A Storm of Info About Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millenium Online Emerges from the Warp

Giuseppe Nelva October 13, 2011 11:25 AM EST

Information about the upcoming Warhammer 40,000 MMORPG in development at Vigil Dark Millenium Online have been painfully scarce, leaving fans of the franchise like me wondering about what’s going to come with a project that seems to be still under the radar for many.

Yesterday an admin of the Warseer Forums posted a whole load of information about the game, reportedly coming from a “little birdy”, so we’ll chalk that as rumor for now, but they’re definitely detailed enough to be realistic, and very, very interesting for everyone that set his targeter.. ahem, his sights on the game.

You can read them all past the cut. Be prepared to a Warlord Titan-sized wall of text:

EDIT: THQ has followed up with a clarification, specifying that the features reported in the following list are “pure speculation”. Looks like I was right in marking it as a rumor. Too bad. We’ll have to wait for them to officially share something about the game in the (hopefully) near future.

Game Design Notes:

Relic is lending a very small hand in the overall development of DMO. Winking, a chinese based developer is also on board. They helped with Space Marine as well.

Vigil is doing 90% of the work. Most of the shared work load is art, and animation.

Space Marine is built on the same engine as Darksiders.

Dmo is using the same engine, with gameplay (at least combat) akin to Spacemarine.

The art style is not the same as Space Marine, rather the whole game is more stylized like Darksiders. The videos released at the last E3 are fairly accurate to the current state of the art style. Less realistic.

A spring 2012 release date is unlikely.

Class related notes:

Races broadly put into forces of “Order” and “Disorder” similar to Warhammer 40,000 tabletop world-wide campaigns.

The “Space Marine” is a class, with a chaos counterpart.

Tactical, Devastator, Assault as specialties.

Each class starts as something familiar, and through progression changes like Scout to full Space Marine.

Other classes include: psyker, techpriest, and assassin

The assassin starts as a guardsman-esque character.

Chaos have similar counterparts, cultist themed.

Instead of an assassin, they will have a demon host.

Orks are with Chaos (disorder), Eldar are with the Imperium of Man (order).

Ork class rundown: Nob, mekboy, runt herda, mad dok.

Eldar class rundown: Scorpion, Avenger, Warlock, Reaper

Expect Tau & Dark Eldar later, likely in an expansion, though dark eldar npcs will be present on release, as well as Necron, and Tyranids.

60 character levels.

Gameplay related notes:

A crashed space hulk will be one of the zones.

Another zone will take place on an Imperial Cruiser, and Chaos Cruiser.

Expect several instanced missions much like WoW, as well as open world.

It will include instanced & open world pvp.

Players will be able to dual weild things like pistols and melee weapons, including two chain swords.

The featured chapter is the Black Templars.

The featured playable chaos god is Khorne.

The Word Bearers will also take a major role in the Playable chaos faction.

Nurgle & Fabius Bile will have a big Chaos NPC presence.

Possible shooter/RPG mode controls, like Star Trek Online.

Third person action, plays like Gears of War/Space Marine mixed together for shooting.

Melee is more like Space Marine/Darksiders, with the target lock on.

Blocking melee attacks may or may not be in, sheilds may be NPC only.

NPC creatures vary from: Necromunda-like humans, Chaos Cultists, Dark Eldar; from Grotesques to Warriors, Chaos Daemons and beasts, Orks, Grots, Guardsmen, defected Guardsmen, most of the minor Demons, Dreadnoughts, Tyranid Warriors, Genestealers and more.

Forgeworld elements may be present. Thunderhawk, terrain sets, Aquila landers, FW-esque equipment on vehicles.

Environments range from snowy mountains, to the innards of a crashed space hulk… from cities destroyed, and looked by Orks, to ancient eldar cities, overgrown with Tyranids… From ancient battlefields, littered with the carcases of Titans and tanks, to a hive city… From the halls of Imperial Cruisers, to the desecrated throne rooms of Chaos.

Everything is large, beefy, and sticks to 40k very well.

Left mouse uses the weapon in your character’s left hand, Right mouse uses the weapon in your character’s right hand.

All abilities have a cooldown.

Melee combos – Dual weilding grants new moves.

There is sprinting.

“Guilds” will be present.

Team/party/squad size is 5

“Raid” size is 50. Subject to change.

Ranged weapons have infinite ammo, but there is reloading, overheating and venting.

Weapons rarely get to take full advantage of their range when inside. There’s lots of cover and turning corners, it’s very dynamic.

Hero classes are possible, unlocked once you get a character high enough level.

Imperium: Grey Knight

Chaos: Chaos Sorcerer

Ork: ‘Ard boy or Weird boy

Eldar: Farseer

Probably unlocked at level 40.

A player progressing as a marine will do so as follows:

Lv. 0: Adept, think a marine wearing just carapace armor.

Lv. 10: Scout.

Lv. 20: equipped like the marine character in the Space Marine codex.

Lv. 30: a standard marine

Lv. 40: honor guard or Sergeant, some decoration

Lv. 50: sternguard, maybe captain.

Lv. 60: artificer armor, iron halos and similar.

Other classes progress similarly.

Misc. Notes

Tech priest have backpacks with a robot arm.

A cover system is implemented.Waist high cover and standing cover.

Cross platform is very possible.

Shooting mechanics will have aim assist

Similarly, melee attacks will lock on.

Abilities work similar to Warhammer Online. A common resource, then each class has a unique resource used with abilities.

Weapons increase in “coolness” as far as progression is concerned.

A lv. 1 autogun may be it’s familiar form in necromunda and early Imperial Guard. By lv 60, sone autoguns look cool enough for inquisitors to be using, lathered in fancy trim, aquilas, etc.

Same goes for other weapons. Think Call of Duty, as you unlock the various weapon upgrades, you guns start looking cooler.

Each class has 3 specialties:

Marine: Tactical, Devastator, Assault

Assassin/guardsman: the major assassin types: Calidus, Cindicare, Eversor.

The Marine is by far the most flashed out at the moment.

Most abilities are still very WIP.

Jump packs may be in but details are unknown.

EDIT: THQ has followed up with a clarification, specifying that the features reported in this list are “pure speculation”. Looks like I was right in marking it as a rumor. Too bad. We’ll have to wait for them to officially share something about the game in the (hopefully) near future.