Although the latest Doom installment has plenty of multiplayer options to choose from, the game doesn’t come with the standard free-for-all Deathmatch mode we’ve come to know and love since the early 1990s. Instead, we currently have the likes of Team Deathmatch, Soul Harvest, Freeze Tag, Warpath, Domination, and Clan Arena. However, that’s about to change with Free Update 3 , which will arrive later this month packing not only the coveted Deathmatch mode, but also the ability to create Private Matches.
In Deathmatch mode, everyone is on their own, fragging each other to bloody bits in order to dominate the match. According to Bethesda, Private Matches mode allows a host and his friends to select the maps and gameplay modes together. The time limit and score limit can also be manually set, and demons and power weapons can be switched on and off.
Unfortunately, that’s all we know about Free Update 3. There’s also an Arcade Mode in the works, but Bethesda isn’t talking about that just yet, saying only that it’s “an upcoming competitive addition” to Doom’s awesome campaign mode. Arcade Mode will be provided in a future free update sometime this fall, which likely means it won’t be made available in Free Update 3.
To catch a glimpse of all three new multiplayer modes, Bethesda has coughed up a little teaser showing the new Doom goodness in action. The company plans to provide an even better look at the new features at 11 a.m. PT on on September 13. This streaming session will be hosted by Xbox (via Twitch) and presented by Marty Stratton and Hugo Martin of id Software. Viewers will be given a chance to win a custom UAC Xbox One game console along with Xbox One copies of Doom signed by id Software employees.
This update follows Free Update 2, which was unleashed at the end of July. It added two new multiplayer modes (Sector and Exodus), and new SnapMap features like a “Recently Played” map list, a “Find Open Match” public matching browser, launch pads, and more. The update also included a huge number of improvements and optimizations for the single-player campaign and all multiplayer modes.
The first free update arrived at the end of June, adding a Photo Mode to the campaign, as well as the classic Doom weapon placement/view model option for all modes. The update also made a few changes to Clan Arena and Freeze Tag, an adjustment to the weapon balancing, and added six new features to the SnapMap portion.
If you’re a PC gamer and haven’t jumped onto the Doom bandwagon already, the Humble Bundle store is selling the game for $30 for a limited time. It’s part of Humble Bundle’s big Bethesda sale that includes Fallout 4 for $30, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Legendary Edition for $24, Doom 3 BFG Edition for $10, Rage for a mere $5, and more big discounts.
