The fight for the top free Steam games is always fun to watch, and while the Valve charts are still largely dominated by the developer’s own Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 along with the titan of PUBG Battlegrounds, notably more stylish fellow battle royale games Apex Legends and Naraka Bladepoint continue to fight for that elusive fourth spot. With the arrival of the Naraka Bladepoint Season 12 update, 24 Entertainment and NetEase’s slick, melee-focused action game builds even further on new ways to play, and it’s paying off as it reaches a new peak player count on Steam.
Naraka Bladepoint Season 12 has seen the giant climb higher than ever before, reaching a new peak player count of 372,076 on Steam. Recent updates have introduced new ways to play the free Steam game, including the campaign-like Showdown, roguelike mode Yama’s Abyss, and now the Hot Potato Counter game type, which is essentially a dodgeball-style showdown in the vein of the excellent Tekken Ball with options for both solo and trios play.
That’s great news if, like me, you’re someone that enjoys the combat systems of Naraka but isn’t well-practiced enough to come out ahead in the standard battle royale game mode. There’s plenty more to dig into with the new season, however. An overhaul to stamina should give you a lot more to work with, effectively increasing the base maximum stamina, costs, and recovery speed to levels that previously required equipping two of the most potent glyphs.
The glyph system itself has also been redesigned, and more closely resembles the way that potential upgrades work in the Showdown mode. If you’ve previously invested in unlocking and upgrading glyphs, all of the Tae you’ve spent will be refunded. The team says the new system “gives players the ability to freely activate nodes that suit their playstyle, experience and skills, while also aiming to encourage variety in player approach to battles.”
A new season also means the arrival of a new battle pass, and the Naraka Bladepoint Season 12 Tenacity treasure scroll is of course packed with all manner of beautiful and stylish outfits if you’re looking to stand out on the battlefield. There are also upgrades to the instruments you can play in the Fairyland Penglai shared hangout lobby, and a Festival of Water event that runs from now through Sunday April 21 where you can fire water bombs at your opponents using the Swarm ranged weapon.
Naraka Bladepoint Season 12 is out now on Steam. If you’re eager to try it out – and with so many PvE and more casual modes to help you get into the swing of things without being demolished by veteran players, there’s never been a better time to do so – you can jump in right now for free. New character Lyam Liu, a ‘Maven magnetist’ who can control metal, is set to launch later in the season, with more details coming soon.
If you’re eager to prove that you’re the best of the best, have a look through the best multiplayer games for plenty more places to do just that. If, instead, you’re more in the mood for the best fantasy games, we’ve got those for you as well.
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