The developers at Fatshark are looking to expand on the gameplay offerings of Warhammer: Vermintide 2 through an upcoming asymmetrical 4v4 competitive mode. Pitting a team of heroes versus the endless forces of the Pactsworn, players will compete in three-match sets to see who can earn the most points. I got to go hands-on for a match set to see what players can expect in the open beta.
The basic structure of Warhammer: Vermintide 2‘s PVP matches is simple enough. Each round, one team of players plays as a group of heroes while the other plays as Pactsworn. The heroes are tasked with earning points by completing objectives and progressing through a level. Once the heroes have all been slain, the teams swap sides, allowing the opposite team to score points. This repeats across three matches, each on its own map. At the end of these three matches, whoever has earned the most points wins.
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It’s not just the attack and defense roles that make each half of this competitive mode play differently. As anyone familiar with Warhammer: Vermintide 2 would expect, the Skaven characters of the Pactsworn aren’t nearly as sturdy as the heroes they face off with. Pactsworn characters die easily and have quick respawn timers, allowing players to get back into the action as they and their teammates try to overwhelm the heroes.
Pactsworn players can also expect a lot of variety in the gameplay throughout a match. Every time they die, they choose between two of five Skaven characters or possibly a rare boss character, the Bile Troll. This changing variety provides players with constantly shifting options to keep the heroes on their toes.
While this approach to player choice for the Pactsworn player provides variety, it also makes the Skaven characters harder to learn. With death coming easily and no way to repeat the same class two lives in a row, getting used to the classes felt more difficult than usual.
The classes provide a wide range of play experiences. From assassin-style characters that leap at heroes to grenadiers that, through projectiles that deliver poisonous clouds to impede the heroes’ movement, the Pactsworn promises lots of different means to halt their opponents’ progress. And that’s not even mentioning the Bile Troll.
The Bile Troll provides a powerful unit that can deal huge amounts of damage as it rumbles across a map. Its blows can throw heroes around, while its impressive size can block choke points, forcing them to slay it to maintain their forward momentum.
But no matter how quick the respawn timers are, Warhammer: Vermintide 2‘s versus mode wouldn’t be able to create the sense of a Skaven swarm with just four Skaven on the field. Alongside the players are numerous NPC characters. Players can summon a huge swarm to put pressure on the heroes. These swarms are filled with generic Skavewn that do little damage individually. But, combined with the players, these swarms create lots of pressure for hero squads.
The biggest element of this side of the new mode that surprised me was the tactical depth I found in it. With death always looming and NPCs helping to harass the other team, I found the best way to approach combat was to plan out encounters carefully. Trading a few feet of progress for an advantageous attack spot always felt like a smart trade.
While the Pactsworn players can approach combat with some thoughtfulness, the hero team is granted far less time to think. With enemies constantly swarming them, the heroes always feel pressured to keep moving. This frenzied energy gives the hero team a strikingly different feel to their gameplay.
Warhammer Vermintide 2 offers the heroes their choice of five different classes, each with multiple careers that provide players with many options for playstyles and group dynamics. Bow-wielding elves and Dwarves bearing twin axes charge into the swarm. Along with their attacks, characters also have a special ability they can use on a cooldown.
Unlike their Pactsworn enemies, if a hero falls in battle, they are out of the match. However, the first couple of times a hero goes down, they can be revived if a friendly character can reach them in time. Between the sheer number of enemies and the need to aid their allies, heroes need to stick together if they want to maximize their results.
The frantic speed brought on by the incoming swarms of enemies and the need to coordinate with friendlies made the hero side of the game feel far more challenging. Getting cut off frequently leads to death, making the demands on coordination much higher for the hero team than the Pactsworn. This unforgiving nature makes squading up feel necessary if players hope to make significant gains through a map. It doesn’t feel like a game that will yield fulfilling results when dropping into a solo queue with three randoms.
The three maps I got to play on brought a strong variety to Warhammer Vermintide 2‘s new mode. Altered from preexisting maps to provide balanced play in the mode, external locations and narrow interior locales are each used in turn to make every map stand out.
A hint system will greet players who opt to check out the open beta to help with onboarding. As players encounter new features, onscreen pop-ups will let players know how to interact with the game, allowing a smoother learning curve.
As I walked away from my match, I found myself feeling optimistic about what Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is bringing with its asymmetrical competitive mode. Each side is unique and offers its challenges, tasking players with mastering both sides of its gameplay if they want to claim victory.
Warhammer: Vermintide 2‘s 4v4 asymmetrical competitive mode is in open beta from August 21st until September 1st on Steam.
