Shock Trooper
 Veteran Build - Warhammer 40k: Darktide 

This build is focused heavily on melee & for players who want a more active, faster paced, and aggressive playstyle with Veteran, without giving up the ability to support the team & deal with high priority ranged targets thanks to the Godwyn-Branx Mk IV Bolt Pistol , while providing excellent horde clear & anti-specialist/elites (specifically Gunners, Shotgunners, and Ragers) in close range thanks to the Cadia Mk XIIIg Assault Chainsword , and providing a safety net for extremely dense hordes via Shredder Frag Grenade. 

You can run whatever curios you like (except wounds), just make sure you have 20% Gunner Resistance on all of them and at least one toughness curio. You can also swap Shredder Frag Grenades for Krak Grenades if you decide to run a shotgun instead.

Alternative recommended viable melee weapons:
- Cadia Mk IV Assault Chainsword with Maniac + Flak/Unyielding & Rampage + Shred 
- Munitorum Mk I Sapper Shovel with Unarmored + Flak & Uncanny Strike + Skullcrusher 
- Rashad Mk III Combat Axe with Carapace + Elites & Brutal Momentum + Headtaker 
- Atrox Mk II Tactical Axe with Carapace + Maniacs & Brutal Momentum + Headtaker 
- Aridin Mk I Power Falchion with Unyielding + Carapace & Decapitator + Heatsink (You can use Cranial Grounding instead of Heatsink, but you will have a longer lockout period.)

Alternative recommended viable ranged weapons:
- Agripinaa Mk VII Combat Shotgun with Flak + Maniac & Scattershot + Man-Stopper 
- Crucis Mk XI Double-Barrelled Shotgun with Flak + Maniac & Man-Stopper + Flechette 
- M35 Magnacore Mk II Plasma Gun with Maniac + Carapace & Rising Heat + Gets Hot! 
- M35 Magnacore Mk III Plasma Gun with Maniac + Flak & Volatile + Power Blast 
- Zarona Mk IIa Quickdraw Stub Revolver with Maniac + Carapace & Hand-Cannon + Surgical 
- Ius Mk IV Shredder Autopistol with Maniac + Unyielding & Pinning Fire + Blaze Away (Drop Reciprocity for Onslaught)

You can of course run this build with Infiltrate or Voice of Command, but you will lose the Stun Immunity provided by Executioner's Stance.

This build was tested on Damnation & Auric with decent success. 

Edit 8-24-26
 - Dropped Onslaught for Toughness Boost and added Ius Mk IV Shredder Autopistol as an additional ranged option if you want an option for applying Onslaught, since Godwyn-Branx Mk IV Bolt Pistol and Cadia Mk XIIIg Assault Chainsword are quite poor at applying it and do not benefit very well.
Update 9-18-26
 - Updated for Depths of the Damned. Since Veteran now has extra talent nodes compared to before (about 6), I've put more points into talents that benefit Melee gameplay, and swapped it from Voice of Command to Executioner's Stance in order to grant Veteran some much-needed stun immunity while in close-range. I have also added Aridin Mk I Power Falchion to the list of alternative melee weapons after testing it. I would recommend taking a ranged weapon like Godwyn-Branx Mk IV Bolt Pistol, Zarona Mk IIa Quickdraw Stub Revolver, or Ius Mk IV Shredder Autopistol in order to hit lots of weakspot kills to reduce it's lockout time.