Darktide's Paid Class, Free Meltagun

Darktide's next paid class comes with a reason for Veteran players to return without buying it: the Meltagun.

Fatshark announced on November 12 that the Sisters Novitiate class arrives December 7, priced at $11.99 or €11.99. A free update launches alongside it, adding the Meltagun for both the new class and existing Veterans. Buying the class is not a requirement for Veterans to use the weapon.

That distinction matters if you're deciding whether to start another character or stick with the one you've already built. Neither is available yet, and the DLC still requires Darktide's base game.

What the paid class adds

The Sisters Novitiate's defining system is Faith, a resource built during combat and spent on abilities. Players equip two of six Acts of Faith, with talent-tree choices affecting how they accumulate and use that resource. Fatshark describes a class built to support teammates while holding its place in the fight.

The Acts are not renamed grenades. Where the other classes lean on blitz and combat abilities, the Novitiates draw on Faith for the examples Fatshark names — brutal Neural Whip attacks, the inspiring Icon of Purity and protective prayers. How quickly that resource builds is part of the build: Doctrines and Pledges inside the talent tree shape how Faith is accumulated and how it gets spent, so two Novitiates in the same squad do not have to play alike.

Fatshark is also pitching the class as a line-holder rather than a glass cannon: support and frontline resilience in the same kit, built to embolden allies, weaken enemies and control the battlefield — standing where the squad needs it most instead of diving past the fight.

Its dedicated weapons include a Condemnor Stake Thrower, Ministorum Hand Flamer and a sword-and-shield combination. The Meltagun is the shared option, rather than a weapon locked entirely behind this DLC.

The full roster runs longer than the headliners. The Stake Thrower's job, in Fatshark's telling, is pinning what remains of its targets to the walls. Alongside it and the Hand Flamer, the class carries the Mace of the Righteous and the Penitent Eviscerator, with the Novitiate Sword and Shield completing the set.

The characters are Novitiates who have not yet become full Sisters within the Adepta Sororitas. Steam's description also lists four personality and voice choices, plus uniform variants unlocked through themed penances.

The "not yet" in their title is doing story work, not power work: Steam's listing is explicit that a Novitiate's station is no measure of her might. These are battle-tested warriors whose rank has simply not caught up with them.

The variants carry the lore with them. The Novitiates come from Crucis, the largest Shrine World in the Moebian Domain, and none of them has been assigned a future Order yet — they begin in traditional Novitiate regalia. The penance-unlocked variants borrow the colours of prominent Orders, including the Order of Our Martyred Lady and the Order of the Argent Shroud, so the customization track doubles as the character's road toward full Sisterhood.

What still needs to be revealed

Fatshark says more details on the free update are coming. The announcement does not provide its complete patch contents or an exact rollout time, so December 7 is a release date, not a confirmed hour to log in.

Some of the gap closes before launch: Fatshark says a first Feature Highlight on the class arrives in the coming days. What is already settled is the shape of the day — the Sisters Novitiate is Darktide's fourth class DLC, it lands on all platforms, and the free update travels with it, headlined by what Fatshark calls the long-anticipated Meltagun and its blast of thermal energy.

A Deluxe Edition is also planned. Its Cherub companion is described as cosmetic, not a gameplay advantage — and Fatshark has not announced a Deluxe price. The $11.99/€11.99 figure is the class price.

The Cherub itself is a small mechanical companion that flutters around the Novitiate while she works — Fatshark calls it a grotesque yet angelic accessory, and is explicit that it changes nothing about how the class plays.

Between now and December 7, the open questions are narrow: the free update's full contents, the Deluxe Edition's price, and the exact hour the update lands. Everything a returning player needs for the buy-or-skip call — the price, the date, and which parts are free — is already on the record.

For existing Veterans, the move is to wait for the free update's details before treating the new class as a necessary purchase.