You are into pain, loot, and hordes of enemies? You feel most comfortable in a dark world full of black magic, dark powers, and little chance for good? Then Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is the game you have been waiting for!
Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is the successor to the popular title Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide. The gameplay is simple: Four heroes are sent on a mission where they must chop their way through massive amounts of enemies and bosses.
Sounds familiar, Left 4 Dead works in the same way. However, in Vermintide, you are not fighting against zombies but against ratmen (Skaven) and evil people from the North, followers of the dark chaos gods.
What are Warhammer and Vermintide?
Warhammer is a world where constant war prevails. There is always some power to fight against, or one that starts a war by itself. Warhammer is not a classic “good vs evil” but more of a “we against all.”
Somewhat more familiar to gamers may be Warhammer 40,000, which is set nearly 40,000 years in the future. The world and the conflicts are the same. Broadly speaking: The Empire of Man against everything else that exists in the universe.
In Vermintide, you find yourself in the scenario of Warhammer: Fantasy. Here, there are no spaceships and ‘the Emperor’, but castles and Sigmar, in whose name battles are fought. Instead of aliens (Xenos), the enemies are mainly ratmen, the Skaven.
Unique Characters with Level System
In Vermintide 2, just like in its predecessor, there are five characters that you can play as.
The further you progress, the more you can develop your characters. Each character has three subclasses, called careers, the second of which is unlocked at level 7 and the third at level 12. There is also a talent point at every five levels. This creates dynamics. The classes have the opportunity to specialize in such a way that they can take on roles in a group.
Extremely Difficult Missions with Lots of Blood
Before a mission, the group meets in a decaying castle to prepare for the upcoming task. In the pre-order beta, there were four campaign missions; in the finished game, there will be more. A group always consists of four characters. If a player is missing, a bot takes over.
The first part of Vermintide was known for its difficulty. When four people charge into battle against hundreds of enemies, it is clear that this cannot be easy.
If you’re not careful, you’ll quickly get surrounded and overrun. Items for healing and replenishing ammunition are rare and often widely scattered throughout the missions. Quickly replenishing arrows or health is not an option.
If that’s not enough, there are special enemies that attack you with unique abilities like Gatling guns, gas bombs, or as an assassin. These special enemies require coordination and markings so that they do not take out a group member. Teamwork is key.
Vermintide 2 raises the ante even further. Even the first steps are tough, and beginners are likely to be picked up off the ground more than once by their teammates. But that’s what friends are for. Without cooperation, nothing works.
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Make it harder for even more loot
If the missions are not difficult enough for you yet, you can make them even harder while playing. In the beta, you could choose whether to play the mission on “Recruit”, “Veteran” or “Champion” difficulty.
- Recruit: Starter difficulty, which gives the least loot chests. Everyone starts with a healing potion.
- Veteran: Available from 120 power. Enemies are tougher, and players have no healing potions at the start.
- Champion: Available from 220 power. Enemies take significantly more damage and hit harder. Additionally, friendly fire for ranged attacks is always active.
In the finished game, an additional difficulty, “Lord,” will be added, which will be a bit harder.
In every mission, there are also three tomes and two grimoires to find. Tomes take the place of healing items for a character – he can no longer carry a healing potion or bandages. Unless he uses them immediately and then picks up the tome again.
A grimoire blocks the slot for buff potions. Additionally, carrying a grimoire reduces the maximum health of all group members by 30% per grimoire! However, it is worth collecting these books to upgrade the loot chest at the end of the mission and to obtain stronger weapons and trinkets.
Why Play Vermintide 2?
Vermintide 2 stands out with rounds that you can quickly and easily jump into. A mission lasts between 20 and 40 minutes and can be completed easily depending on the group and plan. They always remain challenging and reward with loot and experience.
Furthermore, the game has a unique charm. The entire world and each character has a deeper story, which unravels slowly even for newcomers while playing. The dialogues are often sharp and entertaining, enhancing the picture of the rough and dark world.
A PvP mode is not planned, but even in the “4 against Many” co-op, Vermintide 2 is challenging enough. Anyone who wants to level every character to the end has plenty to do. But those who only want to play their favorite to perfection will also enjoy it.
Tips and Tricks
If you are starting with Vermintide, it’s best to play with friends or use the game’s voice chat. Communication is extremely important, and if you don’t know what to do, ask for help. Players are usually very helpful, after all, they are just as dependent on you as you are on them – even if it’s just as a holder of healing items or books.
Don’t reach too high! The game is hard, and that’s exactly how it wants to be. You will benefit more from slowly easing into it and achieving the missions, learning secret paths and positions, than by going all in immediately. The hardest part usually comes just before the end, and if you are not prepared there, the entire mission was for nothing.
Unlike in Left 4 Dead, you do not trigger hordes and bosses through noise. They just appear, often at inconvenient moments. Always be vigilant and stay together to avoid being overwhelmed. If it gets tight, always remember one thing: Burn the heretics and fight for the Emperor!
Warhammer Vermintide 2 is released today for PC. A release for PS4 and Xbox One is expected later in 2018.
