Several years after his last adventure, retired fortune hunter Nathan Drake is forced back into the world of thieves. With the stakes much more personal, Drake embarks on his greatest adventure yet in a globe-trotting journey in pursuit of a historical conspiracy behind a fabled pirate treasure.  However, every treasure has its cost and this adventure will test Drake’s physical limits, his resolve, and ultimately what he’s willing to sacrifice to save the ones he loves.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End will feature new dynamic gameplay mechanics for combat and traversal, larger and more open environments to explore, and enhanced graphics and character animations to bring the game to life in a whole new way.

While A Thief's End isn't due out until early next month, some enterpirsing individuals have mamanged to get their hands on a shipment of copies while they were being transported to stores.

While we’ve talked a lot about the single-player campaign, many multiplayer details have remained under wraps. That ends today, as we fill you in on what to expect as well as the philosophy behind some of the new directions we took with multiplayer.

Right off the bat, we want to highlight that all future maps and modes will be included with Uncharted 4 at no additional cost, and all vanity and gameplay in-game store items will be unlockable through gameplay!

This means that the Uncharted 4 Multiplayer community won’t be fragmented by different types of DLC, and that those who are loyal in participating in the community will be rewarded. Our DLC release approach will represent an entirely new direction for Naughty Dog, and we are confident it will have a hugely positive impact and keep the Uncharted 4 Multiplayer community thriving.

It was a long process to determine how all this should work. We went back and forth with how we wanted players to experience this, and we created a few core philosophies.

Fairness First: We strongly believe that players must be on an even playing field. To do this, we made Relics, a currency that can only be earned through gameplay and will be able to unlock all DLC, present and future. We will be putting future gameplay items ranging from Mysticals to Boosters into DLC Gameplay Chests. Each Chest will contain new gameplay items.

An Evolving Experience: We intend to keep the Uncharted 4 Multiplayer experience as fresh as possible for as long as possible. Over time, Naughty Dog will release a variety of new maps, modes and gameplay items at no additional cost (including Co-op), that will introduce new rules and play styles.

DLC Accessible to Everyone: It was our goal from the start to give players the ability to earn DLC items through gameplay. No DLC item is available exclusively using Uncharted Points.

Unified Community: The idea of delivering our DLC this way was greatly influenced by the goal of having a unified community. Maps and modes will be available to everyone on the same day. This will ensure that all players are kept together and experience new content at the same time.

We also feel that a unified community happens through engagement. Beyond our engagement with players through social media and our forums, we’ll soon introduce Cinema so that players can review matches and use a tool that will allow them to create custom Uncharted multiplayer footage. This has been a popular tool in previous Uncharted multiplayer games, and we are excited to make it available in the near future.

How It All Works

We considered a number of systems for our multiplayer DLC economy and have refined them to keep things as simple as possible. The core component revolves around acquiring Relics.

You acquire Relics by either completing daily Challenges or winning matches, and you can spend them on DLC Chests. You will be able to pick between a DLC Vanity Chest or a DLC Gameplay Chest; when you open it, you’ll earn new items. Neither chest type will ever give you a duplicate item.

Triple Pack

For those of you who purchased the Triple Pack (also included in the Digital Deluxe Edition), you’ll gain future access to:

• The first-ever single-player story add-on for the Uncharted series
• Two multiplayer packs to enhance your multiplayer experience:

MP Pack #1
– Long Gun
– Booster
– Skin
– Hat
– Taunt

MP Pack #2
– Pistol
– Booster
– Mystical
– Hat
– Taunt

Roadmap

You will see in our roadmap graphic below that we have full intention of supporting Uncharted 4 Multiplayer for some time, and want to be clear with those intentions. We are going to release quite a bit of content this year, including gameplay items, modes and maps.

Uncharted 4 Multiplayer Modes at Launch

We also want to showcase the modes that will be available at launch. We’ve brought back modes from previous Uncharted multiplayer games, while introducing new ideas to others. Any and all of the modes can be incredibly intense.

Ranked: In Ranked Team Deathmatch, Ranks range from Bronze III to Diamond I. You’ll be awarded points for winning a match, and points will be deducted for losing. When you acquire the necessary number of points, you’ll enter into Qualifiers – which is where things get really interesting. At this point, a player is given the opportunity to increase his or her Rank by winning a certain number of the next few matches. Failing to do so will knock the player out of Qualifiers, and he or she must earn points again for another attempt.

For example, if you are Rank Bronze I and earn enough points to enter Qualifiers, you must win three of your next five matches to reach Rank Silver III. Failing to win at least three of your next five matches will result in a failure in Qualifiers, and will force you to earn points to try again.

It’s a system that we think the competitive among you will enjoy as much as we have in the office.

Command: In this mode, you’ll capture Command Sites for a steady flow of points, or knock out enemy Captains for a large point bonus. Command emphasizes teamwork and a large part of that comes from protecting your Captain.

There are a number of Command Sites across each map. When your team captures one, your team’s score will increase. Command Sites captured by the enemy team must be neutralized before you can capture them for your side. Command Sites are captured faster when more members of the team are inside them.

Whichever player contributes the most points to the team’s objective is the Team Captain. The Captain will receive bonuses — cheaper In-Match Store Items, the ability to revive teammates faster, and more health when downed. When a Captain is designated, the Captain starts at Level 1, but as the Captain gains objective points without being KO’ed, the Captain goes up a Level to a max level of three, which increases the effectiveness of the Captain bonuses. However, at higher levels, the Captain is more visible to the enemy:

Level 1: Enemies see a Captain icon by the Captain’s name
Level 2: Enemies can always see the Captain on radar
Level 3: Captains are automatically Marked until they lose Captain status

Captain status is lost when the Captain is knocked out, which scores the enemy points depending on the level of the Captain. This mode can have some intense comebacks given the large point value a Captain can reach.

Team Deathmatch: A fight to the end with teammates at your side. The goal is to score a certain number of points to win, with each enemy KO being worth one point.

Plunder: In Plunder, grab the idol and return it to your treasure chest for one point. You can throw and climb with the Idol.

Warm Up Playlist: We have made a lot of new gameplay mechanics available, and the Warm Up playlist gives players the opportunity to explore them. You will only be able to play in this playlist for a certain number of matches, to help you understand the multiplayer mechanics before joining the fight.

Trials: Set up as pseudo competitive matches, players go up against enemy NPC opponents with the goal of getting a high score using specific multiplayer mechanics. Each of the 10 Trials will include different levels of difficulty and will award Relics for completion.

Set three years after the events of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Nathan Drake has presumably left the world of fortune hunting behind. However, it doesn’t take long for adventure to come calling when Drake’s brother, Sam, resurfaces seeking his help to save his own life and offering an adventure Drake can’t resist.

On the hunt for Captain Henry Avery’s long-lost treasure, Sam and Drake set off to find Libertalia, the pirate utopia deep in the forests of Madagascar. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End takes players on a journey around the globe, through jungle isles, urban cities and snow-capped peaks on the search for Avery’s fortune.