Warhammer: The End Times – Vermintide

Lore & Background

The game is set during the End Times, an apocalyptic event in the Warhammer Fantasy universe. Players team up with three others to fight the Skaven, a race of rodent-like creatures, in the Imperial city of Ubersreik. Five heroes—Victor Saltzpyre (Witch Hunter), Markus Kruber (Empire Soldier), Bardin Goreksson (Dwarf Ranger), Kerillian (Wood Elf Waywatcher), and Sienna Fuegonasus (Bright Wizard)—band together to survive a surprise attack by Clan Fester. They take shelter in an inn owned by Franz Lohner, who assigns missions, while wagon master Olesya Pimenova helps transport them. The heroes conduct missions to warn the city, sabotage the Skaven war effort, and secure supplies. They confront and seemingly defeat Grey Seer Rasknitt, the leader of Clan Fester, but later find him activating a machine that opens a portal, into which the heroes fall to an unknown fate.

Reader's Guide

Warhammer: The End Times – Vermintide is significant as a successful co-op action game that faithfully adapts the Warhammer Fantasy setting. Developed by Fatshark after securing a license from Games Workshop in 2013, the game was self-published to maximize creative freedom. Its structure, similar to Valve's Left 4 Dead series, emphasizes teamwork against hordes of enemies, with a dynamic AI 'conflict director' that spawns enemies randomly. The game received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its gameplay, progression system, visuals, and map design, while noting balancing issues and occasional technical problems. PC Gamer named it the best game of the Penny Arcade Expo. The game sold 300,000 copies within a month and over 2,000,000 copies by the end of 2017. It was supported by both paid and free downloadable content, including the Sigmar's Blessing update and the Last Stand mode. A sequel, Warhammer: Vermintide 2, was released in 2018. The game's legacy lies in its co-op focus, loot system based on dice rolls, and its role in establishing Fatshark as a developer of Warhammer games.

Did You Know?

• The game was developed by Swedish company Fatshark, who had previously developed War of the Roses.
• Players roll dice at the end of each match to determine the weapons they receive as rewards.
• The game features a real-time narrative that unfolds as players progress through levels.
• The development began in early 2013 after Fatshark approached Games Workshop for the Warhammer license.