One of Xbox Game Pass best-kept secrets is getting a cybernetic hound that is your best friend and your enemy's worst nightmare

Fatshark answers questions regarding the deadly Cyber-Mastiff that will accompany Warhammer 40,000: Darktide's 1st paid DLC class – the Arbites.
Make the enemies of man submit to the laws of the Imperium with your gun and Cyber-Mastiff. (Image credit: Fatshark)

During the Warhammer 40,000 Skulls 2025 event, Fatshark announced that on June 23, 2025, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide would be getting its first paid DLC class – the Arbites.

The Arbites are police officers of the Imperium of Man who strive to enforce its laws and punish criminals/heretics who dare to defy them by shooting them in the face or condemning them to life in prison.

The Arbites class's unique feature is that they command a weaponised cyborg hound called the Cyber-Mastiff in battle, and Fatshark (the game's developer and publisher) has recently released a blog post on Reddit detailing how the gameplay of this killer-dog will pan out.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide - Arbites Class Reveal | Cinematic Trailer - YouTube Warhammer 40,000: Darktide - Arbites Class Reveal | Cinematic Trailer - YouTube
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According to the blog, the Cyber-Mastiff will act as an AI companion for players who take the Arbites class, that's always out on the field. When enemies approach, the Cyber-Mastiff will attack them on its own or can be commanded by the player to attack specific targets by pinging them twice.

Cyber-Mastiffs can also pin regular human enemies to the ground, stagger larger Ogryn enemies, and help rescue their master if that player gets pinned by an enemy Pox-Hound or a Mutant.

“And then, of course, you can command the dog to attack something else, like if it’s attacking a Berserker on the ground and you want it to chase down a sniper, you can do that.”

Gunnar, Game Designer at Fatshark

The cool part about Cyber-Mastiffs is that they don't take any damage from enemies or players, so you don't have to worry about them dying in battle. Additionally, their abilities can be upgraded by spending points in the Arbites' class talent tree dedicated to Cyber-Mastiffs.

However, suppose a player doesn't want to have Cyber-Mastiff around. In that case, they can dismiss it and spend points in special talent trees that augment the Arbites' abilities to compensate for not having their Cyber-Mastiff around.

Sic them boy in the name of the God Emperor!

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Official Launch Trailer - YouTube Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Official Launch Trailer - YouTube
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Imperial cops and cyborg dogs aren't the only new features coming to Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, because on June 23, 2025, the game will also be receiving a massive free update.

This update will add more story context to missions, an improved introduction to Tertium for new players, a reworked difficulty progression system based on player skill, and mission board changes that allow all missions to be displayed at every difficulty level.

In short, this update and the upcoming Arbites class will be the perfect jumping-on point for new players for me. Despite being a long-time fan of Warhammer 40,000 videogames since the classic Dawn of War RTS series, I have personally held off on playing this game for a long time since I read my colleague, Samuel Tolbert's, review of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide in 2022.

While the game had satisfying visceral combat and incredible visuals that wonderfully brought the grimdark universe of Warhammer 40,000 to life, the performance and balance issues it had at launch left a lot to be desired.

Three years later, Darktide has received significant fixes to those aforementioned bugbears, improved the general gameplay flow and class balance, and is now about to get its biggest update yet.

With this changes coming, I can't wait to finally give this Xbox Game Pass hidden gem a go and unleash my Cyber-Mastiff on heretical criminals and Nurgle Daemons alike when the Arbites class and free update launches for the Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC (via Windows and Steam) versions of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide on June 23, 2025.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

Take up arms alongside your refect brethren and march into the gothic city of Tertium to cleanse it of traitorous heretics and disgusting Daemons of Nurgle looking to bring it to ruin.

Buy at: CDKeys (Steam) | GreenManGaming (Steam) | Best Buy (Xbox) | Walmart (Xbox)

Alexander Cope
Contributor — Gaming

Alexander Cope is a gaming veteran of 30-plus years, primarily covering PC and Xbox games here on Windows Central. Gaming since the 8-bit era, Alexander's expertise revolves around gaming guides and news, with a particular focus on Japanese titles from the likes of Elden Ring to Final Fantasy. Alexander is always on deck to help our readers conquer the industry's most difficult games — when he can pry himself away from Monster Hunter that is! 

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