Following Doom's successful resurgence in 2016, id Software and Bethesda are setting their reticule on the Quake franchise with Quake Champions, an arena shooter designed to appeal to both long-time fans of id as well as new players more familiar with prestige rankings than they are rocket jumps.
This primer will break down Quake Champions' free-to-play trappings and let you know when you can expect the game's full release. For gameplay impressions, check out our hands-on preview in which Shacknews CEO Asif Khan and I discussed what we did and didn't like about the beta.
Story
Yes, you read that correctly. The original Quake's story consisted of a paragraph in the instruction booklet and a few quickie "You killed lots of bad guys, but there are still lots of other bad guys" summations at the end of each episode. Quake Champions' character roster is a lot more varied than the generic "Ranger" grunt of the first game, so id and Bethesda are partnering with Titan Comics to explore some of their back stories.
Comics in digital and print formats will hit shelves this August. Ranger, Visor, and Nyx are just a few of the champions primed to be the focal point of various issues.
Free-to-Play and Premium Options
Technically, Quake Champions is a F2P game, but once id release the game you'll be able to treat it like a premium product and pay full price for all characters. If you prefer to dip your toes in to test the waters, you'll get one character (Ranger) for free and earn in-game currency known as favor and shards as you play matches.
Favor can be used to rent characters for 24 real-time hours, giving you plenty of time to get a handle on their movement speed, health, and defense, as well as their special abilities. Shards, gleaned from breaking down weapons, can be used to craft superior weapons and armor.
Game Modes
Quake is perhaps the most distinguished deathmatch-focused arena shooter around. You'll be able to go one-on-one with friends and strangers in Duels, as well as play free-for-all and team-based modes to switch things up. Sacrifice, the fourth mode, pits two teams of four players against one another to dominate maps.
Release Date
Both id Software and Bethesda have been up front in saying that they expect Quake Champions to go through a lengthy beta period. It's a competitive shooter, which means the developers want to balance characters, abilities, and weapons for as long as possible before declaring the game finished.
Translation: you might get the game this year, but if id Software, famous for its "When it's done" release dates, says it needs more time in the oven, prepare to continue waiting.
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replyDavid Craddock posted a new article, E3 2017: Everything We Know About Quake Champions
