In the grim and war-torn universe of Warhammer 40k: Darktide, mastering your arsenal is essential for survival and success. Among the weapons available, Infantry Autoguns stand out for their versatility, high rate of fire, and ability to control large groups of enemies in both close-quarters and mid-range combat. But owning the gun is only half the battle—maximizing its potential requires understanding the intricate system of Infantry Autogun blessings and perks, which can significantly influence damage output, ammo efficiency, and situational effectiveness.
The world of Darktide is unforgiving. Each mission demands precise loadouts, smart ammo management, and synergy between your weapon’s perks and blessings. The wrong combination can turn an otherwise powerful Infantry Autogun into a cumbersome tool, leaving you vulnerable to hordes of enemies. Conversely, the right blessing can transform your autogun into a powerhouse, capable of burst damage, sustained fire, and suppression tactics that dominate the battlefield.
This guide is designed to break down everything players—from new recruits to seasoned veterans—need to know about Infantry Autogun blessings, including their practical effects, strategic applications, and real-time gameplay insights. We will explore every variant of the weapon, highlight the top blessings for maximizing damage and utility, compare different marks, and provide build recommendations for every playstyle. By the end of this guide, you will have a clear understanding of how to optimize your Darktide Infantry Autogun build and dominate your missions efficiently.
Understanding Infantry Autoguns in Darktide
What Is an Infantry Autogun?
The Infantry Autogun is one of the most common and versatile ranged weapons in Darktide. Unlike other rifles or heavy firearms, it strikes a balance between rapid-fire capability and accuracy, making it ideal for both suppressive fire and targeted damage. Players often rely on it during medium to high-density enemy waves, where quick reactions and sustained fire are crucial.
In real-time gameplay, an Infantry Autogun excels at flanking enemies or holding choke points. Its ammo-efficient nature allows players to engage multiple targets without constant reloads, provided they pair it with the correct blessings and perks. For beginners, it offers a forgiving learning curve, while veterans can push its limits with precise burst-focused builds.
Why Infantry Autoguns Matter in Darktide
The significance of Infantry Autoguns extends beyond raw damage. In a game that rewards strategic loadouts, these guns serve as utility-focused tools. They are especially effective in scenarios where risk vs reward plays a crucial role. For instance, while close-range weapons like shotguns excel at stopping enemies instantly, the autogun offers sustained suppression, allowing teammates to reposition or complete objectives safely.
Veteran players often report that an Infantry Autogun equipped with optimal blessings can outperform heavier weapons in longer engagements. The combination of ammo efficiency, steady fire rate, and perk synergy makes it indispensable for missions that require endurance, flanking maneuvers, and sustained crowd control.
Infantry Autogun Marks Explained
Darktide’s Infantry Autoguns come in multiple marks, each with subtle differences in damage output, recoil, stability, and ammo consumption. Popular marks include Mk III, Mk V, and Mk VII.
- Mk III: Early-game friendly, low recoil, moderate damage. Ideal for newcomers learning weapon mechanics.
- Mk V: Balanced mid-game choice, excellent for both suppression and burst-focused builds. Often paired with top-tier blessings for maximum DPS.
- Mk VII: Advanced, high-damage variant, usually used by veterans. Benefits the most from optimized perk and blessing combinations.
The right mark depends heavily on player playstyle and mission type. For example, close-quarters combat may favor a Mk V with Terrifying Barrage, while open maps could make a Mk VII with Sustained Fire more effective.
Complete Guide to Infantry Autogun Blessings
How Blessings Affect Damage and Utility
Blessings in Darktide are not just cosmetic enhancements—they directly influence weapon performance. Applying the right blessing can increase damage output, improve ammo efficiency, enhance stability, and even modify reload speed. Real-time experience shows that even small percentage increases from blessings like Raking Fire or Fire Frenzy can significantly change mission outcomes.
For example, Sustained Fire allows for longer continuous bursts, which is perfect for controlling hallways filled with enemies. Meanwhile, Dum Dum provides short, high-damage bursts, allowing skilled players to eliminate high-priority targets quickly. Choosing blessings depends not only on your combat strategy but also on how you intend to use the autogun in combination with perks and your squad’s composition.
Best Blessings for Infantry Autoguns
From both player data and personal gameplay experience, the following blessings are often recommended for Infantry Autoguns:
- Sustained Fire: Excellent for holding corridors and suppressing hordes.
- Raking Fire: Boosts damage on multiple targets in a single sweep, ideal for dense enemy clusters.
- Terrifying Barrage: Amplifies burst damage and intimidates enemies, useful for priority elimination.
- Dum Dum: Maximizes short bursts for precise takedowns.
