History VideoGame / TheEndTimesVermintide

''The End Times: Vermintide'' is a first person video game adaptation of ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'', set during the apocalyptic ''TabletopGame/WarhammerTheEndTimes'' setting. The game is developed by Fatshark, and was released for the PC on October 23, 2015, with UsefulNotes/{{PS4}} and UsefulNotes/XboxOne releases in early 2016.

** Franz Lohner [[spoiler:has a grudgebringer shield, heavily implying that he's a former grudgebringer (who fought skaven during the events of ''"Shadow of the Horned Rat"'', which could explain his knowledge of the skaven).]]

* RatMen: The Skaven are basically AlwaysChaoticEvil humanoid rats that are known for their use of warpstone-powered {{Magitek}} and for having a serious race-wide case of ChronicBackstabbingDisorder.

* BittersweetEnding: The heroes [[spoiler: manage to kill Grey Seer Rasknitt and scatter the Clan Fester Skaven army. However, this was only but a taste of things to come in the future, and the city would eventually be destroyed by the Skaven, Chaos, and undead.]] Further, Ubersreik is canonical doomed to be destroyed alongside everything else during the imminent end of the ''Warhammer'' world.

* CastFromHitPoints: The Bright Wizard is stated to have no magic limit, so she can cast as many spells as she wants. However, abusing her powers will cause her to harm herself (and eventually explode). A bit more complicated; she takes no damage from casting until she exceeds her heat tolerance, at which point she drops instantly. She also slowly disperses her heat at all times. Below about 1/3 of her maximum heat, she can choose to vent heat rapidly with no risk. Above this, she can still vent, but it'll deal a small amount of damage to her (but with no RegeneratingHealth, it adds up). Slowly losing heat still does no damage. This is a PragmaticAdaptation of the treacherous Winds of Magic of the Warhammer world.

* DoomedByCanon: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. ''TabletopGame/WarhammerTheEndTimes'' ends with the ''Warhammer'' world destroyed by Chaos, suggesting that everyone in the game is doomed anyway. However, ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'' says that quite a few people managed to escape the doomed universe into the new setting, and there are also hints that the ''Vermintide'' games are actually set in the AlternateUniverse of ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'', where it's possible to avert the End Times, giving some hope for the Ubersreik Five.

* ForegoneConclusion: [[spoiler: The heroes attempts to save the city succeed. However Ubersreik eventually gets destroyed, the Empire is down to only one city (which is then taken over because a certain elf stole the essence of a God that helped prevent it from falling). And to add further insult to injury, the Warhammer World gets destroyed by Chaos. Even the ending states it.]]

* FriendlyFireproof: From Hard and below, this is played straight - characters' ranged attacks and bombs will not hurt each other. On Nightmare and above, this is averted, just like in Left 4 Dead's [[HarderThanHard Expert]] difficulty - the swings of melee weapons are still safe, but all ranged weapons and bombs will deal a small but not insignificant amount of damage to friendlies.
** A certain trinket increases the explosion radius of the equipped character's bombs, but also makes them FriendlyFireproof even on Nightmare and up.

* IfItTastesBadItMustBeGoodForYou: When drinking a healing draught, the character drinking it might complain about the taste of it. Even Bardin, who may occasionally ask for another, can complain about it.
-->'''Kerillian:''' This mulch burns my throat.\\
'''Bardin:''' Gah! Tastes like krut!\\
'''Saltzpyre:''' I don't drink this out of thirst.\\
'''Kruber:''' I wish you were an ale!

* LadyOfWar: Kerillian

** The paintings in the Wizard's Tower are classical pieces of Warhammer Fantasy art, such as John Blanche's [[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k02uaOr7uew/VDQdVD-ZbbI/AAAAAAAAEZY/ksGbQGSAK1Y/s1600/john_blanche_skeleton_horde.jpg Skeleton Horde]].

-->'''Kerillian:''' ''(when healing Sienna)'' Shelter behind One-eye next time!

** '''Victor''' frequently peppers his speech with references to [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Sigmar]], requesting his benedictions and dedicating deeds in his name.
---> "Holy Sigmar! Bless this ravaged body!"
** '''Kruber''' likewise invokes Sigmar, but also occasionally Taal (an older human god of nature) and Shallya (mostly when finding healing supplies).
---> "Taal blessed your aim!"
** '''Bardin''' invokes the name of Valaya, a dwarfen goddess of hearth and healing, most often when spotting a special or when a teammate gets a headshot.
---> "Valaya's Radiant Helm, you've a good eye!"
** '''Kerillian''' of course turns to Lileath in dire times, asking her to watch over the party.
** Finally, '''Sienna''' will instead refer to the schools of magic, mostly Aqshy (fire) and Ulgu (shadow); the first when she's generated too much heat through magic use (see below) and the second when sensing the presence of Gutter Runners.
* {{Overheating}}: The Bright Wizard's spells cause a heat meter to increase, while not using them or venting it out will decrease it. If it gets too high she'll literally start burning herself up, and if it reaches max she explodes.

