There are plenty of videogames that test you and your friends against the unending hordes. Deep Rock Galactic, Left 4 Dead, and Killing Floor all pit you against a seemingly insurmountable opponent, as waves of creatures scramble over each other to tear you limb from limb. Few do it like developer Fatshark, though, and the team has covered both sides of the Warhammer coin with 40k Darktide and Vermintide 2. Whether you’ve got a hankering for grimdark sci-fi or gory fantasy, then, Fatshark has your back. I’d recommend Warhammer Vermintide 2 right now, because not only is it dirt cheap but it’s also just had a huge update, and the Steam player count is the highest it’s been in years.
Warhammer Vermintide 2 is a certified co-op game classic. It’s a unique spin on the horde survival you can try in Left 4 Dead and Killing Floor, where the zombies you know are replaced with the rat-like Skaven, malevolent forces of Chaos, and mutated Beastmen. As Warhammer is a fantasy universe, you’re using melee and limited ranged weapons, but that doesn’t mean you can’t cleave enemy body parts clean off. Vermintide 2 is complete pandemonium, as up to four of you battle against the unending forces of evil.
Until now that is. Vermintide 2 just got a brand new versus mode – a PvP experience that consists of four hero players, four pactsworn players, and a slew of enemies you’d already need to take down in co-op. Just like how in Left 4 Dead the opposing team can control special infected, Vermintide 2 pactsworn players can control special enemies. The Skaven you become as a pactsworn are a fair bit weaker than the heroes, but you can jump back into the fight without a respawn limit to bring the opposing team down.
So if all that appeals to you, now is the perfect time to give Warhammer Vermintide 2 a shot. Not only is the newest update gargantuan and the game dirt cheap, but Vermintide 2 also has its highest playercount in years. As I write this 20,346 players are in the game at once on Steam, and it looks like that number is going to keep climbing. The last time the player numbers were this good was two years ago, when just over 100,000 people played at one time. So if you don’t have any Skaven-skewering friends to play with, you’re sure to make some new ones with ease at the moment.
The versus mode isn’t all that’s new, either, as the Warhammer Vermintide 2 progression system has also been reworked. Whether you’re an old or new player it doesn’t matter, as getting up in the level count today is both simpler and faster. New players get the most benefits, as Fatshark says this patch has made “the process of leveling up and obtaining gear smoother.”
Warhammer Vermintide 2 is 95% off until Tuesday November 26 so expect to pay just $1.49 / £1.18 until then, and the new versus mode is available as a free update right now. You can get involved right here.
If you fancy something a little different but still want to play with (or against) your friends, we’ve got all the best multiplayer games for you. The best Warhammer games will also keep you in the colossal grimdark universe.
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