Killzone: Shadow Fall Gets New Multiplayer Map Now, Cooperative Mode In June

What’s better than mercilessly mowing down your enemies in Killzone: Shadow Fall? Doing so with a bunch of your best buddies in tow! Along with a new free multiplayer map, the team at Guerilla Studios today announced the impending launch of upcoming for-pay DLC, the cooperative Intercept Expansion.

Earlier this week, Guerilla rather unceremoniously launched a brand new map for Killzone: Shadow Fall’s competitive multiplayer mode, The Canyon, set in the city of Pyrrhus on Helghan. For those of you who remember your Killzone history, or who were at least paying attention during the series’ latest outing on the PlayStation 4, you’ll know that Pyrrhus City isn’t exactly what it used to be, now a destroyed, deadly mass of structures following the final act of Killzone 3.

This new map offers a little something for everyone, including tight corridors for up close and personal combat and multi-tiered, open outdoor areas for those who prefer to keep their enemies at a distance. The map also introduces gravity jets to the online combat, allowing players to more easily move from floor to floor while mowing down the opposition. Oh, look, a video flythrough!

While The Canyon is now available free-of-charge for anyone who owns the game, the other upcoming DLC will bring a whole new mode of play to the game, as well as a price tag. No word yet on a price point, but the Intercept pack will be included at no additional charge for those who already have a Season Pass.

The Intercept DLC received quite a bit more pomp and circumstance on the PlayStation Blog than The Canyon, getting loads of details courtesy of Guerrilla Games’ Poria Torkan.

Headed your way in June, Intercept allows up to four online partners to jump into the boots of a VSA team known as Intelligence Squad Alpha, charged with intercepting (Name plug!) and relaying Helghast war plans.

“To succeed, you’ll need to keep Helghast interlopers at bay long enough to establish a Hacking Uplink and transmit the data,” explained Poria Torkan. “Thankfully, the members of your team have all been trained in unique combat roles—from close-quarters Assault and mid-to-long range Marksman roles to supportive Medic and Tactician roles.”

This sort of class-based cooperative gameplay has become the bread and butter of first-person shooters in recent years, so it’s nice to see it finally getting plugged into Killzone: Shadow Fall.

And don’t think for a second that these missions will be a walk in the park, as the enemy AI has been given some interesting new boosts.

“Just like the members of Intelligence Squad Alpha, the AI-controlled Helghast enemies in Killzone: Shadow Fall Intercept have their own sets of goals and combat roles,” Torkan explained. “They will switch up tactics and angles of attack when they capture an Uplink, so you’ll need to adapt your defense strategy accordingly. On top of that, the enemy can call on special Helghast champions with unique abilities, based on key characters from the Shadow Fall single-player campaign. Expect to go up against some very familiar faces.”