DOOM: Eternal is coming out soon, and while we’re all hyped for its single-player campaign, what about multiplayer? Until today, we’ve only had a couple of looks at Battlemode, DOOM: Eternal‘s two vs. one multiplayer. In a new video, posted to IGN, we get a clear look at what an unscripted match will look like.
Battlemode is, as far as we know, the only multiplayer mode in DOOM: Eternal. It pits two demons against one fully-kitted slayer, and games go for five rounds. A round is won when either the slayer dies or both demons die. Hugo Martin, a game director working on DOOM: Eternal, compares Battlemode to a game of cat and mouse, where the demons must coordinate to beat the slayer.
There’s not a lot of new information in this recent video, although we do get a good look at how a game of Battlemode plays out. It’s fast-paced and tactical, requiring both teams to think on their feet. Matches don’t have time limits, which means prolonged chases and battles are something to be expected. Battlemode looks more like a test of skill and stamina than anything else.
Starting off as demons, you’ll want to gang up on the Slayer as much as possible. Demons are noticeably weaker than the slayer, and in a one on one fight, they’ll lose every time. To their benefit, demons also have a ton of tricks up their sleeves. They can deploy healing zones for teammates or toxic zones that damage the slayer. Each demon can also deploy lesser demons and each has its own special abilities. For instance, the revenant can fly around on its jetpack and let loose a volley of rockets. Maybe most importantly, demons will want to coordinate which monstrosity they’re picking. In the video, the demon team is made up of a revenant and a mancubus, and each plays its own role. The revenant can kite around the slayer, distracting him with damage from above while the mancubus acts as a tank.
The game is incredibly different if you’re the slayer. It plays more like regular DOOM where you’re armed to the teeth and have to kill demons. In fact, the slayer doesn’t really get anything in addition to their weapons – they have to rely on movement and precision to win a round. What a slayer does have to watch out for is running out of resources – health, armor and of course, ammo. They have all the tools they need to get that stuff back. Slayers can chainsaw demons for health and ammo or hit them with a flamethrower for armor. Defeating one of the player-controlled demons drops a ton of resources as well. However, if the demons know that the slayer is trying to restock, they can block him with an ability that prevents loot from spawning.
In all, Battlemode looks like a fantastic replacement for DOOM‘s multiplayer. It avoids the tropes of first-person multiplayer like load-outs for a more streamlined and DOOM-y playstyle. Even though there aren’t multiple game modes, I don’t feel like the experience of Battlemode will get old as fast as its predecessor.
DOOM: Eternal launches March 20 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. You can pre-order it on Steam here.
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