Getting started with DarkSwarm
DarkSwarm is not playable yet — here is how to get in earliest and what to read while you wait.
- Wishlist the game on Steam — it signals demand and feeds the algorithm that decides playtest scale.
- Watch for alpha and beta announcements on the game's official social channels; playtests are how the first real data reaches this wiki.
- Read the mission briefing on this wiki to understand the extraction loop before you ever drop in.
- Pick a class to main — all four are confirmed, kits are not. Your pick can change when numbers land.
When Early Access opens, this guide becomes a launch checklist: first-hour priorities, squad composition basics, and how to read the weapons database.
Picking your operative →
Picking your operative
Four classes are confirmed — Assault, Engineer, Support, Infiltrator — but their kits are not published. Anything you read anywhere right now that assigns them weapons or abilities is speculation.
- Assault reads as the frontline slot; expect to test it first if you like being the tip of the spear.
- Engineer reads as the toolkit slot for players who like solving the room.
- Support reads as the squad's sustain — the class that keeps a bad plan alive.
- Infiltrator reads as the quiet route: stealth and hacking are confirmed game systems.
These are archetype readings of the class names, not leaks. Each class page here links off this hub and will carry verified kits, tier notes and build starters as soon as they exist.
Reading the extraction loop →
Reading the extraction loop
Every DarkSwarm mission is a Valstorm contract with three phases: deploy, objective, extract. The loop's tension comes from the third phase — one way out — turning every objective decision into an exit-cost decision.
- Deploy: squads of up to four drop into a procedural facility under Sara's orbital direction.
- Objective: recover resources and data; stealth, hacking and destruction each open different routes.
- Extract: fight back out through the swarm, or leave the haul behind.
The missions section carries the full briefing, and will document contract types, rewards and threat ratings as they are published.