It’s time to assemble your allies - an Expedition awaits you in the Chaos Wastes as you search for salvation at the Citadel of Eternity. Prepare for the unexpected and overcome new challenges in this new rogue-lite inspired game mode with this free update to Vermintide 2.
The Chaos Wastes offer a great experience for both experienced players and new players alike, so never has there been a better time to onboard your buddies and get to chopping and blasting your way through the hordes of pactsworn!
A wealth of information on what to expect in the Chaos Wastes can be found in the Pilgrim’s Guides.
https://www.vermintide.com/pilgrimsguides
Played during a previous free weekend? You’ll be able to continue your experience from where you last left off.
Furthermore, new players will be able to purchase Vermintide 2 with a 75% price cut, with various discounts across most DLCs.
Chaos Wastes is live!
Heroes,
The latest update to Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is live right now! Jump into the Chaos Wastes together with your friends and prepare to head out on your first expedition!
If you are looking for the patch notes for 4.3 you can read them here.
Chaos Wastes is a free update for Warhammer: Vermintide 2. Explore the unpredictable and dramatic lands of Chaos Wastes in this all-new 1-4 player co-op rogue-lite experience, expanding the Vermintide story in a new game mode.
A High Stakes Adventure
Explore the Chaos Wastes together with your fellow heroes in this new rogue-lite inspired game mode. Build your team from the ground up, decide your tactics together and prepare for the unexpected. The farther your team progresses, the greater the reward, but beware: failure to reach the expedition’s end may rob you of the fruits of your labor.
Discover 15 New Locations
Head out on expeditions and explore 15 new unique locations. The journey will take you through a diverse landscape with icy expanses, mountain ranges, and treacherous valleys, all under the control of ruinous powers. Your mission is to locate the rumored Citadel of Eternity in the search for salvation - at any cost.
Adapt and Overcome New Challenges
No two expeditions are the same. Thus, the choices you make are more important than ever and can tip the scales, from life to death. Choose carefully as you equip new weapons, boons, miracles, and more as you progress through the expeditions.
Survive Against Ruinous Powers
Throughout your journey, you may encounter areas that are cursed. When you enter a cursed area, the landscape itself is influenced by its current ruler which dramatically changes the way you need to play. So, prepare for an extra challenge as a cursed area also brings a more sinister threat.
Patch 4.3.0.5 (Hotfix #5)
Hotfix 4.3.0.5
- 29 April 2021
Fixed numerous, various crashes.
Fixed an issue where players could buy Premium cosmetics from Lohner's Emporium more than once.
Fixed an issue where owned Premium cosmetics were not labelled as 'Owned' in Lohner's Emporium of Wonders.
Bots should now use the ranged weapons in the Forgotten Relics DLC pack.
Trollhammer Torpedo should now deal damage to the Beastman Banner.
Chaos Wastes - Fixed Victor sometimes using Kruber voice lines when a positive curse effect happens.
Chaos Wastes - Weapon properties: Removed Stamina properties from all ranged weapons.
Chaos Wastes - Weapon properties: Added Power vs Unarmoured/Large/Armoured/Frenzy properties to all ranged weapons.
Chaos Wastes - Add a warning when attempting to quit out of an Expedition.
Chaos Wastes - Crystal Eggs should no longer spawn right beside players.
Chaos Wastes - Potion of Prophetic Strike and the trait duration improved Potion of Prophetic Strike now have the correct durations (previously this was inverted).
Chaos Wastes - Fixed an exploit possible due to Host Migration behaviour.
Chaos Wastes - Fixed lobby data for host migrated lobbies to now show up properly in the lobby browser.
Chaos Wastes - Rotten Miasma Relic should now deal damage to the Beastman Banner.
Chaos Wastes - Fixed an issue where the Blood Tornados could pass through event gates.
Chaos Wastes - Bel'sha'ziier's Mine - Fixed a spot where rescued players could get picked up and drop out of the play area.
Chaos Wastes - Citadel of Eternity - Fixed so that players can't use teleport abilities to skip through the gate and trigger the final interactable.
Chaos Wastes - Citadel of Eternity - Added a failsafe to the end event so on the rare occasion it fails to proceed it will time out and allow players to continue.
Chaos Wastes - Count Mordrek’s Fortress - Fixed a killbox that was misplaced causing players to heartattack.
Chaos Wastes - Count Mordrek’s Fortress - Fixed a spot where bots could get stuck.
Chaos Wastes - Count Mordrek’s Fortress - Fixed a spot where enemies would spawn in a kill box and be killed without player intervention.
Chaos Wastes - Count Mordrek’s Fortress - Fixed a spot where players could respawn for rescue underneath the terrain.
Chaos Wastes - Count Mordrek’s Fortress - Fixed an out of bounds spot.
Chaos Wastes - Count Mordrek’s Fortress - Made some performance optimisations.
