Overview
The Warhammer video gaming train stops today in a new station: Vermintide 2. This is the sequel to the 2015 co-op horde mode game entitled Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide. While following the same concept and gameplay mechanics as its predecessor, Vermintide 2 is a game of its own with plenty of new additions and changes to make it more interesting and unique. As someone who has spent a considerable amount of hours in the game’s Closed Beta, I thought it would be a good idea to share a few guidelines which I found very useful for myself and those I’ve been playing with:
What is Vermintide 2
Vermintide 2 is a first-person horde mode game set in the Warhammer universe during the cataclysmic End Times event. Five heroes, each with their own unique traits and personalities, put aside their differences and stand as an unwavering force against the encroaching darkness. The players will assume the role of one of these heroes and band together in groups of four to fight against the combined forces of Skaven and Chaos Warriors.
While a co-op experience at heart, Vermintide 2 can be played as a singleplayer as well as a long lasting online game. The addition of a hero based leveling system on top of the randomized itemization, provides the build variety and the means of progression to keep players enticed. These will be required to face the greater challenges that await on the game’s higher difficulty levels.
Offense and Defense
The depth and complexity of Vermintide 2’s combat system isn’t something noticeable at first glance. The combination of melee and ranged attacks with additional mechanics like blocking and dodging provides the means to face any type of enemy in the game. However, mastering the combat is a progressive road that requires a deep understanding of each type of attack as well as the peculiarities of each hero and weapon. But before all that, it’s important to know how each attack works and what they can be used for.
- Melee attacks are the bread and butter for most of the heroes in the game. Melee attacks can be simple (left click) or charged (hold left click) with a few other variations coming as part of combos. Melee attacks have a different reach based on the weapon type used and can cleave or pierce through multiple enemies at once. Melee weapons also serve an important role in crowd controlling as each hit can stagger weaker or unarmored enemies, allowing players to control larger groups of enemies without becoming overwhelmed.
- Ranged attacks are effective against all kind of enemies, but they are meant to be used as a way to keep a safe distance from powerful enemies. Ranged attacks are also the most efficient way to deal with special enemies that can disable party members. However, despite their multipurpose use, ranged weapons have to be used with care because of their limited ammunition.
- Block is an essential mechanic of the game. Health should be viewed more as a resource in Vermintide 2, one that’s rarer with each increase in difficulty level due to the limited availability of healing items. Therefore, learning to avoid damage is one of the most important elements on the game’s learning curve. Blocking is an ability that can be used with any equipped melee weapon, the difference between them being the radius of attacks which can be blocked and the amount of blocking charges available (stamina). Both the radius of blocking and the amount of charges are showcased under the stamina stat on each weapon’s statistics menu. Aside of its defensive purposes, blocking can also serve as an offensive tool. While block mode is active you can press the attack key to push away the enemies in your reach. This action will knock back most enemy types and even knock down some of the weaker ones, providing time to reposition or even escape if needed. While blocking is an undeniable strong defensive mechanic, it won’t make you invincible. The bigger enemies have block breaking attacks which will consume all your stamina charges, opening you up for further attacks. So watch what and when you are blocking!
- Dodge is a tricky mechanic in Vermintide 2. Like in the Dark Souls series, dodging works on an iframes basis, providing a few moments of invincibility. However, don’t expect to start rolling around between vermin and chaos scum. To dodge, one has to set a direction of movement other than forward and press the dodging key (space by default, I would recommend changing this key as it is shared with jump). And as with blocking, the ability to chain multiple dodges is tied to the weapon’s stats.
To survive in Vermintide 2 the player must juggle between all these mechanics and take advantage of them at the right moment. Experiment, fail and learn how the combat works as this opens up the game in a way you might not have thought possible.
Stick together
Vermintide 2 is a coop game focused on group synergy which isn’t so much about the hero’s composition as it’s about team work. Moving together as a group has plenty of advantages that I don’t even have to explain, but this game’s mechanics add a few extra reasons to do it. One would be that the group can deal much easier with hordes and tougher enemies. The other and probably the more important is that estranged players will spawn additional special enemies which will put them in grave danger, weakening the group in the process.
Fighting hordes
It’s no surprise that in a horde mode game you’ll be facing countless hordes of enemies. Vermintide 2 takes this to a whole new level with its new system of horde spawning which often brings two hordes of enemies at once but from opposite directions. The hordes can often be easily destroyed by combining the heroes’ AoE capabilities. But this is a game of ever-changing scenarios, so don’t think you’ll not get overrun at some point. Treat enemy’s hordes with respect (especially on higher difficulty levels). As the alarming sound of horns rings into your ears, group up and look for advantageous positions like narrow areas or higher ground where you can control incoming enemies or open areas where you can constantly attack from the sides. And never forget, being in the middle of a horde is probably the worst place where you can be.
The importance of sound
Vermintide 2 might not have the most astonishing sound effects on the market. However, the sound design excels as a crucial gameplay mechanic.
In most PvP games the sound makes all the difference, helping to localize and eliminate enemy threats. Despite not being a PvP game, Vermintide 2 uses the same concept to help players in dealing with particular enemies. The special enemies in the game generate specific noises making their presence aware to the players. In addition, the heroes call enemies when they hear or see them working as an additional warning for the players. Even if a special enemy is hiding in a horde of filthy vermin, the sounds they make are still noticeable. So pay a constant attention to the sound effects, it will help you deal with potentially match-ending threats.
