The Union Between The Adeptus Arbites And The Inquisition In Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, Explained

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- More Forces On The Horizon

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is, for many, the introduction to the lore of the 40k universe. While the game does a good job at setting the tone and establishing the idea of the world, there are decades’ worth of lore that you obviously can’t throw into a single video game.

A full team In Warhammer 40,000 Darktide.

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With the addition of the new Arbites class, players may have questions about the new faction vying for imperial control of Atoma, as well as just why the Arbites have decided to throw their lot in with the Inquisition. Thankfully, the lore of both factions and the chaos incursion have some answers about the whole mess in the underhives.

Goal Of The Arbites

An armored arbites patroller wielding a shotgun in Warhammer: 40,000. — Arbites via Games Workshop

The new shotgun-wielding characters you’ll find fighting alongside the usual rejects of Tertium’s underhives are known as the Adeptus Arbites, commonly referred to as the Arbites (or ‘Arbiters’ for individuals). They are the police force of most imperial worlds, albeit a highly militarized one.

Arbites are the “peacekeepers” of cities and domestic townships all across the galaxy, and they have their job cut out for them. Not only do they have to deal with anyone who breaks the law of the Lex Imperialis, set forth supposedly by The Emperor and Malcador themselves, but also any gang activity, mutants, heretical cults, and anyone else who decides to go against the imperial way of life.

Law and order are their only goal, and any deviation from the Lex is to be sorted out with extreme prejudice. This means that not only is a chaos incursion in the underhives of Tertium bad in the sense of heretical ideals, but also in the way it affects the manufacture of Moebian steel for the war effort, and as a result, unknown number of workers are not showing up for crucial jobs across the hive city. Something that is seen to upset various noble houses of the city in Darktide missions.

Not to mention the issue of any loss of productivity would affect a planet’s ability to pay its Imperial Tithe to the sector and imperium at large, making this a far larger issue.

Goal Of The Inquisition

A close shot of The Inquisitor looking at the camera in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.

The goal of the Inquisition depends on which sect the Inquisitor belongs to. Inquisitor Grendyl, who controls the ship Mourningstar from afar, is a part of the Ordo Hereticus that seeks to destroy any trace of chaos that corrupts the Imperium from within.

Seeing such an ongoing and high-intensity chaos incursion is reason enough for The Inquisition to get involved. Add the aforementioned stress of the loss of manufacturing capabilities in the sector, and the Inquisition will be more than interested in stepping up.

Common Ground

An Adeptus Arbite with only one arm, standing in front of enemies in a burning building in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.

The Inquisition is fond of calling in aid from any imperial (and sometimes non-imperial) groups, and they do so with ease, with a rule of law that is nearly absolute. Which means they could easily have called in a group of Arbites from nearby planets, and requisitioned any surviving members from Atoma proper as well.

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Interestingly enough, though, it seems that the Arbites are coming to aid the Mourningstar of their own accord. The two are separate groups who have nearly endless power when it comes to upholding imperial rule; one can see them butting heads more often than working together. The key to this cooperation is the extent of the chaos forces on Atoma.

Officially recognized sightings of daemonhosts, more primal daemons, severe mutations, and even an Imperial Guard force fallen under the control of chaos mean that this isn’t some scattered underhive cult rebelling. A full-blown chaos incursion of the planet or sector seems likely to start right under the hive city.

If chaos sees Tertium and the surrounding sector as an important enough goal, then further chaos forces may be on the way. This means that any imperial forces in the sector would be converging on Atoma urgently.

Plus, a pseudo-war led by small groups of operatives in a cramped underhive space is nearly exactly what the Arbites are trained for.

The Issue With Atoma

A group of survivors looking at hive city Tertium in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.

Fans of the 40k universe are plenty familiar with what the Imperium will do when faced with losing a planet to chaos. It usually involves razing the planet in one way or another (virus bombs, nuclear warfare, or causing the planet to explode entirely) in a term referred to as Exterminatus. A planet destroyed is a planet full of supplies that can’t be used by the enemy.

Why Not Exterminatus?

The issue with Atoma is that it is an important world for not only creating Imperial Guard forces and manufacturing steel and armored vehicles (like the Leman Russ tanks you see being made at certain levels), but for symbolic reasons, as it is the main planet of that solar system. It may also, and often likely be, a point of pride for Inquisitor Grendyl.

Being unable to stop a small-scale chaos incursion in an underhive with a ship full of agents, and instead letting it turn into a planetary or system-wide threat, would be a serious black mark on their career.

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So, having even less likely agents in the Inquisitor’s retinue, like the Arbites or even mutants like Ogryn and unsanctioned Psykers, is a necessary evil to try to stem the tide of chaos in the underhive.

What’s Next For Tertium?

Towers of the hive city Tertium with flames in the distance in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. — Hive City Tertium Concept Art via Warhammer 40K: Darktide

Like Darktide has shown, the war in Tertium’s underhive is a slippery slope. There have been some victories, such as the death of various chaos lieutenants and commanders, and the foiling of various plans to destroy Tertium at large. However, holding the chaos forces where they are has always been the main priority.

More Forces On The Horizon

What happens next depends on the success of the Adeptus Arbites as they enter the fight. If they are successful, or if they are aided by other imperial factions in the sector, then excising the chaos forces from the hive city may be a possibility. Seeing the reach of Grendyl as an Inquisitor means having Mechanicus, Imperial Guard, or other imperial forces aid them seems likely.

However, if the chaos incursion gets worse, Atoma will probably shift into a full-scale warzone. The strongest of the chaos forces (fully-formed daemons, chaos space marines, and other chaos military forces) have yet to show up in the underhives, which means this is as likely as stronger imperial forces appearing.