With Ghost Recon: Breakpoint coming out on October 4, 2019, we’re still salivating at the opportunities this new game represents. There’s been a fair amount of information released about the game so far, including its setting, the fact that it will borrow inspiration from Wildlands, and some elements of co-op gameplay. What we have yet to learn, however, is the full scope of multiplayer combat and interaction.
The Big Questions
Overwhelmingly, the question on everybody’s lips is what range of player vs player (PvP) combat Breakpoint will include.
As the flavor of the moment, or at least the last few years, the major unknown component of this game so far is that of some sort of battle royale mode. As the breakout form of multiplayer in the last few years, battle royale games have gone on to become the most popular in the world. Fortnite alone boasts over 250 million accounts as of March 2019, according to Statista.
Parts of the expectations on this front are born from the fact that Wildlands already included a battle royale mode in their multiplayer game types. It was not included originally, sure, but it was eventually introduced via a patch later down the line. This makes us wonder if this mode is simply not ready for announcement or release with the game, and whether it will be included in their post-game content additions.
According to the official website, players can expect gameplay content from Ubisoft every four months. If battle royale is available on this scale, then we would expect it to arrive somewhere around the beginning of February 2020.
On the other hand, it could be that battle royale is a mode already nearly complete, which is being saved for a later announcement as a primary mode. Black Ops 4 included their BR mode at launch for the first time, after all, and so far this has proven an immensely popular addition. While Black Ops multiplayer has always been popular, battle royale has allowed it to maintain viewer numbers of around 70k constantly on Twitch.
A wider range of modes helps build communities and adds interest on all sides of the equation. Once a game reaches a certain size, and level of competitive viability, the entire infrastructure grows in a sort of feedback effect. If this reaches a level where betting sites like Betway get involved, then a company can rest assured that their game has officially made it. This was the case for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch, and League of Legends, all of which have online esports betting markets, and it could also be the case for Breakpoint.
Of course, this isn’t the only type of PvP combat available, as Breakpoint could also follow an approach similar to Division 2 when it comes to PvP engagements. This type of direct combat within certain zones or on certain servers is practically a guarantee at this point. It was how the first game operated, and it looks like it could similarly play a large part in the game’s story.
What we Know
Among the limited information we have already is that Breakpoint will include seamless coop multiplayer. This means the ability to jump in and out of friend’s games at will, without the need for messing around with servers or quitting to create a new game.
Co-op multiplayer is stated to include the main story, but as with Wildlands, this is only just the beginning. Again as with Wildlands, and many other games in the genre, the real challenge looks to come from the endgame. Here randomized side activities promise a flowing form of adventure.
We don’t know exactly how this will pan out, but we would expect that there are options for players to sort through exactly what they want in terms of engagement types. Players looking forward to PvP only can probably do just that. Players after PvE, including newly introduced raid content, should be able to play their way without the risk of interruption.
Getting Ready
With not long until release at this point, it’s best to check whether your system is able to meet the requirements for Breakpoint. We’ve even written a guide on how you might cool your system down if your system runs hot, or if you want to overclock to squeeze all the frames possible out of your setup. We’d also recommend checking out SSD’s if you don’t have one already. The cost of these drives has dropped significantly recently, and the time saved on loading means more time in the game.
Whatever the case, enjoy Wildlands before a good chunk of the community moves on, and we’ll see you in Auroa.
