Warhammer Vermintide 2's free Return to the Reik update makes the iconic mission even better than it was eight years ago

I dipped back into Warhammer Vermintide 2 earlier this year with a group of friends, and it was a welcome reminder that, more than seven years after it launched, the Skaven-smashing romp remains firmly among the best Warhammer games on Steam. It's certainly one of the most raucous. In fact, we're now a full decade on from its predecessor, the much more clunkily named Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide, and to celebrate, developer Fatshark is bringing back its most-requested map. However, a new blog promises that this will be far more than just a simple port.

Warhammer Vermintide 2 lead level designer Rickard, lead sound designer Anton, and lead gameplay programmer Theodor talk us through what we can expect from Return to the Reik, a reimagining of the River Reik mission from the first co-op game. Rickard says the team "looked at all of the old levels and we checked our forums and what fans wanted most, and I think every query we made ended up with the River Reik because it's such an epic, different level." However, once it had the port up and running, Fatshark decided that it wanted to build "a properly packed level worthy of celebrating Ten Years of Tide with."

If you're a Vermintide veteran, you'll still recognize a lot of it - there wouldn't be much point to a throwback with no familiarity, after all. But you'll spot altered terrain, new encounters, more side paths, additional challenges and secrets, and extended combat sequences. You won't just have Skaven to deal with, as Chaos encampments and raiding ships have been introduced to the fold. Want to take a shortcut through those caverns? You might find yourself wandering into the "lair of who knows what beastie…"

Like in the original mission, you must to sail a ship along the river, but the ride has been made longer and much busier. The cannons are functional and you'll need to use them to sink the enemies circling you, all while dealing with any boarders that clamber onto your craft. "It's so fun to be able to use the cannons," Rickard adds. "That's something I'm kind of proud of, that I actually got it working, 'cause it was such a struggle." In fact, Fatshark reveals that the technical improvements made for Return to the Reik will actually make all elevators across the whole game operate more smoothly.

The developer also promises that "Those of you with a passion for exploration will find many nooks and crannies to look into" in the new-old location. I'm glad to hear it; while the action is always entertaining, it's the secret-hunting aspects that keep every run of Vermintide 2 feeling fresh, seeking out Tomes and Grimoires and dealing with the extra challenge that carrying them with you brings.

The level's grand finale "has, to put it lightly, received some major modifications to make it more climactic and exciting." While all three devs struggle to choose any part other than the boat sequence as their favorite part of the revamp, Theodor notes, "I really like the last stand, fighting the enemies back while you're preparing to leave."

Thinking back to Fatshark's decision to convert older levels, Rickard reveals, "The cool thing was […] someone said, 'We're not going to be able to do River Reik, it's too complicated, it was made so long ago.' And I just went, 'Okay, that's a challenge, I will do it.'" He says it took him "like two days just to understand how it was actually made," particularly when it came to the sailing mechanics, "but I think we got it to work, and it was worth it. Very worth it."

Indeed, Fatshark confirms that there's more on the way after Return to the Reik. "While we can't say anything more, suffice to say that this won't be the last map we make, and that we're already looking into what can come next in the adventures of the Ubersreik Five." I'll get to polishing my hammer, then.

New Warhammer Vermintide 2 map return to the Reik launches on Thursday November 20 as a free update for all players. If you're curious about the challenges that came from bringing the boat sequence to life, along with a deeper dive into the sound design, head here to read the blog in full.