[Update #2]: Darktide's August update is looking to fix long-standing issues like crafting locks.
[Update]: Darktide's Patch 11 has added Crossplay, a new Mission Modifier and buffed the useless Ogyrn Shield.
After being teased for a couple of months at this point, Darktide's biggest content update has now finally arrived. The Rejects Unite update brings with it two new maps to mess around with, a revamped version of Vermintide 2's Chaos Spawn as a brand new boss, a couple of new cosmetics, and unfortunately, endless crashes for a sizable portion of players using AMD GPUs. The Fatshark team is aware of the problem and is already working on a solution, so with a bit of luck that blunder will get resolved with post-haste.
On the positive side Archivum Sycorax, the first of the new maps, is a great deal of fun. It has some unique and interesting setpieces to fight through, an awesome soundtrack, as well as a nice and spacious finale that feels fresh despite being fairly similar to everything we've seen so far. While not my personal favorite due to the overabundance of gunners on different elevations, Archivum Sycorax is definitely a solid map and a good addition to Darktide's roster.
The same applies to the Chaos Spawn. Its attack patterns are quite similar to those found in the Vermintide 2 version, which means it's fast, aggressive and unpredictable. While this makes it a bit hard to deal with, unless you have a thunder hammer anyway, it also makes it a whole lot more fun to fight than the other two bosses which are mostly just pushovers.
As for the second map, Ascension Riser 31, for that one we'll need to complete the third and final in-game challenge in order to unlock it. Don't get too excited, however, as the 'challenge' won't actually impact your gameplay since it simply requires the collective Darktide community to do what it usually does - play the game. Either way, we're currently on the very first challenge, so it'll likely be a little while before Ascension Riser 31 is finally available.
Instead of having all of the cosmetic items in one huge, disorganized list in the weapons shop, the Rejects Unite update has now also added the Commisary where you can easily browse them by category and class, test them out, and naturally, purchase them with in-game currency. However, while this is a massive improvement over the previous system, the new cosmetics are unfortunately mostly just garish, ugly and absurdly expensive recolors of stuff you already own and have seen a million times. There's a couple of standout pieces, such as the new backpacks, but overall there's disappointingly few interesting-looking items to play dress-up with.
Speaking of disappointment, I'm also saddened to say that the previously teased quality-of-life update is incredibly small. The only changes of note include smaller but deadlier Hunting Grounds waves, Pox Hounds being slightly easier to push, Medical Crates wasting less of their capacity on downed players, and slightly faster underhanded granade throws. That's pretty much it. There are no balance tweaks, no weapon adjustments or reworks and, most annoyingly, no changes to the crafting system that still relies on a community-made mod in order to properly function.
Long story short, the Rejects Unite is a fun update that's definitely worth diving back into Darktide for, but just don't expect it to hold your attention for very long as things will settle down into the same old routine again as soon as the new maps lose their luster. Until that moment comes, I hope you have fun with the new stuff, and I'll leave you with a trailer showcasing what all of the additions look like in action: