First Darktide character spotlight shows off the cultist-carving zealot preacher

A new character spotlight has revealed information about the zealot: preacher class in upcoming cooperative shooter Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. Developer Fatshark has released a slew of quick cuts showing the class in action and highlighting some of those many and varied character lines and party banter.

The zealot is a melee-focused character, one that thrives in the thick of combat. They focus on the use of close-range weapons like automatic pistols, revolvers, shotguns, flamethrowers, thunder hammers, combat axes, and power mauls.

To be clear, the character's broader Archetype is zealot, while their specialized class is Preacher. The four archetypes in Darktide are zealot, veteran, psyker, and ogryn. Each one has its own range of classes. The zealot archetype and preacher class were revealed in a trailer posted to YouTube and in a blog post on the Fatshark website.

The more damage a preacher takes the more melee damage the preacher deals, lending a push-your-luck element to managing your health while playing as one. You can also lunge forward, engaging enemies in melee—or escaping it—and have an aura that decreases friendly damage taken.

The preacher also has increased melee attack speed, and "resists death on taking lethal damage," says the Fatshark blog. So you get at least one slip-up as you ride that low-health damage boost high. Fatshark points out that the preacher''s fast, high-damage melee attacks make them good at dealing with both armored and unarmored enemies at close range.

Fatshark also posted a short clip to YouTube highlighting the starting equipment and ability of the Preacher. You can read more about the Preacher on the Fatshark blog.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is a super exciting game for those who love the Left 4 Dead-style cooperative shooter formula, and Fatshark's past games in the genre Vermintide and Vermintide 2 are both superb. You can read everything we know about Darktide right here. 

Darktide will have a beta this month following its delay to a November 30 release. In a hands-on with Darktide earlier this year, our Wes Fenlon said it "absolutely rules."