Darktide Groaner Enemy Type Explained

Learn about the Groaner, a horde enemy type in warhammer 40000 darktide. Understand their differences from Pox Walkers and their combat role.

The Groaner is a horde enemy type that appears throughout warhammer 40000 darktide, sometimes during specific events and also lurking around levels. They tend to share spawn locations with Pox Walkers, another form of the infested enemy type.

The primary difference between Pox Walkers and Groaners is largely cosmetic. Pox Walkers appear as demonic, human-like enemies, while Groaners are the more zombified versions, often dressed in casual clothes and resembling zombies. For instance, Groaners can be found in the Meat Grinder, in a section separate from the Pox Walkers.

Like the Pox Walker, Groaners are primarily melee-focused enemies and possess no armor. Crucially, these enemies do not typically apply corruption to your wounds or health bar, as they have not fully succumbed to Nurgle like the Pox Walkers. In essence, they are standard melee enemies with no armor and no specific strategy or counterplay required.

In terms of gameplay, you generally won't need weapons with special traits or perks to bolster your damage against Groaners. They pose little threat unless you are tackling mission difficulties significantly beyond your gear and character level. You might consider using a weapon effective for clearing hordes if you are facing Endless Horde conditions or defending/clearing an objective area, but this is only necessary if your build is specifically focused on horde clearing for your party.

Overall, Groaners in warhammer 40000 darktide are generally not a high priority. The only time you truly need to pay close attention to them is when you are in a very coordinated group and are collecting weapons with different enemy counter buffs to maximize your chances of creating a solid team for the hardest difficulties and levels.