Dev Blog - The Dark Pact, Chaos Spawn & Chaos Warrior

The Dark Pact

The forces of the Skaven Clan Fester and the Nurgle worshipping Rotbloods have joined in an unholy alliance. Working in unison, the pact-sworn hosts pose a greater threat than they could ever muster alone. Executing a devilish plan, using their combined strengths and resources, they strike at the very heart of the Empire. 

What do these two rampaging hordes actually bring to the table? Below are but a few of the hostile units you will encounter in Vermintide 2.

Chaos Warrior

A Chaos Warrior is a living weapon, encased in warped armour and imbued with raw, superhuman strength. Having shed the concerns of petty mortality, he dons the mantle of war in the name of the Dark Gods. His is a life of unending battle. 

Slaughter is the Chaos Warrior’s only comfort; the mercurial affection of his blasphemous patron the only love he seeks. Carnage is his nourishment, destruction his muse. His armour slicked with the blood of countless foes, the Chaos Warrior stalks the face of the Old World as an instrument of godly death, implacable as the master he serves. 

Towering brutes with horned helmets, these battle-hardened veterans of Chaos are skilled fighters that use their superior strength, size and thick armour to their advantage. Not only do they swing a massive two-handed axe with phenomenal strength, but they also adjust their techniques to match and counter their opponent, making them especially formidable in combat. Keep your tactics fluid, watch out for his axe, and remember that it will take numerous heavy blows to make this armoured foe fall.

Chaos Spawn

All worshippers of the Dark Gods strive for their patron’s recognition. Every life they claim, every barbarous act, is in furtherance of this one goal. Alas, the gods are fickle, and ladle out their blessings with an uneven hand. The mortal form was never meant to bear such gifts – when the tipping point is reached, mind and body collapse beneath their weight. Thus is born the Chaos Spawn. 

The vaguest outline of a man can be recognised beneath the Spawn’s thrashing bulk. The barest glimmer of reason in its bellowing voice. But the man who was is there no longer, trapped in a prison of his own mutating flesh, driven to madness by his nightmarish existence. The man-that-was fought for glory, and for pride. The Spawn-that-is battles on only to soothe its own pain, and because it knows no other life. 

In combat, the Chaos Spawn is surprisingly fast and erratic despite its towering height. Blinded by its rage and pain, it will constantly overwhelm its opponents,  forcing them to split their ranks. Any poor fool who is left standing alone against the Chaos Spawn will soon find themselves inside its maw, razor-sharp fangs biting through armor and skin alike. The only means of killing it is to attack from all sides, dividing its attention and preventing it from targeting any one individual.