- Fire Frenzy: Combines damage over time and suppression, strong for mid-range skirmishes.
Each blessing carries situational effectiveness, meaning their real impact varies depending on mission type, ammo availability, and your tactical approach.
Darktide Infantry Autogun Perks vs Blessings
While blessings modify weapon behavior directly, perks adjust auxiliary stats such as reload speed, recoil reduction, and close-range boosts. Players often debate whether to prioritize blessings or perks. Real-time combat suggests a balanced approach: choose perks that enhance your blessing’s strengths.
For example, pairing Terrifying Barrage with a perk that reduces recoil or enhances flanking effectiveness allows you to maintain sustained fire without losing accuracy. Similarly, combining Raking Fire with ammo-efficiency perks ensures that you can continuously damage groups without running dry.
Synergy Between Blessings and Perks
The most experienced players know that synergy is key. A blessing may increase raw damage, but without complementary perks, you risk inefficient ammo use or poor control. The best combinations consider:
- Playstyle: Aggressive vs defensive
- Ammo management: Sustained fire without overusing ammo
- Mission type: High-density waves vs elite target elimination
- Team composition: Supporting other squad members through suppressive fire
Practical example: pairing Sustained Fire with Stability Boost perks can allow you to hold long corridors alone while your team focuses on objectives—a strategy frequently observed in veteran squads.
Darktide Infantry Autogun Build Guide
Building the right Infantry Autogun setup is key to mastering Darktide. A strong build balances damage output, stability, and ammo efficiency, ensuring you can control enemies without wasting resources. Successful builds consider mission type, squad composition, and personal playstyle, allowing you to adapt whether you are holding a defensive position or aggressively flanking enemies.
Best Infantry Autogun Build for Veterans
For veteran players, the Mk V Infantry Autogun is often the go-to choice due to its balance of damage, stability, and ammo efficiency. Pairing it with the Sustained Fire blessing and perks that enhance stability and ammo efficiency allows long-term suppression without losing accuracy. Real-time experience shows that such builds excel in high-density enemy waves, letting a skilled player hold corridors alone while teammates focus on objectives.
This approach is particularly effective in high-difficulty missions, where survival depends on maintaining control and minimizing wasted shots. Veteran players often combine burst and sustained fire strategies, alternating between quick eliminations of elite targets and controlling enemy movement in long corridors.
Blessing and Perk Combinations That Work
Synergy between blessings and perks is critical for optimizing performance. A burst-focused build might use Terrifying Barrage with perks that improve reload speed or close-range accuracy, allowing quick elimination of priority targets. Meanwhile, a suppression-focused build combines Sustained Fire with stability perks, enabling continuous fire without sacrificing accuracy.
Balanced builds use Raking Fire with moderate stability perks, which work well for mid-range engagements. Real-time experience demonstrates that a slightly less powerful blessing can outperform a “top-tier” blessing if paired with perks that match the player’s style and mission objectives.
Suppression, Burst Damage, and Stability Builds
Suppression builds focus on controlling enemy movement, often anchored around Sustained Fire. They are ideal for corridors, choke points, or defensive play, allowing teammates to complete objectives safely. Burst damage builds, however, emphasize short, high-impact engagements, targeting elite enemies quickly. These rely on high-damage blessings and perks enhancing reload speed or flanking damage.
Stability-focused builds are designed for prolonged combat. By reducing recoil and spread, these builds allow sustained fire without missing shots, particularly useful in missions with high enemy density or longer corridors. Players often report that combining small burst potential with moderate stability creates the most adaptable build for various scenarios.
Columnus Mk V Infantry Autogun Breakdown
The Columnus Mk V is one of Darktide’s most versatile weapons. Its balance of damage, stability, and ammo efficiency makes it suitable for both new and experienced players. It shines in mid-range combat and defensive engagements, providing reliable performance without requiring complex handling or constant resupply.
Columnus Mk V Infantry Autogun Overview
Columnus Mk V offers moderate recoil and consistent damage output, which makes it ideal for sustained fire scenarios. Players often choose this model when holding chokepoints or managing horde-heavy sections of missions. Its combination of stability and ammo efficiency allows continuous fire without significant downtime.
Darktide Columnus Mk V Blessings
Blessings such as Sustained Fire and Raking Fire work well with Columnus Mk V. Sustained Fire supports long corridor engagements, while Raking Fire allows multiple targets to be damaged simultaneously. Terrifying Barrage is also effective for prioritizing elite enemies during skirmishes, especially when paired with perks improving reload speed.
