Set on an alien planet in the distant future, gamers hunt their prey in adrenaline-pumping 4v1 matches. Players experience Evolve as a first-person shooter when playing cooperatively as the four hunters, while they control the monster in the third-person perspective, providing a gameplay experience unique to Evolve.

Play as the Monster to use savage abilities and an animalistic sense to kill your human enemies, or choose one of four Hunter classes (Trapper, Support, Assault and Medic) and team up to take down the beast on the planet Shear, where flora and fauna act as an adversary to Hunter and Monster alike. Evolve includes three Monsters, 12 Hunters, 16 maps, and four game modes: Hunt, Nest, Rescue, and Defend.

Evolve as you know it has been completely overhauled and is being re-launched on PC today as Evolve Stage 2, with new game design, gameplay mechanics, and improved gameplay balance and system performance. Not only that, but starting today you can play Evolve Stage 2 completely FREE on PC via Steam.

Today’s update includes the new Character Variant, Renegade Abe and a new Map Variant ‘Overpowered’to prepare both hunters and monsters alike for the upcoming Overpowered Weekend event. Beginning this Friday, August 19th at 10am PDT and running until Monday, August 22nd at 10am PDT, players will earn both 10X Silver Keys and 10X XP during a hunt match to propel them and their characters to new heights of supremacy. Today’s update also includes numerous community requested features, balance updates and bug fixes.

Renegade Abe has taken on the Assault role to meet the challenges caused by the Cataclysm on Shear. The trials Abe has faced led to him setting aside his Trapper gear and modifying what he could find to fight with explosive fury and a poisonous shotgun dubbed ‘Penitence’ as he goes on the Assault.

Renegade Abe’s abilities include:

• Primary: Double Barrel Shotgun
  • ‘Penitence’ is a double barrel shotgun that poisons targets. Alt-fire increases damage and spread (fires both barrels) but does not poison.
• Secondary: Nerve Toxin Dart
  • Abe’s dart gun inflicts damage over time, and also increases all damage done to the Monster.
• Corrosive Grenade
  • Deploys a moderate damage grenade that also reduces the target’s damage and applies poison.
• Lesser Defense Matrix
  • Projects a Defensive Matrix over Abe, blocking a percentage of incoming damage. This version is weaker compared to other Assaults. Abe couldn’t salvage a fully powered Defense Matrix. 

The newest Map Variant ‘Overpowered’ is an entirely new gameplay experience within the core 4v1 Hunt mode, where both Monsters and Hunters race to collect buffs from Elite wildlife and become insanely overpowered. Expect the unexpected! Here’s a quick breakdown of how the Map Variant works:

• There are three types of Buffs to collect, Offense, Utility and Defensive buffs.
• Hunters and Monsters have 5 slots for the wildlife buffs.
• Players can create any combination of buffs for their desired playstyle in Overpowered. 

Overpowered Weekend will kick off Friday, August 19th at 10am PDT and run until Monday, August 22nd at 10am PDT, awarding players with 10X XP and 10X Silver Keys. During Overpowered Weekend players will earn: 

• 10X Silver Keys from activities during a Hunt match (Win/Loss, Bonus, Etc.).
• 10X XP to account and character progression.

Haven’t tried Evolve Stage 2 yet? Download and play for free on Steam.