a trail of plasma that can contest pickups and be detonated at any time. Some active abilities find the sweet spot though. Landing a perfectly-placed railgun shot on Clutch’s shield is straight up awful, while Nyx disappearing the middle of a duel leaves a bad taste as well. Interacting with enemy champions’ abilities doesn’t feel particularly good either. Since filling out a team’s shortcomings or countering an enemy champion is much less of a concern, there’s no real reason to choose anything other than the champion you’re most comfortable with. This presents a curious setting for a cast of differing heroes. Success here is achieved by brutally-fast reaction time, precise aim, and managing pick-up timers rather than comboing together abilities. Team composition in general takes a backseat to personal skill, especially in the team deathmatch mode. Unlike Overwatch, Quake’s champions don’t embody strict archetypes, but rather serve as a means for personal expression and mechanical variance.

On the other hand, Nyx’s active Ghostwalk ability or Clutch’s Barrier, for better or worse, are deliberate inequities that push Quake Champions squarely into Hero Shooter territory. Some abilities like Nyx’s wall jump, Anarki’s mid-air movement, and Slash’s crouch slide present nuanced yet impactful differences that feel in line with the skill-first identity of classic Quake. These characteristics range from subtle and balanced, to overt and clearly advantageous, and struggle to find consistency therein. Every champion possesses unique active abilities, passive perks, stats, and hitboxes which confer exclusive options in terms of gameplay. In the spirit of the genre, Quake Champions imbues each character with an individual aesthetic and mechanical identity. From tiny details like how much knockback is transferred from a rocket explosion, to the general bliss of gliding around the world, nothing feels out of place… until the champions come into play. Overall, Quake Champions feels fluid, and mechanically superb.

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