id Software’s upcoming hellishly brutal shooter DOOM Eternal was the centre of attention at QuakeCon, and the studio revealed a whole lot of new details about the game- more specifically, about its multiplayer. After the disappointing multiplayer component of DOOM, id have been promising a better multiplayer experience in the upcoming sequel, one that leverages the unique strengths of DOOM perfectly- and seeing as there’s no conventional online modes to play with, they’re pretty much putting all their eggs in this one basket.
Based on the new details that they revealed for the Battle Mode, it’s looking like they’re headed in the right direction. We’ve already known for a while not that Battle Mode would be a 2v1 experience, with one player controlling the Doom Slayer and going up against two other players, who’ll be controlling demons.
As per new details, each match will take place across five rounds. If the Slayer wins a round, the player gets to summon the BFG-9000, while if the demons win a round, they get to summon the Baron of Hell. And how do you win a round? Well, the demons win a round by killing the Slayer (of course), while the Slayer, upon killing one demon, will get a twenty second window to kill the second demon as well. If you can do that, you win the round. If not, the dead demon respawns with half health.
Though the Slayer will be equipped with all his weapons and equipment, the demons will also have plenty of tools at their disposal to bring him down. For one, as demons, you can always see the Slayer’s outline (unless the Slayer leaves your line of sight). You can also set down traps and environmental hazards, and summon AI-controlled demons to make things easier for yourself (though the Slayer can perform glory kills on them for a boost himself).
Each map has a portal at both ends, which the Slayer can use to quickly get from one end to the other, though the demons can also use these portals to their advantage by setting up traps. Speaking of maps- Battle Mode will have five maps at launch, though id Software will be adding more as post-launch DLC later on. And yes, they will be free.
Finally, details on the demons were also revealed. There will be five playable demons at launch (though more will be added as DLC after release), and though there will be some abilities that will be common across all of them, each demon will also have its own unique abilities and attributes. The Mancubus will be a tank character with tons of health, canons, and flamethrowers; The Revenant comes equipped with a jetpack; finally, the Pain Elemental can fly, and uses a Soul Shield to absorb damage. The Archvile and the Marauder were also revealed, but id Software didn’t go into too much detail about them.
DOOM Eternal is out on November 22 for the PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia, and Nintendo Switch. Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more coverage.
