The next chapter of Warhammer's End Times have arrived with Vermintide 2's latest expansion: Chaos Wastes. The meaty update introduces an entirely new mode for the multiplayer, survival rat-slasher featuring roguelike mechanics. Veteran skaven-slayers have been eager for fresh content since it was initially announced last year and have likely already taken their first steps into the wastes, but Warhammer lovers who have lapsed on the title also owe it to themselves to try out developer Fat Shark's latest offerings.
After all, the three-year-old Vermintide 2 is due for a redemption arc. Fat Shark has nonetheless demonstrated it is still committed to the community often by listening to their fans' complaints and taking them to heart. The single most important feature of The Chaos Wastes update is that it is completely free, and available to all owners of Vermintide 2. Instead of splitting the community, the new content is primed to bolster the game's numbers.
Like every preceding update, Chaos Wastes brings a fresh narrative hook alongside the new content. As the End Times grow increasingly desperate, Viktor Saltzpyre, self-proclaimed leader of the Ubersreik Five, has put his faith in the legendary Citadel of Eternity; a locale situated in the deep north of Warhammer's medieval world, through the eponymous wastes. The Chaos Wastes are not merely an inhospitable environment, however: they are an ever-shifting region of caustic magic, skaven, and other evil creatures. But the journey is imperative, as the Citadel may prove the world's only hope. Legend has it that the devout who reach the Citadel may plead their case to the beneficent gods of Warhammer's world.
Rat-Slashing Returns
The core of Vermintide's formula is intact in expeditions. Players step into the boots of one of five heroes, form a four-man squad, and slash a bloody swathe through an army of skaven, satyrs, chaos warriors, and other horrors. In addition to rank-and-file grunts, special enemy units with nasty powers will harry the party, as per the game's zombie-themed antecedent, Left 4 Dead. Along the way, players will claim loot dice, unlocking new talents and careers for their respective heroes (assuming they haven't unlocked everything already).
So what is new? Players will start their Chaos Wastes expeditions with nothing but basic weapons and the talents they have unlocked for their career. Unlike the base game, there are no necklaces and no charms to bolster heroes abilities, meaning hero power is entirely based on the randomized armament upgrades and blessings unlocked from shrines along the way. Most of the time, unlocking these power ups requires the player to spend Pilgrim's Coins which are scattered throughout the level. One exception is to unlock Chests of Trials, a roguelike staple. Instead of paying a toll of coins, the party must go toe-to-toe with exceptionally meaty enemies to earn upgrades.
The procedurally generated environments have a number of different themes, and while they lack the extra degree of polish that comes from a human touch, they make for fun, coherent mazes. Each level is briefer than a normal Vermintide mission, though players can expect a full expedition to last an hour or two, depending on the party's level of familiarity with the game. The various challenges in the level, paired with the AI director system that spawns enemies in inconvenient locations is a solid union between the franchise's signature gameplay, and roguelike variability.
Builds by Improv
Chaos Wastes' decision to have players start with base weapons and no extra equipment is a beginner-friendly decision, but the expansion still feels geared for players who are deeply familiar with the game. Like many roguelikes, randomized power-ups are a huge part of the game. There is a great deal of fun to be had in stumbling across a lucky combination of skills—getting a stacking passive that increases damage with DoT effects makes for fantastic, pyromaniacal fun with Sienna. That potential for experimentation, and the promise of no two games being alike is definitely the biggest draw.
There is one other crucial quality-of-life feature that deserves a special callout, however: host migration. If the host of the party drops four skirmishes deep into an expedition, all is not lost. The party will simply start at their current level, preserving their progress up to that point. There is no way to pause an expedition however, so players should set aside a healthy chunk of time before venturing into the wastes.
An Uncertain Path
Fortunately, random blessings and weapon upgrades aren't the only way players can steer their expedition. Each expedition plays out across a branching map, where every node represents a new encounter, or a shrine that can provide distinct bonuses. These shrines have brief descriptors suggesting what kind of boon they will apply, from healing to boosts in combat efficacy. Again though, a fair amount of forethought is necessary to capitalize on these interludes, as it is difficult to predict what the later branches of a path may hold, and purchasing boons from shrines still requires Pilgrim's Coins.
Providing players with a substantial free update seems like a step in the right direction, but time will tell if the expeditions mode has enough staying power to captivate players in the long run. Hopefully, it will be enough to tide the Vermintide 2 community over until the long-promised versus mode arrives.
The Vermintide 2 Chaos Wastes update is live now for PC, with a forthcoming release for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.