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Warhammer: Vermintide 2

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Warhammer: Vermintide 2
Developer(s)Fatshark
Publisher(s)Fatshark
Director(s)
  • Anders De Geer
  • Robin Hagblom
Producer(s)
  • Erika S. Kling
  • Robert Bäckström
Designer(s)Joakim Setterberg
Programmer(s)
  • Peter Nilsson
  • Joakim Wahlström
Artist(s)Arvid Nilsson
Writer(s)
Composer(s)Jesper Kyd
SeriesWarhammer Fantasy
EngineAutodesk Stingray
Platform(s)
Release
  • Microsoft Windows
  • 8 March 2018
  • Xbox One
  • 11 July 2018
  • PlayStation 4
  • 18 December 2018
  • Xbox Series X/S
  • 3 December 2020
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is a first-person action video game developed and published by Fatshark. It is the sequel to 2015's Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide. Vermintide 2 was released for Windows on 8 March 2018. It was released for Xbox One on 11 July 2018, free for members of the Xbox Game Pass. It was released for the PlayStation 4 on 18 December 2018. It also released for Xbox Series X/S on 3 December 2020. A spiritual successor, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, was released in 2022.[1]

Gameplay

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Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is a co-op-focused action game experienced from a first-person perspective.[2] Set in the Warhammer Fantasy fictional universe, players battle cooperatively against the Chaos army and a race of rat-men known as the Skaven.[2][3] The game features five different characters to play as. These characters are divided into 15 (20 with DLC) different careers, each with a unique set of skills and abilities.[4] After players complete missions, they receive rewards through a randomized loot system.[5][4]

The base game comes with 13 missions, over 20 enemy types, and over 50 weapons.[6]

Plot

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The game is set in the Warhammer Fantasy universe during the early days of the End Times. The game follows the Heroes of Ubersreik from the first game against the Skaven hordes of Clan Fester and their new allies, the Rotbloods (a Chaos Warband dedicated to Nurgle, the Chaos God of Disease and Decay). The expansion, "Winds of Magic", also introduced the Beastmen, a herd of Chaos mutated humanoids, in search of an object known as the 'Herdstone'.

Story

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Following the events of the first game, Grey Seer Rasknitt (antagonist of the first game who was presumed dead and leader of Clan Fester) has successfully captured the five Heroes of Ubersreik. Without the interference of the heroes, the city of Ubersreik fell to the forces of Clan Fester. Rasknitt has since ordered the construction of a massive portal known as the Skittergate, a portal which will allow the Chaos Champion Bödvarr Ribspreader and his Rotblood army easy access to the border-city of Helmgart. However, the Skittergate intermittently fails, preventing Bödvarr from summoning his entire army. When the Skittergate disastrously fails to activate again, the resulting destruction frees one of the heroes, Markus Kruber, from captivity. He fights his way through the Skaven lair and reunites with the rest of the heroes: Victor Saltzpyre the witch hunter, Bardin Goreksson the dwarf ranger, Sienna Fuegonasus the fire witch, and Kerillian the wood elf.

They escape the lair and are transported to a ruined keep where they meet up with the rest of their allies: Franz Lohner (a former innkeeper who directs the heroes' missions) and Olesya Pimenova (a witch who creates the bridge of shadows, the heroes' main method of transportation). Reunited, the heroes and their allies work together to stop the combined forces of Skaven and Chaos. They first slay the sorcerer lord Burblespue Halescourge, who attempted to enact a ritual to unleash a massive plague upon Helmgart. Next, they defeat The Skaven warlord Skarrik Spinemanglr, who had set up a base in a fallen dwarf hold. Enraged by the heroes' continuous interference, Bödvarr sends the majority of his forces to discover the heroes' keep and eliminate them. However, this leaves his war camp lightly defended. The heroes attack Bödvarr's war camp and slay him in an arena.

With Rasknitt's allies dead and his forces depleted and falling into infighting, Lohner states that the time is now to destroy the Skittergate and Rasknitt once and for all. He informs them that they need to activate the Helmgart Skittergate and travel through it to Norsca, the frozen tundra that separates the Old World from the Chaos Wastes. Once there, the heroes proceed to destroy the Norscan Skittergate and return to Helmgart. Rasknitt appears and summons his Stormfiend, Deathrattler, and combats the heroes. After a vicious fight, Rasknitt is at last slain. The lair and the Skittergate collapse, whilst the heroes escape back to the keep.