Watch for patrols
Vermintide 2’s enemy spawns are randomized to a certain degree to make the game less predictable. This means that while threats are identifiable, they aren’t always faced in the same place or in the exact manner. But while threats like special enemies, mini-bosses and hordes are a common sight, some threats like patrols are rare and avoidable.
The patrols are big groups usually composed of powerful enemies which if engaged poorly can end a match swiftly. Keep an eye out for them and if you can, try to avoid them. Don’t be a hero if you don’t have to, there’s little to no benefit in fighting patrols and the resources used can be put to good use elsewhere.
Marking
It goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway. Marking (T by default) is a crucial mechanic which assists the players by highlighting special enemies and even loot. By marking you will alert your teammates about something they might have missed, so, don’t be shy and mark!
How to efficiently revive fallen teammates
Vermintide 2 is a hard game and it gets harder as you advance through its multiple difficulty levels. So, you’ll probably end up dying a lot while playing this game. Before dying, every player (or bot) goes into a knocked out state, giving the teammates time to attempt to resurrect them. Simply by going to your knocked out teammate and pressing the use key (E by default) you’ll pick them up, however, direct damage interrupts this process. The most efficient way to resurrect someone is by pressing the block key (right click by default) before attempting to resurrect. This will grant you the block charges of your weapon while resurrecting your fallen comrade.
Tomes, grimoires and curse resistance
The maps of Vermintide 2 are wider and have more pathways that eventually lead into the same place. While many elements are randomized, including the spawn of enemies and items, the location of certain items remains constant. These items are called books and are split into two categories: tomes and grimoires. The books serve as a system of risk and reward, hindering the player’s performance during a match for increased rewards if that match is successfully completed.
- Tomes: Each map has three tomes which have to be picked up by individual players. The tomes are stored in the slot dedicated for healing items (3), but can always be swapped out for a healing item, if needed. If a hero carrying a tome dies, the item is dropped on the ground and can be picked up by other heroes, ensuring the rewards gained from delivering tomes won’t be lost.
- Grimoires: The grimoires are a bit more special. Each map has only two grimoires which also have to be picked up by individual heroes. The grimoires are stored in the slot dedicated for buffing potions (4). Picking up a grimoire applies a curse to the whole group, reducing the maximum health of each hero by 30% for each grimoire the group has. Unlike the tomes, grimoires cannot be dropped unless the hero carrying it dies, a situation in which the grimoire is lost for the entirety of the match.
- Curse resistance: With the functionality of grimoires explained, I can’t stress enough how important curse resistance is. Curse resistance is an item stat that significantly reduces the negative effects from grimoires, which means taking fewer risks. Curse resistance is found on trinkets with a maximum value of 33%, so you’ll have to get lucky or reroll the stats on the preferred item to get a good value for it (good luck with that!).
Gathering the books will exponentially increase the rewards but also the risks. Picking up these items requires a good knowledge of the game and of the map as they are sometimes placed in the most annoying spots.
Progression system
Vermintide 2 is a progression based game which comes through a gradual and somewhat natural grind. Experience and items are gained in certain situations which facilitate the advancement to higher difficulties for a more challenging experience and higher rewards.
- Experience is gained by completing or failing matches, with the value depending based on a few predefined stats including the number of heroes alive, the number of books gathered and difficulty level. The experience gained goes into a leveling system for heroes unlocking new rewards with each level up and granting access to special talents every five levels, allowing players to customize their own builds.
- Items are only gained from chests which are split between multiple categories with a different max power scaling for the items inside. Chests can be gained by leveling up a hero which grants commendation chests with a max power of 300 and by completing missions with the chest’s quality depending based on the mission’s difficulty level and the group’s performance. The chests are not bound to a specific hero and can be opened with any of the five heroes available, ensuring specific gear for the selected one.
The items found inside chests can be equipped or recycled and reused in the game’s crafting system which allows players to craft new items, upgrade their quality, re-roll their properties and even change their appearance.
Find your build
And now that I’ve talked about progression, it’s time to talk about builds. Vermintide 2 has introduced a system of leveling and talents that’s further expanded through careers. Each hero has access to three unique careers which are unlocked when the hero reaches levels seven and twelve. These careers come with a different set of talents and abilities which synergize specific weapon combinations. The addition of these customizations opens up the gameplay to all kind of possibilities for personalized builds meant to work for specific play styles, group’s compositions and strategies. Test your hero’s careers, talents and weapons and find what suits you best and use the itemization to support that.
Bots scaling
Vermintide 2 is a game played as part of a group, so no matter if you host a private or join an online match, you’ll always be part of a group of four unique heroes. If players don’t fill your party, bots will take over the remaining roles playing as best as they can. In all fairness, the bots in Vermintide 2 have been improved, they are generally trying to resurrect knocked down teammates and can hold themselves a bit better in combat. However, don’t expect any miracles. For this matter, it’s important to know that the bots inherit the gear and talents the host of the match has equipped on them. So, in order to bring the odds in your favor, keep updating the gear on all your heroes to help the bots and subsequently yourself.
Don’t play for the scoreboard!
Even in team based PvP games the scoreboard can be a misleading if not an entirely wrong way of judging one’s skill and contribution. But that is even truer with a coop horde mode game like Vermintide 2. The complexity of this game’s mechanics coupled with specific hero’s specialization can make the contribution of a player completely unquantifiable. Don’t play for the scoreboard, focus on playing your role and helping your teammates, that’s what will get you through this game’s challenging content.
Ending note
Vermintide 2 has a complex design that isn’t always so obvious and I feel I’m only scratching the surface with this guide. However, in my continuing quest to defend the Empire against the impending apocalypse, I will try to update this article with what I would deem as useful information.
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