Vermintide 2
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This is a /v/ related article, which we tolerate because it's relevant and/or popular on /tg/... or we just can't be bothered to delete it. |
Vermintide 2 is the sequel to The End Times: Vermintide, made possibly due to the fact that the first game surpassed expectations and did pretty fucking well for a relatively niche title (2 million fucking copies sold!). Fatshark sensibly shortened the name from "Warhammer The End Times: Vermintide 2" to avoid sounding like a Japanese light novel.
On October 10th, Vermintide 2 was announced, bringing a host of new additions. Most notably the Warriors of Chaos are being added as an enemy type. Specifically the jolly ones that don't mind being pox bloated messes. Along with the new enemy race, the Skaven also have a few new additions, such as the Storm Fiends. The main website also displays the two enemy races in a small, looping video including a Chaos Warrior and a Stormvermin at the forefront which also suspiciously has the right side of the foreground rather bare, possibly indicating another enemy faction is set to be announced.
Beta sign-ups are open, and the game's release date is on March 8 2018.
Setting
The sequel seems to be set in the End Times, but an indeterminate amount of time has passed since the last game. After falling into the Grey Seer's trap, the Heroes of Ubersreik (or the Ubersrek Five, or Four, doesn't matter) have ended up in their own castle, banded together again to face the Skaven forces of Clan Fester, along with their new allies: a Chaos Warband dedicated to Nurgle known as The Rotbloods. Both forces have their eyes gazed on the fortress town of Helmgart (the border town Bretonnia always conquers within the first 10 turns of an Empire Total War: WARHAMMER campaign).
Due to the presence of a Nurgle-aligned warband, it is possible that the game is set during/after the Fall of Marienburg. What we know so far is that the Skaven are up to their usual hijinks, like trying to build something called the Skittergate, which apparently can warp in large numbers of soldiers, explaining how the Skaven and their new allies overran Helmgart and the surrounding area so quickly. The Rotbloods are here to help the Skaven with murder-fucking everyone in the Reikland and bringing great death-death to poor Helmgart. Clan Fester's also out for blood as payback for Ubersreik, even though Ubersreik apparently fell anyway.
So far, there are 12 maps confirmed for launch spanning either three or four Acts. What we've seen so far in the betas are: the town of Helmgart itself, where the heroes create a diversion at the Temple of Sigmar before the Hammerman himself purges it of vikings and rats. An Elven temple ruin in the woods where the gang uses a slow-moving puzzle to raise a magic shield. Ussingen, a farming town where the heroes rescue prisoners and later blow up a Chaos supply cache. A Nurgle-blighted canyon with a fortified Chaos Lord's tomb, which the gang destroys to stop the Rotbloods from harvesting his energy. And a dense swamp, where the heroes assault the Rotbloods' main war camp and slay their leader, a Nurgle Champion.
The heroes now travel via their own gate, the Bridge of Shadows, maintained by returning Kislevite witch Olesya and totally-not-a-wizard Lohner, who returns as the boss of sorts for the group.
Gameplay
Aside from the new enemy types there are a couple of other new features, such as specializations for the classes (referred to as "careers") which have their own active and passive ability. For example, the Dwarf can be a Slayer, or the Wood Elf can be a Shade, each one apparently representing alternative plotlines and events for each character after the successful defense of Ubersreik. Along with a talent tree for each character, and new weapons to go around for everyone. Speaking of weapons, the loot system is apparently getting an overhaul too, with the devs acknowledging the first game's system was kind of bullshit. Hopefully they didn't take the means of improvement to be lootboxes like every other dev under the sun is using as a "solution"...though their community manager has stated that lootboxes/keys are absolutely not happening in the sequel, at least. A "Heroic Deeds" system has also been announced, consisting of consumable quests that mix gameplay up by dramatically changing objectives, mix of enemies faced or limiting your own tools. Aside from those additions, aside from the quality of life improvements it seems to mostly be the same game, which is okay since most people just wanted it to be the first one with more stuff to begin with. That said, the fact they also included mod support from the get go is a nice cherry on top.
Characters and Careers
Each character now has three different Careers, which affect their weapon choices, abilities, and talent trees, allowing a great deal of customization for each one.
