One of the best games of 2016 is about to get an interesting new mode as part of a major content update.
Above: The Stacks map in Live Fire.
In February, developer Respawn Entertainment will launch the Live Fire patch for its sci-fi shooter Titanfall 2. This mode will introduce the Live Fire game mode, which is a fast-paced, 60-second mission where two teams of six pilots each fight to have control over a neutral flag when time ends. This should make for hyper-aggressive battles, and Respawn is introducing two new maps that it built specifically for Live Fire to maximize that intensity.
Here’s how Respawn describes the mode in a blog post on its site:
“Live Fire is a fast-paced round-based 6v6 pilot only elimination mode. Each round gives players only 60 seconds to eliminate the enemy team or take control of the neutral flag. The team that holds the neutral flag when the timer runs out wins the round regardless of how many players they’ve lost. Knowing how and when to pick up the flag is a core aspect of the mode’s meta.”
Respawn explained that it took inspiration for Live Fire from speedball matches in paintball, which is a hyper-fast version that is about constantly moving forward and making decisions in the moment.
The two new maps are called Stacks and Meadow. The former is a shipping yard with lots of right angles and tall, tight spaces. The latter is a grassy area with lots of ziplines, buildings, and rock formations that is also built specifically for pilots. Since each of these maps are so small, don’t expect them to show up in the other modes that require titans. Live Fire is a pilot-only mode, and 60 seconds isn’t enough time to spawn your mech anyhow.
I’ll go hands on with Live Fire when it launches to give my impressions. In the meantime, Bounty Hunt mode is still awesome.