Darktide Depths of the Damned is the free September 29 update that sends the Mourningstar warband deeper into Tertium with a new three-mission story campaign, the Spillway mission, the Prophet of Decay boss and six new weapons. It is already live on all current platforms, so this is now a practical hub for what changed rather than a preview of content still waiting to arrive.
The biggest addition is Spillway, a new mission in the Torrent that uses branching routes and culminates in a unique boss fight. Darktide Depths of the Damned also launches the limited Allies and Adversaries event, which runs until October 13 and rewards normal progression currencies plus a new Insignia for players working through the connected campaign.
Darktide Depths of the Damned: everything added in the free update
Fatshark built the update around a connected story rather than dropping one isolated map onto the mission board. The first two campaign missions reuse Consignment Yard and Enclavum Baross with new narrative context, while the third mission is the completely new Spillway level. That structure leads directly into the Prophet of Decay encounter at the end of Spillway.
The update also expands the armoury with six new weapons and marks. The headline additions include the Ogryn Cruncher two-handed hammer, the Ogryn Thugshot slug shotgun and the Huntsman’s Shotgun for the human classes, alongside new marks for existing weapon families. Fatshark has published detailed movesets and class availability for those weapons separately.
Spillway is the new mission
Spillway is the part of Darktide Depths of the Damned that changes mission structure most noticeably. Early sections play more like familiar Darktide, but the mission later asks the team to choose between branching routes. A symbol discovered earlier in the level tells you which path is the safer route, while the wrong choice can add traps, locked doors or extra tasks.
There are two major route-choice points. The first offers two paths and the second offers three, and Fatshark says the correct symbol is randomised between playthroughs. Every route eventually reconnects, so choosing incorrectly does not permanently fail the mission, but it can make the run significantly harder before the team reaches the boss arena.
The Prophet of Decay boss is live
The final encounter in Darktide Depths of the Damned is the Prophet of Decay, a Nurgle-aligned Psyker fought exclusively at the end of Spillway. Hotfix 1.13.1 already changed the fight on Damnation and above, which is important because launch-day guides can now be wrong even though the update is only a few days old.
On those higher difficulties, the second phase now uses a minimum of three tooth pillars instead of two. Fatshark also adjusted health thresholds in the first and last phases so players can deal more melee damage during exhausted windows, making those moments especially important for teams that want to finish the encounter cleanly.
Terrors in the Depths campaign order
The connected campaign begins with Consignment Yard, moves to Enclavum Baross and finishes in Spillway. Fatshark’s release material is slightly inconsistent about the campaign name, using versions including Terrors in the Depths, Terrors of the Deep and Terror in the Depths across different posts. The three-mission order is consistent even when the wording is not.
For players chasing the limited event, the mission order matters because Allies and Adversaries specifically asks you to play the campaign content. You do not need to treat the first two missions as brand-new maps; they are familiar locations carrying new story material that lead into the new finale.
Allies and Adversaries event rewards
Darktide Depths of the Damned launched alongside Allies and Adversaries, which remains live through October 13. Progress comes from playing the campaign missions, and Fatshark confirms the reward pool includes Plasteel, Ordo Dockets, Diamantine and a new cosmetic Insignia.
The event is separate from the permanent free update. Spillway, the boss and the new weapons are update content, while the event rewards have a deadline. That means returning players should prioritise the limited track first if they want the Insignia before it leaves.
Hotfix 1.13.1 already changed the update
Anyone returning to Darktide Depths of the Damned after reading launch-day advice should install the latest hotfix before troubleshooting. Version 1.13.1 fixed missing crafting materials after Mortis Trials and a crash when entering the Meat Grinder, while also changing the Prophet of Decay fight on Damnation and higher.
The hotfix still lists a known text problem with the new Spillway Penances. Some descriptions reference Damnation on the Auric board when the requirement is Auric difficulty, and another reference still mentions the removed Sedition difficulty. Those are objective-text errors rather than a sign that the old difficulty has returned.
Darktide Depths of the Damned is best understood from the current live build because Fatshark has already changed part of this update through Hotfix 1.13.1.
Darktide Depths of the Damned is therefore best treated as a full content drop rather than one new mission with a boss attached.
Darktide Depths of the Damned also gives returning players a limited event to prioritise before October 13 while the permanent update remains available.
Darktide Depths of the Damned is a broader update than one new boss mission, because it also changes the armoury and adds a limited event track. That wider structure is why the update works better as a hub with separate child guides.
Darktide Depths of the Damned remains permanent after Allies and Adversaries ends. The October 13 deadline applies to the event rewards, not to Spillway itself.
Official source: Fatshark Depths of the Damned update.
