Vermintide 2 Final Career Preview: Bones and All

Fatshark didn't have a new game or anything similar to show off at Gamescom, but they did give us a look at two very exciting updates coming to their popular horde action games, Vermintide 2 and Darktide. Regarding the former, fans finally got to check out the final career for the pyromancer Sienna, who is now a necromancer in her fourth subclass option.

This subclass, career, whatever you like to call it, stands out clearly from anything we've seen before, both in regard to Sienna and Vermintide 2 as a whole. The first thing you'll notice is Sienna's look, which is darker and gloomier in this subclass, befitting a mage who's swapped out the flashy effects of fire for raising the dead. Not just in Sienna's outfit do we see a change, as she now gets a flashy new weapon in the form of a scythe that glows with gorgeous blue flame and a staff which has a ribcage at the top. Lovely.

The scythe is a heavy weapon that moves slower than most but isn't poorly paced. It feels like it's got a good weight to it and will definitely help you clear out swathes of enemies at close range. The staff as well shoots blue flames that can deal good damage at a distance. Its projectiles also chain to different enemies, again indicating this class is going to be good at controlling groups of larger, weaker enemies.

Really, though, the best way to fight an army is with one of your own. Sienna's career skill in this subclass is to summon an army of six skeletons, which each have their own names and can be commanded using a skull that sits in your 4th inventory slot. If you don't give them a command, they'll still attack enemies nearby, and can act as a great way to soak up damage while dishing out some of their own. They're not strong fighters, and will take a couple of hits to bring down a basic rat even on Recruit difficulty, but I think the main use of these skeletons comes in them acting as a damage sponge, rather than as damage dealers. We didn't get to look at the talents you can pick in this subclass, but were assured that you could slot your bony minions into different roles depending on which talents you choose.

As someone who isn't a Sienna main by any means, I have to say this subclass has me more than excited to start playing as a necromancer. The visuals are top notch, and the gameplay is smooth. I can see it being a bit strong to start with, but that has been the case with every DLC subclass introduced so far. In time, perhaps we'll see some changes to the skeletons, but it doesn't feel like they'll need much in order to fit right in with the other classes. Something that stood out right from the start with this new Sienna career is how it doesn't feel like it's targeting any one role for her. Rather than have her tank damage, control the crowds, or snipe faraway foes, her kit this time around is suited for every threat and is likely going to be a strong choice for those who love solo play as well as teaming up with their friends. When the DLC releases in October, we'll have to see if it stacks up with the higher difficulty options.