Today, Owlcat Games shared a detailed look inside the Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy Closed Beta, now available to all Founder’s Pack owners on PC. The Closed Beta opens the game’s complete first Act — around 20 hours of investigations, combat encounters, and companion recruitment in the Imperial sector of Scintilla — and reveals the systems through which the Acolytes of the Inquisition pursue heresy across the Calixis Sector.
The blog post detailing what players will encounter during the Closed Beta:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3710600/view/710026912607504543
At the centre of Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy sits a dedicated investigation system. Acolytes gather evidence across multiple locations, interview witnesses, and cross-reference their findings in an in-game journal that flags contradictions as they emerge. Companions can be consulted mid-mission to apply their specialist knowledge to a stalled lead. When the investigation concludes, the player resolves it by either uncovering the literal truth of what occurred or by assigning blame in a manner that better serves the Inquisition’s long-term objectives. Both paths carry consequences.
Ten companions are recruitable across the Closed Beta, each carrying a unique background ability nobody else can replicate. Acolytes can travel, among others, with the Eldar Wayseeker Laarthyr Cairnareth, the Kroot Ra’akhti, an Adeptus Mechanicus tech-priest, an Ogryn warrior, a Pariah whose presence shuts down every psychic power in her zone of influence, and Aspice Chorda of the Chorda Dynasty — a name familiar to Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader veterans.
Combat has been rebuilt around purpose. Encounters in the Closed Beta carry secondary objectives beyond simply defeating every enemy on the field: hostages to rescue, targets to capture alive for interrogation, warp rifts to seal before they spread. Supporting that approach is a new individual morale system replacing Rogue Trader’s shared momentum, an immediate zone of influence around every combatant, an interruptible concentration mechanic for major enemy actions, and armor that functions as a separate resource pool. Acolytes who break an enemy squad’s morale completely can end an encounter without a single kill, choosing to execute the survivors or take them in for questioning.
The beta also contains character creation. Players may choose from five Tier-1 archetypes — Warrior, Officer, Operative, Soldier, and the new Mystic archetype for sanctioned psykers — along with four origins, three home worlds, and nine body types. Specialisations replace Rogue Trader’s broader talent pool, while ability modifications layer long-term depth onto the build. The Sanctioned Psyker origin also stands on its own, leaving room for unconventional acolytes such as a Warrior who manipulates the warp or a Soldier with a sanctioned gift.
The Closed Beta will remain open until the game’s release, and player feedback collected throughout will inform the final build. Founder’s Pack owners can access the Closed Beta through the official website.
Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy will launch on Windows PC (Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store) and consoles (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S).
