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.