As a dev blog explains, all currencies that were previously character-bound—Ordo Dockets, Ordo Ingots, plasteel, and diamantine—will be merged into a single wallet accessible by any of your Rejects. This is a particularly welcome change, meaning that when your veteran hits max level and you start over as an ogryn, you won’t be broke.

Meanwhile, the mission board will be getting Maelstrom Missions that combine new modifiers with existing ones. Fatshark gives the example of a mission with “waves of Specialists, hunting grounds, waves of mutants and players have 20% reduced ability cooldown.” Maelstrom Missions will hand out more XP and Ordo Dockets in return for their increased difficulty.

A separate mission board for high-difficulty missions called “Auric-level Operations” bringing extra-hard challenges that always have conditions applied and are limited to level-30 characters is also coming. Changes to the way missions are generated will apparently bring “a more varied amount of conditions” all round. Maelstrom Missions will be available on the Auric-level Operations board as well.

While some of these are nice improvements, as Darktide’s player numbers drop—presumably the reason behind encouragements like quickplay bonuses—it does seem like the real problem has gone unaddressed. Darktide’s combat remains excellent, it captures the setting’s atmosphere well, and the storytelling in its opening is enthralling. It’s just that after that perfect opening, all that’s left is repeating maps to level up in return for a series of cutscenes that feel like they’re from a completely different game.