[BB/An/Ra/AF] Hive Enforcer
 Hive Scum Build - Warhammer 40k: Darktide 

"You ain't a tank. Ain't meant to soak hits. You're a karking blender, stays breathing by never being where the enemy swings." — Carved into a cell wall, Mourningstar Brig, Block 7

From the creator of the Arbites Class's The 'Immortal' Grand Provost Marshal.

Sit down. No, not that chair. That one's... never mind. Just sit.

So, you're my new Enforcer. Fourth one this week. The others didn't work out. Couldn't follow simple karking instructions. You look... adequate enough. More or less.

Look, I'm going to be honest with you. That's how I am. Honest. We're in this together now, yeah? Partners. And I take care of my partners. Ask the ones still... well. Ask around.

Here's the arrangement: the Inquisition's got problems crawling up through the sinks. Heretics, poxwalkers, karking mutants, gak knows what else. Solving problems is how we stay useful to them. How we stay alive. How I stay alive. And by extension, you. Obviously.

Now. Pay attention. I've got a lot on my slate today, shipment coming in, distribution problems in the lower domes, so let's make this quick. 

Right. Your job.

HOW YOU STAY USEFUL

The Crit Engine

First thing: you're not a brawler. You're not going to stand there trading blows like some vat-drunk Goliath fresh from the growth tanks. That's for the dregs who don't know better. Or the ones I don't care about losing. You, though... you're an investment.

You're going to move. Constantly. Moment you plant your feet, you're dead. And dead employees are a waste of my fething time. Paperwork. 

Here's the thing though, and this is actually clever, pay attention: dodging isn't just defense. It's offense. Every dodge stacks crit chance. Float Like a Butterfly gives +20% for 3 seconds. Your Riposte blessing, which came with the weapon, you're welcome, adds another +20% for 6 seconds. Anarchist aura contributes +5%, Critical Chance Boost adds another +5%. By the time you're done dodging, you're sitting at roughly 60% crit chance. Every. Karking. Swing.

See? The act of not getting scragged is the same act as scragging them. Elegant. Efficient. I like efficient.

The Cascade

Those crits feed two talents that make you... not useless.

Hyper-Critical instantly kills human-sized enemies if their remaining health is less than twice your crit damage. No second swing needed. Saves time. Time is slate, friend. Hyper-Violence grants +25% of your overkill damage as bonus on your next attack. Murder makes you stronger. The system feeds itself. Proper underhive economics.

So you swing into a crowd, 3, 4, 5 hostiles per hit. 2, 3, 4 hits per second. Some die from executions. Some die from overkill. The overkill feeds your damage bonuses. Precognition adds +45% Finesse damage for 2 seconds after dodging, which raises your crit damage, which raises your execution threshold. Tougher karkers qualify for instant death. The math works out. Someone ran the numbers. 

Adrenaline Frenzy

Adrenaline Smiter gives +5 stacks per kill. Elite kills grant +15. At 30 stacks, Adrenaline Frenzy triggers: +10% attack speed and +25% melee damage for 20 seconds via Stoked Rage. In any real scrap with proper target density, you'll trigger this fast and keep it running till the dome's clear.

You dodge, you crit, you scrag, you get stronger, you scrag faster. Simple enough that even... well. Simple. The point is results. Bring me results, and we won't have problems. We're on the same team here. Family, almost. I treat my people right. You'll see.

Just don't embarrass me.

YOUR PRIMARY TOOL: IMPROVISED MK I SHIVS

These are yours now. Don't look at me like that. They're sharpened scrap, yes. Improvised murder. But that's character. These are good blades. A little worn, a little rust, just give it a polish. Fast attack speed. Cleaving arcs. 80% Finesse stat, that's excellent. Top percentile. You should be grateful. Emperor's teeth, the dregs I pulled you from, you should be fething grateful. Won't be finding better in your price range anyway. 

The Shivs synergize with everything. Your +10-25% Flak Damage perk handles most heretics, that's your target demographic. Know your market. The +2-5% Melee Crit Chance compounds with your dodge bonuses. Riposte triggers on dodge, Precognition triggers on dodge. One successful dodge and you're swinging at 60% crit chance with +45% Finesse damage. The 80% Finesse stat multiplies all of that into execution thresholds that delete Elites in horde swings.

A Tertium Welcome adds +15 melee damage on the first enemy hit with each attack. First blood's free. Make it count. Nothing else in the underhive comes free, and I should know. I price most of it.

YOUR SECONDARY TOOL: BRANX MK II NEEDLE PISTOL

This is for problems that are inconveniently far away. Or wearing the kind of armor that makes the Shivs sulk. I'm lending you this, understand? It's not a gift. It comes out of your earnings.

You're not a marksman. You're not some karking Veteran standing there trading shots across the dome like it's a fething firing range. That's beneath you. Also you'd lose. What you're going to do is this: one hit. Tag the target with toxin. Return to melee. Let chemistry finish what you started. Patience and poison, old underhive wisdom.

