Warhammer 40K: Darktide gives players the same number of equipment slots as its predecessor, but some of them work a bit differently this time around. While you still have the ranged weapon and melee weapon slots just like in Vermintide 2, necklaces, charms, and trinkets have all been replaced with Curios this time around.
Curios work pretty similarly to Vermintide 2’s jewelry in that they can be used to add extra stats and various buffs to your character. Aside from one or two exceptions, the perks found on Curios are designed to improve defensive capabilities.
How To Get Free Curios
While every character starts with two weapons right off the bat, you won’t be able to get your hands on your first Curio until level 8. And even then, you (probably) won’t get it for free. Once you reach level 8, you automatically unlock your first Curio slot, however, you’ll still need to acquire the item itself.
Occasionally, you may receive a Curio instead of a weapon as a reward for successfully completing a mission, which can happen prior to reaching level 8. But you won’t be able to actually equip it until you unlock the first slot.
Every character in Warhammer 40K: Darktide can unlock three Curio slots regardless of their class. The second slot unlocks at level 16 while the third one unlocks at level 24. Similar to the first slot, the following two are automatically unlocked upon reaching the level requirement.
How To Buy Curios
If you’re not lucky enough to receive free Curios for completing missions, don’t worry because you can simply buy them instead. There are two places where you can buy Curios, both of which can be found aboard the Mourningstar. The most obvious place is the Armoury Exchange where, in addition to weapons, you can often find Curios for sale.
Curios can also be purchased from Sire Melk’s Requisitorium. The Curios found here are typically better quality but are more difficult to acquire. The Requisitorium only becomes available at level 11, so you won’t be able to shop here immediately after you unlock the first slot. Not just that but Sire Melk sells his goods in exchange for special currency that can only be obtained by fulfilling weekly contracts. A lot of these contracts can be time-consuming but the items you can buy from Sire Melk are definitely worth the trouble.
How To Upgrade Curios
Curio upgrading works just like weapon upgrading. You’ll first want to visit the Shrine of the Omnissiah and have the Tech Priest there Consecrate the Curio you want to improve. It’s worth mentioning that upgrading a Curio won’t change any of its existing perks or blessings. Every Curio comes with a blessing and can hold up to three perks. Whenever you upgrade a Curio, the Tech Priest simply adds a perk to it.
The perks you get when upgrading Curios are always random, but you will eventually be able to replace them with new ones at the Shrine of the Omnissiah via the ‘Refine Item’ option. Unfortunately, that option, along with a few others, wasn’t made available at launch and may take a while longer until it gets implemented.
