Doom was critically acclaimed at launch back in May for its intense, old-school campaign, filled with plenty of humor and the fastest first-person combat we’ve seen in a game in several years, but its multiplayer component was initially pretty bare-bones. With free content updates, that continues to change, and today’s update adds two new ways to play.
The first new mode, dubbed “Exodus,” adds a new wrinkle to traditional capture-the-flag play. The flag continues to move, as does the base your team has to return it to, and the pace of the game closely resembles Halo’s “Grifball,” albeit with slightly longer lives for each player.
The second mode is “Sector,” a “capture and hold” mode. Given the nature of Doom, you won’t be camping in a corner waiting for the other team to walk past; instead you’ll be making the most of your designated space, bobbing and weaving while taking out enemies as they rush in.
Perhaps the biggest changes, however, come to the creation tool SnapMap. In addition to 30 new “Hell Modules” that allow you to create the creepy satanic levels that anti-video game advocates think people are playing all the time, the update also allows you to customize weapon wheels to function as they do in the campaign. The “Mancubus” demon, seen fairly often near the end of the campaign and known for its massive health pool, will be playable now, as well.
Doom didn’t try to reinvent the (weapon) wheel with its campaign or multiplayer, but the effort Id and Bethesda have given to improve its less-celebrated components since launch is laudable. You’ll earn double XP from now until the end of the weekend, and if you’re interested in more maps, new weapons, and another playable demon, look out for the first paid multiplayer DLC, Unto the Evil, when it arrives next week.
