Welcome to the grimdark depths of Warhammer 40K: Darktide where survival hinges on your ability to adapt and nothing helps you adapt better than Curios. These relics or talismans are an important part of your character build and can be the difference between dominating hordes of heretics or watching the game over screen. This guide explains everything you need to know about Curios in Warhammer 40,000 Darktide: what they are, where to get them, how to upgrade them, and how to build around them for maximum effects.
What are Curios?
Curios are slotable gear pieces that act like accessories or charms; you can consider them as Darktide’s version of Vermintide 2’s necklaces, trinkets, and charms but with more customization and a bigger impact on how you play. They come with Blessings (main stat boosts) and Perks (secondary buffs) which vary based on the item’s rarity.
Here are the Curio rarities and what you get with each tier:
- Common (Green): 1 Blessing
- Rare (Blue): 1 Blessing + 1 Perk
- Epic (Purple): 1 Blessing + 2 Perks
- Legendary (Orange/Yellow): 1 Blessing + 3 Perks
Each character can equip up to three Curios, with slots unlocking at levels 8, 16, and 24. What makes them so great is that many effects can stack. Want to be a Toughness tank? Stack all Curios that increase Toughness or Toughness Damage Resistance. Want to survive more knockdowns? Stack Wounds.
How Curios Work in Warhammer 40K Darktide
Curious talismans have some good abilities like increasing health, revival rate and injury resistance. You’ll also get experience buffs and low damage from many enemy attacks. Out of the 3 health slots, you’ll lose 1 slot when knocked out of the game and revived. But you can recover the purple-marked corrupted part of your health from the medical center.
Curios are like passive anchors for your character. You don’t see them in action like your Thunder Hammer or Force Sword, but they set the tone for how long you last and how efficiently you can keep going. Rather than offering direct combat mechanics, Curios quietly tilt the scales including how much damage you shrug off, how quickly you bounce back, and how far you can push before needing a heal. They’re subtle but in higher difficulties, the margins they provide are big.
One common mistake players make is assuming Curios behave like talents or gear with active properties. They don’t. They don’t trigger anything, stack effects on enemies, or unlock new moves. What they do is shift your survivability and support capacity and that’s something you feel over time, not with a big in-your-face effect. You won’t suddenly feel more powerful after slotting in a +15% Toughness Curio, but you’ll survive the gunner wave you used to die to.
However, Curios aren’t linear power-ups; they scale based on your build choices, class kit, and mission type. A +3 Stamina Curio might be useful for a Zealot entering into hordes but can be a complete waste on an Ogryn who already has the Stamina bar of a small moon. Same goes for +Health — it might sound universally good but if your build revolves around regenerating Toughness constantly and rarely taking real damage, that Curio might be less impactful than something like Toughness regen or Sprint Efficiency.
One of the things that makes Curios special is how their effects layer invisibly. You won’t see a pop-up telling you “Congratulations! Your +20% Gunner Resistance saved your life,” but it’s happens constantly in the background. Over time, stacking similar bonuses like multiple Curios that each give small health boosts or different types of resistances adds up in a very noticeable way.
Curios can be different depending on the current mission tier. On lower difficulties, you might not notice or even need to min-max your Curio. Though in case of Damnation with modifiers, a Curio with 20% damage resistance to Gunners or +Revive Speed turns from “meh” to “oh thank the Emperor I had that.” That means your loadout could shift not only by class, but by mission context and that’s something most players don’t think about.
How to Get Curios in Darktide
There are a few different ways to get your hands on Curios in Darktide. Once you hit level 8, you’ll see Curios pop up for sale in the hourly-resetting Armoury Exchange. The stats are random so check back often and cross your fingers. It’s completely random what Curios will be for sale. To get a specific collection of perks, you may need to wait for the shop to reset to buy them. In Darktide, the developers have removed the restrictions placed on merging talismans that were in Vermintide 2, you can now pile any of your choices.
Unlocked at Trust Level 11, Sire Melk’s Requisitorium shop offers higher-quality Curios, but they cost special currency that you earn by doing weekly contracts. Great potential rewards, but it takes more effort to grind. After finishing a mission, there’s also a chance you’ll receive the Emperor’s Gift. Sometimes it’s a weapon, and sometimes it’s a Curio. You can increase your odds of getting Curios through perks or specific Curios that boost drop rates.
If you don’t like what you got, don’t worry. The Shrine of the Omnissiah lets you consecrate (upgrade) Curios. The higher the rarity, the more perks you can unlock, and once you’ve maxed one out, you can refine perks to try for better ones.
Curio Blessings (Main Stats)
These are the core stats. Here’s a breakdown of some of the best:
- +Toughness – Regenerates over time and during combat so is often more valuable than raw health.
- +Health – Gives more HP; valuable against corruption and damage that bypasses Toughness.
- +Stamina – Boosts your bar for blocking, sprinting, and pushing.
- +1 Wound – Adds an extra revive opportunity, which can delay corruption death.
Most veterans recommend stacking Toughness, then a splash of Health or Stamina depending on your class and playstyle. One stack is the good case for Wounds but stacking three usually isn’t the best strategy.
Curious Perks (Secondary Bonuses)
These are smaller bonuses that complement your build. They can level up damage resistance, regeneration, revive speed, and more. These are some solid perks you can consider to use:
- Toughness Regeneration Speed
- Damage Resistance (Gunners/Snipers)
- Stamina Regeneration
- Sprint Efficiency
- Combat Ability Regeneration
- Corruption Resistance (especially if you’re handling grimoires)
Beware of weaker perks like +XP or +Ordo Dockets, these are great early on but mostly filler at higher levels.
How to Upgrade and Craft Curios
Crafting in Darktide demands some grind, but it levels up your gear. Here’s the upgrade process from the Tech Priest at the Shrine of the Omnissiah:
- White → Green: 150 Plasteel
- Green → Blue: 50 Diamantine + 200 Plasteel
- Blue → Purple: 150 Diamantine + 400 Plasteel
- Purple → Orange: 350 Diamantine + 900 Plasteel
Upgrading doesn’t change existing perks/blessings but it just adds new ones. Once fully upgraded, you can reroll perks and try to tweak your setup. You’ll need plenty of crafting materials, so keep grinding missions, completing weekly activities, and opening gifts from the Emperor.
Curio Loadout: What to Prioritize
Zealot
- Prioritize: Toughness, Sprint Efficiency, Stamina
- Melee-focused, so staying mobile and keeping Toughness up is your bread and butter.
Veteran
- Prioritize: Toughness, Health, Damage Resistance (Gunners)
- As a ranged fighter, you need survivability during ranged duels and fast recovery from chip damage.
Psyker
- Prioritize: Health, Stamina, Corruption Resistance
- Squishy and corruption-prone; built to survive grimoires and bursty corruption damage.
Ogryn
- Prioritize: Health, Damage Resistance, Revive Speed
- Your Toughness regen is weak, so pure tankiness and utility (reviving others) are the goal.
Curio effects stack, meaning you can triple up on the same stat and become a specialist. To be a tank, go with +Toughness or +Damage Resistance and to farm Curios faster, stack +Curio Drop Chance. However, a stacked build comes with tradeoffs. You will survive longer, but lose utility or movement. Furthermore, check out our guides hub to read more latest stuff on games.