Chaos Wastes - Holseher's Tower - Made some performance optimisations.
Chaos Wastes - Holseher's Tower - Fixed a tower wall that was missing collision.
Chaos Wastes - Pit of Reflections - Fixed a spot where players could get stuck.
Chaos Wastes - Slaughter Bay - Fixed some erroneous invisible walls.
Chaos Wastes - Slaughter Bay - Fixed cases where an objective could trigger multiple times at once.
Known Issue: Holseher's Tower can still have missing bits and pieces for clients who hotjoin, we'll have a fix for this soon!
Hotfix 4.3.0.4
Fixed an issue with Kerillian's new Premium Cosmetics in Lohner's Emporium of Wonders
Hotfix 4.3.0.3
Grail Knights can no longer spam their activated ability by block canceling 2 hit combo.
Engineer's 'Leading Shots' is now consumed when using the Trollhammer Torpedo at 4 stacks.
Chaos Wastes - Fixed 'Rotten Miasma' not working correctly for clients.
Chaos Wastes - Getting multiple stacks of 'Djaf's Reaping' no longer makes the buff shake and go back and forth on the bottom of the screen.
Chaos Wastes - 'Myrmidia's Great Leveller' should now refresh correctly whilst it is active.
Chaos Wastes - Reworked 'Manann's Tempest' deal damage equal to the attack that triggered it.
Designer Note: "The current flat damage calculation it has scales a bit too well with fast hitting weapons while hard hitting and slow weapons have little chance to shine with the boon. This change aims to even out the use cases of this boon between the two types."
Fixed various crashes.
Hotfix 4.3.0.2
Fixed a start-up crash experienced by users on Windows 7
Hotfix 4.3.0.1
Fixed double projectiles doubling overcharge cost but not taking double ammo.
Armorbreaker and shockwave now works on clients.
Fixed an issue where Engineer's in Chaos Wastes could crash when transitioning levels with additional bombs.
Fixed a crash caused by pinginging enemies affected by corrupted flesh.
Fixed modded realm not working correctly.
Fixed a crash that was caused by the Difficulty not being set under certain circumstances.
Fixed a crash players would experience trying to Quickplay in to the Chaos Wastes mode.
Fixed an issue where the Nurgle Chaos Wastes challenge would be insta-flagged as complete for players in Okri's Challenges.
Fixed crash when host uses the scoreboard mod, but the client doesn't.
Introducing the Chaos Wastes!
Explore the Chaos Wastes together with your fellow heroes in this new rogue-lite inspired game mode. Build your team from the ground up, decide your tactics together and prepare for the unexpected. The farther your team progresses, the greater the reward, but beware: failure to reach the expedition’s end may rob you of the fruits of your labor.
Head out on expeditions and explore 15 new unique locations. Trust your instincts during your explorations, the path you took yesterday can be inaccessible or obliterated. Your mission is to locate the rumored Citadel of Eternity in the search for salvation - at any cost.
No two expeditions are the same. Thus, the choices you make are more important than ever and can tip the scales, from life to death. Choose carefully as you equip new weapons, boons, miracles, and more as you progress through the expeditions.
Throughout your journey, you may encounter areas that are cursed. When you enter a cursed area, the landscape itself is influenced by its current ruler which dramatically changes the way you need to play. So, prepare for an extra challenge as a cursed area also brings a more sinister threat.
Big Download but Reduced Installation Size
In Patch 4.3 we have rejiggled the installation. The initial download will be a big download, but the resulting installation will be a fair bit smaller than it was prior to the release of Patch 4.3.
Level Fixes / Tweaks
A Quiet Drink - Fixed an issue where the broken wooden blockade would appear to be intact for players that spawned in to the map in progress.
Against the Grain - Removed a boss wall in the middle of a capture point.
Against the Grain - Fixed a spot where enemies could just flat out walk or run up a cliffside.
Against the Grain - Fixed a location where bots could become stuck against breakable wooden blockades.
Athel Yenlui - Fixed an issue where bots could become stuck at the location of the second Grimoire.
Athel Yenlui - Fixed some places where invisible collisions were blocking projectiles.
Athel Yenlui - Fixed a spot where bots would get stuck trying to retrieve the last Tome.
Athel Yenlui - Fixed a rare issue where leylines could get locked in place whilst misaligned, soft locking the event.
Athel Yenlui - Fixed a number of locations where players and bots could not traverse up steep ledges.
The Blightreaper - Fixed a location where the Blightstormer could spawn but be totally unreachable whilst still being able to cast.
The Blightreaper - Fixed a location where Blightstormers could cast from underground.
The Blightreaper - Fixed an issue where bots could become unresponsive when focused on enemies behind walls.
The Blightreaper - Fixed an issue where enemies could spawn behind the sanctum gate.
Blood in the Darkness - Fixed an issue where Warpfire Thrower flames could travel through walls.
