It’s been a little over a week since the new Darktide class, the Hive Scum, hit Atoma — and unlike the Arbites or most past balance updates, the reaction has been all over the place. The community can’t seem to agree on one thing: is the Hive Scum actually underpowered, or are players just not fully dialed into how the class works yet?
Is the Hive Scum Underpowered?
The Hive Scum can slot into a few different archetypes — ranged, melee, or damage-over-time — but they all have one shared identity: this class is a glass cannon, through and through. Compared to every other class on the roster, the Hive Scum starts with noticeably fewer defensive talents. You’re not getting the usual early Toughness regen tools or sneaky damage reduction nodes that most classes rely on.
Instead, their “defense” is built around movement: better dodge distance, longer dodge windows, and constant repositioning. If you’re not actively dodging, you’re going down. That fragility is what makes the class feel rough at first — even Psykers have more reliable ways to get their Toughness back.
So the big question becomes: is the Hive Scum genuinely too squishy for higher difficulties, or are players missing the full picture?
Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, and… Dodge
Despite their fragility, the Hive Scum absolutely hits hard. Fatshark clearly designed them to be a pure glass cannon — the opposite of the Arbites, who stroll around like walking tanks stuffed with armor, shields, and crowd control.
The Hive Scum? They’re an unarmored hive rat with shivs, pistols, chems, and absolutely no fear.
But here’s the part people overlook: they do have powerful survival tools, they’re just unconventional. Right now, they have Enhanced Desperado (full ranged immunity during activation), a talent that makes them melee immune while sliding, and a fully customizable stim that can be specced into either big offense or legit life-saving defense.
If you’re not leaning into dodging and these utility tools, you’re playing them at half power.
The Power Dynamic of the Hive Scum
Because they don’t get traditional defensive options, the Hive Scum compensates with some of the strongest offensive tools in the game. Unlike past Darktide patches, where certain classes had entire archetypes that felt unreliable, the Hive Scum actually has viable builds across the board.
- Chem Grenade – one of the most absurd mob-melting tools Darktide has ever seen.
- Boom Bringer – massive burst damage.
- Chem Toxin – a surprisingly strong DoT effect.
The tricky part is making sure they don’t overlap too much with the Zealot on one end or the Veteran on the other. Push them too far in either direction, and they stop feeling unique — which is probably why Fatshark has been cautious.
Still, most players agree that giving the Hive Scum even one or two Toughness regen talents would go a long way, especially for anyone trying a melee-focused setup.
What Do You Think?
So where do you land?
Are the Hive Scum actually underpowered, or has the community just not figured out how to squeeze the most out of their kit yet? Is the fragility too much, or does the mobility make up for it once everything clicks?
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