Feature Highlight - Skitarii Visual Design

Last week we revealed the new Skitarii Alpha Primus class to the world. We are so excited for these specialist warriors of the Machine-God to join the fight on Atoma, bringing their wargear and combat expertise to the fight against the heretics!

Today we are joined by Matte and Lucas, our Art Director and Associate Art Director, to chat a bit about how we visualised this new class in Darktide.

Take it away guys! 

“As a huge Warhammer fan myself, getting the opportunity to explore something from the Adeptus Mechanicus faction was very exciting”

• Lucas

We already touched upon the fact that the entire Darktide team has been waiting for a chance to add an Adeptus Mechanicus themed class to the game for a long time, and for many of us this really is a dream come true.

The ritualistic elements of this faction, combined with their technology is something we find really interesting, and getting to pour all of our combined knowledge and ideas into this has been such a fun journey. It’s been great to collaborate together with Games Workshop to make sure we get the look and feel of these warriors just right. 

We realised early that if we are doing an Adeptus Mechanicus class, it would be represented by the Skitarii, as they make the most sense, both for the power level of the Inquisitorial Warband, but also from a good gameplay experience perspective. 

“I think this is the closest we have been to the core of Warhammer 40.000 for a class in the game” 

• Matte

Since the Skitarii are so iconic for Warhammer 40.000, we knew that this would be an immense task to represent in the game. Not only did we want to honor the lore, but we also wanted to make sure that the class ticked all the boxes, being represented correctly and fun to play!

Skitarii headgear concept

Skitarii backpack concept

One of the most interesting (and important) parts of the Skitarii is the blend between human and machine. The Skitarii are at their core humans, but they have been augmented by bionics to better suit the battlefield conditions they are faced with. Their limbs have been upgraded to mechanical ones, and their faces are covered in different optical enhancements and other gruesome details, all to make them better warriors. We thought a lot on how to represent this, and we hope that when you get to see the coming reveals, you can see how much care and consideration went into this.

Bionic arm concept 

The bionics themselves have been very fun to work on. Since we have always hoped to bring this class to the game, we have consciously not added too much of these to the cosmetics of the other classes. We felt that if we ever get the chance to visualise the Adeptus Mechanicus as a player class, that was going to be the time to go all out on this.

And that time is finally here!

“This has been a project long vision for the team, and I was excited for us to finalise this class”

• Matte

Another really cool thing to work on was their iconic weaponry and adding some of them to the game. It is always a challenge to take something from the tabletop game and bring it to life. The weapons are front and center in Darktide, so it’s something we take great pride in trying to figure out how to represent in the best way possible.

Phosphor Blast Pistol firing & reload concept 

Together with Games Workshop, we always try to make the weapons believable, especially the ranged ones. A lot of work goes into trying to figure out how parts move, how the reload mechanism works and how the weapon acts as you pull the trigger. Not to mention the sound and VFX of the shots.

The weapons of the Adeptus Mechanics are works of art, and we spent a lot of time making sure that this is also shown. The blend between high-tech, ornate wood work and fine metals make them really stand out. We thought along the lines of making them feel both archaic and advanced at the same time. 

Galvanic Rifle Concept 

One good example of this is the Galvanic Rifle. We took the existing concept art, the look of the miniatures themselves and then mixed this with references of how historical weapons work and sprinkled the advanced technology of the Adeptus Mechanicus on top.  This all blends together to make the weapon you will see in the game. It’s a long process to get everything right, but a very rewarding one when it’s done.

“There is also the gameplay aspect of it, we want to make sure the weapons look and act in a way that makes sense for the player while using them”

• Matte

Another huge task was to visualise the room where you will create your player character. It’s the inner sanctum of the old Adeptus Mechanicus facility that Hadron Omega-7-7 has gotten access to, and it is here standard Skitarii are upgraded into the Alpha Primus variant. 

Skitarii Alpha Primus character creator ideas 

There is so much detail that has gone into this. First and foremost we wanted the mood of it to be just right. In the center there is this giant machine, the main component of the upgrade process, but the room is also filled with censer smoke and candles. We really tried to nail the feel of this being both a machine and ritual chamber. 

Skitarii human parts concept

It is here you will see the full display of the gruesome nature of the Skitarii. Suspended in the middle will be a disfigured torso and head that is the core of your character, and you get to pick the mechanical limbs and other details for it. We wanted it to feel like you are creating your very own Skitarii. 

“The hood, the face and the bionic limbs are so iconic” 

• Lucas

Much of this will then be concealed by the hood and robes of the Adeptus Mechanicus when you are done. And since you also get to pick what Forge World your Skitarii initially came from, these come in some different colors to tie it all together.

Forge World color variations (Mars, Ryza & Branx Minor)

That’s as much as we will go into today, all in all this has been a very challenging, but rewarding, process for us, and we have so much to share with you in the upcoming weeks! 

If you want to know more about the character customization, make sure to tune in next week as we will really deep dive into this. But for now, this is us signing off.

The Skitarii Alpha Primus class will be available on the 23rd of June, but you can already wishlist it now.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4355570/Warhammer_40000_Darktide__Skitarii_Class/https://store.steampowered.com/app/4355580/Warhammer_40000_Darktide__Skitarii_Class_Deluxe_Edition/
Thanks to Matte and Lucas for sharing their thoughts and experience on the visual design of the new class, and thanks to all of you for reading! 

Praise the Omnissiah!

See you at the Mourningstar!

- The Darktide team