id Software didn’t waste any time during the QuakeCon Keynote as it showcased some new features for the upcoming Doom Eternal which launches on November 22. One of these was a brand new demon for the single player campaign, while the other was a boatload of information that pertained to the games multiplayer mode.
The company showed us some new gameplay, and while there wasn’t a whole lot more to show since E3 last month, we did get a glimpse of a brand new enemy: The Doom Hunter. It’s safe to say that this guy looks like a total badass, and it’s also safe to assume that he will be your worst nightmare while you traverse through each mission. The company didn’t say when or where the Doom Slayer will have to contend with him, but we’re very fearful of running into him in a dark alleyway, let alone within the confines of Hell.
The other part of the keynote was a further explanation of Doom’s multiplayer aspect, Battle Mode. The new mode will not be a standard Team Deathmatch that most FPS titles are accustomed to. Instead, three players will fight on map, one playing as the Doom Slayer, and the other two as Demons in a Two vs One deathmatch. In addition, the matches will be fought in a best-of-five, with each new round giving the players a significant boost to use against their opponent.
Three players will fight on map, one playing as the Doom Slayer, and the other two as Demons in a Two vs One deathmatch
While the Doom Slayer is the most recognizable character in this, the players who use the demons have a few options to go from, each with their own unique arsenal. The Revenant can use a jetpack to fly around, while the Pain Elemental can also fly, but has a shield to protect himself with. The Mancubus is the big boy that has heavy cannons and a huge amount of health. Later in the keynote, two more demons were revealed: the Maurader and the Archvile.
Maurader has the appearance of a knight as he swings around a giant red axe, while Archvile attacks from afar similar to the Wizards from Destiny. On top of all that, the demons can also utilize special traps that manipulate the environment to their advantage, as well as summoning lower demons to attack the Doom Slayer. You’d think that with this many choices the Doom Slayer doesn’t stand much of a chance.
Turns out, the Slayer might be the better pick as he will be armed to the teeth with literally all of his signature weapons right out of the gate, with the option to obtain the BFG as a bonus in between rounds. Gory kills will also refresh the Slayers ammo and other resources. If the Slayer takes out one of the demon players, then he has only a small amount of time to eliminate the other one, turning the match into a time-induced frenzy for survival. If he fails this, the first demon will respawn with half health.
The Battle Mode will launch with six maps. id Software stated that it will be looking into adding more content post-launch which will be absolutely free. We got a lot more information on the Battle Mode here, and while we would’ve loved some more gameplay from the single player campaign, this should be more than enough to satiate us for the time being.
Doom Eternal launches on November 22 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Google Stadia. You can check out the Battle Mode trailer from the keynote here:
