‘Warhammer: Vermintide’ Free Open Beta Hits Xbox One, The ‘Left 4 Dead’ Of This Generation


Warhammer: The End Times – Vermintide has already tackled the PC and is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One next week. Publisher Nordic Games and developer Fatshark released a free open beta of the Left 4 Dead-like co-op game to Microsoft’s console Tuesday.

The Warhammer: Vermintide open beta is currently available to download directly from the Xbox Store and weighs in at 12.29 GB. The beta version of the four-player co-op title will be available for a week and comes with three of the maps from the game’s main campaign plus all of the heroes.

A PlayStation 4 beta has not been announced yet, but a Fatshark community manager posted that the developer is “doing all we can to make it happen” on the Vermintide Reddit group.

For those unfamiliar, Vermintide is similar to the Left 4 Dead franchise as a group of four characters try to survive against a horde of enemies. The difference here though is the horde of enemies are a horde of rat men called the Skaven set in the Warhammer: The End Times dark fantasy universe. Players can also choose between different heroes, level them up, and unlock new melee and ranged weapons plus skills.

For example, the Waywatcher, a Wood Elf, can equip various daggers or swords for combat up close while the Elf’s bow has four different arrow types from poison damage to a homing style arrow that always hits its mark. Meanwhile, the Bright Wizard can use a mace or flaming sword in melee situations, but is at her most powerful with the seven different types of flame attacks from her Wizard Stave.

Fatshark’s spin on a four-player co-op survival title garnered “very positive” reviews on Steam from players and is definitely worth checking out for those who are fans of co-op action games. Be aware that the game can be difficult, however, and does come with a bit of a grind to obtain the best items.

[Image by Fatshark/Nordic Games]

Warhammer: The End Times – Vermintide is scheduled to be released on October 4 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It costs $39.99 and comes with the base game plus all of the free and paid DLC that has been released so far.

“More than half a million PC gamer have already taken Vermintide to their heart, and this fall it’s time for console players to do the same,” Fatshark CEO Martin Wahlund wrote on the game’s website. “The consoles will get an extended version that includes all DLCs released for the PC version to date.”

Sigmar’s Blessing was the first Vermintide DLC and introduces 40 new weapons along with the ability to modify your loot by changing the traits at the Shrine of Solace. Five traits were added with this DLC to add to the ones already included in the game.

Schluesselschloss was the first paid DLC for Vermintide and cost only $3 at release. It comes with a new map set outside the town of Ubersreik at the fortress of Schluesselschloss. The idyllic location serves as a backdrop to the Skaven hordes rushing the castle’s multiple bridges to come and kill the four players.

[Image by Fatshark/Nordic Games]

Last Stand is the other free DLC for Vermintide and adds the namesake new game mode plus the “Town Meeting” map. This is a pure survival mode where wave after wave of Skaven attack the four players at increasing difficulty until all are dead. The longer players survive, the bigger the rewards.

Finally, Drachenfells was the largest and most expensive DLC at $9. The expansion adds three new adventure maps set in the Grey Mountains for Vermintide. Players must fight through the halls and chambers of the Castle Drachenfels, battle in the abandoned castle’s dark dungeons, and a nearby portal.

What do you think of the Warhammer: Vermintide open beta? Sound off in the comments section below.

[Featured Image by Fatshark/Nordic Games]

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