Quake Champions guide – Tips, weapons, Champions, maps and modes

How do I download and install Quake Champions?

Quake Champions is available to download from the Steam store and is installed like every other game on the platform. Note that it is currently an Early Access title, and so if you choose to buy it the game you should not expect the game to be the finished article (even though it’s been improved a great deal since it first appeared on the store).

At the time of publishing this article, the game is actually available for everyone to try out as part of a free access period. The promotion runs until Monday 25th June 2018 and if you play one match through the Bethesda Launcher or on Steam, you’ll actually get to keep the game at no extra cost.

Do note that this won’t net you all the Champions, and if you want those you’ll have to fork out real world currency for the Champions Pack (which we’ve detailed in the section down below) or use in-game currency to unlock them as you play the game.

How much does Quake Champions cost?

Although the game will be available as a free to play title when it enters full release, you can also buy something known as a Champions Pack if you want to take part in the Early Access phase.

This unlocks all heroes for you to play immediately, and will also give you free access to any other characters that are released in the future. Those who don’t purchase the pack will only have permanent access to the Ranger champion. Having said that, there are mechanisms which allow you to play other champions – albeit for a limited period of time.

The standard price for the Champions Pack is £19.99 ($29.99), but it’s currently discounted to £13.19 (approx $20) for the duration of the free access period that’s currently live. If you enjoy the game and reckon you’ll be in it for the long run, it’s worth grabbing permanent access to all content while the discount is available.

Are there Loot Boxes in Quake Champions?

Yes, but they contain vanity items only, such as armour shaders. There’s no way of buying equipment that grants you an additional advantage while playing competitively.

Certain Loot Boxes can only be purchased with real-world money, while others can be purchased using a currency known as Favor.

Favor is earned by performing well in-game, and is also provided as a reward for completing the rotating set of Daily Quests.

Daily Quests might task you with killing a certain number of enemies, for example, or making a certain number of kills using your Champion’s active ability.

Which Champions are available in the game?

There are a number of Champions currently in development. Each one possesses one or more unique passive abilities (applied automatically), as well as an active ability.

These manual abilities have a cooldown which limits their use, and are also designed with a rock-paper-scissors mentality to ensure that clear counters exist across the overall pool of Champions.

Here’s a breakdown of each Champion, along with details of their passive and active abilities. We’ve also included a popular video guide to playing each one.

Note that all values and names are subject to change while the game is in Early Access.

Ranger

Passive – Son of a Gun – Ranger takes 20% less self-damage from any weapon.

Active – Dire Orb – Allows the Ranger to teleport to the orb’s location and ambush opponents.

Anarki

Passive – Air-Control – Change movement direction in mid-air.

Active – Health Injection – Restores health and adds extra health points.

B.J. Blazkowicz

Passive – Blitz – Regenerates health to the nearest quarter of the health bar after taking damage.

Active – Dual Wield – Increases the rate of fire for weapons. All weapons apart from the Lightning Gun gain a 1.50% fire rate multiple. The Lightning Gun increases by 1.25% instead.

Clutch

Passive 1 – Still Defense – Take 20% less damage while standing still.

Passive 2 – Acceleration – Move faster in a straight line.

Passive 3 – Dodge – Move quickly after double-tapping towards a new direction.

Active 1 – Barrier Shield – Generates a shield.

Active 2 – Mining Drill – Turn’s Clutch’s mining drill into a weapon that functions much like the Lightning Gun.

Doom Slayer

Passive 1 – Double Jump – Jump again in mid-air to gain extra height.

Passive 2 – Silent Protagonist – Doom Slayer is silent, helping him conceal his position.

Active – Berserk – Gains increased speed and can explode enemies with a punch.

Galena

Passive – Unknown – Cooldown reduced when health bubbles are collected.

Active – Unholy Totem – Provides Galena and teammates 50 health when they enter its radius. Enemy players take 100 damage.

Nyx

Passive – Wall Jump – Gain extra environmental mobility.

Active – Ghost Walk – Move undetected and with invulnerability for a brief period of time.

Scalebearer

Passive – Heavyweight – Damage enemies on contact when moving faster than 400 units of movement per second.

Active – Bull Rush – Charge forwards and deal damage to any enemies you collide with.

Slash

Passive – Crouch Slide – Slides after crouching following a jump

Active – Plasma Trail – Leaves a trail of plasma which damages enters and can be detonated with a second use of the ability button.

Sorlag

Passive 1 – Bunnyhop – Change direction while in mid-air.

