Warhammer: Vermintide 2 – Winds of Magic
Fatshark Games
Indie game developers, Fatshark, debuted Warhammer: Vermintide 2 back in March of 2018. Just like its predecessor, Warhammer: Vermintide, it reminded me of a first-person version of the classic hack-n-slash game called Gauntlet, even down to the various character architypes (i.e. tank, ranged specialist, etc.).
Vermintide 2 didn’t stray too far from the first game’s gameplay—it featured very similar hack-n-slash game mechanics, along with an addictive “grind-for-loot” system that can really make you lose track of time. To me, the newer game didn’t offer much in the way of innovation or uniqueness, but I honestly didn’t really mind much since the original product was such a blast to play anyway.
Vermintide 2 has had a couple of DLC pack releases but the last one was a pretty long time ago: Nine months to be exact (the Back to Ubersreik DLC). So, like many other fans of the series, I was pretty intrigued when Fatshark announced that they’d be releasing the first proper expansion to the game titled Warhammer: Vermintide 2 – Winds of Magic.
The concept for Vermintide 2 – Winds of Magic was an interesting one—Fatshark promised a healthy dose of new game mode (including a new leveling system), new adversaries, and lots of re-playability.
Firstly, Vermintide 2 – Winds of Magic introduces the Weave mechanic. During the expansion’s opening level, players will witness a gigantic meteor falling from the heavens and crashing into the ground. This causes the Winds of Magic to be fractured into their eight constituent components. Players will be tasked with traversing through each one while fighting off hordes of enemies. As an added layer of challenge, each of the Winds have their unique properties to contend with.
Each of these Weaves/Winds have distinct properties that can really be fun to take on. For instance, Light will drain your health incrementally, but buffs your abilities as it does. Heavens will periodically drop lightning strikes down onto players, but if you’re cunning enough, you can misdirect them to smite your foes (I like to use them on bosses). Metal will reinforce armored opponents, but when you take them out you gain an aura which shields you.
The main attraction for me, however, are the Beastmen—those rambunctious cowmen that really have it out for the Empire. Many people complain that the Beastmen are too hard to battle, but I personally like how challenging they are to tackle. Beastmen are indeed more difficult to stagger and are tougher than your typical Skaven or Chaos minion.
Bestigors are a higher tiered new enemy, which are highly armored and will charge right at any nearby players. Meanwhile, Minotaurs can really be problematic to take on since they are super-aggressive and can cause vast amounts of damage.
These new enemy types come with their own sets of attack and defense animations so you’ll have to readjust your tactics to suit each one. This also engenders teamwork and communication with the rest of your party, at least if you want to have better chances at taking on these more dangerous foes.
Luckily, players can also equip their characters new weapons depending on what class they’re playing. Saltzpyre gets a billhook, Bardin gets throwing axes, Kerillian a shield and spear, Kruber a boar spear, and Sienna a flail. Coupled with the new combat system on offer and everything about the game is more fun as well as more challenging.
I’m really enjoying my time playing Warhammer: Vermintide 2 – Winds of Magic. It offers a good amount of re-playability for those who are tired of playing the same old levels over and over at different difficulty levels. The new Beastmen enemies are also a welcome sight and you will even face them throughout the game’s reskinned levels. If you’re a fan of Vermintide 2, you owe it to yourself to grab this latest expansion.
SCORE: 78%
Warhammer: Vermintide 2 – Winds of Magic has some pretty nice looking graphics that make its ARPG-based gameplay truly shine. However, you want to have a pretty beefy gaming PC or gaming laptop in order to play it at a decent framerate. So, you may just want to invest in a decent gaming rig:
Visit CyberpowerPC’s website to check out all of the other great deals as well!