Convocation of Decay - Fixed some situations where progression of the end event could freeze up incorrectly.
Convocation of Decay - Fixed an issue where wooden doors would play the incorrect sound when struck.
Convocation of Decay - Fixed multiple locations where bots and players could become stuck.
Convocation of Decay - Fixed an issue where a wall could block ranged projectiles beyond its appearance.
Dark Omens - Fixed a location where patrols could become stuck.
Empire in Flames - Fixed a spot where bots would get stuck trying to retrieve the first Tome.
Empire in Flames - Fixed some out of bounds bits.
Enchanter's Lair - Fixed an issue where a barrel could be thrown out of bounds, soft-locking the level.
Engines of War - Fixed an issue where Sienna could Fire Walk herself into a ceiling spot.
Engines of War - Fixed some cases where a Chaos Spawn could get stuck in branches.
Engines of War - Fixed some places where invisible collisions were blocking projectiles.
Engines of War - Fixed a location where Skaven could die immediately after spawning.
Festering Ground - Fixed a spot where bots would get stuck trying to retrieve the second Grimoire.
Festering Ground - Fixed a spot that could just heart-attack a player, killing them outright.
Festering Ground - Fixed a spot in the end event where enemies could spawn out of thin air.
Fort Blink182 - Fixed a broken respawn location near the first Grimoire.
Fort Bryanadams - Increased size of the interaction shape on the cannonball, making it easier for players to pick up the cannonball in frenzied situations.
Fort Bobmarley - Fixed some spots where the cannonball could drop through the terrain.
Fort Bigsean - Fixed various spots where players and bots could get stuck.
Fortunes of War - Fixed an exploit where players could just basically skip the whole challenge.
Fortunes of War - Fixed a couple of locations that could instantly kill players and bots.
Garden of Morr - Fixed a floating Ravaged Art pickup.
Garden of Morr - Fixed an issue where bots could become stuck by the ladder in the end event.
Garden of Morr - Fixed a spot where bots were prone to leap off a cliff.
Garden of Morr - Fixed a location where Beastmen patrols could become stuck.
Halescourge - Fixed it so that Saltzpyre's Billhook isn't able to one-shot Brimstone Horsepurge by using the pull action at a specific time.
Halescourge - Fixed an occlusion issue on the path leading to the second Tome.
Halescourge - Fixed an issue where bots could dodge off the elevator and fall to their doom.
Horn of Magnus - Fixed an issue where players could respawn beyond the barrel door event should they die before it.
Horn of Magnus - Fixed an issue where textures would appear to be missing.
Horn of Magnus - Fixed an issue where enemies could become stuck running down the end event stairs.
Horn of Magnus - Fixed an issue where players could become stuck in a corner after respawning.
Horn of Magnus - Fixed an issue where barrels would stop spawning after the player carrying the barrel had lost connection.
Hunger in the Dark - Fixed a spot where you could see outside the level and another where Sienna could leave the level.
Hunger in the Dark - Fixed an issue where the barrels in the cart would appear spectral for clients.
Hunger in the Dark - Fixed a spot where bots would get stuck trying to retrieve the last Tome.
Hunger in the Dark - Fixed a lighting issue seen in the area where the second Tome is found.
Hunger in the Dark - Fixed a missing texture observed on a part of the tunnels.
Hunger in the Dark - Fixed a bug where players could get night vision in the room where the second Tome can be found.
Into the Nest - Fixed an issue where players could spawn behind the team in the boss arena.
Into the Nest - Fixed a spot where Ratling Gunners could shoot throught the water wheel.
Into the Nest - Fixed an issue where players could spawn in at the end of the map.
Old Haunts - Fixed a spot where Bardin bot couldn't retrieve the first Tome.
Old Haunts - Fixed a few spots where bots could get stuck.
Old Haunts - Fixed an issue where players and bots that died during the church event could respawn beyond the point of no return.
Old Haunts - Fixed an issue where enemies spawned by Twitch mode could become stuck, unable to reach players.
Old Haunts - Fixed an issue where bots were unable to rescue players downed in a specific location.
The Pit - Fixed a spot where players could dash through the ground.
The Pit - Fixed an issue where enemies could walk across a fallen bridge during the end event.
Prologue - Fixed case of Bardin not accepting healing during his rescue section.
Righteous Stand - Fixed a spot where bots were prone to suiciding.
Righteous Stand - Fixed a couple of spots where players could get stuck.
Righteous Stand - Fixed an issue where enemies could become stuck whilst climbing down the walls during the end event.
Righteous Stand - Removed Beastmen. For real this time.
The Screaming Bell - Fixed a spot where players could dash through the ground.
The Screaming Bell - Fixed an issue where Sienna could Fire Walk her way below the bell.
The Screaming Bell - Fixed a "deathzone" location.
