The Screaming Bell

Lore & Background

The Screaming Bell is a massive Skaven construct, built from warpstone and bone, designed to summon a tide of ratmen into the city of Ubersreik. The Skaven, led by the Grey Seer Rasknitt, have been tunneling beneath the city for months, and the bell's resonant chime is the signal for their full-scale invasion. The Ubersreik Five, a mismatched band of heroes, are the only ones who can stop it, as the city's defenses have already been shattered by the initial Skaven assault.

The bell itself is a terrifying artifact, its sound capable of driving men mad and empowering Skaven magic. It is housed in a fortified Skaven encampment within the city's sewers and catacombs, protected by hordes of Clanrats, Stormvermin, and Gutter Runners. The mission is a desperate gamble: reach the bell, destroy it, and buy the survivors of Ubersreik a fighting chance. Failure means the city falls completely, and the Skaven spread their plague across the Empire.

In Their Own Story

The air was thick with the stench of warpstone and blood as the Five pushed deeper into the sewer tunnels. The distant chime of the Screaming Bell echoed through the stone, each ring a hammer blow against their resolve. 'Faster, fools!' Saltzpyre barked, his pistol barking at a Skaven that lunged from the shadows. Kruber grunted, his halberd cleaving through a Stormvermin's armor. 'We'll be too late if we don't move!' The bell's toll grew louder, and the ground trembled with the approach of the Skaven horde. They had to reach it, had to silence it, or Ubersreik would drown in rats.

Reader's Guide

The campaign begins with the Five entering the Skaven tunnels beneath Ubersreik. The first objective is to fight through waves of Clanrats and Gutter Runners to reach the bell's chamber. Along the way, players must navigate narrow corridors and open sewers, dealing with ambushes and special Skaven like Packmasters and Ratling Gunners.

Midway, the party must activate a lift to ascend to the bell's level, triggering a horde event. After clearing the area, they face the boss—a Rat Ogre—that guards the bell. Defeating it allows them to sabotage the bell's supports. The final sequence involves a desperate escape as the bell collapses, with a timer forcing players to reach the exit before the tunnel floods with Skaven.

Spoiler: The campaign ends with the bell destroyed, but Rasknitt escapes, setting up the larger conflict. This diverges from Warhammer Fantasy lore by focusing on a localized Skaven plot rather than a global event.

Did You Know?

• The Screaming Bell's design is inspired by the Skaven's worship of the Horned Rat, with warpstone crystals amplifying its sound.
• This campaign was the first level shown in pre-release footage of Warhammer Vermintide.
• The Rat Ogre boss fight is a recurring element in the game, often used to test new players' coordination.
• The bell's destruction is a key moment that prevents Ubersreik's immediate fall, but the Skaven threat persists throughout the game.