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Veteran Sharpshooter Allrounder Sniper Build
Veteran Sharpshooter Elite Slayer Specialist Build
Veteran Sharpshooters are former members of the Imperial Guard who are trying to redeem themselves for past transgressions. And what better way to prove one’s loyalty to the Emperor than to purge mutants and heretics in his name? As it happens, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to do just that when playing a Veteran Sharpshooter in Warhammer 40K: Darktide.
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Sharpshooters are a pretty straightforward class that doesn’t come with a lot of bells and whistles. However, that doesn’t mean they’re not interesting to play as. Quite the contrary. Once you unlock a few Feats and start collecting some of their exclusive weapons, you’ll find that Veteran Sharpshooters have a lot to offer. Of course, you’ll need a good build if you plan to make the most out of this class.
Veteran Sharpshooter Allrounder Sniper Build
This first build plays into the Sharpshooter’s strengths by focusing primarily on ranged damage and versatility. The build encourages you to go after high-value targets like Elites and Specialists while taking full advantage of the Veteran’s unique abilities. Between Volley Fire and Make Every Shot Count, you should be able to quickly take out all but the strongest of enemies before they become a problem for your party. Just keep in mind that being a good sniper means having good accuracy.
Feats
Level 5 | Exhilarating Takedown | All the Feats you unlock at level 5 work pretty well with this build. At lower difficulties, it’s probably best to go with ‘At Arm’s Length’ since it’s going to be easier to keep your distance without being constantly ambushed by enemies from behind. However, at higher difficulties ‘Exhilarating Takedown’ tends to be better. Veterans already have a passive ability that grants them extra weak spot damage so getting the toughness replenishment from this Feat is generally a breeze. |
Level 10 | Sniper | ‘Sniper’ is an obvious choice for a build like this. Used in conjunction with ‘Volley Fire’, the Feat allows you to take out most types of enemies with just one or two well-placed headshots. Unfortunately, there’s a bit of guesswork involved when it comes to gaining the maximum benefits from this Feat. If you prefer Feats that are a bit more reliable, consider picking ‘Demolition Stockpile’ instead. |
Level 15 | Bio-Optic Targeting | Similar to other classes in Warhammer 40K: Darktide, the Veteran Sharpshooter unlocks three Feats that revolve around Coherency upon reaching level 15. The best of the bunch is undoubtedly ‘Bio-Optic Targeting’, which highlights non-Ogryn Elite and Specialist enemies for allies in Coherency. This allows your entire party to spot threats from a considerable distance, oftentimes before enemies are even aware of your presence. The Feat also allows your party to keep tabs on enemies hidden behind walls and cover. |
Level 20 | Camo Expert | Playing a sniper build in a game like Darktide is more than a bit tricky. The game encourages players to stick close together and actively punishes you if you stray too far from your group. The last thing you want when playing a ranged-focused build is to get ambushed from behind by enemies that come out of nowhere. ‘Camo Expert’ won’t make you invisible to them, but it will greatly decrease the chances that they will attack you, provided you’re standing still. This Feat is a must-have if you’re role-playing as a silent assassin that strikes from the shadows with deadly precision. |
Level 25 | One After Another | Being able to reload your weapons faster is never a bad thing, especially when you’re relying on firearms as much as the Veteran Sharpshooter. Granted, the increased reload speed you get from ‘One After Another’ does come with a caveat, but it’s still very useful nonetheless. The tricky part is to remember to only reload after killing an Elite enemy. ‘Deadshot’ is also worth considering as it can make a big difference in some fights, but it’s overall less reliable since it’s dependent on RNG and the sway reduction isn’t very relevant when you’re using this build’s recommended primary weapon. |
Level 30 | Counterfire | ‘Counterfire’ is the best level 30 Feat for extending the duration of the Sharpshooter’s class ability. In addition to increasing weak spot damage, the Feat also highlights a bunch more enemies during Volley Fire and refreshes the ability’s duration whenever you kill one of them. If you’re fast enough, you can easily kill three or four priority targets in quick succession and keep Volley Fire going for much longer than usual. In theory, you could keep it going indefinitely, however, you’ll eventually run out of targets, even when playing on higher difficulties. |
Weapons
MG XII Infantry Lasgun: The MG XII Infantry Lasgun is a pretty unassuming weapon you get to unlock very early on in the game. While its damage and rate of fire aren’t particularly impressive, this lasgun excels when it comes to precision and stability. This is easily one of the best weapons in Warhammer 40K: Darktide for scoring headshots but, admittedly, it does struggle against armored targets. If you don’t like the MG XII for one reason or another, the Bolter and some of the Headhunter Autogun variants work nicely with this build as well. Feel free to experiment.
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For perks, you’ll ideally want Increased Ranged Critical Strike Chance and bonus Damage to Flak Armored Enemies. Those are the types of enemies you’ll generally want to focus on as a sniper. The MG XII has quite a few noteworthy blessings but with this build, you’ll want to go with Headhunter and Deadly Accurate.
Chainaxe: If you’re sticking with the MG XII you’ll struggle when going up against heavily armored targets. That shouldn’t happen very often if you’re in a versatile group with players that are well-equipped to deal with those types of threats, but it still pays to be prepared regardless. The Chainaxe is a great backup weapon that complements the lasgun beautifully. Whenever an armored enemy engages you in melee you can simply charge the axe and make mincemeat out of them in no time.
Some of the best perks for the Chainaxe include bonus Damage to Carapace Armored Enemies and Melee Weak Spot Damage. As for the blessings, you can’t go wrong with Thunderous and Bloodletter. Just remember to charge the axe before going in for a swing.