Skittergate - Fixed an issue where bots would not follow players through the Skittergate nor teleport to them to catch up.
Skittergate - Fixed a hole where players could get stuck.
Skittergate - Fixed a spot where Bardin bot would get perma-stuck.
Skittergate - Fixed multiple cases where players and bots could lose substantial amounts of health when entering the Norsca -> Skittergate portal.
Skittergate - Removed an invisible blocker.
Skittergate - Fixed an issue where bots would be reluctant to leave the last elevator.
Skittergate - Fixed an issue where players could spawn into the map behind the elevator.
Skittergate - Fixed an issue where Gatekeeper Naglfahr could be knocked underground.
Skittergate - Fixed a location where enemies were able to walk up a tent.
Skippergate - Fixed some out of bounds bits.
Taal's Horn Keep - Added collision around the Spoils of War pedestal so you cant toss dummies onto the chests (they were wigging out for clients).
War Camp - Fixed a spot where players could get stuck.
War Camp - Fixed so a player who joins around the time the battering ram breaches the camp doors, the joined player is able to pass through said doors - whilst previously they were locked out.
War Camp - Fixed a location where enemies and bots were able to walk up walls.
War Camp - Fixed a spot where Sienna could Fire Walk herself to an out-of-bounds part of the map.
Weaves - Objects thrown out of bounds should now despawn and be replaced in-bounds.
Weaves - Fixed some locations where players could get stuck.
Weaves - Fixed an occlusion issue causing flickering on Light wind weaves.
Sound Fixes / Tweaks
Some Engineer sounds have been tweaked, in particular the volume of 3rd person sounds (those you'd hear with an Engineer in your group - from the perspective of another player).
Enemies should now be easier to hear when behind you.
Fixed sound cutting out when shield pushing several enemies.
Victor's secondary pistol attack with Rapier now plays the correct sound.
Victor's Repeater Pistol now has the reload sound properly audible in all situations.
Kruber's Man-bow now has the correct sound when switched to from another weapon.
Bounty Hunter's activated ability now plays the correct sound.
Lohner will no longer instigate conversation about their experiences at Castle Drachenfels with the heroes.
UI Fixes / Tweaks
Masterwork Pistol crosshair style has been changed to avoid switching back and forth while using the alt fire.
Made it so changes to the gamepad button icon style (PS4/XB1) are immediately reflected in the UI when the setting is changed.
Fixed text overflow in Athanor talent descriptions.
Pinging an enemy can no longer trigger the "Too many Social Wheel messages" error in chat.
Fixed a bug that prevented changing hero via the escape menu when the bridge of shadows was open.
Grail Knight duties are now considered priority buffs and will show up center screen when activated.
Fixed an issue in the controller UI where the healthbar frame would not adjust appropriately when the window is resized.
Re-enabled the cancel host migration button. It was disabled as a stop-gap measure to fix a networking issue that has since been resolved.
Fixed an issue where incorrect Portrait Frames were sometimes being displayed in the end of match screen.
Removed a debug timer that snuck its way into the game.
Fixed a couple of instances where incorrect subtitles would be displayed.
Players will no longer be pinged when commanded to drop something.
Hero Fixes / Tweaks
Engineer: Scavenged Shot talent replaced with Combined Arms - 'Melee power increased by 10%. Every 5 melee kill makes Bardin's next Ranged attack grant 15% Ranged Power for 10 seconds.'.
Fixed a bug where "Vanish" could disallow Kerilian the crit buff from "Cloak of Mist".
Added back the dot to the first strike of Sienna's mace heavy attack chain.
Fixed an issue by which damage reduction stacking wasn't multiplicative as intended.
Added a missing action to the Coghammer so holding attack chains the first heavy (same behaviour as with other weapons).
Bardin's 'Survivalist' now correctly produces ammunition on barrel explosion.
Fixed an issue where certain ranged weapons would sway excessively after switching from a Bretonnian Longsword.
Fixed an issue where Battle Wizard's Soot Shield could trigger if hitting dead enemies.
Fixed an issue where switching to Saltzpyre's melee weapon prior to reloading his Repeater Pistol and back would result in the animation breaking.
Fixed an issue where Siennas on the verge of exploding who felt the need to cliff dive would be flat out killed, without an opportunity to be rescued by their fellow heroes.
Miscelaneous Fixes / Tweaks
Slayer's 'Ghalskeggi' now shows the correct wristband colour in both 1st and 3rd person views.
The Grail Knight's Black and Gold skin now correctly has yellow sleeves instead of white.
Fixed a bunch of other minor inconsistencies between 1st and 3rd person textures for Shade and Zealot skins.
Fixed an issue where "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger", and "The Vanguard" Deeds didn't include Beastmen where the host was eligible to face them.
Packmasters should no longer do a 180 spin when hooking players.
