LORETIDE - Veteran - Auric Operative - Mk IIb Bolter + Mk VI Power Sword
Build for Darktide

https://www.reddit.com/r/DarkTide/comments/1dse1kj/driptide_auric_operative_bolter_build/

AURIC OPERATIVE

By Denartes

1. Foreword

Welcome to the Loretide series, where I craft themed builds, pulling from Warhammer 40,000 lore, along with fitting cosmetic setups, focusing on fun and variety over strict adherence to the meta. While these builds may not always align with the current meta or the most optimal configuration, they promise an engaging experience for those seeking something different.

Before I make a build public, it undergoes extensive playtesting and adjustments to prove its viability in Auric Damnation. This ensures that although they can be unorthodox, you will be able to enjoy the build without worrying about being deadweight.

This also means that these builds aren't just for those who enjoy playing dress-up. They will perform well enough that if you are just wanting to try a new weapon, or find these builds interesting, you can certainly use them without any of the cosmetic stuff.

Often, a weapon has been selected for thematic coherence first, with the build then designed around these weapons. For example, it makes thematic sense for a Hive Ganger to use the Shredder Autopistol. So, although there are significantly better weapons, my Hive Ganger build is as optimised as I believe the Shredder can be so that I can still roleplay a Hive Ganger without significantly affecting the team's performance. In this particular instance, I acknowledge that even with such a build, a weapon like the Shredder is so low in performance that the average player is likely to struggle. In such instances, this will be indicated by the build difficulty metric in the Overview section.

2. Contents

1. Foreword
2. Contents
3. Lore
4. Overview
5. The Drip
6. Primary Weapon
7. Secondary Weapon
8. Curios
9. Talents
10. Tactics

3. Lore

https://warhammer-40k-darktide.fandom.com/wiki/Inquisitor_Grendyl

"Inquisitors often surround themselves with a small circle of exceptional, unique, and specialized individuals. An inquisitor could simply order someone to work for them, but how and why one ends up employed by an Inquisitor is often more complicated than just that."

There are operatives in Inquisitor Grendyl's warband classified as Auric-level operatives, representing the elite of her fighting force. These are the operatives who will be sent on the most critical missions, and who are skilled enough to reliably make it back to the Mourningstar in one piece.

4. Overview

Build Difficulty: Medium

Easy - Meta or extremely strong, can easily carry Auric Damnation.

Medium - Competent players will do well, average players will do okay but will struggle if last alive.

Hard - Mechanical complexity, unique setup, or a bottom tier weapon requires a high level of player skill. Only expert players will be able to clutch.

This build explores how an Auric Operative might kit themselves, going for the more specialised weapons like the Power Sword and Bolter, instead of the typical varlet shovel and lasgun. The playstyle is centered around consistent weakspot crit 1 shots using the Surgical blessing on the Bolter, with Power Sword energised attacks to make short work of enemies in melee.

5. The Drip

• Primary Weapon: Fire Wastes Camo.
• Secondary Weapon: Merciless Deliverance.
• Head: Palatine Mk XIc Cyclops Augment.
• Upper Body: Killshot's Duty Uniform.
• Lower Body: Dead-Eye's Duty Uniform.
• Accessory: Munitorm Mk IIc Vox Caster (Factorum Finish).

6. Primary Weapon (Melee)

Munitorum Mk VI Power Sword

The Power Sword is fitting for an Auric Operative, although any melee weapon will likely be okay with this build (I sometimes like to bring the Mk III Combat Blade instead of the Power Sword). This will weapon will make short work of hordes and elites, and with the setup below will also do significant damage to bosses.

Perks

1. Any - Feel free to choose whichever perk you want here. Flak or Carapace are great options.
2. Unyielding - Mk VI Power Sword is a great anti boss tool with the 2 tap combo.

Blessings

1. Brutal Momentum - More weakspot spot damage on monstrosities, and your charged lights will kill more enemies.
2. Power Cycler - Get 2 more charged attacks.

