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Psykers are an iconic part of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, so it's no surprise that they're playable in Darktide. Playing as a Psyker Psykinetic gives you access to the sorcerous powers of the Warp, with all the power and peril that such gifts entail. While you'll never lack for ammunition, overusing your power can lead to an untimely end.

Related: Warhammer 40,000: Darktide - Veteran Marksman Class Guide

Like the Marksman, Psykers excel at range. Their ability to deal heavy damage to single targets make them perfect for quickly finishing off Elites, but their long charge times and need for cooldowns means that they require protection.

Updated on October 17, 2023 by Matt Arnold: Darktide received a huge patch this fall, including a complete overhaul of all four classes. We've updated this guide to give you an at-a-glance breakdown of all the Psyker's new abilities so that you can plan your perfect build.

Perils Of The Warp

low level psykinetic

Psykers can use normal weapons, but these are secondary to their fearsome Warp magic. Their class abilities are centered around managing this frightening power. Whenever you use one of your psychic attacks, you'll gain Peril. Your current Peril can be seen in the center of the screen, so always keep an eye on it!

Peril degrades over time, and you can speed the process by holding the Reload button with your psychic power equipped. If Peril ever reaches one hundred percent and you try to use another psychic power, you'll unleahs a blast of energy that heavily damages everything nearby, including yourself and your teammates.

Related: The Best Games Where You Fight Hordes Of Enemies

Psyker Psykinetic Blitzes

A Psyker using powers against an enemy in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

Your main attack will be your Blitz, which by default is Brain Burst. Brain Burst takes a while to charge but deals massive damage to a single enemy. It's usually enough to instantly kill all but the most powerful foes, and ignores armor. Early in your character's career, you'll be able to exchange Brain Burst for one of the following advanced Blitzes:

Blitz

Effect

Available Upgrades

Brain Rupture

  • Enhanced version of Brain Burst, deals fifty percent more damage.

  • Using your Combat Ability (see below) gives a temporary charge speed and Peril reduction to Brain Rupture.
  • As long as you aren't at maximum Peril, your attacks all have a chance to trigger Brain Rupture.

Smite

  • Shoots bolts of lightning with high Impact, staggering multiple foes at once.

  • Increase the number of targets hit.
  • Enemies hit take more damage from attacks.

Assail

  • Fires homing projectiles, best against unarmored foes.

  • Projectiles pierce foes and seek new targets.
  • Faster cooldown.

Psyker Psykinetic Auras

a psyker after the patch 13 class overhaul in Warhammer 40k: Darktide

The Psyker's basic Aura, The Quickening, reduces the cooldown on Abilities for all allies in Coherency. It can be upgraded to one of the following:

Aura

Effect

Seer's Presence

Increases the cooldown reduction of The Quickening.

Kinetic Presence

The Psyker and allies in Coherency deal additional damage to Elites and Specialists.

Prescience

The Psyker and allies in Coherency gain increased critical hit chance.

Psyker Psykinetic Abilities

Darktide Daemonhost Floating IN Hallway

The Psyker's basic Combat Ability, Psykinetic Wrath, generates a blast of psionic energy that staggers foes in a wide arc in front of them. As you gain Talent Points, you can evolve this power into one of the following:

Ability

Effecs

Available Upgrades

Venting Shriek

  • Works the same way as Psykinetic Wrath, but removes 50 Peril upon use.

  • Slower Peril growth for each enemy hit with the blast.
  • Choose one:
    • Deals damage that increases based on current Peril.
    • Applies Soulblaze to targets proportional to current Peril.

Telekine Shield

  • Creates a barrier in front of you that blocks enemy ranged attacks, but you and your allies can shoot through it.

  • Choose one group:
    • Stun enemies that touch the shield.
    • Extra charge.

  • OR
    • Shield protects from the side and rear, and lasts longer.
    • Allies inside the shield regain Toughness faster.

Scrier's Gaze

  • Self-buff that boosts damage and crit chance but causes Peril to steadily increase.
  • Damage boost increases with Peril.
  • Killing enemies while in Scrier's Gaze reduces Peril.

  • Add movement speed buff.
  • Choose one:
  • Add Toughness damage reduction.

Psyker Psykinetic Keystones

Darktide: The Rejects Being Attacked By Nurgle Poxwalkers

Unlocking one of these ultimate abilities will give your Psyker a fighting chance on the game's hardest missions. Remember that you can only choose one!

Keystone

Effect

Available Upgrades

Warp Siphon

  • Generates Warp Charges each time you kill an Elite or Specialist.
  • Warp Charges reduce the cooldown of your Combat Ability.

  • Choose one:
    • Reduced Peril growth per Warp Charge.
    • Regain Toughness whenever you gain a Warp Charge.

  • Deal additional damage per Warp Charge.
  • Choose one:
    • Killing a Soulblazed enemy has a chance to grant a Warp Charge.
    • All kills by you and allies in Coherency have a small chance of generating a Warp Charge.

  • Can store additional Warp Charges.

Empowered Psionics

  • Each kill has a chance of Empowering the next Blitz that you use, greatly enhancing it.

  • Using an Empowered Blitz restores Toughness to you and allies in Coherency.
  • Choose one:
    • Increased chance of gaining Empowered on kill.
    • Killing an Elite always Empowers your Blitz.

  • Can store additional stacks of Empowered.

Disrupt Destiny

  • Nearby enemies have a chance of becoming Marked every second.
  • Killing Marked enemies grants buffs to Toughness, movement, and critical/weak spot damage.

  • Killing Marked enemies has a chance to instantly remove some Peril.
  • Choose one:
    • Can gain more critical/weak spot damage stacks.
    • Bonuses from killing Marked enemies last twice as long.

  • Weak spot kills on Marked enemies grant three stacks instead of one.

Psyker Psykinetic Strategies And Tips

warhammer 40k warp translation

The Psyker's role on the team is to provide supporting fire to melee characters and deal heavy damage to Elite enemies. If there's no Marksman on the team, you'll also be calling plays since you'll have the best visibility over the battlefield.

You don't have as much Toughness recovery as the other classes, so it's important that you stay out of danger as much as possible. Luckily, Psykinetics are very good at staggering large groups, typically through Psykinetic's Wrath or Bio-Lightning, so if you're surrounded, let loose until reinforcements arrive.

As long as your team is protecting you effectively, your biggest threat is your own Peril meter. Conserve your power during horde battles, since the rest of the team is better-suited for handling groups than you are. When a larger enemy does appear, you'll be at full power and ready to smite them! Doing so will probably fill your Peril quickly, though, so if multiple Specialists or Elites show up at once, pick your target and let your team know.

Since reducing Peril takes a lot more time than reloading a weapon, it's very important that you tell your team when you're recharging.

Since the Psyker has longer cooldowns and a specialized role, you should take on the responsibility of resetting Data-Interrogators and using Auspex radar when the mission calls for it. Elites are rare during these sequences, so as long as you're protected by your teammates you should be able to quickly complete the objectives and get back to fighting with less Peril.

If you're surrounded and help isn't coming, feel free to unleash your full power and let your Peril meter max out - you'll go down, but you'll take your enemies with you!

Next: Warhammer 40,000: Darktide - Zealot Preacher Class Guide