Accessing Okri's challenges has been re-enabled for modded. (Note: rewards are not redeemable on modded by design). This also fixes a bug that did not allow starting Fortunes of War on modded realm.
Fixed an issue where players getting disabled immediately after consuming healing draughts would lose the draught without getting it's effect. It now gets refunded in this case.
We've updated the colour and duration of the ground decal for the Gobadier's Globe VFX to better match up with the effect and the duration of the threat.
Input buffering of quickswap (default keybind: Q) will now have priority over other actions (eg. swapping to a bomb or a potion).
Fixed a rare issue that allowed a player to block whilst in a downed state.
Fixed some cases where ambush hordes could spawn in plain sight.
Twitch mode boons and potions now stack, and no longer overwrite each other.
Crashes
Fixed a crash that could occur due to an excessive amount of friends being displayed within the in-game player list.
Fixed various miscellaneous crashes.
Known Issues (MODS)
Armory - Crashes when selecting Kruber or his new weapon.
Needii - Missing functionality with the new potions.
Crosshair Kill Confirmation - Might cause issues booting the game (unable to reproduce).
Info Dump for Streaming - Does not work and causes performance degradation.
Item Filter - Throws a localization error when looking at deeds.
Loadout Manager - Throws errors when opening the player list (tab) menu. Bot loadouts do not work in the wastes.
Mission timer - Does not work in the wastes.
Player List Plus - Throws errors when opening the player list (tab) menu. Does not work (or works inconsistently) in the Wastes.
Removed Hanged Corpses - New hanging units are visible in the Chaos Wastes locations.
Third Person Equipment - Causing big performance degradation due to errors.
UI Tweaks - Causes some issues in the HUD
Removes keybinds from the HUD.
Green outline timer of priority buffs is always full.
Locations of some HUD components have moved w/ regards to live game, including but possibly not limited to: Player Portrait, Health Bar, Ability Bar, Cooldown Timer, Inventory Items & Ammo Count.
Vermintide Mod Framework - Sliders/dropdowns are not visible but still clickable. Being in the Mod Options when changing maps can crash the game.
Weapon Kill Counter - Kills are not consistently added to the counter in the wastes.
Franz Lohner's Chronicle - The Changer of Ways
An absent-minded man of mysteries, Franz Lohner relies on his bulging journal to keep track of occurrences, intrigues and arguments around Taal's Horn Keep. Sometimes his notes are even useful, believe it or not. The Franz Lohner Chronicles are extracts from that journal.
Franz Lohner's Chronicle - The Changer of Ways
Kruber’s back from Parravon. Sienna and Kerillian are back from … wherever. Even Bardin stuck his head out of the workshop this morning. Things are almost back to normal around here, which is nice.
Never realised how much I’ve got used to having our Ubersreik Five around … or maybe it’s more that I’ve never realised how much I’ve relied on the other four to keep Saltzpyre distracted. Tell you what, I’ve learned more about our good Witch Hunter’s existential dread this past week than is healthy. All told, I reckon I liked it better when he was a sneering presence in the corner of the room, waiting for the right moment to denounce My “vile, enduring heresy.”
I should really whisper a bit more encouragement in Catrinne’s ear. I’m not sure the lass knows what she’s letting herself in for, but you can’t save everyone, and I need a bit of a Saltzpyre break.
Anyway, even Olesya had a rare moment of sociability last night. Well, I say sociability. It was more of a lecture. As our resident maven of matters magical, seems she feels beholden to setting us straight on the Chaos Gods … just in case our lot end up crossing their paths. Last night it was Tzan … Tzeng … Tzetch …
Now come on, Franz, you can do this. Just take it nice and slow. One letter at a time.
Tzeentch. Hah! Cracked it!
Anyway, Olesya had quite a lot to say about Tzeentch. And Saltzpyre, bless him, sat quiet as a mouse through the whole thing. No accusations of heresy. No protestations of witchcraft. I think he’s a bit beyond that now, truth be told. Rightly or not, this Citadel of Eternity business has him thinking of himself as something outside the Order of the Silver Hammer. Then again, heresy’s very much an all or nothing business when you’re a Witch Hunter.
But Tzeentch. (That’s three times in a row now. Must be getting the hang of the spelling.) He’s the Chaos God of Magic, Deception and Change. A schemer, it goes, who revels in the plan, rather than the purpose. A case of not being able to see the forest for trees, or not caring to, at least. I’ve known plenty of bureaucrats like that, now I think on it – more interested in the form, than what the form’s for, if you take my meaning? I’ve always tried to avoid that. Sure, I’ve secrets and plans and wotnot, but it’s always for a reason.
Olesya had a lot to say about what might happen if Tzeentch glances at our lot when they’re in the Chaos Wastes. Cackling lightning sounded the nastiest. But what really opened my ears was Oleysa’s suggestion that he’s already been having a bit of a gander in our direction, playing us for puppets for his own, unknowable reasons.
