving and ranged combat loop, Darktide tries to strike a balance and keep players on their toes while navigating Tertium.

You can read more intriguing tidbits about the level design and worldbuilding of Tertium on the Darktide website.