All Character Careers, Classes, and Abilities in Warhammer: Vermintide 2
Get the lowdown on all the different Warhammer: Vermintide 2 careers and class abilities.
Aside from the thrill of eliminating the filthy Skaven population, Warhammer: Vermintide 2 offers players the chance to choose classes and abilities that best suit their play styles. The latest game from Fatshark features five different character careers, including the Mercenary, Waystalker, Battle Wizard, Ranger Veteran, and Witch Hunter Captain, as well as two unlockable career paths for each of the game's five heroes. Making the most out of the Vermintide 2 means choosing which passive and active abilities are best-suited to the individual as well as the team, and we've got all the essential information players need to know to make the most out of each class' specific talents.
Warhammer: Vermintide 2 Character Classes, Strengths, and Abilities
In addition to various different class weapons and abilities, Vermintide 2 players will note that completing missions will gain class-specific experience. Completion of missions and specific level-based quests will offer the most experience, and players will find their classes have been upgraded with new abilities when reaching both level 7 and level 12.
Sienna Fuegonasus - Battle Wizard Class
The Battle Wizard class has a little something for Vermintide 2 players looking to wield both magic and weapons — not only does Sienna have a short sword for standard slicing and dicing, but her fire-based polearm allows players to cast balls of flame at any unfortunate monster that may cross their path.
As for abilities, the Battle Wizard can make use of Tranquility, which increases both charge speed and ranged attack damage, assuming the player is able to stay out of harm's way for a short period. This class can also make use of Flame Walk, which teleports the player across the environment and leaves behind a trail of flame that can damage enemies.
At level 7, Sienna gains access to the Pyromancer career which sees her skills as a sniper increase. The Critical Mass passive ability increases ranged damage and provides an increase to critical strike chance based on how high the Overcharge level reaches. On the active side, the career skill Homing Firespear release a high-powered projectile that can seek out enemy targets.
Getting all the way to level 12 unlocks the Unchained career as well as Sienna's most dastardly abilities. The passive Blood Magic changes a few interactions with Overcharge, namely that half of all damage taken transfers to Overcharge and blocking consumes Overcharge — it also removes Overcharge slowdown and increases melee power when high on Overcharge. The Unchained career also grants access to career skill Living Bomb, which causes Sienna to explode in a ball of flame, damaging enemies while simultaneously clearing the current Overcharge level.
Markus Kruber - Mercenary Class
All Vermintide 2 players will have a chance to become familiar with the Mercenary class, as it's the default class during the game's prologue. Not only does the Mercenary Markus Kruber sport a menacing two-handed battleaxe, he's also got a formidable blunderbuss that can stop enemies in their tracks.
One of the more potent abilities of the standard Mercenary class is the passive Paced Strikes ability, which increases the player's overall damage for a short period. Mercenary class players can also use Special Morale Boost to both raise the health of allies and stagger nearby enemies.
Stepping up to the Huntsman, which is unlocked at Level 7, Kruber gains access to the Waste Not, Want Not passive ability that not only increases critical strike chance and reduces ranged damage falloff, but also gives the player a return of ammunition for each ranged headshot. The active career skill is Hunter's Prowl, which allows the player to briefly become invisible to get a jump on enemies.
Unlocked at level 12 is the final career shift to Foot Knight, which grants Markus access to two powerful abilities: Protective Presence provides a passive buff that increases stamina, reduces overall damage, and increases the player's damage resistance aura, while the active skill Valiant Charge sees Markus slam through a crowd of enemies, pushing them back.
Bardin Goreksson - Ranger Veteran Class
Players who don't mind trading stature for versatility will feel right at home in Vermintide 2's Ranger Veteran class. Represented by the vertically challenged dwarven warrior Bardin Gorekkson, the Ranger Veteran comes stacked with a potent crossbow for ranged attack as well as a series-namesake warhammer for all those up-close-and-personal moments.
The Ranger Veteran is able to make use of the Survivalist passive ability which not only doubles reload speed and ammo capacity, but also increases the amount of ammo dropped by slain enemies — a particularly good skill to have in teams where supplies often run low. The Ranger Veteran can also use the Disengage active ability, which conceals the party by putting up a thick cloud of smoke.
After hitting level 7, players will gain access to the Ironbreaker career, which sees Bardin gaining access to potent new buffs. The passive Gromril Armour ability completely negates damage from one hit every 20 seconds, and also reduces overall damage while simultaneously increasing overall stamina and stun resistance. Beyond that, the active skill Impenetrable draws aggro by taunting up to 10 nearby enemies and giving Bardin a 10-second buff to defense and blocking ability.
Reaching up to level 12 unlocks the Slayer career, which turns Bardin into a bloodlust-fueled warrior. The passive Trophy Hunter ability stacks damage buffs when hitting enemies and increases the player's attack speed, while Leap allows Bardin to jump forward into enemies and enjoy a brief increase in general attack speed.
Kerillian - Waystalker Class
The Waystalker class in Vermintide 2 is a safe bet for players who prefer to strike quickly and from a distance. Like the Ranger and Mercenary classes, Kerillian can pick off enemies through use of a bow — however, Kerillian has a much higher rate of fire from her bow when compared to any other class in the game.
Kerillian and Waystalker players can take advantage of several passive bonuses, including general heath regeneration, a doubled ammo capacity, increased zoom when using ranged weapons, and a complete lack of ranged damaged falloff. On the active side, the Waystalker class can use Trueshot Volley to fire arrows that are able to home in on enemy creatures.
At level 7, players will unlock Kerillian's Handmaiden Career, the likes of which should serve stealth players nicely. The passive ability known as The Dance of Seasons provides increased dodge distance, a stamina regeneration aura, and prevents the player from being interrupted during revival. On the active side, Dash allows the player to quickly sprint forward through groups of enemies.
Kerillian's skills really open up at level 12 when the Shade career becomes available. This allows players to take advantage of the Murderous Prowess passive ability, which provides a 50% buff to damage dealt from behind and allows critical backstabs to instantly kill any human-sized creatures. On top of that, the Infiltrate active skill makes Kerillian completely undetectable for ten seconds, allowing her to pass through enemies and remain unseen until she attacks.
Victor Saltzpyre - Witch Hunter Captain Class
Vermintide 2's Witch Hunter Captain class is sort of a jack of all trades — not only does Victor have a short sword for close-range combat, he also dual-wields pistols that can be used to dispatch enemies across considerable distances.
More than a variety of weaponry, the Witch Hunter Captain can make use of the Witch Hunt ability, which allows the player to block forward-facing attacks without any sort of block cost. In addition, this ability allows the Witch Hunter to kill essentially any standard-sized enemy with just one headshot. Victor also plays host to the Animosity ability, which can be used to push enemies away from the player and increase the critical hit chance for a period of eight seconds.
Taking Victor to level 7 unlocks the Bounty Hunter career, which should suit players who like to make the most out of the hero's firearms. The Blessed Shots passive ability guarantees a ranged critial hit every 8 seconds, plus it doubles Victor's ammo capacity and increases the general reload speed. Beyond that, the Locked and Loaded active skill gives players access to a powerful gun blast that pierces through enemies.
Hitting level 12 unlocks the Zealot career, which basically puts Victor's skills into overdrive. The Fiery Faith passive ability increases the player's power by 3% for every 25 points of missing health, plus provides a resistance to lethal damage and makes makes heavy attacks immune to interruption. Coupled with this is the Holy Fervor career skill that sees Victor charge forward and gain a 50% increase to attack speed for five seconds.
Be sure to stay on top of the latest news and guides in Fatshark's newest release by checking out our Warhammer: Vermintide 2 homepage.
