Doom Eternal: QuakeCon 'Year of Doom' keynote – CNET

After a triumphant return with 2016’s Doom, id Software’s iconic series is back with Doom Eternal. E3 2019 brought footage of the game and, more importantly, the announcement of a Nov. 22 release date. With QuakeCon only days away, Doom fans will see more of the game, including its multiplayer Battlemode. 

QuakeCon will have a “Year of Doom” keynote celebrating the 25th anniversary of the original game on July 26 at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT to properly kick off the gaming convention. The focus of the presentation will be Doom Eternal’s Battlemode — the game’s asymmetric multiplayer with two player-controlled demons going up against one person playing as Doomguy. A livestream of the keynote will be available at the Bethesda Twitch channel. 

First revealed at Bethesda’s 2018 E3 press conference, the gory, fast-paced, heavy metal blaring first-person shooter sequel will put players back in the role of the Doom Slayer, the hero from the original game who was revived to take on the forces of hell. This time around, demons have made their way to Earth, and it’s up to Doom Slayer to save the world once again.

What’s new in hell

Members of the id Software team showed off Doom Eternal’s gameplay for the first time at Quakecon 2018 in August. For the most part, it looks to be the same as Doom 2016. Players will have to blast their way through waves of demons using a wide range of weapons and leaving a trail of carnage in their wake.  

There were, however, some new additions to the game shown in the Quakecon video. There’ll be an invasion mode that lets players fight against player-controlled demons during their play-through, creating asymmetric multiplayer gameplay. That’s when a team of players takes on one powerful opponent. In this case, the demons would be outgunned by Doomguy. 

Bethesda’s E3 2019 press conference expanded on the multiplayer mode, now officially called BattleMode. 

Two players will take the role of demons and go up against one player controlling the Doom Slayer. The demon team will be outgunned, so strategy will be the key to winning a match. The different demons have their own strengths, such as being able to fly or summoning other monsters to help. As Doomguy, it’ll take skill to contend with the player-controlled demons and all the tricks up their sleeves. 

Also shown during the press conference was a new trailer for the game that didn’t offer much in regard to content but instead gave fans a little bit more of the sequel’s plot, such as the fact that Doomguy will also make his way to Heaven. 

In the trailer, a voice warns that if the Doom Slayer continues with his mission, he’ll “bring down Heaven’s wrath.” There’s also a shot of what looks like an armored angel. The trailer is still vague on the detail of the story line, but there could be more revealed in July during QuakeCon 2019.

Id also added an old-school element to Doom Eternal by giving players extra lives, according to a VG247 interview with executive producer Marty Stratton. Players will obtain an extra life that’ll be used when a character dies to avoid returning to a previous checkpoint. Stratton says this new addition will help when a player’s game is invaded by experienced opponents controlling the demons.

Hook ’em

Doomguy’s arsenal will consist of weapons from the previous game, such as the chaingun, rocket launcher and shotgun, but there will be a few new toys in Doom Eternal.

One weapon from the early Doom games that’s returning is the Super Shotgun. The double-barreled weapon will deal a ton of damage, but more importantly, it has a grappling hook attachment called the Meat Hook, which lets players grab onto enemies from a distance and pull Doomguy to the attached monster. There’s also a new Ballista weapon that shoots out crossbow bolts that can explode.

The Slayer also has some equipment upgrades to his armor, including a new blade attached to his wrist used for Glory Kills. He also has a shoulder-mounted launcher that can act like a mini-flamethrower.

Where the hell to get this game

Doom Eternal will be released Nov. 22 for PS4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch and on PC via Steam and Bethesda’s game launcher. Expect to see more of the game in July during QuakeCon.

Originally published June 7.
Update June 25: Adds E3 2019 details. July 23: Adds QuakeCon details.