Curios
Curios are a great way to gain a bunch of additional toughness along with resistance against enemies that can catch you off guard when you forget to stick close to the rest of your party. Feel free to replace some of the toughness blessings with health, but toughness is generally more useful for Veteran Sharpshooters.
- First Curio Blessing: +1 Wound. Perks: Damage Resistance (Mutants), Damage Resistance (Pox Hounds), Damage Resistance (Tox Flamers)
- Second Curio Blessing: Toughness. Perks: Toughness Regeneration Speed, Toughness Damage Reduction X 2
- Third Curio Blessing: Toughness. Perks: Toughness X 3
Veteran Sharpshooter Elite Slayer Specialist Build
With the first build, you can replace your primary weapon with a similar one and it would still encourage the same playstyle. This second build is a bit more specialized as it revolves almost entirely around the Plasma Gun. While not necessarily the most practical weapon in Warhammer 40K: Darktide, it is one of the best weapons for a Veteran Sharpshooter if you just want to have some mindless fun. The Plasma Gun is excellent against bosses and armored enemies, so that’s what you’ll mostly want to focus on with this build.
Feats
Level 5 | Confirmed Kill | ‘Confirmed Kill’ is a no-brainer with this build. You’re going to melt a lot of Elite enemies using your trusty Plasma Gun and will be able to easily replenish any toughness lost during the fight thanks to this Feat. The extra toughness over time you receive is just a nice little bonus on top of that. Just like with the first build, ‘At Arm’s Length’ is a good alternative at lower levels. |
Level 10 | Tactical Reload | The Plasma Gun takes quite a while to reload, so you’ll definitely want to pick ‘Tactical Reload’ in order to speed things up. The reload speed increase comes with a caveat but it’s a pretty manageable one. If you’re an avid FPS player you’re probably used to reloading your weapon long before it runs out of ammo. Do the same in Warhammer 40K: Darktide and you’ll consistently reap the benefits of ‘Tactical Reload’. |
Level 15 | Bio-Optic Targeting | Once again, ‘Bio-Optic Targeting’ is too good to pass up. Admittedly, this won’t be particularly useful if you already have another Veteran Sharpshooter in your party that has the same Feat. In those situations, it would be more beneficial to go with ‘Demolition Team’ instead. But if you’re playing with random people or a pre-planned party with no other Sharpshooters, ‘Bio-Optic Targeting’ is definitely the way to go. |
Level 20 | Camo Expert | Similar to ‘Bio-Optic Targeting’, ‘Camo Expert’ is another Feat that works with pretty much any build. It’s perhaps even more useful when you’re using something like the Plasma Gun because its alternate fire takes time to charge, and you don’t want to be interrupted while you’re trying to line up the perfect kill shot. Just remember to stay perfectly still while doing it. |
Level 25 | Deadshot | At level 25 you could go either way. ‘One After Another’ fits this build perfectly since you’re already focusing on Elites and could definitely use that additional reload speed. At the same time, ‘Deadshot’ can make your already powerful Plasma Gun even more devastating. The RNG portion of the Feat isn’t very appealing but if and when ‘Deadshot’ does proc, the Plasma Gun will instantly vaporize almost anything in its path. Still, it’s a bit of a gamble so don’t hesitate to go with ‘One After Another’ if you want to play it safe. |
Level 30 | The Bigger They Are… | ‘The Bigger They Are…’ works just like ‘Counterfire’ but designates hostile Ogryns and monstrosities as priority targets during Volley Fire instead of Scab Shooters. In addition, it also increases your damage against those types of enemies by a whopping 50%. This is in addition to the 50% bonus ranged damage you get from Volley Fire. Combine that with ‘Deadshot’ and you’re looking at an absolutely ridiculous amount of damage when using the Plasma Gun. |
Weapons
Plasma Gun: As if it wasn’t already obvious by now, your primary weapon with this build is going to be the Plasma Gun. The weapon is a bit gimmicky and can easily explode in your face if you’re not careful, so you may end up disliking it at first. Give it some time, though, and you’ll eventually learn to love this destructive weapon that makes even the arsenal of an Ogryn look like a bunch of harmless toys by comparison.
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Since you’re going for big single-target damage by picking the Plasma Gun you might as well go all out and try to pick extra Damage to Carapace Armored Enemies and extra Damage to Unyielding Enemies as its two perks. Shattering Impact is a must since you’ll be focusing a lot on armored enemies and for its second blessing, you can’t go wrong with Gets Hot!
Power Sword: The Plasma Gun will overheat after only a few shots, so you’ll often find yourself having to fall back to your secondary weapon while your primary one cools down. That’s precisely why you’ll want a strong and reliable melee weapon as your sidearm, and there’s no other weapon in the Veteran Sharpshooter’s arsenal that fits that description better than the Power Sword. The weapon cuts through hordes like butter and isn’t half bad against strong enemies either.
Extra Damage to Unarmored Enemies is a pretty good first perk since you’ll use the Power Sword mainly against hordes. Meanwhile, Melee Critical Hit Chance is a perfect second perk for when you’re forced to fight stronger enemies in melee. As far as the blessings are concerned, Rampage and Savage Sweep will cover both your horde and single-target needs.
Curios
You’ll be a bit more vulnerable with this build compared to the first one, so it’s important to get both health and toughness from your Curios. A couple of other perks like Block Efficiency, Corruption Resistance, and Stamina Regeneration will come in handy as well.
- First Curio blessing: +1 Wound. Perks: Block Efficiency, Corruption Resistance, Stamina Regeneration
- Second Curio blessing: Toughness. Perks: Toughness Damage Reduction X 2, Toughness Regeneration Speed
- Third Curio blessing: Max Health. Perks: Health X 3
Next: Warhammer 40K Darktide: Everything You Need To Know About Grimoires And Scriptures