Victor Saltzpyre
- Witch Hunter Captain: The deaths of several Captains over the course of the End Times has allowed Victor to rise in rank, but he has had to accept that the Witch Hunters won’t recognize the fact that there’s an entire fucking empire of ratmen just below their cities; Saltzpyre now uses his new political position to fight the menace in secret. In addition to a fancier hat, Victor as a Witch Hunter Captain can do everything he could in the first game and also gets some considerable mobility boosts.
- Unique passive ability: Witch Hunt- Enemies attacked by Victor take extra damage from allies' attacks, blocking light frontal attacks does not consume stamina, critical hit headshots instantly kill human-sized enemies
- Unique active ability: Animosity- All nearby allies have their critical rate enhanced for 8 seconds.
- Bounty Hunter: When his order attempted to cover up what happened at Ubersreik, Salty removed his heraldry to fight the Skaven himself, taking odd-jobs on the side to pay for his endeavors. As a Bounty Hunter, Victor gains heavier armor and focuses on ranged weaponry to blast away Skaven and Chaos Warriors alike.
- Unique passive ability: Blessed Shots- Guaranteed ranged critical every 8 seconds or after a melee kill, double ammo capacity, improved reload rate
- Unique active ability: Locked and Loaded- Fires a powerful shot that pierces multiple enemies.
- Zealot: The horrors of Ubersreik have caused Victor to place his trust in Sigmar alone, with the rest of the world fit only to be cleansed in righteous fire. Victor as a Zealot favors the use of flails in combat, and while his armor is less than ideal it's nothing a heaping helping of faith and holy rage can't fix - after all, the end is upon us, why not shed as much blood as possible before it goes?
- Unique passive ability: Fiery Faith- Attack power increased by 5% for every 25 health lost (up to 20%), heavy attacks cannot be interrupted, can survive an attack that would do lethal damage
- Unique active ability: Holy Fervor- Charge forward and gain 50% attack speed boost for 5 seconds.
Markus Kruber
- Mercenary: The life of a mercenary has suited Markus well, in no small part due to not having to answer to incompetent leaders like he used to. Being a Mercenary allows Markus a good degree of versatility, with medium armor that grants protection without losing maneuverability and a balance between melee and ranged skill.
- Unique passive ability: Paced Strikes- Hitting 3 enemies in 1 swing boosts attack speed by 10% for 6 seconds, attacks hit more enemies per swing, improved critical rate
- Unique active ability: Morale Boost- Staggers nearby enemies and grants nearby allies temporary bonus health.
- Foot Knight: For his part in the defense of Ubersreik, Markus was made a knight of the Order of the Reikshammer. Markus may not have been aiming for the position, but his heavy armor and ability to use either a great weapon or a sword-and-shield combo makes him an excellent melee fighter and tank as a Foot Knight.
- Unique passive ability: Protective Presence- Reduced damage taken, generates damage resistance aura, improved stamina
- Unique active ability: Valiant Charge- Charges forward, knocking back any enemies hit by the charge
- Huntsman: After Ubersreik, Markus found a degree of inner peace by devoting himself to Taal and Rhya, the gods of nature. As a Huntsman, Markus trades away his access to heavier armor for greater proficiency with ranged weapons of all kinds as well as boosted mobility.
- Unique passive ability: Waste Not, Want Not- Ranged headshots return 1 ammo, no ranged damage falloff, critical rate boost aura
- Unique active ability: Hunter's Prowl: Become invisible for a short time
Kerillian
- Waystalker: Frustrated with the clumsiness of her companions, Kerillian has resolved to further hone her skills to compensate further for the "lumberfoots". As a Waystalker, Kerillian further specializes in her longbow, both for precision sniping and for raining arrows on enemies.
- Unique passive ability: Amaranthe- Automatically regenerate health, doubled ammo capacity, no ranged damage falloff, can zoom in when using ranged weapons
- Unique active ability: Trueflight Volley- Fires a volley of homing arrows.
- Shade: One of Kerillian's dreams spoke of an ancestor of hers who dwelled in Clar Karond, and with it came the voice of Khaine urging her to reclaim the mantle of her ancestor. Kerillian as a Shade is an assassin, best used to swiftly dispatch powerful enemies that are either unaware of her presence or too distracted to react to it.
- Unique passive ability: Murderous Prowess- 50% damage bonus when attacking enemies from behind, critical hit backstabs instantly kill human-sized enemies
- Unique active ability: Infiltrate- Become invisible and intangible for 10 seconds, or until performing an attack
- Handmaiden: Through the subtle guidance of the Everqueen, Kerillian came across a long-lost shrine to Isha and gave herself up to serve her. Kerillian's Handmaiden Career focuses primarily on direct melee combat, using spears to keep enemies at a safe distance.
