Vermintide 2 dials back difficulty with latest update

When we quizzed Fatshark CEO Martin Wahlund about Vermintide 2's punishing difficulty last month, he told us he and his team were working to "remove the extreme spikes". The first-person Skaven-slasher's latest update, patch 1.0.5, tackles this head-on. Expect buffs to all five playable classes and nerfs to its deadliest enemies, among other things.

Chest rewards from Veteran difficulties, for example, are now capped at 300 Hero Power—up from 200. "We don't want Hero Power progression to stop at Veteran," explains this Steam Community update, which in turn should make gaining Hero Power in Veteran mode less of a slog, reckons Fatshark.

"The higher difficulty levels—Champion and Legend, are meant to really test the skill of the player," the post adds. "Veteran item rarities have been changed. You can now receive Veteran items from General’s Champion and Emperor’s Champion chests, as well as any chests obtained from Legend. Their drop rates have also been drastically increased."

The buffs and nerfs applied to Vermintide 2's playable characters are quite technical, so I'd advise perusing those at your leisure in this direction.

As for its enemies, Marauders have seen their cleave hit mass cut by 25 percent; whereas Blightstormer and Lifeleech Sorcerers are now "considered unarmored", and have headshot hitzones. Blightstormers have also had their health reduced by a third.

Vermintide 2's update 1.0.5 is live now. For further reading, check out Steven's 80-scoring review, and learn what modders have planned down the line.