together Frankenstein’s monster of
different chunks of Vermintide’s
maps. I can immediately tell the
difference in the pace of combat. The
spear Ungors are positioned at just
the right distance to cause a problem,
forcing you to deal with the
immediate threat of the supporting
Gors, before dodging forwards to get
in a hit. And watching the bodies of
smaller, frailer Beastmen get
ragdolled by a Bestigor is as
entertaining as advertized.
“We’re making a co-op game, so
we consciously try to minimize the
complexity of enemies, because you
always have that co-op layer on top
of it,” says Andersson, summarizing
the overall design of the faction. “We
could be doing way more
complicated combos and more
complicated solo gameplay, but in
favor of making sure that you have
enough time and space in your
consciousness to keep tabs on your
friends as well, we want to keep
things super clear and super focused
as well. So each enemy has one thing
that it clearly brings to the table.”berserker version of a boss,” says
Andersson. “We have the Rat Ogre
and Chaos Spawn and Bile
Troll and Stormfiend, and they all
have roles. What we don’t have is a
huge dual-wielding maniac that
basically goes ham on you, so we’re
going to create that.”
For the Beastmen special,
Fatshark realized that a lone
operative—similar to the Skaven’s
Packmaster or Gutter Runner—
doesn’t fit the personality of the
faction. Instead, the team are trying
something new: Standard Bearers,
who place totems that buff nearby
units. “The most straightforward
thing we have now as a prototype is
that he makes things invulnerable,”
says Andersson. “Because that’s
simple. We have many permutations,
but that’s what works best because it
makes things super clear. You can
control the guys, but you need
someone to get at that thing and
bring it down in order to succeed.”
It’s an interesting set of enemies. I
fight against some in Fatshark’s
internal combat level—a stitched
Fatshark is rounding out Winds of Magic with new
difficulty levels—and an overall rebalancing of difficulty to
greater incentivise co-op play—and new weapons that are
designed to round out the combat abilities of each
character. Saltzpyre’s new billhook, for instance, fills out
his melee options and lets him push a pack of enemies,
and then pull a single target back in. “That fits Saltzpyre
as well, because he’s kind of a menacing, evil, horrible
person,” explains Andersson.THROWING DOWN
Kerillian’s new sword and spear combo is designed with
the Handmaiden career in mind, and swaps out her
traditional glass cannon play style in favor of a more
robust frontline role. Sienna is being given a flaming flail,
because, in Andersson’s words, “it’s awesome”. The most
interesting new weapon, however, belongs to Bardin.
“Basically Bardin needs ranged weapons, and I want to
experiment with throwing weapons,” says Andersson. “So
this is going to be the base blueprint for throwing stuff.”
To an extent, it feels like Fatshark is taking a risk with
Winds of Magic. The one thing they’re not planning is a
big library of new maps. Rather, this is an expansion
designed to flesh out the Vermintide II experience in new
directions—adding new ways to play with a potentially
endless challenge. And it’s just the beginning, too. During
my visit, I’m shown the early workings of something that
Fatshark isn’t yet ready to announce. Winds of Magic may
bring an endgame, but it’s just the beginning.Warhammer Vermintide II: Winds of Magic
COVER FEATURE
DAMN
I know they’re
hideous goatmen,
but check out those
gains! Vermintide’s
buffest faction is
here.