Verdun is the first multiplayer FPS set in a realistic First World War setting. The merciless trench warfare offers a unique battlefield experience, immersing you and your squad into intense battles of attack and defense.
The game takes place on the western front between 1914 and 1918, in one of the bloodiest conflicts in world history. The developers were inspired by the infamous Battle of Verdun in 1916. The game offers 4 distinct game-modes: Frontlines, Attrition, Rifle Deathmatch, and Squad Defense. There are also many historically accurate features such as realistic WW1 weaponry, authentic uniforms, horrendous gore, and maps based on the real battlefields of France and Belgium.
The game Verdun was released on 28 April 2015 on the Steam computer game platform, after more than a year in Steam Early Access. Recently the developers M2H and Blackmill Games announced to also launch Verdun on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
• Realistic World War 1 gameplay: Authentic weaponry with realistic bullet physics, skill based weapon handling, gore, poisonous gas with a claustrophobic gas mask experience, horrendous gore and artillery barrages
•Tactical squad-based FPS: Unique squad leveling system, distinct squad types and roles, voice chat
• True trench warfare: Real-time dynamic frontline with momentum-based attack and counter-attack gameplay
• Authentic World War 1 setting: Typical WW1 music and style, historical battlefields set on the Western Front
• Challenging game modes: Team-based Frontline, tactical Attrition, skill-based Rifle Deathmatch and desperate survival in Squad Defense
Verdun is a squad based game set in the trenches of the First World War that can be played with up to 32 players. There are 4 game modes in Verdun, the Frontlines, Attrition Warfare, Squad Defense and the Rifle Deathmatch game modes.
Frontlines game mode
In the Frontlines game mode, players can choose to join one of the 2 historic sides of the First World War, the Central Powers and the Entente. Each side fights over a turn-based frontline map that consists of multiple sectors that can be captured by either side. Staying true to the typical attrition warfare of that time, both sides attack and counter-attack each other in turn, so you will be forced to defend each captured sector of trenches. The goal is to capture the enemy‘s HQ sector in order to win the game.
The battles fought over these sectors are fought in a FPS battle. In such a battle each player, from either the Central Powers or Entente side, is part of a 4-man squad. There are up to 12 squad types that the players can choose from, all based on historically accurate units such as the German Stosstruppen, the British Tommies or the French Poilus. Each squad has a set of abilities and perks based on its type (Line Infantry, Light Infantry or Assault Infantry). Players in a squad can then choose one of the available classes that is determined by the type of squad he joined. Each class has a different role within a squad, and each squad has in turn their own specific tactic. As a squad earns more experience, perks, equipment, uniforms and even classes become available to the squad members. Experience is divided among the squad-members, rewarding those that stick together with the same players. As a squad gains more experience, they will also visually change, getting more advanced uniforms. Players can also earn individual experience called Career Points. They can use these to unlock classes, weapons and equipment.
Attrition Warfare game mode
This is a variant of a team deathmatch battle. Each team, the Entente and the Central Powers, start with a number of tickets. These represent the amount of manpower that each side has at its disposal. Every time a player is killed and respawns, a ticket is deducted from the side he belongs to. The goal of the game is to diminish the opposing side’s tickets before losing all the tickets on your side, because a player cannot respawn if there are no more tickets.
Squad Defense game mode
Squad Defense game modes is a single player bot game mode where players fight off endless waves of attacks by AI controlled soldiers in a 4-man squad.
Rifle Deathmatch game mode
In Rifle Deathmatch, players fight in a free for all battle, armed only with one of the rifles they can choose from when joining the game. This is a skill-based game-mode, where marksmanship and tactical cunning are rewarded. Players can earn experience by killing other players, and with that experience can level up their rifles, gaining extra equipment for it such as a bayonet or scope.
The environments in Verdun are based on real world battlefields or trench maps. We took great inspiration from visiting the actual battle sites to observe their characteristics. These can be found back in the maps.
- Argonne: An environment created from actual trench maps. The map is loosely based on the four-de-paris area in the Argonne forest north-west of Verdun. This map features a French and German trench system with a no-mans land in between resembling a classic WWI trench warfare scenario.
- Artois: The hills overlooking the desolate plains in the mining region of Artois saw furious battles.
- Aisne: During the war several major battles took place in the heavily wooded farmlands of the Aisne sector.
- Champagne: A static front, and the site of several bloody attempts at breakthrough in 1915.
- Douaumont: The biggest fortress in the world at the time, Douaumont became a catalyst for the carnage around Verdun.
- Flanders: The poorly drained Ypres saillient was the site of many bloody battles fought in the mud.
- Picardie: The rolling hills of picardy were the scene of several bloody offensives.
