Doom Eternal's Horde Mode is now available in the new free Update 6.66.

The arcade-style mode has players defeating waves of demons to unlock new weapons and challenges, competing online through seasonal leaderboards.

Completing all the encounters and puzzles unlocks over seven new skins, including the Doom 2 Slayer and the Biker Slayer.

Read more

The idTech 7 engine has evolved with the arrival of a brand new patch for Doom Eternal, adding ray tracing support for sufficiently equipped PCs - and of course, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, which also receive resolution and 120Hz updates. But it's the RT implementation that's the star of the show, adding beautiful reflections to surfaces like water, glass, metals, plastics and even polished wood. The PC also benefits from Nvidia DLSS support, meaning that even entry-level RT video cards like RTX 2060 can deliver an excellent experience with the next-gen features in play.

So, what's the actual attraction of incorporating RT reflections into a game like Doom Eternal? At default settings, it combines with the standard screen-space reflections to form a 'complete package' for an effect that can have a transformative effect on a game with the kind of materials Doom Eternal uses throughout - shiny metals and plastics - though even rougher materials can still benefit from the effect. Reflections more accurately map to surface types and are far more dynamic, to the point where surrounding, animated environments map perfectly onto the appropriate surfaces - something that standard cube maps can't do.

I was also interested to see that particles are also present in reflections - so sending out a BFG blast into distance, then turning around 180 degrees to look at a glass window would see the effect play out in the reflection, along with other dynamic elements in the scene. And of course, the Doom Slayer himself is present in reflections too - even if it is an approximation. Doom Eternal uses a 'floating hands' approach to the actual first-person model, but the point is that with standard reflections, the player is simply not present at all. Being RT-based, based on the traversal of light rays, even distortions in the material are all accurately mapped - you only get perfect mirror-like reflections if the material itself is perfectly flat. Ray tracing also applies to every pixel, so even tiny glass objects like health flasks will exhibit full RT reflections with pristine detail if you peer at them closely.

Read more

Doom Eternal will no longer receive its previously announced PvP-focussed Invasions mode, with id Software having made the decision to pivot development toward a new single-player horde mode instead, due to coronavirus-related development challenges.

Invasions Mode, announced back at QuakeCon 2018, was intended to deliver a vaguely Dark-Souls-esque multiplayer spin on Doom Eternal's single-player campaign, enabling other humans to manifest as demons throughout the story and do battle with the host player for some added challenge.

Well over 12 months after Doom Eternal's March 2020 launch, however, Invasions Mode is still yet to materialise, leaving fans to ponder its fate. And now, in a newly released statement, id Software executive producer Marty Stratton has provided an answer, confirming Invasions Mode is officially dead due to the impact "the unforeseen consequences of the pandemic and remote working" have had on development.

Read more

Doom Eternal is bringing its increasingly ludicrous saga to a close tomorrow, 18th March, with the launch of its second and final campaign DLC, Ancient Gods Part Two.

Tomorrow's DLC doesn't just put a cap on Doom Eternal, however; it also brings an end to the story of the Doom Slayer first seen in 2016's Doom reboot, concluding with an instalment that, in among the usual hellfire and decimated cityscapes, leans hard on the high fantasy.

As seen in the trailer below, Doom Slayer's journey to the Dark Lord's stronghold - for one final, epic showdown - takes him to cities nestled among sprawling forests and ice-capped mountain, impossible waterfalls at the end of the world, and there's even time for a dragon or two.

Read more

Microsoft's $7.5bn deal to acquire ZeniMax has been approved in the US and EU.

The acquisition required approval from the European Commission as well as the United States Securities and Exchange Commission before it could be completed.

As we reported in February, Microsoft created a new subsidiary called Vault to merge with ZeniMax as part of its proposed takeover of the company.

Read more

Microsoft has announced the new games coming to Xbox Game Pass in December.

Remedy's Control comes to Game Pass for Android and console on 3rd December (here's Donlan's Control review). Also on that date, id Software's first-person shooter Doom Eternal hits Xbox Game Pass for PC (here's Edwin's Doom Eternal review).

3rd December is a big day for Game Pass: romantic space adventure Haven, from The Game Bakers - the studio behind gloriously psychedelic arcade boss-rush extravaganza Furi - hits the service then for console and PC, as does id Software and Avalanche Studios' Rage 2 on Android.

Read more

Following Microsoft's $7.5bn acquisition of ZeniMax Media - the parent company of Bethesda, id Software, Arkane Studios, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks and more - back in September, many were eager to learn how competing platforms would be impacted. Now Xbox chief financial officer Tim Stuart has offered additional clues on Microsoft's future strategy, suggesting Bethesda's games will be "either first or better or best" on its platforms.

Speaking at the Jefferies Interactive Entertainment Virtual Conference (as transcribed by Seeking Alpha), Stuart offered assurances that Microsoft has no intention of "just pulling all of Bethesda content out of Sony or Nintendo or otherwise". Instead, he explained, "When we think about Bethesda, [we'll] continue to sell their games on the platforms that they exist today, and we'll determine what that looks over time and will change over time. I'm not making any announcements about exclusivity or something like that. But that model will change."

As to how that may change, Stuart suggested Microsoft would "want that content, in the long run, to be either first or better or best or pick your differentiated experience, on our platforms."

Read more

Microsoft has announced the first Bethesda game to hit Xbox Game Pass following the announcement of its astonishing $7.5bn deal to acquire Zenimax and all its studios.

That game is Doom Eternal, which will land on Game Pass for consoles on 1st October and for PC later this year.

Doom Eternal is of course made by id Software, one of the studios in Zenimax's sprawling portfolio, and one Microsoft will own once its deal becomes official.

Read more

After Doom's resounding 2016 comeback - which was also something of a comeback for developed id Software - this year's Doom Eternal didn't get quite the same level of universal acclaim. Some loved it, though, including Digital Foundry's John Linneman, who got a chance to chat with id's Marty Stratton and Hugo Martin about the game, its forthcoming DLC The Ancient Gods Part 1, and all things Doom for PAX Online x EGX Digital.

It's an illuminating chat that has just finished streaming on the EGX Twitch channel, and you can watch it in the embed below.

PAX x EGX, which is operated by our parent company ReedPop, is running all week, concludes on Sunday 20th September and is completely free. Check out the full livestream schedule and the virtual show floor for more.

Read more

Id Software has revealed Doom Eternal's first single-player expansion: The Ancient Gods, Part One.

In this DLC, which is part of Doom Eternal's Year One Pass, you travel to new realms in the Doom universe and face new enemies. Here's the teaser trailer:

Expect a reveal in full during Gamescom Opening Night Live on 27th August.

Read more