Although Scavengers has only been available in brief betas of 2020, I can already tell the game has massive potential! Having participated in the last beta, I saw first-hand how well the developers were able to blend PvP with PvE combat.
This strategic survival game is slated for a 2021 release on PC, I’ve got the details you’ll need to understand the hype!
The Scavengers Story
Set sometime in the future where an asteroid has wrecked the moon and left the Earth as a frozen wasteland, Scavengers is a scary view of the human experience. With the intense change in environment came a virus, transforming those infected into crazed mutants!
Some people fled the planet in fear of their safety. Others stayed behind to take over what remained following the pandemic.
The ones who left are watched over by an AI protector, aptly named ‘Mother’. This omnipotent being urges her people to return to Earth to fight for the future of all humans. Her people comply!
Scavengers drops players into a harsh reality where you must fend off waves of mutants while staying mindful of more intelligent human squads. The world is unforgiving, but those who survive can continue to advance the human race and improve their equipment for future battles.
Objectives in Scavengers
Scavengers isn’t your typical battle royale. In addition to surviving until the end of the match, you’ll need to collect datapoints.
You’ll find objective points scattered around the map. Completing an objective earns you datapoints. The harder the objective, the more datapoints you earn – more on this later!
Interestingly, each game ends with multiple squads alive at the end of the match. The team with the most datapoints at the end of the match wins!
Scavengers’ Heroes
Scavengers’ characters have unique abilities that can be deployed on the battlefield. The class-based system gives players variety in terms of abilities and weapons. Additionally, you can customize your loadout to match your preferred playstyle.
Ideally, your squad has abilities that synergize with each other so the group is greater than the sum of its parts. Some Explorers drop heals, others have protective barriers, and one can even speed boost the team like Lucio in Overwatch!
To start, each player has access to three Explorers in Scavengers. The more you play, the more resources you’ll acquire to unlock new characters.
Combat in Scavengers
Scavengers has a good amount of variety in their weapon choices. Players can choose from pistols, SMGs, assault rifles, and even bows. Since ammo is limited, you might even opt for a melee weapon to clear the hordes.
I find it most useful to carry one close-range and one mid- to long-range weapon. My loadout of choice was usually a bow/assault rifle + SMG/pistol. The guns mostly felt smooth through the beta test, but I found it really challenging to control recoil with the automatic weapons.
I also burned through ammo at blazing speeds! Scavengers is the type of game where running out of ammo is a surefire way to end up dead…
Looking Ahead
Always-on Early Access is on the horizon for late April, where you’ll be able to try Scavengers out for yourself! The devs provide constant updates on their Twitter page and you can join the discord server here. Also, shout out to the Scavenger team for providing us with all the images!
I’ll be jumping back into the battlefield as soon as I can and will post a more in-depth guide when I have more hours under my belt. There are plenty of people in the Average Gamer Community who are interested too, so we’ll have a full squad to run with.
Overall, it feels like Scavengers has a ton of potential. The PvPvE space hasn’t really been dominated by any particular game so far, so make sure to check this game out ASAP!
