[Update #2]: Darktide will be giving PC players a fancy set of armors as a way of saying thanks.

[Update]: Darktide's Patch #14 has brought in yet another massive batch of balance tweaks.

Instead of simply adding a single new specialization for each of the current classes, Darktide studio Fatshark has decided to take things in a drastically different direction with Patch #13. They ditched the very idea of locked-in specializations, and instead created an RPG-like talent tree where you can mix and match different options and abilities in order to create unique and varied builds.

For example, as a Psyker you can crate a fire-centric build that fights in close quarters and relies on the new psychic shield in order to keep yourself alive, or you can focus on buffing your weaponry and function more like a classic sniper than a mage, or even just create a build that's all about throwing different flavors of lightning around in order to both crowd control and melt important targets. Or if you're so inclined, you can even mix two entirely different archetypes together since the talent tree is relatively free-flowing and doesn't restrict you much outside of the big keystone talents.

As for what some of these talents look like in action, that you can check out through the launch trailer below. Have a gander:

The good news doesn't end there, however, as Patch #13 has also buffed literally every single previously terrible weapon. So if you're like me and you were stubbornly running stuff like the Eviscerator despite it being obviously inferior to even a simple axe, rejoice as pretty much everything seems to work in Patch #13!

Naturally, the overall balance is currently a complete mess as Fatshark has overhauled just about every aspect of Darktide, but the important thing is that both the weapons and the talents feel fun to mess around with. As such, even if your favorites get nerfed somewhere down the line, chances are good they'll still be quite potent and fun to bonk people over the head with.

But enough of my rambling! You can find the full list of changes, as well as the accompanying tweaks for the freshly launched Xbox version, over at the Fatshark forums.

Enjoy, and I'll make sure to let you know once the first of the (likely) many balance updates arrives at some point during the next few weeks.