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That’s one of the things that I’m really hoping FatShark’s writers should focus on more. Map specific dialogue. There was much of that in Vermintide 1 and 2. Like when you are going through the barracks in Uberssreik and Saltzpyre comments “The garrison is slaughtered. Does anyone in this town put up a fight?!” or when walking by any bodies that can be seen in maps Markus says things like: “No tears, it won’t bring them back” or “It ain’t right… all this death.”
Also, I really want more enemy specific dialogue. I very much miss those from Vermintide 2. They brought so much life and uniqueness to each character. “That Blackrat’s mine!”, “I’ve lost mates to Chaos Warriors. I don’t wanna lose more.”, “Test your blade against my axe, Blackfur!”, “Blightstormer? I’ll charr his skin right off!”, “Riot shield, work as a team!”, “A Chaos Warrior approaches? The first blow is mine!”, “Not these Blackfur bastards again!”, That Gas-rat needs to die and quickly!”
If that’s something we could trade for less complex bonding lines, that are hard to even start playing and be even heard in many missions due to the sheer chaos and zero moments for some quiet time, then I say:
I think most maps in the game have an area that triggers incidental dialogue that isn’t just an elevator, but only one area in each map that I can remember.
- Vigil Station: Bazaar shootout
- Enclavum Baross: “But I don’t wanna cross something called the Bridge of Many Martyrs!”
- Power Matrix: Living conditions
- Refinery Delta: “this place is a maze” (it isn’t, actually)
- Relay Station: Living conditions
Stuff like that. Throwing around more spots like that would make the levels feel more alive than just an obstacle course I run through in 15 minutes.
I am well aware of their existence. My issue is that there’s so little compared to Vermintide 2.
That applies even more to the dialogue focusing on enemies. Vermintide 2 had dialogues that went into how each character feels about the Northlanders, Skaven and more.
For instance there’s one in Vermintide 2 where Kerilian exclaims how deranged Northlanders are by revealing that all the barbaric acts committed on the civilians and all the gore they’re responsible for is not even caused because Nurgle demands it of them. They do it just because.
Another one I remember from Vermintide 1 where Kruber comments how he hates Ratmen, and how they only destroy everything they see and steal everything that’s not nailed down, which is immediately followed by Saltzpyre correcting him and going into a detailed explanation about how “mindless destruction is the way of the Greenskins and Northlanders” while “the Skaven plan” and can carry out their acts like devouring or taking and enslaving entire towns “without leaving single roof tile disturbed”.
These kinds of dialogues really help to characterize and give weight to the foes we face. It’s what what really differentiates the enemies in Vermintide 2 from the Heretics in Darktide. As of now the they are just:
- Black spiky soldier enemies,
- Yellow cultist enemies
- Zombies. That’s it.
There’s lore about them, yes. Scabs are definitely the most fleshed out faction in the game. But no lore about these enemies is ever discussed between the characters. And we really need it so:
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The players don’t have to go to the wiki to find out who are they even fighting;
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So the enemies can have an actual presence and intimidation factor. I am more scared of Northlander who I know skin people alive and gut them like fishes just becasue they find it amusing than the yellow cultists we face in Darktide becasue I know little to nothing of what they are capable of. They kill or convert people to Poxers and that’s it? Cmon FatShark, give us a reason to be scared of them other than “There’s a lot of them and they want to kill you woooooo.”
The single moment in Darktide where there’s a dialogue, that addresses enemies, is the one between the Male Loner and Male Bounty Hunter:
Psyker: “Poxers… Why do it always has to be Poxers?”
Hive Scum: “They’re literally the Walking Dead! Just shoot them until they stop moving.”
That’s it and that’s not enough. Imagine how much more terryfying the Poxers and Groaners would be if the characters would go into detail about what they really are. Innocent civilians damned into eternal torture in service to the Grandfather. And how every reject feels about slaughtering hundreds upon hundreds of them every mission. How do they feels about their agonizing screams, their pain, their damned fates?
Please FatShark I need this! My Darktide is kind of Grimdarkless…