Doom Eternal releases on November 22, which isn't all that far off. To whet our appetites during the QuakeCon keynote today, we were given got a closer look at Doom Eternal's multiplayer Battlemode, which pits one player as the Slayer against two player-controlled demons.
At launch, Battlemode will feature five playable demons to choose from: the Revenant, Pain Elemental, Mancubus, Arch-vile, and Marauder. In addition to the powers you've come to expect from these demons, they'll also have the ability to drop 'hazards', placing traps like noxious blasts or summoning AI-controlled minions either on the Slayer's location or elsewhere on the map to act as traps. The demons also have a slow-charging ability that lets them block the Slayer from collecting resources gained by glory-killing, chainsawing, or roasting enemy minions.
The Slayer, meanwhile has access to a full arsenal of guns, mods, and gear, but there are other elements for the player-Slayer to take advantage of. Each map will feature two portals the Slayer can slip through to instantly appear at the other end of the arena, Pac-Man-like, whereas the demons can't use these portals themselves. And while the Slayer is visible to demons through walls, if he breaks line of sight for a few seconds, his outline will vanish, allowing him to move around unseen and plan ambushes.
When the Slayer kills one demon, a 20-second timer starts counting down. If the Slayer can kill the second demon before that timer expires, he wins the round. If he can't, the dead demon respawns with half-health. Between rounds, both the Slayer and demon duo can select upgrades and buffs to compliment their skills. In later rounds, the demons can access the ability to summon an AI-controlled Baron of Hell, and the Slayer can gain access to the iconic BFG.
There are plans to add more playable demons and additional maps after launch for free. You can check out the QuakeCon keynote here—the Doom Eternal Battlemode presentation begins at around 54 minutes in.