Each shot applies 6 stacks of Chem Toxin, plus 2 on weakspot, plus 2 on crit. Potent Tox amplifies the DoT by 10%. One hit on anything that isn't Carapace armored? Dead. Walking corpse. 

Against Carapace, Crushers, Bulwarks, Maulers, your +10-25% Carapace Damage perk handles that. Direct damage plus devastating toxin. Against monstrosities, load a whole cartridge in 'em and let the DoT grind them down while you dodge. Chemistry does the work. You just stay breathing. Proper division of labor.

Run 'n' Gun lets you hipfire while sprinting with +15% close damage and -30% spread. You never stop moving. Never. Plant your feet, and you're a target. Targets die. That's what targets are for. Stripped Down keeps you from getting gunned down by snipers and gunners while your stamina is above 50%. So shoot and don't get shot! That's called synergy. That's called value.

Coated Weaponry applies 1 stack of Chem Toxin on melee crits, too. Softens targets between swings, eroding HP, feeding bigger Hyper-Violence bonuses. 

YOUR BLITZ: BOOM BRINGER

Four missiles. Extra Pouches gives you the fourth. Double damage against Unyielding.  These are... expensive. FETH!

Against monstrosities: everything you have left as an opener, then Needle Pistol to stack toxin while dodging. Against elite clusters, Crusher packs, Bulwark walls, Mauler crowds, proper drek situations, one will solve the problem. Don't hoard them. But also don't waste them. These cost creds. My creds. Ammunition isn't free. Stimms aren't free.  Everything has a cost. Everything comes out of the margins. My margins. So... be... judicious. 

YOUR DEFENSIVE INVESTMENT: CURIOS

Your armor is momentum. Dodge frequency. Toughness regeneration through violence. Health? Health is for planks who've already made mistakes. And mistakes are expensive. For both of us. Mostly me.

Stack your three curios to 60% total Gunner Damage Resistance. This is non-negotiable. Gunners will scrag you otherwise. The +13-17% Toughness primaries and +2-5% Toughness perks build your buffer. The +1-4% Ability Regeneration perks mean more frequent Rampage.

The curios I'm providing are adequate. Pre-owned. Gently used. The previous... look, they work. That's what matters. Don't ask questions you don't want answered.

YOUR OVERDRIVE: RAMPAGE!

Elite density spikes? Dangerous cluster that needs deleting? This is when you earn your slate.

On activation: forces melee swap, restores 100% Toughness, grants +50% Melee Power, +20% Attack Speed, 25% Damage Reduction, plus Stun and Suppression immunity. Base 10 seconds. Melee strikes extend duration by 0.3 seconds. Against elites, Boiling Blood extends by a full second per hit, with diminishing returns delayed to 30 seconds. 30-second cooldown.

Forge's Bellow staggers everything nearby on activation and reduces their attack speed by 50% for 5 seconds. Upon Exhaustion, you shout again. Proper bellow, not some uphiver complaint. They stagger when you engage, stagger again when you exit. That window between shouts? That's your killing time. Use it.

After Rampage ends, 7 seconds of Exhaustion: +25% damage taken, -75% stamina regen. Sounds like deep drek. It's manageable. If you're competent. Which you are. Presumably. We'll find out.

Key is timing. Activate when you can sustain against elites long enough to matter. Ensure something's scragged before Exhaustion ends. Miscalculate and... well. I've had this conversation before. With people who aren't here anymore. Not because of anything bad. Just circumstances. The underhive is dangerous. People move on.

YOUR CHEMICAL INSURANCE: THE STIMM LAB

Look. Let's be honest for a moment.

You're about to go out there with daemons, Inquisitors, Arbites, Ogryns... Emperor's karking ass. The things you're going to see. You're probably going to die. But you don't have to do it sober. And who knows, maybe not being sober helps.

Cartel Special

The boys whipped up something I call the Cartel Special. Little pick-me-up. Takes the edge off, keeps you moving. It's good. Really good.

These aren't free. Each dose comes out of your pay. I keep a tally!

That Exhaustion window after Rampage!? Seven seconds of +25% damage taken while your stamina recovers like a three-legged grox. Forge's Bellow staggers everything and halves their attack speed, but that's borrowed time. The Cartel Special buys you real recovery.

For you? Barrage I through Barrage IV. Nothing else. Four nodes gives +80% toughness regeneration plus damage reduction. 35-second cooldown. Rampage! runs 30. Don't overlap... alternate.

One warning: don't get dependent. Use it for the job, not for the high. Your predecessor couldn't tell the difference. He's dead now. Karking junkie. Don't look at me like that. I didn't kill him. Not personally.

The Rhythm

Rampage ends, Forge's Bellow triggers, and everything staggers. That's when you hit the Stimm. During the window. The regeneration and DR patch the Exhaustion hole. By the time it fades, Exhaustion's done. By the time Exhaustion's done, Rampage is back.

