Warhammer 40K Darktide teases explosive new enemy in teaser trailer

Everyone has their favorite Warhammer weapon. Mine is the Thunder Hammer. It looks awesome, it deals massive damage, and playing with a Captain Smashfucker build in Space Marine 2 feels incredible. When it comes to ranged warfare, the heavier the better. Perhaps this is my inner Iron Hand speaking, but Lascannons, Multi Meltas, and Plasma Cannons all have a place in my arsenal. It's a lot less fun when you come up against them, however, and Warhammer 40k Darktide players are about to feel the heat of a plasma weapon real soon.

Yes, Warhammer 40k Darktide has released a teaser trailer for its next major update, Bound by Duty. We don't know a lot about the update thus far, but the short cinematic gives us a glimpse at a very important weapon.

A group of Scabs - traitorous Guardsmen who have strayed from the light of the Emperor to worship the dark gods - walks with menace in the latest trailer for the hit FPS game. They've got the standard bleeding eyes and skull totems, but one in particular carries what appears to be a Plasma Gun.

The red glow from its coils has led some players to believe that it's a Volkite weapon, but the dimensions look practically identical to those of a Plasma Gun, especially for the fraction of a second where you see its muzzle. Do Plasma Guns have (or need) muzzles? The nose, the end, you get what I mean.

The red is probably a stylistic choice, much like the hazard stripes painted on the Scab's helmet. These won't stop the Plasma Gun from overheating and melting his face off, but at least it'll warn everyone nearby that he's a menace to society.

It seems likely the Plasma Gunner Scab will join the game as an elite enemy, much like the other Scab Gunners. My plan to tackle them will be to utilize cover until he blows himself up, but I'm sure there are more aggressive strategies, too.

The caption of the video, "a new Theatre awaits," also suggests that we'll get a new environment to fight in. It seems like this will be a Mortis Trials arena rather than a full map, so unless we see much-needed Veteran or Zealot balances, this looks to be on the smaller side of changes to the game.

If the promise of a ball of energy to the face isn't enough to tempt you back into Darktide, check out some of the best Warhammer 40k games for an alternative. We've got some great picks, Skaventide included, on our list of the best Warhammer games, too, provided you don't mind a sprinkling of fantasy.

What's your favorite Warhammer weapon? Let us know in our community Discord server, where I get very defensive about my picks and other readers and staff are more normal.