- Unique passive ability: The Dance of Seasons- Longer dodge distance, stamina regeneration aura, cannot be interrupted when reviving allies
- Unique active ability: Dash- Quickly dash forward through enemies
Bardin Goreksson
- Ranger Veteran: Karak Zorn is yet to be found, but the defense of Reikland currently comes first for Bardin. Bardin the Ranger Veteran favors the use of ranged weaponry to punish foes from a distance, but he's more than able to hold his own in melee if a hail of crossbow bolts doesn't do the trick. Cousin Okri would be proud.
- Unique passive ability: Survivalist- Special enemies always drop ammo on death, double ammo capacity, increased reload speed
- Unique active ability: Disengage- Drops a smoke bomb that hampers enemies' vision
- Ironbreaker: Bardin used to be an Ironbreaker in Kazak Norn, and following the defense of Ubersreik he took up his old oaths and gromril armor once more. The heavy armor and shield of the Ironbreaker makes Bardin a superb tank that can take whatever the enemy can dish out, and then return it in kind.
- Unique passive ability: Gromril Armor- Negates all damage from 1 hit every 20 seconds, reduced damage taken, increased stamina, increased stun resistance
- Unique active ability: Taunt- Taunts enemies within 10 units; also improves defense and provides ability to block normally unblockable attacks for 10 seconds
- Slayer: Something broke in Bardin at Ubersreik, and by the time the Skaven came to Helmgart he had taken up the Slayer's Oath in the hopes of an honorable death. As a Slayer, Bardin can't use ranged weapons at all but becomes a melee powerhouse, using either a pair of axes or a single greataxe. He may not have much in the way of armor, but on the other hand dying in battle is part of being a Slayer anyway.
- Unique passive ability: Trophy Hunter- Stacking damage buff gained upon hitting an enemy, increased attack speed
- Unique active ability: Leap- Leap forward, stunning enemies and gaining a temporary boost to attack speed
Sienna Fuegonasus
- Pyromancer: While far from having the control of a proper Battle Wizard, Sienna has enough self-awareness to restrain herself from the most ostentatious of fire magic. Sienna the Pyromancer favors powerful single-target spells that incinerate even the toughest of enemies in an instant.
- Unique passive ability: Critical Mass- critical chance increases based on overcharge level, ranged damage boost
- Unique active ability: Homing Firespear- A powerful homing fire blast.
- Battle Wizard: Ubersreik taught Sienna the value of self-control, and while she was reluctant to do so she has learned to control the flame for the first time. The greater degree of self-discipline Sienna has as a Battle Wizard allows her to use a variety of area-of-effect spells that burn hordes to a crisp.
- Unique passive ability: Tranquility- Overcharge is removed automatically after 8 seconds of not casting spells or taking damage, overcharge increases spell charge rate, increased ranged damage
- Unique active ability: Fire Walk- Quickly teleport forward, leaving flames in your former location
- Unchained: Sienna's addiction to magic has finally overwhelmed her, and now she lives only from one magical high to the next. As an Unchained, Sienna eschews long-range spellcasting for magically-boosted melee, like generating flame armor to protect her from damage or causing a fiery explosion that immolates anyone too close to her.
- Unique passive ability: Blood Magic- Taking damage grants overcharge equal to 50% of damage received, no overcharge slowdown, high overcharge increases melee attack power, can expend overcharge to reduce block cost on high overcharge
- Unique active ability: Living Bomb- Expends all overcharge to produce a massive explosion that damages all nearby enemies
Enemies
Bosses
- Grey Seer Rasknitt: The same asshole in charge of invading Ubersreik is back. Having captured the heroes in the first game, he attempts to sacrifice them to fuel the Skittergate, a portal contraption capable of bringing in huge armies in a flash. With it, he and the Rotbloods swarmed Helmgart and the countryside, though as is typical of technology made by mice, it breaks in the prologue. Much of the game seems dedicated to destroying it however, so it's likely that it can still function. During the final showdown, he sent his precious Stormfiends against you, only to call it a worthless pricey junk after the heroes killed it. He then attack the heroes with his Skaven magic, teleport around in lighting speed.