Best Columnus Blessings for High DPS
High DPS setups focus on maximizing burst damage while maintaining control. Combining Terrifying Barrage with stability or reload-speed perks allows players to engage elite enemies efficiently. Real-time experience shows that even small boosts from blessings like Fire Frenzy can make a noticeable difference in total mission damage output.
Columnus Mk V Infantry Autogun Perks
Perks that enhance stability, ammo efficiency, and flanking damage complement the Columnus Mk V. Stability perks maintain accuracy during sustained fire, ammo perks extend engagement duration, and flanking perks allow high damage when attacking from angles. These combinations provide flexibility for solo players and squads alike, making the Mk V a versatile choice for multiple scenarios.
Vraks Infantry Autoguns Explained
The Vraks series is tailored for aggressive playstyles, favoring burst damage and mobility. Unlike Columnus, Vraks autoguns require careful handling but reward skilled players with high damage output.
Vraks Mk V Infantry Autogun Performance
The Mk V variant excels in close to mid-range combat. When paired with Dum Dum or Fire Frenzy blessings, it becomes a potent weapon for eliminating priority targets quickly. Players report that combining these blessings with perks improving ammo efficiency and recoil control allows precise and continuous fire even in chaotic engagements.
Darktide Vraks Mk V Strengths and Weaknesses
The Vraks Mk V is strong at rapid enemy elimination but consumes ammo faster than Columnus. It is highly effective in missions requiring fast flanking and quick elimination of elites. However, its stability in mid-range combat is moderate, so careful aiming and perk synergy are essential for consistent performance.
Vraks Autogun Blessings That Excel
Top blessings for the Vraks Mk V include Dum Dum, Fire Frenzy, and Raking Fire. Dum Dum maximizes burst damage for elites, Fire Frenzy is effective against hordes, and Raking Fire balances area and single-target damage. Choosing the right blessing depends on mission type and personal playstyle.
Vraks Mk III vs Vraks Mk V Comparison
The Mk III is easier to handle but offers lower damage, making it suitable for new players. The Mk V is preferred by veterans for optimized DPS and precise bursts. Real-time gameplay indicates that Mk V combined with Terrifying Barrage can rival heavier weapons in elite-heavy missions.
Vraks Mk VII Headhunter Autogun Guide
The Vraks Mk VII Headhunter is the high-end variant, designed for elite missions. It delivers exceptional burst damage but requires skillful handling.
Vraks Mk VII Headhunter Autogun Overview
The Mk VII focuses on precision and aggressive flanking. While it consumes ammo faster, its damage output against elite enemies is unmatched, making it a favorite among veteran players.
Best Blessings for Vraks Mk VII
Blessings like Terrifying Barrage and Fire Frenzy maximize the Mk VII’s burst potential. Sustained Fire can be situationally effective in long corridors, but most players prefer the other two for rapid takedowns.
Vraks Mk VII vs Infantry Autoguns
Compared to standard Infantry Autoguns, the Mk VII demands more accuracy and timing. It excels in elite-focused scenarios, offering high reward for high-risk playstyles.
When to Use a Headhunter Autogun
This weapon is best in elite-heavy missions or high-difficulty scenarios requiring fast eliminations. It works well in solo or duo play where careful positioning allows players to maximize burst potential without being overwhelmed.
Graia Infantry Autogun in Darktide
The Graia Infantry Autogun is a flexible weapon that sits between the Columnus and Vraks variants in performance. It offers moderate recoil, reliable damage output, and a balanced rate of fire, making it effective in both close-quarters and mid-range engagements. Players often select Graia for missions that require quick reactions, as it can deliver bursts of damage while maintaining stability under sustained fire.
Darktide Graia Infantry Autogun Overview
Graia performs best when paired with blessings like Raking Fire or Fire Frenzy, which enhance its ability to handle multiple enemies simultaneously. Perks that reduce recoil or improve reload speed are highly recommended, as they allow players to maintain a continuous rate of fire during horde-heavy sections. Real-time gameplay shows that Graia is forgiving for mid-tier players who may not yet have mastered recoil control, while still rewarding veterans who use it strategically.
Graia Autogun Blessings and Perks
Graia benefits from a balanced approach to blessings and perks. Sustained Fire supports long corridors and continuous suppression, while Raking Fire allows for multi-target damage in shorter engagements. Stability and ammo efficiency perks complement these blessings, helping players maintain fire without worrying about excessive reloads or missed shots. This makes Graia particularly versatile, suitable for both solo runs and squad-based missions.
