Darktide enjoyed a progression rework earlier this year, and it’s Vermintide 2’s turn next. As design director Joakim Setterberg explained in a developer blog, with Versus mode on the way Fatshark has decided to smooth out the way Vermintide 2 welcomes new players and how its progression mechanics keep them around.
To that end, it’s unlocking some of the restrictions on difficulty. In private games, you’ll be able to play with your friends regardless of their Hero Power, making it easier to carry beginner pals with your high-level characters. In public games, the Hero Power restriction has been taken off Veteran difficulty. As Setterberg says, “We believe that Veteran can be a suitable entry point for players familiar with similar games, like Darktide, and are looking for a more challenging experience.” Personally, I’ve seen players who finished the first Vermintide struggle with Veteran in Vermintide 2. You should probably try the easier Recruit difficulty first, but it’s still nice to have the option.
Playing on higher difficulties will now give bonus experience points, with rewards going up by a quarter of their value for each difficulty above Recruit. (Vermintide 2 actually had XP multipliers based on difficulty earlier in its life cycle, but they were removed in a 2019 patch that brought all XP rewards up to the level you’d earn from playing Legend difficulty.)
Loot will be changing as well, with items in chests now being based on your level when you earn them rather than when you open them, meaning there will no longer be a reason to hoard. The rarity of loot will also change, and no longer take your level into account. “You will now almost always have a chance to get Common, Rare, Exotic, and even Veteran items from a game,” Setterberg wrote, “but by playing on higher Difficulties and upgrading your Chest Tiers you will simply increase your chances for the rarer items.” You’lll also have a chance to find DLC weapons in chests, once you’ve unlocked the requirements for being able to use them.
Item-crafting will likewise be based on your level. The cost of crafting upgrades will change, requiring less Scraps but adding a Dust cost. “To balance this we will be giving players more Dust when converting higher rarity Dust into lower rarities.” All these changes will be communicated by having extra info on the difficulty-selection screen, as well as when you’re opening chests, “where the Item Power range and rarity percentages are clearly visible.”
Communication will also be improved for new players by the Handbook, a way of explaining the mechanics Vermintide 2 previously kept hidden. Where you currently have to read an FAQ to learn about timed blocks, or optimal weapon properties, it would be nice to have that information available in-game.
Fatshark plans to have this progression rework ready for the release of Versus mode “later this fall.” It’s also got another of Vermintide 2’s annual Halloween events planned, with double XP, new challenges, returning rewards from previous years, and nurglings. That’ll run from October 31 to November 10.