Bardin scoffed at that. Took off his gromril helm and glared right at her. “There’s no Kazaki Gromthi making me dance, Aldrinn.”
“Is that so?” she asked, a wicked glint in her eye, and the shadows drawing closer. “But weren’t you a slayer just yesterday?”
Went a bit quiet after that, I can tell you. Because the thing of it was, I’d a clear memory of exactly that, but fuzzy, as if I’d forgotten. A slayer oath ain’t a pair of trousers. You don’t pull it on and take it off as it suits you. It’s a lifetime commitment, even if it’s not often a very long lifetime. Goreksson wasn’t a slayer today, so he couldn’t have been one yesterday. And yet he had been. More than that, Bardin’s eyes told me he believed it too.
It got worse. As I looked around the circle, everyone was different, but also the same. I made the mistake of blinking, and they all changed again. Same faces, same people … but not. And all of them looking as off-colour as I felt. And Olesya, of course, was laughing. Sigmar help me, but she’s an obnoxious baggage sometimes.
With no other recourse, I pinched my eyes shut and counted to ten. And then another ten. When I opened them, everyone was back to normal. Or what I used to think was normal, leastways. Can’t say anyone looked happy, but no one seemed in a hurry to speak.
Olesya wandered off after that, chuckling to herself. But the old bat shot me a mischievous wink before she went, and it got me wondering if any of it had been true, or one of her illusions. And if the latter, was she just having a joke, or making a macabre point? What happens if Tzeentch really is twiddling with our destiny? Does anything we do even matter?
What if this Citadel of Eternity lark was all his idea? Reckon I understand how Saltzpyre feels about the business better than I did before. Roads to damnation ain’t always labelled as such, after all.
Sigmar, but I need a drink. I wonder if there’s any of that Bugman’s left?
Chaos Wastes - Free update coming April 20th
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqCVZwY2toM
Heroes,
Today we are very excited to announce that Warhammer: Vermintide 2 - Chaos Wastes is releasing April 20. Chaos Wastes will be a free update to Vermintide 2 and will take you on a whole new high-stakes adventure.
Explore the unpredictable and dramatic lands of Chaos Wastes in this all-new 1-4 player co-op rogue-lite experience, expanding the Vermintide story in a new game mode.
The unpredictable and dramatic land of the Chaos Wastes are only one week away, and an expedition requires preparations. We have created several guides that might help any hero heading out in search of salvation.
An absent-minded man of mysteries, Franz Lohner relies on his bulging journal to keep track of occurrences, intrigues and arguments around Taal's Horn Keep. Sometimes his notes are even useful, believe it or not. The Franz Lohner Chronicles are extracts from that journal.
Franz Lohner's Chronicle - The Damned Count
Saltzpyre’s preparations are proceeding apace, aided largely by a recent gift from one of my old mates back in Bergerac. He’s something of a … freelance acquisitions expert … and the item in question just happened to fall off the back of a wagon on the Grasgar-L’Anguille road after a brief storm of arrows. That happens a lot around my mate.
Anyway, it’s a map – or thereabouts – of the bit of the Chaos Wastes our plucky band will be traversing. Not the most useful of guides, at first blush. Take your eyes off it for a moment, and all the places start shuffling around. My contact said it’s because the Chaos Wastes are always changing, which ain’t half as reassuring as he thought. Still, Saltzpyre seemed glad to see it – though that smile still needs work – and he’s thrown himself into the upcoming pilgrimage like never before.
Truth be told, I’m glad Salty’s found something to keep himself busy. Bit quiet around here of late, what with Sienna and Kerillian having vanished to parts unknown. Kruber’s pestered Olesya into sending him to take a gander at what’s left of his ancestral castle, down in Parravon. And Bardin? Haven’t seen him for days, though with all the battering and clanging coming from that workshop of his, I’m reasonably sure he’s still breathing. Let ‘em enjoy the lull, says I. They’ll be busy soon enough.
But back to this map. Saltzpyre tells me that his Order’s been trying to destroy it for decades. Not for what it shows, oddly enough, though I guess “Ever-Changing Map of the Chaos Wastes” ain’t something to warm the hearts of heretic-seekers. It’s more for the poor sod who inked it in the first place. Fellow by the name of Marius Holseher, one-time Elector Count of Stirland. Oh, I know you might have heard that he was a simple scribe, but that was the family’s doing. Tried to hush it all up, you see.
But hush what up, exactly? Well, while crusading in Araby, Holseher stumbled on an enchanted mirror that whisked him away to the Realm of Chaos – the otherworldly land of the Dark Gods themselves. Now you might think that would be the end of his tale, what with the Realm of Chaos being a daemon-infested wasteland, full to the brim with madness.
Better throw an “allegedly” in there, just in case Saltzpyre has a peek at this journal. He’s not gone entirely soft, and I wouldn’t want him spoiling our friendship with pointed questions and needles under the fingernails.
