As promised, developer Turtle Rock Studios and publisher 2K Games have relaunched its sci-fi 4v1 shooter Evolve as a free-to-play game for the PC via Steam under the name Evolve Stage 2.
The new version of Evolve will allow players to access all of the content in the game without having to pay anything. It will also have a ton of changes and improvements to Evolve's gameplay, character designs, maps and much more. The full update notes for the game are massive, but here's a list of the biggest changes
- HUNT Mode is the focus of the Evolve Stage 2 experience at launch;
- SPECTATOR Mode can be used by streamers and shoutcasters to broadcast matches.
- The MOBILE ARENA is now a shared ability that always centers on the Monster, and all four hunter classes have been redesigned to be more easily accessible and have better team synergy even when you're not playing with friends.
- TRAPPER – With the mobile arena a shared ability, all Trapper class hunters now come equipped with a PLANET SCANNER ability that tells the hunters generally which direction the monster is located within the map. Trappers also get a speed boost when activating the ability to help them close the distance and Dome the Monster.
- MEDIC – All Hunter classes now have passive health regeneration that automatically heals players when they aren't taking damage.
- SUPPORT – All Support class hunters now have a SHIELD BURST ability that automatically charges the shields of teammates that are close enough to the Support.
- ASSAULT – All Assault class hunters now have a DEFENSE MATRIX ability that replaces the personal shield's invulnerability and instead provides damage reduction to the Assault character.
- MONSTER – All Monsters now have more health and start with enough skill points to activate all four abilities at the start of a match. Alongside new found power and speed, the Monsters are back to terrorize Shear.
- VISUAL FX and UI have been redesigned to provide a cleaner, more easily understandable experience for players of all skill levels.
- MAPS have been redesigned specifically for HUNT using countless hours of gameplay data and player feedback since launch, resulting in maps that create consistently fair fights for Hunters and Monsters.
As previously reported, everyone who purchased Evolve or its DLC packs on Steam will be able to access all of that content in the new free-to-play Stage 2 version, plus some extra bonuses. Turtle Rock plans to turn the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of Evolve into free-to-play games in the future.
Download Evolve Stage 2 for PC on Steam
