The latest update for Bethesda and id Software’s arena shooter Quake Champions has dropped, and with it a new champion has been added to the roster – a character who hasn’t been seen in 22 years.
The Death Knight, one of the tougher enemies from the first Quake, is now playable in the latest Quake game. He’s ranked as a medium champion with 100 HP and 50/100 AP, and comes with his signature move from Quake 1 where he swings his sword and fireballs shoot out of it. He can also set opponents on fire with his gauntlet, and is resistant to fire, lava, and flaming hot passionate love (maybe not that one).
The other news of note from the latest Quake Champions patch is that the long-awaited inclusion of bots now extends to Team Deathmatch and Custom Game support – so the game can now be played “offline”, so to speak. Additional music from Brutal Doom and DUSK composer Andrew Hushult has also been added, as well as the Redeemer melee weapon from Quake 4.
While Ranger, the main player character of Quake 1, has been a staple of the multiplayer games since Quake III Arena, but this is the first time an enemy from that game has appeared in another title since 1996. Since the introduction of the Strogg universe in 1997’s Quake 2, the appearance of the Death Knight in Champions marks the first time id Software has returned to the original Cthulhu-themed Quake universe in over two decades.
With id’s other franchises Rage, Wolfenstein and Doom all getting new games, it might not be outside the realms of possibility that a new single-player Quake 5 based on the first game’s story could be on the cards. Right now though id are plenty busy with Quake Champions and Doom Eternal, so don’t expect it to happen anytime soon.