Doom Eternal's Update 1 out on all platforms, adds Empowered Demons and more
New Denuvo Anti-Cheat raises eyebrows, however.
Doom Eternal, the latest entry in developer id Software's legendary FPS series, has just received its first free content update on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, introducing the likes of Empowered Demon foes, a new Echelon rank system, and more.
Empowered Demons are particularly deadly opponents with a unique trick; they're designed to hop from one player's solo campaign to another each time the demon successfully eliminates the campaign's host. It's a process that will continue, with the creature growing more and more powerful, until a player manages to bring its reign to an end.
Players that successfully defeat an Empowered Demon will be rewarded with additional ammo, health, and bonus XP. However, those that don't wish to take advantage of Doom Eternal's new feature can toggle it on and off as they choose.
Elsewhere in Update 1, there's a new Echelon rank system that players reaching Doom Level 250 can progress through, plus a host of quality-of-life improvements and gameplay adjustments for single-player and multiplayer, as detailed in id's announcement post.
There's one addition that's caused a degree of controversy in the Doom Eternal PC community, however, arriving in the form of the new Denuvo Anti-Cheat software - not to be confused with Denuvo's much-maligned Anti-Tamper system.
As its name suggests, Denuvo Anti-Cheat's inclusion is aimed at combatting unscrupulous sorts while in multiplayer, but some are unhappy that the software uses a kernel-mode driver that cannot be installed selectively if players want to continue using their game. Valorant's always-on anti-cheat solution recently came under fire for its kernel-level implementation, although, unlike Riot's effort, Denuvo says its software is only active while Doom Eternal is running.
It has also attempted to combat complaints in a new blog post, offering assurances that while Denuvo Anti-Cheat collects information on how the OS interacts with Doom Eternal and send its to the game's Amazon-hosted servers for cheat detection, it does not take screenshots, scan file systems, or stream shellcode from the internet.
Doom Eternal's Update 1 is available to download now on Xbox One, PS4, and PC, and its arrival coincides with id Software's Precious Metals event (running until 18th June), giving slayers the chance to unlock new weapons skins, nameplates, plus player icons and skins.