Warhammer 40,000: Darktide – Plasma Gun Guide

Mini guide to the Plasma Gun. One of the most hated weapons in the game, but in the right hands, awesome.

Quick Guide to Plasma Gun

Plasma Gun for Everyone. Totally Not Orks

So, the plasma gun gets a lot of flak, and yeah, it’s kinda clunky if you’re not used to it or if it doesn’t fit your style. There’s a bit of a learning curve, and it’s easy to mess up.

But after jamming with it as a vet for a few days, I’ve got some tips to share. First up, you gotta know there are four ways to cool this bad boy down. Let’s kick off with the slowest method and crank it up from there.

Say you’ve been blasting enemies and your gun’s all heated up. If you switch to another weapon right after, the plasma gun cools down super slow. This is cool if you’re a beast in melee and you’ve got gear that boosts your sprint and stamina. Just use it for those big damage moments and switch back when needed. Unlike other guns, the plasma doesn’t need to be readied again; it’s good to go once it’s cooled.

Keeping the gun out lets it cool down on its own, but man, it’s like waiting forever. Wouldn’t really suggest going this route.

The next two ways depend on how much heat you’ve racked up. If the heat’s less than half, hit that special attack button. It vents heat fast with a separate animation. But if you’re running hot, like 80-100%, go for a reload. It’s a long animation, sure, but it clears the heat quicker than venting it yourself.

Knowing when to reload, switch to melee, or lob a grenade depends on what’s going down. If you’re swamped, it’s grenade and melee time. If you’re bracing for something big, reload and get ready for a heavy attack. Charge up, hit F, and boom—enemies are gone.

As a vet, snag those early reload perks for quicker action after taking down elites. The plasma gun can easily drop elites with a few shots, and even the big nasties get rocked, setting them up for you and your squad to do some serious damage.

Charged shots? Volley fire? They just wipe the floor with big enemies.

So yeah, the plasma gun’s got its quirks, but dial it in right, and it’s a beast. Not saying it’s underrated—it’s definitely not for everyone. But in the right hands? It’s a monster.

Useful Tips for Plasma Gun

• So, it looks like it’s not hitscan, but it totally is. Just remember there’s a tiny delay from when you shoot to when it hits, so make sure your timing is on point.
• Wanna keep shooting without taking a hit? Vent that heat when it’s low. No damage taken. Venting? That’s your special move.
• For the hardcore players, vent at high heat if you really need to go all out. Yeah, it hurts a bit, but sometimes you gotta go big.
• Mainly, just blast away and then either chill with a slow reload to cool down completely or switch to melee to cool off bit by bit.
• If you’re always reloading, grabbing that perk that speeds up your reload by 30% after dropping an elite is a solid move.
• Save your big gun move for the tough guys, not the small fry. Unless you’re scouting with it, then yeah, it’s pretty sweet for that too.
• This thing goes through enemies. Line ’em up for that satisfying double tap.
• It’s not your go-to for crowd control, but when the stars align, and you line up a horde, it’s showtime. Just be ready to clean up the mess.
• Damage is all over the place, so hit up the training to figure out the best way to take down the big baddies, with or without your power move.

Honestly, I think it’s the top pick for Sharpshooters. Sure, it’s not the best for just shooting everything that moves because of the whole heat thing, but that’s not why you’re using it. You’re here to take out the big threats from a distance better than anything else, and it’s decent enough for picking off other threats. Just watch the heat, or it’ll cramp your style against special targets.