Warhammer 40,000: Darktide has a lot of different abilities, skills, and passives to keep track of, and some can be a bit confusing or not explained enough for players to know what they do. In the case of the Psyker, Soulblaze can play a big part in making some seriously strong builds and being a fun way to play. But what does Soulblaze actually do? Here is a closer look at this Psyker trait that can really turn up the heat in battle.
Related: How Weapon Stats work in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
What is Soulblaze in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide?
Soulblaze is a unique aspect of the Psyker’s toolkit, and a large part of some of the class’s playstyles and builds. This effect deals damage over time to enemies it has affected and can be stacked for increased effectiveness, and is primarily used to help damage and kill groups or enemies quicker, as well as assisting in taking down larger, elite enemies.
Players get their first feat that uses Soulblaze at level 10 called Wrack and Ruin, which reads “Killing an Elite or Specialist with Brain Burst applies two stacks of Soulblaze to all enemies within three meters of the target.” In essence, a player would use their main ability Brain Bust to kill a stronger elite enemy like a Scubgunner, and all the nearby enemies would begin taking damage. In truth, this skill on its own doesn’t do a whole lot of damage, but it’s best used alongside a few other feats that can make your Soulblaze affect more enemies and deal greater damage.
Players can unlock the Kinetic Overload feat at level 25, which will apply four stacks of the Soulblaze effect to a nearby enemy when at maximum Warp Charges, a damaging increasing buff, and it prioritizes elite enemies. This will then have synergy with Ascendent Blaze, a level 30 feat that applies stacks of Soulblaze to enemies hit by the Psykinetic’s Wrath ability, with the number of stacks based on the amount of Warp Charges you have. With these abilities, it becomes easy to spread multiple Soulblaze effects to enemies pretty quickly and with higher damage, making the Psyker great for melting Elite and Specialist enemies as well as helping to thin out hordes from afar.
