Exclusively multiplayer with gameplay focused on map knowledge of 8 unique weapons / power-ups, lightning fast movement, and aiming proficiency. Quake Champions seems very appealing to the uninitiated but has been met with a fair amount of criticism since it's inception. This review aims to tackle said criticism in addition to describing the overall experience. I originally played the game during it's closed beta period and am relatively new to the series, only recently have I played / completed Quake 1&2 and briefly tried Quake Live. I've played every game type except Ranked mode but hope to get into it soon, Clan arena works as a fun alternative that bridges the gap between casual and competitive play.

Unlike classic Quake multiplayer where each player controls and handles the same Quake Champions (QC) features 16 characters (at time of writing) with more to be added over the early access period. Each Champion has their own unique stats like health / armor values that are balanced to be relatively similar to one-another, movement options, a single-use ability that gets put on a long cooldown after use, and minor miscellaneous changes. Many players prior to release have compared the game to Overwatch which has a similar MOBA style ability system. QC differs in this regard with more emphasis on individual player skill, passive benefits, and only one "ability". While these inherently influence the gameplay feel none of them lower the skill ceiling, on equal grounds a seasoned player will always beat a new player regardless of what character they chose. No damaging abilities can insta-kill and all utility + passive abilities can be countered once you have experience with each champion.

Unfortunately like nearly all arena FPS games QC suffers from lack of players due to being an unpopular genre and the lengthy early access period (3 years in and no signs of release any time soon). QC in particular has suffered from long development time and has been exacerbated by it's low monetary value AKA small playerbase. Since the game is based on concurrent players and the lack of a server browser you're at the mercy of the game's matchmaking system to play, despite selecting all gamemodes it can still take up to 2-5 minutes total to search, load, and start playing a match. It's impossible to say at this point whether this game will/won't leave it's Early Access period but thankfully there's no signs that development is stopping any time soon with more content I.E. skins, maps, and champions.

One crucial aspect that has kept me returning to Quake Champions has been it's movement. To date, it offers the widest range of movement options in any arena FPS I've played. There's Strafe Jumping, Circle Strafing, Bunny hopping, Explosive / Nail Jumping, Double Jumping / Wall-Jumping, Air-Dashing, (and grappling hooks, swinging + ramp-jumping exclusive to Athena). Most of these will be familiar if you've played FPS games before but if you haven't played a Quake game like me you'll find that it doesn't take as long as you'd think to understand the basics and improve from there. Once you get the hang of it you'll find it easy to traverse maps at ludicrous speeds and control even with the slower champions. As with each of the core features in the arena shooter genre learning them in the beginning and improving your knowledge & proficiency throughout your experience will offer plenty of self-progression and satisfaction. Currently the game lacks a good tutorial of these mechanics and only a written explanation so you'll have to refer to tutorial videos & plenty of self-practice to get the hang of them. I imagine this being one of their most important revisions during the Early Access period.

QC celebrates the Quake series with it's diverse weapon skin collection from each game (purely cosmetic), maps inspired by dark lovecraftian settings, and alien character designs. There's also plenty of lore scrolls to find that explain each character's backstory and expands on the game's mythos. Nearly everything in the game can be unlocked free of charge with enough playtime but either takes an unreasonable amount of time or are completely locked. You have a chance to obtain 10 Platinum (premium currency) a day if you get the right daily challenge and can earn a maximum of 95 if you log in for seven consecutive days. For the most part this feels not only somewhat random but also incredibly paltry when you realize most of the exciting game content costs an upwards of 1000 platinum or more to purchase. The aforementioned locked items are even more frustrating since you have to be lucky enough to find them in either the battle pass (free and paid rewards separately unlocked by playing) or if the store hopefully offers what you're looking for at a reasonable price. So far I've only spent $30 on the game ($20 all champions pack and $10 for all 6 Quake 1 weapons). I'm aware of the game's pricing model, occasional event rewards that offer 250 platinum, and recent updates that have been pro-consumer. I hope they're able to continue with economy changes that keep this optional progression fun to help encourage people to play more frequently.

The game can feel quite daunting on your first dozen-or-so matches when you go up against players that already have knowledge / experience of how best to play the game but it's important to keep in mind that everyone has started this genre the exact same way. Like anything if you dedicate time and effort towards it you'll start to notice your results and find why this game has maintained a steady playerbase despite it's current numbers. As most FPS games today were inspired by Quake you'll immediately notice familiar weapons, even decent aim can send your ranking above the large percentage of new players. You start from the bottom and the only place left to go is up!