Attack Combos

Multi-target:

Special > Light > Light > Light > Repeat

Single Target (2 tap combo):

Special > Push Attack > Light > Repeat

Tips & Tricks

The 2 tap combo will kill Crushers if both attacks are weakspot hits. This also does significant weakspot damage to bosses.

Special animation cancel - If you block immediately after pressing your special key, you can cancel the charge animation and reduce the downtime in between your chained energised attacks.

7. Secondary Weapon (Ranged)

Locke Mk IIb Spearhead Boltgun

Although it is common for the Bolter to be dismissed as weak after the nerfs, it can actually perform quite respectably with a crit setup. This should be treated like a finesse weapon, take your time to hit weakspots and Surgical will give you consistent crits. When paired with crit perk and talents (deadshot + 5% crit talent), you can actually even maintain a very high crit chance when firing fast with ADS.

Perks

1. Damage (Maniacs) - This is needed to guarantee 1 shot on specials and Dreg Ragers.
2. Increase Ranged Critical Strike Chance - This will increase crits if you are spamming ADS. Can be dropped for Damage (Unyielding) if you like to mag dump bosses.

Blessings

1. Pinning Fire - Standard Bolter blessing.
2. Surgical - This is the secret sauce and will lets you consistently 1 crit weakspot a lot of enemies.

Tips & Tricks

Reload animation cancel - You can speed up reload times by sprinting once you see the ammo in your mag in the bottom right, this will cancel the remainder of the reload animation.

Single shot hip fire - If you ADS as soon as you left click you will only fire 1 round. This is extremely useful for killing enemies in your face without overshooting and is great boost to ammo efficiency.

ADS recoil reset - When firing while aiming down your sights, you can release your secondary fire button then press it immediately to reset your aiming point back to the center of the screen, allowing you to more easily spam ADS while maintaining accuracy.

8. Curios

Toughness provides much needed survivability and Stamina is used to increase uptime of Deadshot for aimed shots. Combat Ability Regeneration provides a decent increase to shout spam and Stamina Regeneration reduces downtime in between ADS Deadshot volleys.

Stats

1. Toughness
2. Toughness
3. Stamina

Perks

1. Combat Ability Regeneration
2. Toughness
3. Stamina Regeneration

9. Key Talents

• Longshot, Precision Strikes, Superiority Complex, Rending Strikes, Bring it Down! - Required to meet crit weakspot breakpoints.
• Confirmed Kill - Toughness regen on Elite or Specalist kill will proc often while sniping with the Bolter.
• Shredder Frag Grenade - Provides good utility if you need to revive or clutch. Bleed damage is good on bosses.
• Survivalist- Needed for ammo efficiency.
• Demolition Stockpile - Ammo regen every minute.
• Voice of Command - Extremely strong CC and toughness boost.
• Determined - Suppression will mess with your aimed shots.
• Deadshot - Surgical + Deadshot + Crit perk + Crit talent + base crit = high crit chance*.
• Superiority Complex - Required for breakpoints on elites.
• Tactical Awareness - Required to reduce cooldown on Voice of Command.
• Focus Target! + Target Down! - This allows you to gain Stamina back on specialist/elite kills, significantly boosting Deadshot uptime.

* crit chance after x seconds of aiming:

0.0 - 40%

0.2 - 50%

0.4 - 60%

0.6 - 70%

0.8 - 80%

1.0 - 90%

1.2 - 100%

10. Tactics

Hordes/Mixed Hordes

Power Sword activated light attacks.

Specials

Weakspot hits with Bolter.

Ragers/Maulers

Power Sword activated light attacks. Frag grenade to make space if you need it.

Crushers

Bolter or Power Sword activated push attack into light attack, all aimed at weakspot.

Bulwarks

Nerfed since it now takes multiple shots to open. Melee is best option but if needed you can hip fire to open then aim for weakspot with Bolter.

Shooters/Gunners/Reapers/Snipers

Weakspot hits with Bolter.

Monstrosities
Bolter or Power Sword activated push attack into light attack, all aimed at weakspot.

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Build template v1.3