Warhammer 40K is full of fascinating factions all vying for their time in the spotlight. Naturally, the Space Marines and, to a slightly lesser extent, Astra Militarum tend to be featured rather a lot in expanded media, such as novels, video games, and even TV shows. However, as great as they are, and I really do love the Imperial Guard, it is always refreshing to see another faction get the love and attention that they rightfully deserve, especially the more underrated ones.
One way of truly spotlighting the very best aspects of a Warhammer 40K faction is through a Vermintide-style video game. The very first faction to get its own Vermintide-style spin-off was, naturally, the Imperial Guard in the fantastically reviewed Darktide. However, now that a few years have passed since its launch and the dust has settled, Fatshark should look to one specific faction full of interesting lore and unit types, which could be turned into classes for its next Warhammer 40K video game.
The Tau Need Their Own Vermintide-Style Game
They’re A Fascinating Faction Worth Exploring
The Tau is one of Warhammer 40K’s slightly better-known factions, but still, at least in my opinion, severely underrated. They rarely get their own novels, often just featuring in other factions’ stories – their inclusion in the first Ciaphas Cain novel was my introduction to them – and are, at best, relegated to one of many playable factions or DLC additions in Warhammer 40,000 strategy games. However, despite their lack of presence in expanded media, they’re endlessly fascinating and the perfect candidates for a Vermintide-esque game.
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Of course, there are plenty of 40K factions that need their own game, but Fatshark, the developers of Vermintide and Darktide, should really start with the Tau. Playing as a Battlesuit class, or even getting to control a Kroot would be incredibly interesting and lead to a lot of class variety. There’s more than enough potential for class synergies and interesting locations, too, as well as a deep exploration of the faction’s unique culture and forms of war. With a distinctive visual and fighting style, it would be great to see how Fatshark handles a Tau video game.
Warhammer 40K’s Tau Need Video Game Redemption
Fire Warrior Remains Their Only Major Video Game Appearance
There’s also another good reason why the Tau specifically should get their own Vermintide-style game. While there are plenty of amazing Warhammer games available, there are also a few duds. Specifically, Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior is a rather brutally bad game, one that has not aged well at all and did a poor job of representing the Tau. Its guns were lackluster, it failed to capture the power and strength of a Fire Warrior, and the setting was rather uninspired. Despite some minor highlights, Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior was a major disappointment.
The Tau need video game redemption, a chance to prove that they’re not as bad as their spectacularly bad 40K game implies.
The Tau need video game redemption, a chance to prove that they’re not as bad as their spectacularly bad 40K game implies. Fatshark may be the right developer to give them another shot and show the world just how interesting, powerful, and unique they can be. It also isn’t such a stretch to go from the Astra Militarum to the Tau, especially as, while their guns function differently, they both lend themselves nicely to the first-person shooter framework. Ultimately, every Warhammer 40K faction should get its own video game eventually, but I really hope the Tau get their turn next.
Warhammer: Vermintide 2
Systems
- Released
- March 8, 2018
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Intense Violence, Blood and Gore
- Developer(s)
- Fatshark
- Publisher(s)
- Fatshark
- Engine
- bitsquid, autodesk stingray
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Warhammer
- Number of Players
- 4
- PC Release Date
- March 8, 2018
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- December 3, 2020
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
- How Long To Beat
- 23 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