Graia vs Vraks vs Columnus Comparison
When comparing Graia to Vraks and Columnus, it is less specialized but more adaptable. Vraks prioritizes burst damage, making it ideal for flanking and elite elimination, while Columnus focuses on consistent mid-range performance with higher ammo efficiency. Graia sits comfortably in between, offering enough damage to handle most scenarios while remaining manageable for players still learning loadout optimization.
Darktide Vigilant Autogun Overview
The Vigilant Autogun is unique for its focus on accuracy and controlled fire rather than raw damage. It is often used for holding mid-range choke points or providing reliable cover fire in horde-heavy missions. Its slower rate of fire may initially feel restrictive, but paired with blessings like Sustained Fire or Raking Fire, it becomes a dependable weapon for sustained engagements.
What Makes the Vigilant Autogun Unique
Unlike standard Infantry Autoguns, Vigilant rewards precision and strategic positioning. It is less effective in chaotic close-quarters combat but excels in defensive scenarios or open areas where controlling enemy movement is critical. Players often find it particularly effective in missions that require team coordination or suppressive fire over long distances.
Vigilant Autogun Blessings and Use Cases
Blessings enhance the Vigilant’s natural strengths, increasing both damage consistency and control. Sustained Fire is ideal for maintaining suppression along hallways, while Raking Fire allows for more efficient handling of clustered enemies. Perks improving stability or reload speed further extend its utility, making it a reliable choice for players who prefer measured, tactical play rather than aggressive flanking.
Vigilant Autogun vs Infantry Autogun
When compared to standard Infantry Autoguns, Vigilant is slower but more precise. It is excellent for players who value accuracy and situational awareness over raw output. Its effectiveness shines when combined with well-chosen blessings and perks, making it a strong option for strategic missions rather than straight-up horde runs.
Comparing Infantry Autogun Marks
Darktide’s Infantry Autoguns come in multiple marks: Mk III, Mk V, and Mk VII. Each has subtle differences in recoil, stability, and damage output. Mk III is beginner-friendly, offering low recoil and moderate damage. Mk V provides balanced mid-tier performance, ideal for both sustained and burst engagements. Mk VII, the Headhunter variant, emphasizes high burst damage for veteran players tackling elite-heavy missions.
Choosing the right mark depends on your playstyle and mission type. Players who favor stability and suppression often choose Mk V, while those who prefer aggressive, high-risk flanking tend to gravitate toward Mk VII. Mk III serves as a learning platform, helping new players get familiar with blessings, perks, and recoil management before upgrading to higher-tier variants.
Meta Analysis and Patch Viability
The current Darktide autogun meta prioritizes weapons that balance sustained fire and burst damage. Mk V and Mk VII remain the most popular choices due to their versatility and high damage potential. Blessings like Sustained Fire and Terrifying Barrage scale well in endgame content, allowing players to handle both horde waves and elite targets efficiently.
Patch changes often affect weapon viability, but the fundamental strategy remains the same: pair blessings with complementary perks to enhance stability, ammo efficiency, and flanking potential. Players report that builds emphasizing synergy between these elements outperform those that rely on raw damage alone, particularly in high-difficulty missions where mismanagement of ammo or recoil can be fatal.
Related Weapon Comparisons
Players frequently compare Infantry Autoguns to rifles such as the BAR Mk2 and Mk3. While BAR rifles may offer higher single-shot damage or longer range, Infantry Autoguns excel at suppression, mobility, and burst potential. Understanding these differences helps players select weapons that suit their personal playstyle and mission requirements. Real-time gameplay shows that autoguns often outperform rifles in chaotic engagements, thanks to their versatility and adaptability in both solo and squad play.
Gaming Side Notes
Interestingly, topics like Raiden V Switch and Raiden V Director’s Cut Switch reviews appear alongside autogun discussions online. While not directly related to Darktide, they reflect player interest in precision and control, themes that also resonate with Infantry Autogun performance. Understanding this broader context can help newcomers appreciate why controlled bursts, stable fire, and strategic positioning are critical to effective autogun use.
Final Verdict on Infantry Autogun Blessings
When evaluating the best overall blessings, Sustained Fire and Terrifying Barrage consistently provide high versatility and DPS. Sustained Fire works well for defensive and suppression-focused play, while Terrifying Barrage favors aggressive burst strategies. New players benefit from starting with Mk III or Mk V variants paired with simple blessings like Raking Fire, allowing them to practice recoil control and ammo management.
Veteran players can push Mk VII Headhunter variants to their limits, pairing high-damage blessings with perks that maximize flanking and burst potential. Ultimately, the key to mastering Infantry Autoguns is understanding the interaction between blessings, perks, and mission context. When optimized, any mark can perform effectively, making the Infantry Autogun a versatile and essential tool in Darktide’s challenging world.