Development and release

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Vermintide 2 was developed by Swedish video game studio Fatshark.[5] Vermintide 2 was announced in August 2017. The game's worldwide reveal occurred on 17 October 2017.[7] The game was released for Windows on 8 March 2018.[8] The game was released for the Xbox One on 11 July 2018 and is available at no cost to Xbox Game Pass subscribers.[9] The game was released on the PlayStation 4 on 18 December 2018.[4]

Expansions

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The game has significantly increased in size since release due to a stream of both free and paid downloadable content. Soon after the game's successful release, Fatshark expressed the desire to continue to develop the game at least into 2023.[10]

Two new missions were made available through purchase of the "Shadows over Bögenhafen" DLC in August 2018.[11] A second DLC titled "Back To Ubersreik" adds an additional four missions and five weapons, and was released December 2018.[12] An extra mission, "A Quiet Drink", was released for free in celebration of the game's one-year anniversary in March 2019. The mission is set during a night off for the heroes, where their social gathering at a nearby pub is interrupted by an ambush of Skaven. The Ubersreik Five fight them off while joking with each other and attempting to find more ale. It features a unique mechanic where each hero has to balance their alcoholic content; not drinking enough will cause a debuff, but drinking too much will cause the hero to pass out and have to be revived by a teammate.

A third DLC, the game's first proper expansion[13] titled "The Winds of Magic" released in August 2019 for PC; though was delayed for consoles. The expansion brought with it the introduction of six new enemy types in a separate faction, the Beastmen, who are in search of an artifact known as the "Herdstone". The new expansion also introduced five more weapons, a challenge mode known as Weaves (which remixes the base game's levels with new features and hazards), a new difficulty by the name of Cataclysm, a new non-Weave map, and raised the level cap. The expansion received mixed reviews due to lackluster reception to the new Weaves mode, technical issues with the Beastmen enemies (later patched), balancing changes, and its price (released at $20, it was twice as expensive as the previous DLCs and five times as expensive as any of the career DLCs). The second season of the expansion, originally planned for December 2019, was pushed back to 2020 in order to assure quality testing. This second season introduces 'Lohner's Emporium of Wonders', which is a cosmetic shop that allows players to purchase cosmetics using a new in-game currency known as Shillings which is earned from doing content in the game. The second season also introduces a quick play mode for Weaves as well as balance changes to the mode, and three new missions revisiting the Drachenfels (with a unique boss in the third mission) release sequentially from January to March 2020, bringing the total of new missions in the expansion to four (these three missions, titled "The Curse of Drachenfels", were free for all owners of the game).[14]

The fourth major DLC, the game's second expansion, was titled "The Chaos Wastes" and released for PC in April 2021. The expansion added five weapons, sixteen maps (collectively exceeding the size of the base game's maps),[15] and a new roguelike game mode with randomized level composition and variable buffs and challenges enacted on both the players and the enemies. Weapon progression is separate from the main game mode, as equipment must be upgraded with tokens found within the Chaos Wastes. The story concerns the Ubersreik Five making an expedition into the main base of Chaos, the titular Wastes, in an attempt to use the power of the Citadel of Eternity to beseech more benevolent deities to aid them in their battle. Most of the content is free for owners of the game, with only the weapons being paid content in a separate bundle called "Forgotten Relics."[16]

On November 8th, 2022, the first map of the "A Treachorous Adventure" update, "Trail of Treachery" released, with the follow-up map "Tower of Treachery" releasing on March 28th, 2023.[17]

4 Maps have been released as part of the free "Karak Azgaraz" update. 3 of these maps, released on June 13, 2023, are remastered versions of the Vermintide 1 DLC maps,[18] with the final map, "A Parting of the Waves" releasing on April 11th, 2024, and adding a new enemy to the game, the Chaos warrior with Shield.[19]

Each of the five heroes have received a new career via DLC. Each career comes with two new weapons, a new ability, and a skill tree. The first was Markus Kruber's melee-focused "Grail Knight" class, released in June 2020. The second was Bardin's crank-gun toting "Outcast Engineer", released in November 2020. The third was Kerillian's magic-wielding "Sister of the Thorn" class, released in June 2021. The fourth was Saltzpyre's hammer-swinging and divinely-protected "Warrior Priest" class, released in December 2021. The fifth was Sienna's corrupted, scythe-wielding "Necromancer" class, released October 2023.

In November 2024, Vermintide 2 experienced a surge in popularity, attracting 500,000 new players during the launch week of its Versus PvP mode. Fatshark celebrated the milestone with major discounts on the base game, alongside the announcement of the free "Verminous Dreams" DLC, releasing on December 9, 2024. The DLC introduces a new level, updates to the Versus mode, and a seasonal event, further expanding the game’s content and appeal.[20]

Reception

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The game received generally positive reviews from critics according to review aggregator Metacritic.[21] Tom Marks, writing from IGN, wrote positively about the game, comically praising it on the creative forms of dismemberment that the players can participate in against the "ratmen", one of the primary antagonists of the game, and lack of microtransactions, which he compares favorably against Star Wars: Battlefront II.[24] PC Gamer declared the title the best cooperative game of 2018.[30] Destructoid called it "an improvement over its predecessor" and praised the "beautifully designed sprawling levels, more varied enemy types, an addictive loot system, and a whole lot of character skills to try out"[31]

The game sold over 500,000 copies in four days after the initial PC release.[32] Within 11 days of the PC release, it had exceeded the lifetime revenue of the first Vermintide.[33] It had sold over 1,000,000 copies four weeks after the PC release.[34] By the end of 2019, it had sold 2 million copies.[35]

