The most strikingly different amongWarhammer 40,000: Darktide’s currently available classes, the Ogryn is at least twice as large as any human-sized being. Once humans themselves, the time spent on isolated prison worlds has caused the Ogryns to become physically powerful at the cost of reduced intelligence. This brutish physique coupled with their simple minds is whatmakes them perfect soldiers for the Imperium of Man.
But despite the species' limited intelligence in theWarhammer 40,000universe, it takes quite a bit of skill to play asWarhammer 40,000: Darktide’s Ogryn Skullbreaker. Players have to manage the Ogryn’s large hitbox as well as make use of their unique crowd-controlling abilities. Only then can they call themselves worthy of being a true servant to the Emperor of Mankind.
RELATED:Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Should Use Warhammer: Vermintide 2’s Difficulty Gating
A Big Man Makes For Excellent Crowd Control
Just as the strongest and biggest bouncers are the best at what they do, so too is the Ogryn Skullbreaker a savant at crowd control. Players would be forgiven for thinking that the Skullbreaker should be going up against Elites, Monstrosities, and bosses, but the matter of fact is thatthese tougher enemies should be left to classes like the Psyker Psykineticthat can do a lot of single-target damage. The Ogryn Skullbreaker’s main task is to draw enemy aggro to himself by way of his large hitbox.
Once enemies get close or focus fire on the Ogryn Skullbreaker, players have a couple of options. They can block enemy attacks with their Orox Battle Maul and Slab Shield combo melee weapons. Since the alternate attack of this weapon combination lets players firmly plant the shield on the ground without losing stamina, Ogryns can provide makeshift cover for his allies. An Ogryn’s teammates can then use the big man as cover where they can reload, heal up, or simply hide from enemy attacks.
The other, more fun option Ogryns can choose is to go on the offensive.Hard-hitting ranged firearms like the iconic Ripper Gun and Heavy Stubber machine gunare great for mowing down hordes of enemies from a distance. Most of the Ogryn’s ranged weapons are slow to reload, some foes will inevitably be able to get in close range. When that happens, Ogryn Skullbreakers can use melee weapons like the Kourk Cleaver and Brute Brainer Latrine Shovel to cleave through enemies with wide-sweeping attacks and some quick stunning punches.
RELATED:Rumor: Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2 Gameplay to Be Revealed at The Game Awards
Big Skills For A Big Man
When the going gets tough, Ogryn Skullbreakers can use their Blitz and class abilities to get them and their teammates out of a bind. The Bull Rush class ability forcefully pushes enemies aside and ensures that a strike team will never get pinned down. The ability is also great at providing openings to attack enemies that were pushed down by the Ogryn’s charge.Bull Rush can be upgraded to increase its effective distance and power, effectively allowing Ogryns to down every enemy in their path except for bosses and Monstrosities.
The Ogryn’s Blitz ability is his Big Box of Hurt- a giant box of grenades that does a lot of damage to whatever it is thrown at. The box doesn’t generally explode from the outset but can be upgraded down the line to drop clusters of grenades that explode when thrown at specific armored and special enemies. Since these foes are what Ogryns should be aiming their grenade boxes at in the first place, this skill is invaluable when it comes to dealing damage to them and their surrounding companions.
The Ogryn Skullbreaker Is Like A Big Brother To His Strike Team
The Ogryn Skullbreaker might not look like it, but it isone of the better support classes inWarhammer 40,000: Darktide. It was already mentioned how Skullbreakers can provide cover for their strike teams by planting themselves on the ground with their Slab Shields, but they can also take damage that was meant for others by blocking incoming attacks with their large hitbox. Thanks to the class’s Thick Skin passive ability which lets players take 20% reduced toughness and health damage, Ogryns are ideal punching bags for the game’s many enemies. While this percentage could be higher (Ogryns take far too much damage on the higher difficulties without a Slab Shield), the ability does provide them with some extra survivability.
The most useful support ability of the Ogryn Skullbreaker is his Loyal Protector passive - an ability that prevents interruption when reviving or assisting teammates. Considering how many enemiesWarhammer 40,000: Darktidethrows at players, having an Ogryn Skullbreaker that can revive a team on the brink of defeat can be a godsend.Even if an Ogryn player has yet to manage the class’s crowd control capabilities, they can still lend a hand by picking up their downed teammates with no problems.
While the Ogryn Skullbreaker may not always be the hardest-hitting class, it is always handy to have a character that can draw aggro and create situations that are favorable to the other classes. That’s what the Ogryn Skullbreaker is: an enabler. With the path cleared out and no enemies shooting at them, other classes will be able to shine thanks to the Ogryn Skullbreaker’s ability to make space and thin the hordes of enemies coming at his team.
Warhammer 40,000: Darktideis available now on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox Game Pass.