Anyway, somehow or another, Holseher not only survived this allegedly daemon-haunted nightmare – he flourished. Came back to the mortal world with a journal crammed full of fantastical tales about rivers of nurglings, giggling horrors, harvest fields of screaming souls waiting for the scythe, a blood-slicked plain piled with skulls, a giant in silver armour who hurled blue flame … and that’s only scratching the surface. The whole tome – the Liber Malefic, as it’s commonly known – is hundreds upon hundreds of pages long, and a veritable bestiary of denizens daemonic. I’ve most of a copy somewhere, and it’s not the sort of thing to read if you’re a light sleeper, I can tell you.
Sigmar knows how the bugger survived. Maybe the Dark Gods intended it to be so. After all, they’re as egotistical as the next deity. (Allegedly, Saltzpyre, if you’re reading this.) Get their truth out into the world, and all that. Or maybe Holseher just had the luck of Ranald himself. If the latter’s true, he didn’t know when to stop pushing it.
Even when the priests reluctantly conceded Holseher was no more accursed than you or I, he couldn’t settle down. Kept revising his Liber Malefic, determined to make it perfect – which is why you’ll find so many contradictions associated with it, what with so many revisions floating around. When he got bored with that, he wandered north into the Chaos Wastes, searching for a way to reach the Realm of Chaos and start work on a new volume.
No one’s really sure what happened to Holseher after that. Maybe he’s still ticking. More likely he was eaten alive by the northlanders … but then again, the fellow was certainly touched by the Chaos Gods, one way or another, so for all I know he’s a king in the wastes, holding dismemberment at bay by telling tales about the world beyond the world.
Rather him than me. But at least we’ve got his map. Makes me dizzy just looking at it.
Franz Lohner's Chronicle - The Citadel of Eternity
An absent-minded man of mysteries, Franz Lohner relies on his bulging journal to keep track of occurrences, intrigues and arguments around Taal's Horn Keep. Sometimes his notes are even useful, believe it or not. The Franz Lohner Chronicles are extracts from that journal.
Franz Lohner's Chronicle - The Citadel of Eternity
Turns out that Saltzpyre’s been thinking about the long game. I mean, we’ve all seen that things are getting worse around here, with no immediate hope of improvement, but Saltzpyre’s actually come up with a suggestion about what we do about it. And I’ll be honest, it’s not the one I expected of him.
According to Saltzpyre, there’s a place up in the grim north called “The Citadel of Eternity”. Never heard of it myself, but he’s adamant there are clues scattered about, if you know what you’re looking for. Supposedly, it’s a place close to the roof of the world, near enough that you can speak with the gods, if that’s your poison. And I’m not talking about the Dark Gods of Chaos, no – those buggers can hear you anywhere, so I understand. Proper gods. Sigmar and the like. Gods who might lend a hand, if we ask ‘em nice.
Apparently, the Order of the Silver Hammer has known about the Citadel of Eternity for some time, thanks to the liberal deployment of thumbscrews and red-hot pokers. It’s the kind of secret they don’t want out in the world, which makes it all the more surprising that Saltzpyre’s proposing we see if we can find the bloody place.
Didn’t exactly look happy when I coaxed that part out of him, if I’m honest. He knows that even contemplating the idea’s going to get him put on his fellow Witch Hunters’ naughty lists, should they ever find out. But he did perk up a bit once he got the words out. Even did that thing we let him think is a smile. You can tell it’s been weighing on him. A man like Saltzpyre lives his life bounded by rules, and breaking them’s scarier than all the red-hot pokers in the world. That’s how I know that no matter how bad I think things have gotten lately, they’re almost certainly worse.
Anyway, he’s asked me to keep it to myself for the time being. Wants to approach the others in his own good time. This ain’t gonna be some Festag stroll. It’s an expedition, right into the heart of the very worst bit of the world, and it’s gonna take a lot of preparation.
How do I feel about it? Still figuring that bit out, if I’m honest. I mean … just imagine if we could get a bit of divine intervention going. Faith’s all very well, but it don’t last forever. Not that I’m expecting old Sigmar to come striding down out of the heavens wreathed in lightning – though wouldn’t that be something? But a word? A blessing? Something to keep wavering hearts in the fight, and give us all a bit of hope that it’s possible to turn things around?
Yeah, I’d settle for that.
But then again, I’m not the one traipsing up into the Chaos Wastes.
Franz Lohner's Chronicle - Why I'm a Worthless Mayfly
An absent-minded man of mysteries, Franz Lohner relies on his bulging journal to keep track of occurrences, intrigues and arguments around Taal's Horn Keep. Sometimes his notes are even useful, believe it or not. The Franz Lohner Chronicles are extracts from that journal.