Rampage -> Bellow ->Stimm -> recover -> Rampage. Sustainability.

Or forego the custom bloody blend entirely. Scavenge mission Stimms like everyone else. Remember, we don't make health stimms. I don't care about your fix. Just get me results. 

HOW YOU STAY ALIVE

Primary defense: Don't. Get. Hit.

I cannot stress this enough. You getting hit costs me resources. Medical supplies. Stimms. Potentially a replacement. Do you know how hard it is to find reliable people in this economy? Actually, it's not that hard. There's plenty of dregs who'd kill for this opportunity, literally, some of them have, but it's still inconvenient.

Stand still? You die. Swing wild like a juve with his first blade? You die. Move with purpose, move like you fething mean it, and you might survive long enough to be useful.

Jittery reduces dodge reset from 0.85 seconds to 0.51 seconds while above 75% stamina. More dodges per second means more offensive proc uptime and continuous invulnerability through frequency. They can't scrag what ain't there. Old runner wisdom. Slippery Customer grants melee immunity while sliding, covers the gaps between dodge cycles. Emperor protects those who protect themselves.

Hive City Brawler creates productive tension. Full stamina gives 20% damage reduction. Empty stamina gives 20% bonus damage. Swift Endurance adds +2% attack speed per stamina point. The rhythm: spend stamina dodging, trigger offensive bonuses. Recover stamina, rebuild damage reduction, and attack speed. Defense and offense pulse together. Forge-worthy design.

Untouchable makes enemies forget you exist. Sprint, dodge, keep the stacks up. They shoot at someone else. Chase someone else, preferably the Ogryn. That's what Ogryns are for. Or better yet, those stuffy Arbites.

When hits land, and they will, statistically, Tis but a Scratch replenishes 30% toughness over 3 seconds after ranged damage. Gang Tough adds +10% toughness damage reduction. Precision Violence restores 4% toughness on melee hits, 8% on crits or weakspots, 12% on crit weakspots. Combined with your 60% Gunner DR from curios, you can sustain through pressure. Not forever. But long enough to scrag what's scragging you.

The point is: be professional about it. You're not some gutter-running dreg anymore. You represent me now. The organization. Don't die doing something stupid. That reflects poorly on all of us. Mostly me.

THREAT RESPONSE PROTOCOL

Every problem has a solution. Know yours. I don't have time to micromanage you in the field. Figure it out.

• Hordes = Shivs. Cleave, crit, cascade. Simple.
• Mixed Trash + Elites = Shivs. Hyper-Critical handles elites in the same swings.
• Elite Cluster = Rampage. Delete them before buffs expire.
• Lone Carapace = Needle Pistol. Tag and let chemistry work. Patience.
• Grouped Armor = Boom Bringer. Don't waste missiles on single targets.
• Distant Special = Needle Pistol. One hit, toxin finishes. Return to melee.
• Monstrosity = Boom Bringer burst, then Needle Pistol, toxin grinds while dodging.
• Ranged Pressure = Dodge cycling, Tis but a Scratch, or delegate to Veteran.
• Disablers = Team problem. Dodge Hounds and Mutants. Sharp eyes.

YOUR COLLEAGUES

You're not alone out there. Think of teammates as distributed liability. Their survival affects mission success. Mission success affects my reputation. My reputation affects my profits. So. Keep them breathing if convenient. Don't get sentimental about it. Sentiment's unprofessional.

What you bring: Melee deletion, hordes evaporate like mist in a light shaft. Elite deletion during Rampage. Monstrosity damage via toxin and Boom Bringer. Priority tagging with guaranteed DoT kills. Anarchist aura giving +5% crit to everyone in coherency.

What they bring: Long-range sniping from the Veteran, let them handle distant problems, that's their work. Frontline anchoring from the Ogryn or Arbites, someone has to absorb attention while you work. Crowd control from the Psyker, Throne knows what else they're good for. Covering your Exhaustion window. That's what crew is for.

Don't get attached. People come and go in this business. Mostly go. That's just how it works downhive. Everyone's replaceable. Even me and especially you... Don't take offense. There's always more people looking to get promoted.

Anyway. That's the job. That's how you stay alive, stay useful, and stay employed.

Any questions?

...

Actually, I don't have time for questions. The shipment's arriving in twenty minutes, and I need to... look, you'll figure it out. Or you won't. Either way.

We're in this together, yeah? Partners. Family, almost. I mean that. Truly. I care about my people. You'll see that. Eventually. Assuming you're around long enough to see anything.

Now get out. Go be useful. Make me proud. And close the door on your way out. I've got actual business to attend to.

Oh, and don't lose the equipment. That gak isn't free. If you die, I expect it returned. Someone will collect it. We have a system.

That was a joke. Mostly. You can laugh.

Go.

"Earn your creds. Don't feed the sump. Corpse-starch ain't dear. Well, it is. But it ain't." — Cartel orientation, concluding remarks