Vermintide 2

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.

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HAHA! ASINE MORTALS!! TIME TO EMBRACE THE TRUE LOVE FROM OUR FATHER!! YES-YES, WEAK MEN-THING DIE FROM VERMIN POX, YES-YES.

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, though some scholary sources (/v/) speculate it may be a sign of divergent canon.

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. What it does isn't yet clear, but considering it involves an alliance with a half-insane Nurglite warband and human sacrifice it's likely that it has something to do with murder-fucking everyone in the Reikland and bringing great death-death to poor Helmgart. 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. And a Nurgle-blighted canyon with a fortified Chaos Lord's tomb, which the gang destroys to stop the Rotbloods from harvesting his energy.

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 attacks 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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.
• 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.
• 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.

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.
• 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.
• 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.

Enemies

Skaven
Clan Fester's back, and they're pissed. Sore after getting thwarted at Ubersreik, they want revenge. The Grey Seer in charge of the old invasion is presumably still kicking.

• 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.

• Plague Zombies: Your typical, non-necromancy flavored cannon fodder of Nurgle.
• 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.
• 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.

Gallery

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  HELLO I'M FUCKING FAT TOO

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  HELLO I'M FUCKING FAT AND YOU CAN'T SEE MY FACE

Links

• Website
• Announcement Trailer plus a little bit of gameplay