How to Rev Chainsaw Weapons in Warhammer 40K: Darktide

The weapons of Warhammer 40K: Darktide are cool off their primary actions alone, though pulling out their secondary actions and special actions unlocks the true potential of the weapon. Take the Ogryn’s Ripper Gun for example, which has a several-round burst but turns fully automatic when activating its secondary action. You’ll never see an enemy melt faster. For some weapons, though, their special action may be a bit confusing. Here’s how to rev chainsaw-based weapons in Warhammer 40K: Darktide.

How to Activate Chainsaw Weapons in Darktide

Out of all of the weapons available in Darktide, three of them offer chainsaw capabilities. These are the Chainsword and Chainaxe, which are available for most characters, alongside the Heavy Eviscerator, which is available exclusively for the Zealot. Each of these has different properties, though triggering their chainsaw works the same. To rev the chainsaw, simply press your Weapon Special Action button (one of the additional mouse buttons by default).

Doing this will activate the weapon’s chainsaw for a few seconds. Unless you hit an enemy in that time, the chainsaw will stop revving, and you’ll need to press it again. If you hit an enemy while it’s revved though, it will stick into them and inflict massive damage over the next second. As an added tip, a heavy hit with the chainsaw revved does, in fact, deal even more damage. In our testing, the Chainsword revved does several hundred more damage with a heavy attack over a light attack.

Related: How to Unlock and Use the Chainsword in Warhammer 40K: Darktide

Revving up your chainsaw on one of the three chainsaw-based weapons is an important part of using the weapon correctly. Outside of the Eviscerator, you’ll be using these weapons primarily for close-range special killing, so having that chainsaw revved up will make the job much, much easier. Just try not to hit your arm in the process.