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Evolve's New, Free Arena Mode Gets Right to the Action

Arena Mode cuts to the chase.

31 Comments

Publisher 2K and developer Turtle Rock Studios today released a new, free mode for its four-players versus one monster multiplayer shooter Evolve.

The new Arena Mode lets players get right to the action, pitting hunters against the monster in best-of-three matches set in fixed arenas.

The fixed arenas are set on 14 of Evolve's maps for a total of 70 locations to fight in. Hunters enter the arena and face off against a monster that starts the match at Stage 2, and simply battle to the death. The round ends when either the monster or all the hunters are eliminated, and the next match starts in a new fixed arena on the same map.

Arena Mode is completely free on all platform and is available starting today. If you want to watch Arena Mode in action, check out Evolve's Twitch channel here starting at 12:00 PM Eastern Time.

Earlier this month, 2K parent company Take-Two said Turtle Rock will continue to support Evolve throughout the year with new characters, modes, and more. Evolve has shipped around 2.5 million copies since its release across Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC back in February, and the publisher called it a "key long-term franchise for 2K."

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gundam78

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No mention of the slue of bugs and glitches this new mode brought to Evolve. You guys must really be being paid off to not report that the game is a bug ridden mess due to this update.

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suikodudeman

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You are right about the no mentioning of bugs/glitches... cause there aren't any. At least in relation to the new mode. There is still the one map where when the hunters are drop shipped in, they might get stuck ABOVE the map.

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gundam78

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@suikodudeman: The arena mode patch killed off higher resolutions and is causing multiple other problems for players. Easily viewed at the TRS and steam forums.

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vickissv2

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This should have been one of the main staple modes in the game. Also, the graphics for this game are criminally under appreciated.

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skootbootz

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I feel like everyone is waiting for this game to drop down to like $5-10$. I know that is probably the only way i'll buy it. Still won't play it, but at least they got a sale.

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Neox88

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This new mode was made for hunters....monsters are at such a disadvantage in this mode....you are putting the monster inside a hunters ability...permanently...... with little food (pretty much none...cause you are always being shot at). Behemoth is pretty much the only one who can stand its ground.

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TommyTanker121

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Is this game free yet?

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pboontap

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Getting to the f2p status slowly but surely lol. Had they just done that from launch the game may not have garnered the disdain it did.

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Aegis_Kleais

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If I recall correctly, I gave up on this game simply on the merits of the massive waiting times and the horrible flow of you being moved to a stage, waiting, the next stage, waiting, ready to drop waiting, then playing a short game, and going through a multi-stage waiting game afterwards because no other player is paying attention, forcing you to wait the maximum time before you're in another game. Felt very console-ish. I never understood why it couldn't just be "Join a server, ready up, drop into a level load, play, return to lobby for next drop, repeat.

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deactivated-64efdf49333c4

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@aegis_kleais: No, not "console-ish". Just bad game design-ish. I haven't played any other multiplayer game with as many steps to go through as Evolve.

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Dav_id83

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@Barighm@aegis_kleais: Sounds like they tried to Evolve the waiting times to actually play the game

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DarkLight748

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They need to release free updates to prolong the death of the game by a few weeks.

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lnception

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This game has been Left 4 Dead... ;]

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greaseman1985

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@cboye18: Do you feel the need to make this same comment on every article about this game?

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ck02623

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That sounds cool, but it might make it hard to go back to the original mode.

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Chippiez

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Turtle Rock is a bunch of hypocrite SJWs. They can keep their crap game.

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BrolyB593

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To me the fun was the hunting and methodical gameplay. The actual combat encounters I feel fell second to that and so while I am glad to see they are giving more options, I personally cannot see myself playing it.

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mickyworm

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Actually looks decent, had Evolve since launch and only put 2 hours into it this game mode will probably make it 3.

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ck02623

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Same

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Bread_or_Decide

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Is this what Evolve should have been from the start?

It sure did EVOLVE....into a better game?

Eh? Eh?

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greaseman1985

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@Bread_or_Decide: I don't think this is what they intended for the game to be from the start, but it definitely makes the game better and can draw in more people who may not have been a fan of the slower more methodical normal game mode. I haven't played the game in a while, but I wanna play it again now. Good pun by the way lol.

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Pyrosa

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@greaseman1985@Bread_or_Decide: I'd call it a desperate reversal on their original design. They DIDN'T want to make the same'ole small-arena shooter, but then they found their online population rapidly declining -- likely going back to faster-paced games. Thus this desperate move (notice it's FREE -- as in "PLEASE come back!")

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suikodudeman

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@Pyrosa@greaseman1985@Bread_or_Decide: Considering that they said from even before the game launched that maps AND modes (which this definitely qualifies) would be free so as not to divide the player base, it isn't desperate. Though they do need to come up with a few more modes and some more maps.... and QUIT teasing us with what the fifth monster is gonna be through ingame dialouge/hidden message at the end of the credits and start giving some photographic teases (like they did with Behemoth a month before the game launched and two months before it and the fourth group of hunters was available).

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greaseman1985

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Well this is a welcome change. The normal game mode can get slow and boring over time, this should give it some more life. Can't wait to try it.

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robbiejones

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they really needed to release FREE DLC, hardly anyone is playing it on twitch etc.

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suikodudeman

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@robbiejones: Yeah, not like we haven't gotten any free DLC or anything for this game, everything is paid!..... well, IF you don't count the free maps that have come out (and will come out), the new modes like Observer and now Arena (and any future modes), the different community event skins (Predator skin for Bucket, Predator skins for all Trappers, Predator skins for all Medics, Gold Skins for monsters, voodoo skins for monsters) and any skins from the companion app that they have occasional events for.... so as long as you don't count those, then NOTHING is free *troll-faces* :D

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greaseman1985

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@robbiejones: Yeah this is free, as are any other maps/game modes.

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gundam78

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@greaseman1985@robbiejones: No idea why people claim the free maps and modes are a positive. 2 maps, that no one play, and this game mode are the only free dlc so far. No one is playing this game on twitch because barely anyone plays it. TRS own numbers show that ps4 and xbox1 are only about 3,000 players each at peak hours.

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irishrizo

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....... this game been dead b4 it came out

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Tony56723

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That's what happens when you market you're preorder bonuses and DLC before you announce the game

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