Doom multiplayer modes announced

Six modes. Countless ways to kill. Infinite ways to die. Welcome to DOOM multiplayer, which delivers fast-paced and competitive combat in brutal, blood-spattered arenas. For a deeper dive into three of the modes you’ll be playing when DOOM is released on May 13, check out the video below.

Whether you’re fan of classic deathmatch or looking for a unique twist on multiplayer, DOOM has something for you. Here’s a rundown of the 6 modes available at launch.

Soul Harvest

Because sometimes just killing your enemies isn’t enough… Soul Harvest is similar to Team Deathmatch (see below), but instead of racking up points with every kill, players need to collect the souls of their fallen foes. Each soul will remain in the world for a limited time. These souls can be scooped up by anyone on either team. The catch? Only the opposing team earns points for grabbing a soul – but the teammates of the vanquished can play spoiler by seizing an ally’s soul to prevent their foes from gaining a soul point.

But there’s more to Soul Harvest than kill-and-collect. A demon rune will appear where the first player is killed, and this demon power-up has no time limit. In addition to the increased threat demons always bring, any enemy players killed by a demon drop two souls to claim instead of the usual one. And if you manage to slay a demon? You have the opportunity to pick up the five souls it leaves behind – and perhaps become the demon yourself.

Victory is earned by the first team to reach a preset score, or by the team with the most points when time runs out.

Freeze Tag

Remember how much fun it was to play freeze tag with your friends? Now imagine doing it with a Gauss Cannon. Or a Heavy Assault Rifle. On Mars.

Freeze Tag plays out a lot like the real-world equivalent (minus the heavy weaponry and hellish backdrop). Rather than killing your foes, opponents are instead frozen in place –immobilized in a block of ice. Teammates can thaw their allies by standing nearby for a set amount of time.

Players frozen within blocks of ice will slide around if they’re shot or otherwise jostled, leading to all kinds of chaotic possibilities – both planned and unplanned. If you find a frozen ally near a deadly hazard, for example, you can try to knock your teammate into the hazard so he’ll be destroyed; the shattered ally will then respawn. Or, you can try to prevent a foe from being thawed by knocking him away from an ally. Multiple allies can also be thawed if they’re close enough to a single active player, and frozen players will thaw more quickly if multiple active allies are all close enough.

For rounds that remain unresolved until only a few moments remain, a demon rune will drop into the arena to things along.

Victory is earned by the first team to completely freeze the opposing team. If there are still unfrozen players on both sides when time runs out, the team with the most active players will win the round.

Warpath

King of the Hill gets even crazier in Warpath, where a single capture point moves around the map along a set (and clearly marked) pathway. And if that’s not enough, a demon rune marches along in lockstep – but on the opposite side of the path.

This combo of moving capture point and demon rune is what makes Warpath so darn fun. At any point players need to make a whole bunch of choices. Do you cluster up with your teammates in the capture point, speeding up the capture time and ensuring that the point remains yours? Do you race to the other side of the map, hoping to pick up the demon rune to quickly turn the tide of battle? Do you trail behind the capture point, trying to pick off your foes and protect the rear? Do you rush ahead and try to stop your foes from an uncontested capture with a frontal assault? And how do you manage to stay alive when the capture point slides over a void or deadly hazard? The unrelenting movement of the capture point makes Warpath a constant adrenaline rush – a non-stop tug of war for domination.

Points are accrued whenever your team controls the capture point. Victory is earned by the first team to reach a preset score, or by the team with the most points when time runs out.

Domination

Domination includes up to three static capture points that are spread out across a map. Players spawn on different sides of the map, and can control the capture points by clearing out any enemies and standing within the designated zone. Points are earned based on how long you control a capture point.

Of course, it wouldn’t be DOOM without a twist on this classic formula. In the case of Domination, the demon rune plays a key role. During a match, the rune will spawn randomly throughout the arena, and its appearance on the map will be announced to all players, giving everyone a chance to race for the rune. Because demons are more powerful than your standard soldier (as they are in all modes), the leading team will want the rune to prevent the other team from catching up. After all, if the losing team gets the demon rune first, they have a strong shot at tipping the scales by forcefully capturing a point and more easily holding their ground.

Victory is earned by the team that reaches a preset score, or by the team with the most points when the time runs out.

Team Deathmatch

One of the two purest takes on classic modes in DOOM multiplayer, Team Deathmatch pits two teams against each other in a straight-up kill-fest. Players can choose their loadouts, customize their marine and become the demon if they grab the rune while it’s in play. (Demon kills are scored the same as regular kills.) Power-ups and power weapons also play a key role here – we’ll have more info on those in our next video and feature. Victory is earned by the first team that reaches a preset score or by the team with the most points when time runs out.

Clan Arena

The other pure take on a classic mode, Clan Arena is a game of elimination: the last team standing wins. All pick-ups are removed from the map, and players won’t be able to restore their health or armor. Once you’re dead, you’re dead – no respawning. And demons aren’t available during this mode. Victory is earned by the team that fully eliminates all its foes – or by the team with the most remaining players when time runs out.