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With the Warhammer Vermintide 2 Versus mode just around the corner, developer Fatshark details a major update that will make the game more fun for all players, old and new, whether they’re playing the PvP mode or not. We’ve seen a lot of love for the 40k side of the coin in 2024, but now one of the best Warhammer games on PC is taking after its futuristic counterpart as Fatshark follows up a full Darktide overhaul with this comprehensive Vermintide 2 progression rework.
“I’m sure Saltzpyre would agree that we are not aging, we are delicately maturing,” Warhammer Vermintide 2 design director Joakim Setterberg writes in a new blog post going over the planned changes for the Skaven-smashing co-op game. “One thing we haven’t done, though, is to address some of the frustrations and issues we’re seeing for players new to the game.” In particular, he acknowledges that restrictions on Hero and Power levels alike make it awkward for newcomers to play with their more experienced friends.
The great news is that this rework adds sweeping improvements across the board that should make life generally better for everyone. “The time investment [currently] to level up a hero or career is quite significant, making it a slow grind to unlock a fun playstyle and promoting a behavior where players feel the need to play the Screaming Bell [mission] repeatedly on lower difficulties,” Setterberg admits. He also highlights some frustration around the obscurity of the Spoils of War chests, with changes planned there too.
To start with, Hero Power restrictions have been removed from Veteran difficulty in public games, and won’t apply to private matches at all, so long-time players can bring their fresh-faced friends along on the hardest missions if they like. Experience multipliers based on difficulty have returned, and you’ll now see an extra 0.25x for every level you step up beyond Recruit, capping out at 1.75x for Legend and Cataclysm.
Setterberg also notes that the new Warhammer Vermintide 2 Versus mode, which will arrive at the same time as the update, will have “its own game mode-specific progression, but doing things like completing matches will also feed into the main progression.” That should ensure everyone begins on the same footing when Versus arrives, but also makes it a nice way to start working on your main game ranking if you’re just getting started.
As mentioned, Fatshark is significantly adjusting Spoils of War rewards. Chests will now drop loot based on the Hero level you are when they’re earned, meaning there’s no longer an incentive to hoard them for later on. Rarity rates won’t consider your Hero level, either, meaning that there’s “almost always” a chance to get rare, exotic, and even veteran tier items, but with a higher chance at the rarest gear when playing on higher difficulty levels.
In addition to this, when you crack open a veteran weapon, the chest will also award you a veteran skin you don’t currently own, if possible, before defaulting back to a random skin selection. You’ll now be able to get DLC weapons in chests as well, provided you’ve met the requirements for them. “We hope that these changes will incentivize players to open Spoils of War more regularly as they progress, rather than hoarding them,” Setterberg explains.
To help you make sense of all these adjustments, Fatshark is introducing a new Handbook packed with useful tutorials and information, and is also providing clearer information on both the difficulty select screen and Spoils of War chests. This should ensure you know exactly what you’ll get from taking on your next mission, and what your various drop chances are from opening any given reward chest. “Our intention is simplification,” Setterberg says, “but we can’t do that without making it all understandable in game.”
Finally, in accordance with all these progression tweaks, crafting is also getting an update. Much like chest rewards, you’ll now see the items you craft tied to your Hero level. Upgrade costs have been decreased, but require some Dust, although you’ll get more of this when converting between rarities than before. Upgrading your gear to the veteran tier will only be available once you hit Hero level 30 “to ensure that players don’t spend their crafting materials at a point where they will come to regret it later.”
Setterberg says this update should arrive with the release of Versus later in the fall. He adds that some additional career balancing is in the works, and should arrive “around the same time,” with more details to come. The team has already snuck in a fix for the Outcast Engineer’s bomb cooldown bug in time for the Geheimnisnacht event, however. “On behalf of the Vermintide production team and Fatshark, thank you for all the support and memes throughout the year,” Setterberg concludes, “and stay hyped for a packed finale to 2024.”
For even more great ways to spend time with your friends, here are the best co-op games on PC right now. Or if you prefer your fantasy more grimdark future in flavor, take a heavy-footed stomp on over to the best Warhammer 40k games.
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