The single-player campaign may not have packed too much of a punch, but at least the new, competitive angle in God of War: Ascension has players interested. Sony Santa Monica released the blockbuster this year with plenty of content for players to enjoy, and while the cry for DLC hasn’t seemed too loud from the outside, the developer has decided to reward its fans with both an entirely new multiplayer mode to enjoy and a handful of fresh maps in which to do battle.
The core competitive mode involves multiple players fighting it out on large battlegrounds, but the 1.09 patch has added a new one-versus-one mode called Bout of Honor. Here, two players fight against one another, best of seven rounds, without the help of any chests, fountains, and world weapons. This allows for a more pure, skill-based battle to take place. Each player will have their magic regenerate over time, though relics are disabled, and this mode comes with four new maps: the Canyons of Kirra, the Chamber of the Flame, the Landing at Delos, and the Streets of Sparta.
Don’t think Sony has forgotten about group battles, though, as a new four-player map is also included in the patch. This water-based stage is called the Whirlpool of Alecto, and features a giant leviathan as a bit of environmental danger. As you’d guess, a few balancing tweaks have also been made along with the maps.
God of War: Ascension didn’t exactly break sales records, but there’s still a strong community that should be excited for what’s a nice, free bonus to a solid title in the series.