Hackin’ and wackin’ and smackin’ the Chaos hordes
If you’ve run out of steam inDiabloorPath of Exileor you’re simply looking for a semi-mindless dungeon-crawling distraction this weekend, the action-RPGWarhammer Chaosbanehas raised its blood-drenched hand. The second phase of the closed beta is active until April 24 at 1:00am Pacific.
For those of you who sliced and diced in phase one,there are several notable changes to report.
First off, to get into theChaosbaneclosed beta, you’ll need to pre-order (it’s releasing forPC,PS4, andXbox Oneon June 4). This second round includes four characters–a Dwarf slayer, Wood-Elf scout, High-Elf mage, and Imperial soldier–with support for four-player co-op in local and online play.
Once you’re in, you can run the first three missions of Act 2 (featuring Praag, the Cursed City) as well as a newly-revised Act 1 (with scenes from Nuln). Eko Software smoothed overChaosbane‘s inventory and took another pass at loot and XP balance. Aside from a beta-only requirement that you need to maintain an online connection while playing, the only other restriction is a character level cap of 25.
Oh, and your progress won’t be retained for the final launch version, so try not to get too attached.
TheWarhammeruniverse is rich enough to fuel all manner of video game adaptations. There have been countless duds over the years, but we’ve also seen plenty of cool takes on the Games Workshop lore. Many of them have come with caveats; realistically,Chaosbanewill too. The big question will be: Does this game have enough staying power? And if not, can it reach that point post-launch?
My number-one must-have requirement for aWarhammerARPG is split-screen co-op. If all else fails– and really,Chaosbaneseems perfectly serviceable as far as these things go– I’m glad that’s sorted.