Exclusively multiplayer with gameplay focused on map knowledge of 8 unique weapons / power-ups, lightning fast movement, and aiming proficiency. Quake Champions seems very appealing to the uninitiated but has been met with a fair amount of criticism since it's inception. This review aims to tackle said criticism in addition to describing the overall experience. I originally played the game during it's closed beta period and am relatively new to the series, only recently have I played / completed Quake 1&2 and briefly tried Quake Live. I've played every game type except Ranked mode but hope to get into it soon, Clan arena works as a fun alternative that bridges the gap between casual and competitive play. Unlike classic Quake multiplayer where each player controls and handles the same Quake Champions (QC) features 16 characters (at time of writing) with more to be added over the early access period. Each Champion has their own unique stats like health / armor values that are balanced to be relatively similar to one-another, movement options, a single-use ability that gets put on a long cooldown after use, and minor miscellaneous changes. Many players prior to release have compared the game to Overwatch which has a similar MOBA style ability system. QC differs in this regard with more emphasis on individual player skill, passive benefits, and only one "ability". While these inherently influence the gameplay feel none of them lower the skill ceiling, on equal grounds a seasoned player will always beat a new player regardless of what character they chose. No damaging abilities can insta-kill and all utility + passive abilities can be countered once you have experience with each champion. Unfortunately like nearly all arena FPS games QC suffers from lack of players due to being an unpopular genre and the lengthy early access period (3 years in and no signs of release any time soon). QC in particular has suffered from long development time and has been exacerbated by it's low monetary value AKA small playerbase. Since the game is based on concurrent players and the lack of a server browser you're at the mercy of the game's matchmaking system to play, despite selecting all gamemodes it can still take up to 2-5 minutes total to search, load, and start playing a match. It's impossible to say at this point whether this game will/won't leave it's Early Access period but thankfully there's no signs that development is stopping any time soon with more content I.E. skins, maps, and champions. One crucial aspect that has kept me returning to Quake Champions has been it's movement. To date, it offers the widest range of movement options in any arena FPS I've played. There's Strafe Jumping, Circle Strafing, Bunny hopping, Explosive / Nail Jumping, Double Jumping / Wall-Jumping, Air-Dashing, (and grappling hooks, swinging + ramp-jumping exclusive to Athena). Most of these will be familiar if you've played FPS games before but if you haven't played a Quake game like me you'll find that it doesn't take as long as you'd think to understand the basics and improve from there. Once you get the hang of it you'll find it easy to traverse maps at ludicrous speeds and control even with the slower champions. As with each of the core features in the arena shooter genre learning them in the beginning and improving your knowledge & proficiency throughout your experience will offer plenty of self-progression and satisfaction. Currently the game lacks a good tutorial of these mechanics and only a written explanation so you'll have to refer to tutorial videos & plenty of self-practice to get the hang of them. I imagine this being one of their most important revisions during the Early Access period. QC celebrates the Quake series with it's diverse weapon skin collection from each game (purely cosmetic), maps inspired by dark lovecraftian settings, and alien character designs. There's also plenty of lore scrolls to find that explain each character's backstory and expands on the game's mythos. Nearly everything in the game can be unlocked free of charge with enough playtime but either takes an unreasonable amount of time or are completely locked. You have a chance to obtain 10 Platinum (premium currency) a day if you get the right daily challenge and can earn a maximum of 95 if you log in for seven consecutive days. For the most part this feels not only somewhat random but also incredibly paltry when you realize most of the exciting game content costs an upwards of 1000 platinum or more to purchase. The aforementioned locked items are even more frustrating since you have to be lucky enough to find them in either the battle pass (free and paid rewards separately unlocked by playing) or if the store hopefully offers what you're looking for at a reasonable price. So far I've only spent $30 on the game ($20 all champions pack and $10 for all 6 Quake 1 weapons). I'm aware of the game's pricing model, occasional event rewards that offer 250 platinum, and recent updates that have been pro-consumer. I hope they're able to continue with economy changes that keep this optional progression fun to help encourage people to play more frequently. The game can feel quite daunting on your first dozen-or-so matches when you go up against players that already have knowledge / experience of how best to play the game but it's important to keep in mind that everyone has started this genre the exact same way. Like anything if you dedicate time and effort towards it you'll start to notice your results and find why this game has maintained a steady playerbase despite it's current numbers. As most FPS games today were inspired by Quake you'll immediately notice familiar weapons, even decent aim can send your ranking above the large percentage of new players. You start from the bottom and the only place left to go is up!