- Vauquois: A dense trench network set around a huge mine crater. Over the years multiple attacks and counter attacks left their marks creating an elaborate maze of trenches, craters and machine gun nests. This map is inspired by the les esparges, vauquois hill and haute chevauchee mine craters we visited around the verdun area.
- Vosges: Set in the rocky and wooded Vosges mountains where heavy fighting occurred this map features challenging heights and natural obstacles.
Verdun currently features an arsenal of weapons and attachments, including but not limited to:
- Rifles: Fusil Mle 1907-15 "Berthier", Mousqueton Mle. 1892 "Berthier", Fusil Mitrailleur Mle 1915 CSRG "Chauchat", Gewehr '98, Karabiner 98AZ, Fusil Mle 1886 M93 "Lebel", Tankgewehr M1918, Browning Automatic Rifle M1918 "BAR", Mousqueton Mle. 1892 M16 "Berthier", G.P.K. Model 1888/05 "Kommissionsgewehr", Karabiner 1888, Mauser Model 1889 Carabine Mle. 16, Lee Metford Mark II, M1917 Enfield, M1910 Mark III "Ross", Model 1903 "Springfield", Fusil Automatique Mle. 1917 "RSC", Fusil Automatique Mle. 1918 "RSC", Winchester Model 1897 "Trench Gun"
- Pistols: Pistole Parabellum 1908 "Luger", Maschinenpistole 18/I, Pistolet Automatique "Ruby", Lee Enfield Mark III*, Webley Mk VI Revolver, Lange Pistole Parabellum 1908 "Artillerie-Luger", Mauser C96 "Broomhandle", FN Browning M1900, Revolver de 8 mm modèle 1892, Reichsrevolver M1883, Webley Self-Loading Pistol MKI Model I, M1911 Automatic Pistol
- Light Machine Guns: Maschinengewehr '08/15, Machine Gun Model 1914 "Lewis", U.S. CSRG .30-06 M1918 "Chauchat", Hotchkiss M1909 "Benét–Mercié", Madsen, Bergmann 1915 MG 15 n.A., Maschinengewehr 08/18
- Grenades: Grenade Mle 1916 Billant F1, Mk I No. 5 "Mills Bomb", Stielhandgranate M1915, Eierhandgranate M1917, M1917 Geballte Ladung 6x, M1917 Geballte Ladung 9x, No. 34 Egg Grenade, Stielhandgranate M1917
- Misc: M1887 Feldspaten, Fernglas08 "Binoculars", Trench Club, Boker M1915 Trench Knife, Trench Knife Mle 1916 "Le Vengeur". Wechselapparat M1917 "Wex"
Weapon Handling
Handling a weapon in Verdun requires a bit extra attention than usual. The weapon handling leans towards realism so you will encounter Ballistics, Swaying and different reload types.
Ballistics
As in real life the bullet has gravity and it takes time to travel. We can distinguish two types you should take in account with: Bullet Drop and Leading.
Bullet Drop
Bullets will slowly drop towards the ground due to gravity. In Verdun this is implemented realistically for the weapons of that period so this means that bullet drop is not that noticeable on short distances. If your target is 100m away the bullet will drop a a distance of around 5cm. So adjust your aim height on the target distance.
Leading
Target leading is however more important. Since bullets have travel time to reach to their target you should aim a bit ahead of the target to take in account its running speed. On a distance of 100m it takes around 0,2 seconds for the bullet to reach target. You will get the feel for this after practicing a while.
Swaying
While standing and iron sighting your rifle you will have difficulty stabilising the gun because of the weight. Because of this your weapons will sway a little and your sight do not perfectly align. You can reduce this effect by crouching, proning or deploying your gun. You can temporarily reduce the weapon sway before you take a shot by holding your breath. This increases your zoom and reduces sway.
Reloading
Like in real life there are different loading mechanics for different weapons. There are three different weapon reload types kinds which we can distinguish in Verdun.
Bullet-by-bullet: Can only be loaded per bullet like the Lebel rifle.
Bullets and clips: Extra bullets can be add but if there is room you can load a whole clip at once, Kar98az has this for example.
Clips only: Can only be loaded by clips and has to be fully emptied before reloading. Berthier has this for example.
Melee
If you happen to run out of bullets or encounter an enemy in close quarters you can resort to a melee attack. With each weapon you are able to perform a melee attack although some are better than others. There are 3 possibilities:
Melee Weapon: A powerful way to kill the enemy. Click to perform an a melee attack
Bayonet attachment: Some weapons have a sharp bayonet attachment. Press the melee button (default on 'V') to pierce the enemy.
Bash: Each weapon has a bash attack you can use it has lower damage but can still be effective. Press the melee (default on 'V') button to bash.