So while we have the event I wanted to at least finish the elven maps so I did the whole Well of Dreams map which is ugly and long and boring run.
At the end I ended up spending about 10 minutes searching for all those elven shields and then fighting those two monsters. I thought it was finally over, but no. Then came the endless horde that not only didn’t end, but kept escalating, so I had no time to look for any symbols for those stupid elven books. And then I died. About an hour of my time completely wasted. I don’t know who came up with this map, but I feel like crushing his skull with my hammer. This map made me mad at the game again and I won’t be playing until the next event. Just why it must be so stupid…
I love Well of Dreams
We also loved playing it with my girlfriend and a best friend. Honestly, it was one of the best things Fatshark released in recent years, and it was free. Huge flex.
Only three things really felt lacking. First, the ugly green vapor filter completely ruins the lighting and atmosphere of the first map, which is otherwise excellent. Seriously, who thought that was a good idea?
Second, the second map definitely feels noticeably weaker than the other two.
And third, the campaign lacks a proper boss fight. I genuinely think every campaign should end with a unique story boss, like Drachenfels does. Ideally, every campaign should follow the same structure: either 3 or 4 missions, with the final mission culminating in a boss fight as a satisfying narrative conclusion. If there are 4 maps, the boss map could even be relatively short, similar to a single Helmgart act. But in case of Verminous Dreams, absence of an actual boss is compensated with an end event that serves as narrative conclusion. Which forms up a three-mission finished story.
That’s also why I consider campaigns with only 2 maps - or even just 1 map, like Dark Omens - to feel unfinished and in need of continuation.
Other than that, Verminous Dreams is a genuinely well-made campaign from start to finish.
I think it’s great, what’s really stupid is the quickplay system giving our play group the same maps every weekend we play. Return to the Reik..ugh.. I will bet Bardins last beer it shows up!
Leaf lovers…
The best part is when the elf temple blows up! Am I right? Up top!
Ahem… incase you ever play modded. I’ll take this opportunity to share my mod.
I think these maps have great atmosphere and scenery once the color and shadows are given some depth.
That said, they do have some odd level design. I don’t mind the drift towards longer more challenging missions that’s been occurring with the free dlc releases, but they are also getting a bit more tedious in some ways. Roughly 70% of the time in quick play the Well of Dreams searchlights are triggered by somebody, and nobody really gets the page turning on the books and shields thing. It’s some Skyrim tier puzzle that just slows things down.
I think the open-style depths in Devious Delvings are a neat idea, but this one feels the most half-baked, as much of the enviornment and level design is hap-hazard in a way that doesn’t feel skaven (take a look at skittergate or into the nest) but more like rushed development. Even with my lighting mod which makes it more shadowy, and lets the warpstone light the way instead of a thick green haze; it still looks unpolished and lackluster.
The Forsaken Temple has an awesome wide open space on the dried lake bed area where you get this amazing view of the wasteland and the temple, unfortunately the lighting is just as bad on this one as Devious Delvings and there’s more to see, but it’s all just a few shades of yellow-green (without my mod). This one has decent level design and a fun but challenging finish, though it does feel awkward that one of the prominent locations you may face a monster is while you’re navigating the chasm, but I’m supposing that’s the design intent, but you’ll just see players knocking them into the chasm in that case.