If you are a new fan of Vermintide 2, you must have come across words like stagger and wondered how important it is to your gaming. Some terms and capabilities in the title may seem complex at first, but, with practice, you will soon get the hang of it.
So, what is stagger in Vermintide 2? Stagger is when a hero makes an enemy immobile for a while by attacking them. Generally, there are three primary stagger states, light, medium or heavy. This depends on factors such as your choice weapon, your hero’s talents, and your enemy’s nature. It is a critical strategy as it renders your target temporarily weak for you to take a shot and prevent attacks. Therefore, it helps you stop damages and put up a spirited fight.
One of the essential gameplay tactics in Vermintide 2 is stagger and it’s important to understand the concept behind stagger, how to go about it, and any other related aspect to help improve your gaming style.
All the heroes in Vermintide 2 have their sets of skills. It is best to learn about their playing styles and implement them to ensure that you crush your enemies. One term you will often hear is “stagger”, here’s what it means and its importance.
Stagger occurs when a player renders an enemy temporarily immobile. It is an essential strategy because it stops the other party from making a move allowing you to subdue them. As soon as they are off-balance, you can avoid significant damages and have a better chance of an accurate shot. There are three central stagger states in Vermintide 2.
An effective one can be light, medium or heavy, depending on factors like the weapon you use and the intensity of the attack.
Stagger allows you to push and attack your opponents, which goes a long way in your defense strategy. As a result, you can halt their action to prevent damages, and it helps that you get an added advantage to beat them.
The developers introduced an update to stagger through Winds of Magic to improve the technique. It became more robust in battling and quickly allowed the gamer to stun enemies and include stacking debuff.
This principle heightens the damage, and with every stack, the effect soars to 20%. Although this only allowed two piles, it still significantly met its target, and it clears out when the flinching animation is complete.
Additionally, the opponents’ health values upscaled according to the extent of the stagger. Upon a successful attack, your enemy can slip into any three stagger states, light, medium or heavy.
However, these will depend on the staggering power, state of the enemy, and the weapon you will use. For instance, your opponents will have a slight stagger when the count is one, and you can see them shaking, while for the medium, the count will be two, and you may bring them to their knees in the process. The heavy stager will also be count as two, but the enemies will have fallen, straight on their backs.
How Do You Stagger in Vermintide 2?
Stagger is the loss of balance from the attack you channel on an enemy. It occurs at different levels, and it will help make your enemies immobile for a while before they regain momentum to fight you back. While your opponent is stumbling, you can strategize on your best move; therefore, it is imperative to know how to stagger.
Stagger primarily depends on the type of weapon you use; the better your armor, the harder you’ll hit your opponent. It also determines how long the stagger will last. A lighter weapon will strike but leave your enemy stumbling, while a medium-range alternative may intensely shake your counterparts until they kneel or come very close to the ground.
The final type of attack is when you hit the rival until they fall and lie on the floor. Ultimately, the staggers run from zero counts where the competition doesn’t stagger at all, up to the last stage, which is count 2.
Weapons like the 2h hammer are ideal for a stagger with a considerable count. A push can also work, but it won’t have enough damage that you would otherwise cause if you use a two-handed hammer. With destructive weapons like bombs, you can stagger even the most powerful characters.
Besides, to ensure that your enemy stumbles and suffers damages, it is advisable to watch your shot angles. Ensure that you have adequate power, the best moves, and know your foe’s weak spots for an excellent hit. Every stagger count has its damage percentage. Stagger count zero has 0% damage, one has 20%, and two has 40%, respectively.
Each stagger gives animation to show that your enemy stumbled from your attack. Generally, stagger doesn’t only involve weapons; you can also shove to make your rival lose balance. If you are playing as a team, this technique may favor you since if you cause the stagger and your teammate attacks them in the process, causing you to effortlessly take down an enemy.
What Are the Best Stagger Weapons in Vermintide 2?
All Vermintide 2 heroes come with their weapons, and if you want a significant stagger, it is best to choose the most powerful equipment for your chosen hero. I will help you achieve the best of your stagger weapons according to your character’s strengths.
Kruber’s stagger strength lies in the Bretonian Longsword that works exceptionally with Elites or the mace if you face horders. On the other hand, Bardin holds up well with shield weapons and a great hammer, while Kerillian does well with the shield, and you can try the dual sword and glaive. Sienna gives a better stagger when wielding the flail, dagger, or fire sword. Finally, Saltzpyre has fun with the billhook but can also use the flail.
For Kruber, you can never go wrong with the Bretonian Longsword if you want a great stagger. It works efficiently for Elites, even Plague Monks, but doesn’t have a significant cleave, and many gamers find it relatively slow.
Another worthy choice is the mace that staggers hordes quite well, guarantees an impressive push, and is robust with cleave. Unfortunately, the spear is not as mighty because it doesn’t cleave Elites.
Alternatively, if your choice is Bardin, you will have the best advantage when you stagger with shield weapons, great hammer, and mace. However, these may not be a go-to with Kruber. On the other hand, Kerillian seems to have lost out on the most potent stagger weapons. With her, your best shot is the shield or, if you like, the dual swords and the glaive.
