Guerilla Games has detailed the multiplayer mode on the game's website, one of the standout features of the shooter’s online multiplayer component is that 22 weapons will be featured, with all of them being available at your disposal without having to achieve any extra goals to unlock any of them.
In addition to 19 different weapon attachments, the developer promises to support the title’s post-launch multiplayer experience via the “frequent release of paid DLC expansion packs that offer new gameplay and customization features”. That said, DLC multiplayer maps will be released for free “to prevent the player base from becoming fractured”.
Player Mechanics
Most of the player mechanics available in the single-player campaign are now also available in multiplayer. This includes the cover system that allows you to snap in to/lean out of/vault over cover, as well as the sliding mechanic. In addition, the brutal melee system has been expanded with drop-down melees as seen in the single-player playthrough.
Weapons
Multiplayer features 22 different weapons, all of them unlocked from the get-go. Your ability to master the weapons is key, as each weapon has very different dynamics. For an in-depth look at the new weapons, read our “Guerrilla Armory” articles about the StA-55 Assault Rifle, the VC-15 shotgun pistol, the M55 assault rifle and the VC-30 shotgun. More weapon articles are coming to Killzone.com soon!
Attachments
There are 19 different weapon attachments in multiplayer, unlocked by completing specific challenges. You can use these to extend the functionality of your weapons in a variety ways, from enhanced scopes to new ammo types to secondary fire options. Adding attachments that complement your playing style can greatly enhance your combat effectiveness.
Classes and Abilities
There are three distinct classes and 12 unique special abilities in multiplayer. Each of the classes can be enhanced with up to two special abilities, allowing for some highly specialized playing styles. We’ll cover the three classes and their available abilities in more detail in the coming weeks, but we can already reveal that there will be a Placeable Spawn Beacon ability.
Custom Warzones
Warzones, with their trademark rotating mission modes, return to multiplayer with supercharged customization features. There are eight mission modes in total, four of which are new to Killzone. More importantly, you can customize these modes to your heart’s content and share your favorite settings with the rest of the community. We will regularly highlight popular and interesting community-created Warzones for you to try out.
Combat Honors
Combat Honors are temporary bonuses that can be activated by earning enough points during a round. These bonuses stay active for as long you continue play – when your play session ends, you lose your Combat Honors. Combat Honor bonuses range from an increase to movement speed to reduction in recoil.
Post-Launch Support We aim to keep the post-launch multiplayer experience fresh through the frequent release of paid DLC expansion packs that offer new gameplay and customization features. At the same time, all DLC multiplayer maps will be released free of charge to prevent the player base from becoming fractured.
Guerrilla Games has also detailed the Black Hand on the official website, a villainous and menacing antagonist group seen in the debut trailer for Killzone: Shadow Fall. Guerrilla said Black Hand is just one of several groups threatening the stability of Vekta.
A “splinter faction of radicals and zealots fuelled by their anger at the destruction of Helghan in Killzone 3″, the Black Hand is sworn to revenge themselves on their oppressors – namely, the peaceful government of Vekta.
The New Helghan government is not on board the Black Hand’s plan to trigger a full-scale war, so the group recruits from disgruntled former militarists and hides out in the slums. It specialises in sabotage and violence, and use makeshift gear. Guerrilla did note, however, that it “curiously also possesses modern mil-spec gear such as top-of-the-line infiltration projectors”.
