New Splitgate 2 video shows off faction gameplay, fewer portals

While the recent Splitgate 2 announcement revealed that the developers at 1047 Games had added faction-based gameplay to the shooter, we didn’t quite know how it played. Now, a new trailer released on Thursday details the factions and their abilities.

The first is Aeros, whose skillset is based on fast movement and quick reload times. The Rush ability gives a boost of speed, so you can drop a portal, get into the action, and get out before you’re even noticed. Players who enjoy running into the middle of a fight will want to go for this faction.

Then, there’s Meridian, which is tailored more for support players and healers. They have two distinct mechanics: Hypersight, which gives you a closer look at your enemies, including their stats, and the Time Dome, which speeds up your reload speed and movement while slowing down everything about your opponent if they step into it. Just because you’re serving as support doesn’t mean you can’t get some kills.

Finally, there’s Sabrask, which is the most “traditional” of the factions, with fewer speed- or time-based abilities. You do get a Smart Wall that can, as you might expect from the name, be a smart wall that can act as a shield during combat. But you can shoot and throw grenades through it. This is the closest there is to a defensive or tank class, but it’s more about offensive control than anything.

And like other first-person shooters these days, you can now slide as part of your movement skillset.

You’ll still have to balance all of these new elements with the portal-based combat the Splitgate series has become known for. Oddly enough, the video doesn’t show that off too much. It’s still there, especially as part of Aeros’ gameplay section, but there are way more fights shown in corridors and fewer instances where players are performing ridiculous maneuvers with portals. Either way, it shows the day-to-day play will be greatly impacted by the introduction of factions.

Splitgate 2 will still be free-to-play and will arrive sometime next year. In the meantime, the first Splitgate is still available. While 1047 has moved most of its resources to the new title, it hasn’t confirmed if it will take the game offline when Splitgate 2 launches.