If Sienna is your favorite, you will have a field day in terms of stagger weapons because she has many at her disposal. You can use the flail for the Unchained career since it offers cleave for hordes and is also practical enough to stop chaos warriors. As the Battle Wizard, the second option may be the dagger or fire sword that conveniently works like the shield bash.
It is pretty heavy and has the advantage of setting enemies ablaze. Lastly, if you are a fan of Saltzpyre, you can experiment with the billhook with excellent stagger and sweep attacks. However, it doesn’t have a significant effect on bosses and doesn’t cleave elites. An alternative may be the flail, but it isn’t as potent as the billhook.
What Are the Stagger Talents in Vermintide 2?
After looking at the best weapons for stagger for each Vermintide 2 hero, I will also provide an overview of the talents that all the careers possess. The following are the various categories of stagger capabilities according to your character’s career.
There are five main stagger talents in Vermintide 2; they include Mainstay, Assassin, Smiter, Bulwark, and Enhanced Power. Mainstay is one of the most preferred systems due to its significant damage increase of up to 60%, while Assassin only offers around 40%.
Smiter is also exceptional for single targets since the damage increases for only the first attack regardless of the enemies involved. Lastly, the Bulwark is outstanding in helping your teammates, and the Enhanced Power improves your hero’s abilities.
- Mainstay
Instead of the damage increasing by 0% to 20% and 40% or count 0, 1, and 2, Mainstay converts the increase from 0% to 40%, then 60%. Generally, if you have already staggered your opponents, you will have an extra stack for additional damage with a 3 maximum count. It comes in handy if you have spammy weapons, and it is even better when you use it with another player deploying a Bulwark.
- Smiter
The Smiter is excellent for single targets and anti-elite weapons; therefore, ideal for Lords and Monsters. Essentially, the damage is only beneficial to the first opponent you attack, but nothing happens with subsequent hits. Regardless of how many enemies you stagger in one attack, you will only have 20% additional damage.
- Assassin
In this system, you get 40% additional damage on every critical hit and headshot. These hits have bonus damage that is the same as if the target had another stagger stack. It operates like the Smiter but is specific for crits and focuses on horizontal weapons that can attack several enemies at once.
- Bulwark
This weapon is exceptional for team play and not necessarily for your needs because it manages crowds well and has low damage. It primarily has a debuff; thus, you will have more damage by around 10% if you use it to stagger. Players mainly deploy it as a bot for the teammate melee users.
- Enhanced Power
The last talent in Vermintide 2 is the Enhanced Power. It increases your hero’s power by up to 7.5% and is convenient if your equipment doesn’t have the other options above. You can also deploy it for ranged power, and it may come in handy if you require a particular breakpoint.
Tips To Help You Stagger in Vermintide 2
Several factors determine whether you stagger your enemies or not in Vermintide 2. Therefore, I will tell you all the details you should know that many gamers often ignore. The following are some tips for the most potent stagger.
First, enemies react differently to attacks based on factors like their capabilities, the weapon used, and the magnitude of the force. If you are not using the right weapon according to your hero, your enemy may not even stumble in the process. Similarly, if the power isn’t significant, it may not cause a lot of damage.
Therefore, it is essential to learn your characters and their talents as you pick a befitting weapon. However, always go for a heavy option that has a broad sweep to guarantee massive impact. Secondly, some enemies are too powerful for some equipment, and some have a high stagger reduction.
Note that all weapons have in-built stagger potential; for instance, most gamers find the 2h hammer compelling. It is also more substantial due to the hero powers and talents that you deploy.
Besides the weapon’s structure, your gameplay also matters because you may not achieve your purpose unless you make the right move. Therefore, your enemy may only get a slight flinch if you use a sword when the attack is too light.
However, if there was a sheer force, the clan rat could easily fall flat. Generally, most gamers go for heavier weapons because they will always put up a strong attack. In turn, as the enemies stagger more, they acquire more damage, and you will easily avoid attacks.
Also, note that some characters can oppose staggers according to their resist capabilities or reduction values. Like most Elites, Gors, and Marauders, some enemies boast stagger reduction, which can also get stronger during combos or overhead strikes.
However, using 1h axes and shield weapons and making critical shots and headshots can bypass the stagger reduction. The developers also introduced incentives like bonuses and an increase of stagger stacks.
Your reward of stagger damage will be 30 and 50% when on Cataclysm 2 and 3, respectively, and if you face climbing enemies, the system will see it as two stagger stacks. However, note that you won’t get the bonus if it was damage-over-time.
Wrap Up
Stagger is one of the most incredible aspects of Vermintide 2. When you master it, you will quickly bring your enemies to their knees and increase their damage. For the best stagger, you should have the right weapons and pair them up with suitable heroes. Secondly, the stagger effect also depends on the intensity of the hit since it can be light, moderate, or heavy.
It is also advisable to understand your enemies better, knowing their strengths and weaknesses. You can also deploy the five stagger talents to your advantage but prioritize Mainstay. I always advocate for the highest impact to ensure that you subdue your enemy and avoid damages in the process.