- Chaos Champion Bödvarr Ribspreader: Here to spread ribs and smiles in Papa Nurgle's name, Ribspreader is a Champion of Chaos and the scary dude on the box cover. The leader of the Rotbloods, who are said to be insane even by Chaos Warbands' standards, he's here to slaughter and destroy, and has allied himself with Rasknitt for that purpose. He berates the Grey Seer for the portal's failure, but interestingly enough doesn't rip his spine out for it. After hitting a breaking point as the heroes foil his plans and kill his men and free his slaves, he sends out his army to scout for and attack the Keep, but thanks to Lohner reading the script, they learn about this, attack his lighter-garrisoned camp, and kill him in his own arena. Despite claiming that he can take care of the heroes all by himself, he displays cowardice when he starts losing and calls his warriors for aid, with a horde attacking as he loses health. Interesting to note that despite being a Nurgle worshipper, he has a magic axe (which the axe itself is alive, noted by the growing eye skull on the axe) that he can will it back to him if he ever throw it out against the players.
- Burblespue Halescourge: The Nurgle sorcerer lord that was accompanied Ribspreader. Has a good manner like papa Nurgle himself and he can do everything that the Nurgle sorcerer can do in the game (AKA like drain & Nurgle Vortex) only tougher and more AOE green plague in the oxygen.
- Skarrik Spinemanglr: The Skaven Warlord in charge. Can perform every nasty abilities that the elite melee Skaven like the packmaster and eshin assassin can do to the players. Probably the largest non-monster Skaven of them all, towering over the heroes.
Skaven
Clan Fester's back, and they're pissed. Sore after getting thwarted at Ubersreik, they want revenge.
- The roster from the first game all make a return, but with a few new enemy types
- Plague Monks: A more durable Skaven with fast attacks designed to exhaust the player's stamina. Weak to ranged fire but hit like a freight train and knock you back. They let out a loud howl when they charge, but can be hard to spot in a swarm.
- Warpfire Thrower: A Skaven with a flamethrower strapped to its back, which it uses to spew out gouts of fire at anything in range. Though it's near-suicidal to engage it in close combat, the big chunk of warpstone on their backs that they carry as a fuel source looks rather unstable...
- Stormfiends: If you thought the Rat Ogres from the first game were a huge pain in the ass, say hello to their upgraded cousins, the masterwork of Clan Moulder and Clan Skyre! They are equipped in heavy armor and twin warp-fire throwers attached to their arms. Their major weakness is the smaller Skaven acting as a second brain that's stuck on their backs.
- Stormvermin (Sword & Shield): Elite troops who still sound vaguely like Bane, except some of them now have swords and shields that give them multiple attacks and near-immunity to frontal hits. All around assholes.
Warriors of Chaos
The Rotbloods, a Nurgle warband so fanatical for the Rot-Father that they make typical fanatics look tame. They're in league with Clan Fester to work on the Skittergate while plundering Reikland's countryside.
- Nurgle Cultists: Your typical cannon fodder of Nurgle about as tough as a Clanrat.
- Chaos Marauders: Plague-ridden warriors that come in four flavors: Raiders (one-handed weapons), Bulwarks (shields), Savages (dual-wielding weapons) and Maulers (great weapons). They are the basic units for the Chaos Forces, and fulfill a similar role to the Clanrats, but they are significantly more durable than the former. Maulers act as weaker Warriors, and Savages act as human Plague Monks.
- Chaos Warriors: ASININE MORTALS!! The great axe variant. The toughest non-boss enemy in the game. Tougher than Stormvermin, so much that their armor is very hard to penetrate, even for guns. They can down you in a hit or two from full health but are very slow targets. For extra fun, they sometimes spawn two or three at a time.
- They also have a version where the Chaos Warriors is not armored, whom it sometimes can be seen leading the Norscan horde against the players.
- Chaos Sorcerers of Nurgle: Come in two variants The Life Leech (also known as "Chester the molester" by many players) who teleport around and attempt bind a character to leech their health, and the Blightstorm Caller who cast a Nurglely flavored green vortex spell that sucks in both the enemies and player characters, damaging and preventing them from moving. (The Blightstormer also likes to talk about how Papa blessed them with sneezeies and brings forth much joy.)
- Bile Trolls: Chaos Trolls of Nurgle. Wield huge blunt weapons and spew acidic bile on their foes. They can also heal themselves over time unless burned, so either take them out quickly or not at all.
- The Unnameable Beasts: They......are tough boss monsters that like to chew you to regain their health. THAT'S ALL.