* SpecificallyNumberedGroup: The original and its sequel pits five heroes - the [[https://warhammerfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Ubersreik_Five Ubersreik Five]] - against an endless invasion of ratmen, northlanders, and beastmen. It's a four player game, so every round one character is benched. Lampshaded in one of the Mercenary Captain's ultimate lines. Justified in that the world literally ended; Warhammer Fantasy is no more.
--> KRUBER: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OWa7oyJwxY&ab_channel=micspamchannell AY! We're the bloody Ubersreik Five! Or four! Doesn't matter!]]"

* ZergRush: One of the Skavens specialty, especially the Skavenslaves which basically attack in huge groups akin to a horde attack in ''Left 4 Dead''.

* MagicPotion: A loading screen tip mentions that Potions of Speed and Strength can only be brewed through magical means, unlike mundane [[HealthPotion Healing Draughts]]. In ''Waylaid'', [[spoiler:this is a [[RevealingSkill giveaway]] when the heroes find Olesya enchanting a potion in the basement.]]

* DoomedByCanon: The game can quickly be summarized as "What would you get if you set ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' in the TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} universe, with the skaven serving as the opposition?" The answer is doomed protagonists, as the ''Warhammer'' world was destroyed by Chaos, then reforged into the Mortal Realms of ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar''. Partly averted due to ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'' saying that quite a few people managed to escape the doomed universe and settle into the new universe created by Sigmar.
** Also partly averted by [[WordOfGod occasional hints]] that the ''Vermintide'' games are set in the AlternateUniverse of ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer''. As it is possible for Order to win the war and cancel the End Times there, the Ubersreik Five ''might'' have a small chance of making it.

* TheGhost: Catrinne of Aldenstein is a painter taking residence at Taal's Horn Keep. There are numerous hints to her presence: she sometimes calls to Lohner from a distance, is occasionally name-dropped by Lohner and the Five, is the artist of some of the paintings you can put on the walls, and her room is located beyond a secret tunnel behind where Lohner stands. But she has yet to make an in-game appearance.

* FiveManBand: Though only four can be chosen in gameplay sessions. The band consists of:
** '''Victor Saltzpyre''', z male '''Witch Hunter''', TheLeader, who is a position of nominal authority over the other characters and tends to shout commands during gameplay.
** '''Sienna Fuegonasus''', a female '''Bright Wizard''', TheSmartGuy, who has been arrested by Victor for her manic pyromancy but has been deputized due to the ongoing siege.
** '''Markus Kruber''', a male '''Empire Soldier''', TheLancer, who was hired by Victor and comes off more as a cynical veteran of the Empire's wars compared to Victor's fanatical support for the Empire.
** '''Bardin Goreksson''', a male '''Dwarfen Ranger''', ironically TheBigGuy, since despite being waist-high to the other characters, Dwarfs (yes, Dwarfs) in Warhammer are known for being tougher and hardier than any other race, and Bardin likes to tank the enemy, forming a "one-man shield wall".
** '''Kerillian''', a female '''Wood Elf Waywatcher''', looks like TheChick but isn't, as she is [[CantArgueWithElves acerbic and condescending]] to her team most of the time and [[CantArgueWithElves usually dismissive of anything the Empire or Dwarfs have made or done]]. Borders on SixthRanger.
** The Barkeeper serves as TheChick (as that trope notes, TheChick is not always female). He's a burly citizen of the Empire who greets you after each mission with a warm word of encouragement, tends to your hideout and supplies, and doesn't ever figure into combat. He's the brains of the operation, and schemes on what needs to be done first.

* PragmaticAdaptation: Several elements from the miniature game are simplified or altered to make for a more engaging video game or just to give you better elite troops. The best example: While Stormvermin are more powerful than Clanrats or Skavenslaves, that's still relative. On a model by model basis, they can almost never stand up to the elite troops of other races, and only become truly dangerous in large numbers (like most Skaven). They get an upgrade in ''Vermintide'' to allow them to serve as elite troops.

* PlayerTic: Players like to knock around the chandelier attached to a beam above the mission table for amusement while waiting for a match to start.