'Quake Champions' news: Update adds more content to the game

Keel from "Quake Champions"YouTube/Bethesda Softworks

"Quake Champions" is preparing its players for an aftershock, as the multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) is getting a new update on Dec. 14, and it adds a slew of content to the game.

Developer id Software and publisher Bethesda Softworks have announced that "Quake Champions" will be getting a major update this week. This update will add the "Quake 3 Arena" heavy hitter Keel to the shooter's lineup. Keel is a franchise classic, dating back to 1999's "Quake 3."

Lance Corporal Ben Keel was initially a human marine who died during the Spiker Insurrection, his death did not erase him permanently. However, he was resurrected as a humanoid battle machine by scientists experimenting with captured alien biotechnology. This essentially made Keel an undead cyborg with enhanced physical capabilities, as well as high-tech weaponry and equipment, making him a formidable combatant.

Keel in "Quake Champions" will be utilizing an active ability called Grenade Swarm, which as the name implies, is a cluster of grenades lobbed at hapless opponents, as well as a passive ability called Stockpile that reduces the Grenade Swarm cooldown whenever Keel picks up ammo boxes. This makes Keel a walking juggernaut in the arena, being able to kill multiple enemies with ease due to the synergy of his two abilities.

Apart from the new character, a new map is also included in the upcoming update. This map is called Vale of Pnath and is a Duel map best described as "a wickedly vertical shrine to the Elder God Ithagnal built atop treacherous acid-filled caverns." Due to this, the map requires the full attention and adequate reaction time of players since one wrong jump can lead to death by corrosion.

To complement the new map and new character, Ranked Play and Leaderboards are also being added to the game, making it a truly competitive experience and might even pave the way for the game to be an official eSport title. Additionally, new customization options and a Holiday event will also be included in the update, which is set to arrive on Thursday, Dec. 14.