head to head
vs
Middle-earth: Shadow of WarvsWarhammer 40,000: Darktide
Middle-earth: Shadow of War leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Warhammer 40,000: Darktide leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Middle-earth: Shadow of WarWarhammer 40,000: Darktide
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 7
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide leans harder on execution: Melee-gunplay weaving under horde pressure
Reads1 vs 2
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide leans harder on reads: Scripted specials, not adaptive opponents
Variance4 vs 5
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide leans harder on variance: Director spawns and weapon rolls vary
Optimization7 vs 7
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.