Warhammer 40,000: Darktide carries his left for dead influences proudly on its sleeve, and its new boss, the Daemonhost, is no exception. These monsters are terrifying, capable of wiping a player out of existence with sheer power of their mind. They are also entirely optional to fight. Just like the witch left for dead, players can sneak around the random spawn to avoid fighting them altogether. Of course, in the chaos of a pick-up match, this strategy often fails and you’ll find yourself in a tense fight with one of these evil bosses.
The Daemonhost, according to war hammer 40,000 lore, is the result of a Chaos Daemon encased in the body of a mortal host. This brings them into the physical plane, where they are one of the most dangerous entities a citizen of the Imperium can encounter. Players who have tested the pre-order beta of The oil spill have already encountered two bosses: the Plague Ogryn and the Beast of Nurgle. Turns out these guys are small babies compared to the Daemonhost.
The Daemonhost begins by whispering and relaxing in an area surrounded by white light. Once alerted, he freaks out. It’s significantly smaller and faster than either the Plague Ogryn or the Beast, so players have the difficult task of hitting the Thing while staying out of its danger zone. If the Daemonhost staggers a teammate, it follows up with a decapitation, then calms down through a lime-green portal. On the default Sedition difficulty, the Daemonhost bounces back after killing a guy – which is fantastic, because in a recent play session I don’t think we could have stopped him if he had kept fighting.
That being said, this boss is not unstoppable. An Ogryn with a shield is able to withstand Daemonhost attacks without being stunned, for example. It’s a reminder that teamwork really is the only way to survive the dark darkness of the far future – whether that means defending your teammates or not waking up these terrifying creatures in the first place.
