Atom Eve build
 Zealot Build - Warhammer 40k: Darktide 

oH, gReAt, AnOtHeR fAtMaNgUs BuIlD.

@.@ or dopeslinker, whatever this individual wants to be called, has esoteric knowledge about Darktide tech and builds that work way too well for how unorthodox they are, and I can't share this build without crediting the genius. If you haven't already, check out those builds.

Why do I call this the Atom Eve build? Because, it's fucking invincible. (I thought about calling it the Sundowner build, but MGRR memes have been dead for a few years.) I took the Fatmangus build and oriented it even more towards defense than it already was. The idea of the Fatmangus technique is pretty straightforward; you stack up a bunch of health from curios and damage resistance from talents (Good Balance, Hubris, Shield of Contempt, Bleed for the Emperor, etc.). You can take as many hits as you want with that. Play sloppy outside of Havoc. Crusher overheads on Damnation only take about half your health, which is a big improvement on getting downed outright.

I played with the original Fatmangus build from @.@ and noticed I was getting plinked by a lot of enemy fire. I ultimately diagnosed it as a mobility problem (although, it might have just been a skill issue on my part). The Munitorum Mk II Relic Blade is pretty slow, which made closing the gap with ranged enemies tedious. Popping Shroudfield is an option if it's not on cooldown, Havoc makes everyone used to spam sliding everywhere, and the Locke Mk III Spearhead Boltgun could be switched out with a mobility weapon like the Accatran MG Mk II Heavy Laspistol, so closing the gap is possible (and probably a skill issue on my part). (I decided switching to and from a mobility weapon every time i wanted to close a gap required too many brain cells. Again, probably a skill issue. Using the Munitorum Mk II Relic Blade already requires enough brain cells.) I also realized the build relies on an activated Munitorum Mk II Relic Blade dealing a lot of damage. I decided to un-wholesome the Fatmangus build.

Fixing the mobility problem just requires switching melee weapons to something faster, but whatever we switch to has to bring a lot of its own damage. That pretty much narrows it down to the Maccabian Mk IV Duelling Sword and the Catachan Mk VI Combat Blade (Uncanny Strike is goated). I chose to double down on defense and went with the Maccabian Mk IV Duelling Sword. I feel like Agile gets slept on. It lets you dodge dance as much as you want, and an extra ten percent weak spot damage is nothing to complain about. The Duelling Sword "nerf" replacing the stagger stab with a parry just gives us another defensive option to play with.

More mobility lets us un-wholesome the build a bit further by replacing Shroudfield with Chorus of Spiritual Fortitude. Stealth shenanigans are fun, but turning the game off for seven seconds every minute is just too overpowered. No, I'm not taking Ecclesiarch's Call. I wanted the point elsewhere. Bite me. Use Abolish Blasphemers, Faithful Frenzy, or Purge the Unclean as a flex point if you really want it.

I got the usual Fatmangus talents (the damage resistance mentioned above plus Faith's Fortitude and Restoring Faith) and tripled down on defense with by picking up both Enemies Within, Enemies Without and Second Wind to keep toughness topped off. From there, it was time to focus on offense, picking up Sustained Assault, Abolish Blasphemers, Faithful Frenzy, and both Purge the Unclean and Duellist. I tried a critical hit version of the build, investing points into Enduring Faith, Scourge, Invocation of Death, Blinded by Blood, and Blazing Piety, but I didn't feel like I was getting much of a return for crits. Unfaltering lets you keep up an offensive. Outside of Havoc, dodge with Agile while face-tanking a Reaper and stabbing it in the face just because Unfaltering lets you do that. Inexorable Judgement is definitely the right choice for a keystone, especially since Agile and Inebriate's Poise play so well together (you can actually spend a decent amount of time in combat at max stacks of Inexorable Judgement). I did try the build without a keystone, but I realized Inexorable Judgement was a good DPS boost for the point investment. Disdain is a tax node here.

Beacon of Purity is always felt, especially in Havoc, especially with The Blight Spreads. Plus, Medical Crates can restore your super tanky health, and no one wants corruption getting in the way of that.

Ranged weapon and blitz are up to you here. Artemia Mk III Purgation Flamer gives you a way to have burst damage and decent mixed horde clear. Just looking at melee, the build's DPS is fairly constant, so having an option for burst damage can be useful. Either mark of Spearhead Boltgun would also probably do well here. The Artemia Mk III Purgation Flamer makes Blades of Faith mandatory, and there's the animation cancel that Blades of Faith can do when pulling out the Artemia Mk III Purgation Flamer or the Spearhead Boltgun. The Maccabian Mk IV Duelling Sword does decent enough boss damage and offers enough mobility that i don't think the Accatran MG Mk II Heavy Laspistol would add much to the build. You could re-wholesome the build a little bit by having the funny Lethal Proximity blessing on either Bolt Pistol mark with the Stunstorm Grenade as your blitz (I think that combo works).

If you use the build and feel like you aren't pumping enough DPS, that's because DPS isn't your job. DPS the job of a Psyker with a Rifthaven Mk II Inferno Force Staff. So, what is your job? First and foremost, you are the mommy of your team. You need to keep everyone safe and upright. You, being the Zealot, have the fastest revive speed on the team (Providence plus three revive speed perks on your curios (Yes, you need to be taking all three revive speed perks on your curios. No, this is not up for negotiation.)). You are the one that should be reviving downed teammates. If a teammate gets downed, you drop everything and work to revive them. No, it doesn't matter if you were doing the objective. No, it doesn't matter if another teammate is closer. You are the one that should be reviving downed teammates. The same thing applies for disabled teammates. The only time that you are not the one reviving a downed teammate is if you are using Chorus of Spiritual Fortitude to provide cover for another teammate that's reviving the downed teammate. Keep everyone safe and happy with Chorus of Spiritual Fortitude by giving them seven seconds where they aren't getting attacked plus golden toughness after that. This build is focused on defense, and so are you if you are using it.

Coddling your teammates aside, how do you contribute to purging heretics? I've found that specialist removal is quite helpful. I can't really call it specialist "sniping" when I'm just stabbing them in the face. The build is mobile and tanky, so you should be able to dive in and out of a horde, shrugging off any hits you take, in order to kill specialists (If you can't, skill issue). Bombers and flamers deny your team the use of patches of ground that could be quite useful for positioning, so it would really help your team if you removed those threats before they get the chance to condemn your team out of a good position. Having a teammate get disabled is very disruptive, so you should kill disablers before they get the chance to prove how much of a nuisance they can be. Snipers aren't your problem; let the Veteran on the team worry about those (or try to flex on your teammates with your impeccable Blades of Faith accuracy). Chorus of Spiritual Fortitude can be used offensively. If your team is pinned by ranged enemies, you can rush forward with Chorus of Spiritual Fortitude and suppress them, temporarily unpinning your team and giving them the opportunity to kill the ranged enemies and end the problem of being pinned altogether. You can use Chorus of Spiritual Fortitude to disrupt the enemies in a position that your team wants to move into, giving your teammates the opportunity to clear the space. You can use Chorus of Spiritual Fortitude to disrupt a horde. You can use Chorus of Spiritual Fortitude to bully a boss into a corner so that your teammates can wale on it. You can also ignore glory and fulfill some basic needs for your team. You deal noticeable boss damage, so you can contribute that whenever a boss shows up. You can hold the line against a horde, even a mixed horde, by dodging side-to-side and spamming light attacks. You can kill a Crusher with a few heavy attacks to the face, which makes the most problematic enemy in the game a little less problematic for your team.

I take this build into Havoc 40, and I do not go down. If you read all this, get a life. Now, go touch grass.