For anyone who knows anything about Quake or FPSes – which honestly should be all of YOU – all I should need to say here is “Q3DM17 in Quake Champions.” Upon reading those words, you should already be updating the game to get practice in to prepare for the intense shot of pure mayhem and joy that you know is coming your way. If you don’t know what I’m talking about … like … do some research and learn about video games and joy, FFS.
But that is – literally – not all. At the Bethesda Gameplay Days event in Seattle this weekend, we announced a ton of new things coming in the September update, like the new map, “The Longest Yard,” several Arcade Modes, and a host of balance changes and refined features. On top of that, a new Champion, Athena, will swing into the arenas on her grappling hook in the near future.
The team also took the lid off two new modes hitting PTS in October – everyone’s favorite team-based jam, CTF, and an all new mode, Slipgate, which will have players attacking and defending as teams. Read on for all the details, and remember, Quake Champions is now FREE for everyone on Steam and via Bethesda.net.
THE LONGEST YARD
Jump pads … IN SPAAAAAAAAAACE! That was Q3DM17, one of Q3A’s most popular and brutal maps, that lent a mad, jumpy, and ridiculous showcase for rail and rocket skills to the game. Well, now The Longest Yard is back, completely reimagined for Quake Champions and designed to deliver all the crazy excitement and fun to the September update. Just try not to Bullrush off the edge, all you Scalebearers out there.
NEW CHAMPION – ATHENA
Quake Champions is all about speed and mobility, so let’s take that to its most outrageous extreme. Athena swings in on her grappling hook, allowing players to fly high above the fray, dropping rockets and plasma and rail shots on the poor suckers left walking below. A familiar face from Quake’s past, Athena will blast her way into PTS in mid-September, with plans to debut publicly shortly thereafter.
ARCADE MODES
New specialty modes will bring all news ways to compete in Quake Champions in September. Featured in the ‘Play Now’ screen, Arcade Modes will rotate on a regular basis. Some examples of game modes you’ll see in Arcade Mode include:
- Hot Rockets: All Champions spawn with just the Rocket Launcher. Oh, and those Launchers happen to have infinite ammo and QUAD DAMAGE. BOOM.
- Mystery Champion: Start with a random Champion and spawn as a different character each time you’re fragged. The best part? You can spawn as Champions you haven’t unlocked yet, so you can try them all. And you will be forced to.
- Team Instagib: The one-hit-to-frag, splatterific classic, now with support for two teams of four!
- Unholy Trinity: Weapon pickups no longer appear on the map. However, you spawn with Quake’s trifecta of iconic weapons – the Rocket Launcher, the Railgun and the Lightning Gun! Do your best with the best weapons in games.
NEW SKINS AND OTHER THINGS
First, the classic Quake II Super Shotgun is back, renamed the ‘Trespasser’ by the community in honor of the Quake II Strogg Berserker, who famously yelled the word upon seeing the player. In addition, the September update will add support for Bot Backfill in matches, Party support for all game modes, and a ton more fixes. For all of the details, visit www.Quake.com.
Quake Champions is available now in Early Access for free via Bethesda.net and on Steam. The special edition Scalebearer Pack, which comes with a massive statue of the intergalactic warlord, an exclusive Oni skin for Scalebearer, and some awesome in-game rewards, is also available via GameStop.