Franz Lohner's Chronicle - Why I'm a Worthless Mayfly
Hello diary. I hope you don’t mind me addressing you, an inanimate object, as if you’re some kind of sentient being worthy of conversation? I know it’s unseemly.
Alas, you are my only real friend … probably because you have no eyes with which to see how often I scratch myself in unseemly ways, or ears to hear that strange whistling noise I make with my teeth while I scour my tiny mayfly brain for what passes as a useful thought.
Believe me, you’re much better off for it. If only the others were so blessed.
I come to you with a confession. I have recently realised that I must be much, much, much nicer to Kerillian. Or rather, to Lady Kerillian the Beautiful and All-Wise - as I should really start calling her. She is patently as far above me as I am above the worms churning the soil.
No.
Wait.
She is patently many times farther above me than I am above the worms churning the soil. I cannot give you a precise number, no, as counting makes my head hurt and my tongue itch.
Alas, it’s a source of constant, guilty shame that I do not readily prostrate myself and clean Lady Kerillian’s boots with my tongue. Which she would of course not allow, because my tongue – like the rest of me – is filthier than her boots ever get. Yes, even after she’s been forced to walk through yet another sewer because I arrogantly assumed that doing so was a good use of her time.
I understand now that Lady Kerillian’s longevity is no excuse for such poor planning on my part. I should be endlessly grateful for every moment she sees fit to grant me - me! - and never again ask her to join Bardin’s misguided attempt at a sing-song.
Let me see. What else? What else do I talk about all the time? Oh, that’s right.
Pumpkins.
Pumpkins. Pumpkins. Pumpkins. Pumpkins. Pumpkins.
I love pumpkins. In fact, I sometimes wish I was one.
An absent-minded man of mysteries, Franz Lohner relies on his bulging journal to keep track of occurrences, intrigues and arguments around Taal's Horn Keep. Sometimes his notes are even useful, believe it or not. The Franz Lohner Chronicles are extracts from that journal.
Franz Lohner's Chronicle - Taal's Horn Keep
Well, we’ve been here a while now, so I guess it’s time I laid down a little bit about the history of our fair base of operations: Taal’s Horn Keep.
First thing you ought to know is that there were originally two Taal’s Horn Keeps – or rather two Taal’s Horns Keeps. You see, folk think this place is named for Taal’s hunting horn. But in the earlier depictions, Taal has two bloody great antlers. That’s where these two keeps got their names. One sitting on either shoulder of the pass. Turns out the baron who ordered their raising was a devout follower of the Hunter God, and wanted every advantage he could get over the greenskins flowing out of the mountains. And you have to admit, there’s some fine symbolism in an invading army having to chance the Horns of Taal before they can get on with the pillaging.
The only problem was, this here baron was also a bit lax when it came to keeping his fortifications maintained. Wasn’t great on spending money to build ‘em, neither. If you reckon this place looks bad now, it’s an improvement on what he stumped up for. Regardless, by the time the greenskins finally did come a-knocking at the door, neither keep was able to offer much in the way of resistance, although the garrisons surely tried.
There’s a persistent rumour that one of two castellans even retained a hedge wizard to aid in the defence … Only the scruffy old fool ended up calling on rather more of the Winds of Magic than he intended. Routed the greenskins and cursed the fortress at the same time. Nasty business, or so I understand. All tentacles, screams and inky black madness that even a northlander’d baulk at.
Both keeps were abandoned soon after that. Can’t blame anyone for that – the only thing that comes close to living in a cursed keep is having to stare at it across the valley. Step a bit closer to the present day, and one of them collapses from disrepair, its stones nicked to build that lovely bridge down in the valley. The trouble is, I can’t rightly tell which keep collapsed, and which one was left standing … not that the one left standing what you might call good nick. Records are as vague as a Tilean’s wedding vows, if you take my meaning? But I do have my suspicions. Olesya says the Winds of Magic blow strong around here, and that can’t be coincidence, can it?
Still, I’m sure the others’ll let me know if they start hearing voices, won’t they?
Vermintide 2: Three Year Anniversary
Heroes,
The 3-Year Anniversary of Warhammer: Vermintide 2’s launch on PC is just around the corner, and with that, we of course want to celebrate! Vermintide 2 officially launched on PC on March 8, 2018.
Between March 5 - March 14 players on PC will be able to play the celebratory mission ‘A Quiet Drink’, earn Double XP all throughout the Anniversary, and we will be doing daily giveaways over on the Vermintide Twitter.
A NOTE FROM THE DEVELOPERS
These past 3 years have gone by super quickly, and we are humbled and grateful for each and every one of you. Without you, our players, we would not have been able to continue with the development of Vermintide 2 and now Darktide as well. Thank you for all of your feedback, fan art, bug reports, streaming, and of course, thank you for loving Vermintide 2. Let’s celebrate together to highlight the past 3 years, and the years to come!
