H1Z1 Officially Launches With New Vehicle-Only Auto Royale Mode
By TJ Denzer ·
H1Z1 has been in Early Access on Steam for a little over two years, but today it finds its way to a full-on release with the addition of an all-new vehicular combat-focused mode called Auto Royale.
A lot can happen in two years. It was on February 16, 2016 that H1Z1 entered Early Access on Steam. Since then it has gained itself a massive following, established an esports scene, and aims to be the standard for the first true professional arena in the battle royale genre with the H1Z1 Pro League, with a partnership between developer Daybreak Games and the Twin Galaxies Pro League Division. Today marks another milestone for H1Z1 as it officially moves out of Early Access into an official release, complete with an exciting new mode called Auto Royale.
In conjunction with the release of H1Z1 and this new mode, a trailer has launched, which can be viewed below.
Auto Royale takes the typical H1Z1 formula and makes it car-centric. One might think of the glory days of vehicular arenas of Twisted Metal and games like it, but according to H1Z1 General Manager Anthony Castoro, Auto Royale is built to be a little different from most all of what players have seen previously in competitive arenas.
“Auto Royale doesn’t rinse and repeat what is currently available on the market,” Castoro claims. “It turns the genre on its head with a fresh approach -- arcadey, vehicle-only battle royale unlike anything anyone has experienced before.”
To that end, up to 30 players in teams of four enter into a match with the goal that at the end, theirs is the only vehicle that isn’t a smoldering pile of burnt metal, rubber, and bodies. Teams will explore the map searching for weapons, health, fuel, and power-ups to make your machine the deadliest. The battlefield map has also been populated with a slew of hazards and features to help teams either destroy each other or get destroyed, including ramps, oil slicks, and land mines to name a few. In addition, two new vehicles will be coming to H1Z1 in the form of a nimble and highly maneuverable Sedan and the more heavily armored and burly, yet slower Armored Recon Vehicle (ARV). With so many vehicles in play across a chaotic and deadly arena, Auto Royale is sure to be host to a wide variety of destructive gameplay and highlight moments between strategic driving and shooting.
Meanwhile, a host of features have been implemented for the official launch of the core H1Z1 experience as well. Airdrops have been refined to create more interesting conflict zones, players will be able to tactically select their zone of entry to a match, a togglable mini-map has been made available to help players navigate the world, and an official “Season 1” of the game offers a new scoring algorithm to reward players for their aggression and progression through the game. Those who supported the game through Early Access will receive an exclusive Founders Item in the form of a special in-game shirt.
With the H1Z1 Pro League gearing up to allow pro players to throw down in a grand arena alongside the final release of the game and the new Auto Royale mode, it’s looking to be an exciting year for H1Z1 and its players.
H1Z1 can be purchased on Steam right now for $19.99. To learn more about the game, check out its official website, or follow it on social media at Twitter and Facebook.
Want to read up on more exciting battle royale action? Check out where H1Z1 fits into our favorite Battle Royale games!