Accolades

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Year Award Category Result Ref.
2018 Golden Joystick Awards Best Co-operative Game Nominated [36]
PC Game of the Year Nominated
Xbox Game of the Year Nominated
Titanium Awards Best Action Game Nominated [37]
2019 Nordic Game Awards Nordic Game of the Year Nominated [38]
Best Game Design Nominated
Best Audio Nominated

References

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  1. ^ O'Connor, Alice; Thorn, Ed; Archer, James; Richardson, Liam (14 December 2022). "Warhammer 40K: Darktide review: brilliantly grisly co-op". Rock Paper Shotgun. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 15 February 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b O'Connor, Alice (30 August 2017). "Warhammer: Vermintide 2 bringing more co-op action". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  3. ^ Chalk, Andy (17 October 2017). "Warhammer: Vermintide 2 gameplay trailer showcases the new Chaos Army". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Hallam, Chris (18 October 2017). "Warhammer: Vermintide 2 won't have any paid loot boxes". VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  5. ^ a b Chalk, Andy (18 October 2017). "Vermintide 2 will not sell loot boxes, developer confirms". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  6. ^ Vermintide 2: Game Info. Archived 21 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  7. ^ Senior, Tom (30 August 2017). "Warhammer: Vermintide 2 announced, full reveal due in October". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 1 January 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  8. ^ Sirana, Jordan (14 February 2018). "Warhammer: Vermintide 2 Released Data Announced". IGN. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  9. ^ "Warhammer: Vermintide 2 gets imminent Xbox One release date and open beta". Eurogamer. 21 June 2018. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  10. ^ "Vermintide 2 dev wants to work on the game "for five to ten years"". Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Shadows over Bögenhafen - Vermintide 2". Vermintide 2. Archived from the original on 30 October 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  12. ^ "Ubersreik". Warhammer: Vermintide 2. Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  13. ^ "Winds of Magic - Vermintide 2". Vermintide 2. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  14. ^ "Season 2 - A letter to the community". Vermintide 2. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  15. ^ "Warhammer: Vermintide 2's Chaos Wastes update effectively doubles the vanilla game's map area." Archived 28 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine April 16, 2021.
  16. ^ Marshall, Cass. "Vermintide 2's new update takes players to the Chaos Wastes". Polygon. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Treacherous Adventure". Warhammer: Vermintide 2. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  18. ^ "Karak Azgaraz". Warhammer: Vermintide 2. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  19. ^ "A Parting of the Waves is Live Now! Patch 5.4.0". Warhammer: Vermintide 2. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  20. ^ "Warhammer: Vermintide 2 Sees 500K New Players with Versus Mode". Technetbook | The Tech Experts. 21 November 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Warhammer: Vermintide 2 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  22. ^ "Warhammer: Vermintide 2 for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  23. ^ "Warhammer: Vermintide 2 for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  24. ^ a b Marks, Tom (15 March 2018). "Warhammer Vermintide 2 Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  25. ^ Messner, Steven (11 March 2018). "Warhammer: Vermintide 2 review". PC Gamer. Future plc. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  26. ^ Meister, Rich (15 March 2018). "Review: Warhammer: Vermintide 2". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  27. ^ Chiodini, Johnny (13 September 2021). "Warhammer: Vermintide 2 review - a sequel done right". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  28. ^ Gwaltney, Javy (13 September 2021). "Warhammer: Vermintide 2 - A Bloody Good Party". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  29. ^ Williams, Mike (13 September 2021). "Warhammer: Vermintide 2 Review". USgamer. Archived from the original on 13 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  30. ^ "Best Co-op Game 2018: Warhammer: Vermintide 2". PC Gamer. Future plc. 22 December 2018. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  31. ^ Meister, Rich (15 March 2018). "Review: Warhammer: Vermintide 2". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  32. ^ Purchese, Robert (12 March 2018). "Warhammer: Vermintide 2 sells 500,000 copies in under a week". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 18 March 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  33. ^ Alex Calvin. [pcgamesinsider.biz/news/66822/vermintide-2-has-made-more-revenue-than-the-original-title-in-under-two-weeks/ "Vermintide 2 has made more revenue than the original title in under two weeks"]. PC Games Insider. March 19, 2018.
  34. ^ Bailey, Dustin (13 March 2018). "Vermintide 2 sells a million copies on PC". PCGamesN. Network N. Archived from the original on 12 September 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  35. ^ Warhammer: Vermintide 2 sold over 2 million copies worldwide Archived 3 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Jan 9, 2019.
  36. ^ Hoggins, Tom (24 September 2018). "Golden Joysticks 2018 nominees announced, voting open now". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  37. ^ "Titanium Awards 2018". Fun & Serious Game Festival. 10 December 2018. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  38. ^ Riis, Jacob (3 June 2019). "2019 Nordic Game Awards winners". Nordic Game. Archived from the original on 23 December 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
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