If you're like me and you've found yourself wandering away from Darktide for a little while now, you might want to consider coming back as the recently released Grim Protocols update is awesome! The highlights include a whole new game mode with 40 levels of difficulty, a snazzy new map, as well as three new weapon families to help you slice up hordes upon hordes of enemies.

First things first, Havoc is an end-game mode that will have you face off against the worst scenarios that Darktide's AI director can conjure. Expect to see unfavorable modifiers, increased enemy numbers, heightened enemy aggression, more challenging horde compositions, multiple bosses at the same time, and the list goes on and on.

Needless to say, Havoc at the higher levels truly is hard! That is by no means a negative, however, as the difficulty also makes it immensely satisfying to beat each level. There is nothing quite as exhilarating as standing triumphant when you know that the game tried everything it could, even essentially cheating, in order to beat you! So while it might not be something I play every single day, Havoc is definitely a mode I'll throw into my rotation every now and then to remind myself of just how satisfying it can be to turn a group of random people into a well-oiled Chaos-smashing machine!

Besides the new game mode, the Grim Protocols update has also brought with it a rather intriguing new map to explore, as well as three new weapon families: the
Two-Handed Force Sword for Psykers, the Two-Handed Power Sword for Zealots, and the Heavy Stubber for Ogyrn. As you would expect from Darktide at this point, all three weapon types are fun to play and obscenely powerful in the right hands, so definitely take them for a spin. My personal favorite is the Psyker greatsword as that thing can not only cleave through a whole bunch of enemies in a single swing, but it's powered-up attack can straight up bisect an entire horde!

As for the new map, Dark Communion, it should come as little surprise to hear that it's just as tightly designed and fun to run around in as all of the other post-launch maps. I have to give a special shout out to the finale as not only is it challenging without being unfair, but it's also a whole lot of fun as messing up a Chaos ritual while the cultists scream at you is just *chef's kiss*.

So yeah, if you're like me and you decided to give Darktide a lil' break, I'd say the Grim Protocols update is definitely worth coming back for... provided you're okay with a bit of a challenge anyway. Enjoy!