Passive 2 – Acid Fiend – Provides resistance to acid attacks from other enemy Sorlag players.

Active – Acid Spit – An area of effect attack that does 10 damage per second to affected players.

Visor

Passive – Grasshopper – Allows for strafe jumping.

Active – Piercing Sight – Allows Visor to see enemies through walls.

Once you’ve completed the Tutorial, you’ll permanently unlock 2 Champions (Ranger and Scalebearer) to play with. If you want to frag with any more champions, you can “rent” for a limited time using the in-game currency “Favor” which you’ll rack up by playing matches. Otherwise, you’ll need to fork real world currency for the Champions Pack which’ll unlock all other Champions permanently.

What weapons are available in Quake Champions?

Weapons are separated into two categories in Quake Champions. First there are the starting weapons that can be chosen by players before each match begins, and then there’s a second collection of weapons that can be picked up during play.

Although you can choose from one of three starting weapons it’s important to note that there are no real loadouts to consider in Quake Champions. Once you’ve picked your starting weapon it’s on you to scavenge the map and lay your hands on more powerful gear!

Here’s what’s available in each case:

Starting weapons

• Machine Gun – This is a solid, automatic firing weapon that does a good job of training a continual stream of damage onto your target.
• Nailgun – Although the rate of fire of the Nailgun is lower than the Machine Gun, it compensates by ensuring each hit packs a meaner punch.
• Shotgun – You know what to expect here. If your playstyle suits getting up in everyone’s face then the Shotgun does decent damage in a tight spread of pellets.

Pickup weapons

• Heavy Machine Gun – A much-improved version of its starting weapon counterpart, you can expect a higher damage and fire-rate here. This is a popular choice for handling long-range enemies making use of the Railgun.
• Lightning Gun – The exceptional accuracy of this weapon makes it a popular choice, and if there’s someone above you you can pin ‘em in place with the fire.
• Railgun – If you’ve got a sharp shot about you then the Railgun is capable of dishing out a terrifying amount of damage, but stick to long-range use with this one. If you miss at close-range you’ll be in trouble due to the downtime between shots.
• Rocket Launcher – Use this launcher to knock the opponent back and do some explosive damage. You can also use this to rocket jump by pointing at your feet and hitting fire – you’ll lose health and armour but gain what might be a game-changing positional advantage.
• Super Nailgun – The Super Nailgun has some of the strongest damage output in Quake Champions, but you’ll need to predict your enemy’s positioning to get the most out of it.
• Super Shotgun – If your opponent is close to death and you’re close to them, think about switching over to this souped-up Shotgun to finish the job off fast.
• Tri-bolt – As the name suggests, this weapon shoots off a trio of rounds which explode after a certain amount of time has passed.

Which maps are available in Quake Champions?

Nine maps have been confirmed for Quake Champions. Here’s the complete list:

Note that this is early access and these maps will likely undergo some changes. We’re also likely to see more maps in the future too.

• Blood Covenant
• Blood Run
• Burial Chamber
• Church of Azathoth
• Corrupted Keep
• Lockbox
• Ruins of Sarnath
• Tempest Shrine
• Vale of Pnath

What game modes are there in Quake Champions?

The following game modes have all been confirmed for Quake Champions:

Note that this is early access and these game modes will likely undergo some changes. We’re also likely to see more modes in the future too.

• Duel
• Capture the Flag
• Free-For-All
• Instagib
• Sacrifice
• Team Deathmatch
• 2 v 2 Deathmatch

Ranked Modes are currently available for Duel and 2 v 2. You’re also able to set up custom matches for you and your friends if you’d like to play specific maps and rulesets.

When you boot up Quake Champions for the first time, you won’t be able to access the Ranked Modes yet as you haven’t met the requirements just yet. In order to do so, you’ll need to complete all the “Starter Challenges” which you’ll earn naturally over the course of a few Quick Matches. To check your progress with them, click the bottom left icon in the main menu.

What are the best tips for new players in Quake Champions?

There are some excellent video resources for new players and you’re highly encouraged to watch through the handful we highlight in this section.

Even if you’ve played other shooters before – but none in the Quake series – we still recommend making time to watch them. Quake’s a different beast in the genre and there’s a lot to get acclimatised to!

That’s the end of the first edition of our Quake Champions guide. We’ll update it with lots more tips, tricks and strategy advice as the game approaches full launch. If you want to get stuck into it yourself, just head over to the Steam Store and add the game to your download queue!