id shows off Doom Eternal's Slayer-versus-demons asymmetrical multiplayer Battlemode

As part of its Doom Eternal QuakeCon keynote this weekend, id Software has revealed more of the game’s intriguing new asymmetrical multiplayer experience, Battlemode.

While Doom 2016 featured a competent, if ultimately rather forgettable, multiplayer mode that predominantly focussed on the classic human-versus-human deathmatch template established by the seminal series’ earliest iterations, Doom Eternal introduces Battlemode, pitting one Slayer against two-player controlled demons in a best-of-five-match skirmish.

The goal is to bring more of the “fast, aggressive” dynamism from Doom’s much-lauded single-player campaign into the multiplayer arena, and Battlemode will launch with six unique maps and five playable demons: the Arch-vile, Mancubus, Marauder, Pain Elemental, and Revenant, each with their own skills. The Revenant, for instance, can take advantage of its jetpack, dash, and shoulder-mounted rockets, while the flying Pain Elemental can easily track and attack the Slayer from the air, intermittently deploying its rechargeable Soul shield.

DOOM Eternal – QuakeCon Keynote Presentation Watch on YouTube

Slayers will receive a full complement of guns, mods, and equipment to work with during a match, while demons must play co-operatively, summoning AI demons and “hazards” to bring down their foe. As in single-player, a Slayer’s success requires a degree of resource management, with Glory Kills providing additional health, torch attacks granting armour, and chainsaw moves dropping ammo. However, demons can deploy a slow-charging special move that temporarily blocks the Slayer’s access to resources.