New Onward VR Game Mode Promises Fantastic new PvE Content - Mercenary Mode
It's been so long since Onward had a truly meaningful update or addition of any notable amount of content. The Fire Fight game mode was cool, but it didn’t feel very different. It’s also very hard to depend on revives from a Corpsman who is twelve years old.
So imagine my surprise when I heard about the new Mercenary mode in Onward. You might have seen my old article and video on the Singleplayer options available in Onward, and while good for practice and warming up, they didn't amount to much.
Really the game got kind of stale overall with no significant content added in such a long time, and newer shinier VR shooters came along that made me forget about it for a while. Though if you're wondering if Onward is dead just look at the server list. It's not, this game is still great.
The Onward server browser is still popping
So what's Mercenaries? Well, it's a PvE game mode that can be played alone or with others, and it's actually got an interesting twist on Onward's equipment and adds some progression to the Singleplayer.
You start with a few pistols, pea shooters really, and to get more weapons, attachments, grenades, and gear you'll have to complete missions.
These missions are randomly chosen from a few types and take place across Onward's collection of maps.
There are a few missions types spread across all of Onward’s maps
This gives me very very light Tarkov vibes. Getting a really good loadout feels earned, and being forced to use weapons you normally wouldn't touch adds a new level of freshness to the game. Shotguns are absolutely amazing by the way.
Though losing that hard won loadout as things get harder also stings in a good way. Onward's Mercenaries mode is pretty hard even on normal difficulty. Pulling out all of the anti AI tricks is a must because they will outnumber you and outgun you all the time.
Firing in one place and ambushing the enemies that come looking for the source of the gunshots is a classic. You're also incentivized to complete the level as quickly as possible to get more points... if you care about points that is.
You’ll always have night vision, so night maps are still very fun
Still, the need to complete the levels fast makes you take risks, and risks means more intense situations and gameplay. The AI are a little dumb and slow, but underestimate them once and it's back to the first mission. They’re also much smarter than they used to be and will group up, defend objectives, and generally not just run into your gun barrel anymore.
You can go from feeling like a badass operator taking down enemies in droves to feeling like a complete fool when you repeek the same corner twice and get gunned down.
Sure some of this might be nostalgia. It has been years since I exhausted the possibilities found in Onward's Singleplayer modes, as you can see by long ago I wrote the article about it, but I've been having a lot of fun with the Mercenary game mode.
A close quarters fight in Onward VR’s Mercenary Game Mode
Just adding a little progression and randomization goes a long way in reinjecting some life into an old favorite. This game is still one of the best VR tactical shooters around and still feels and sounds snappy and great to play.
Hopefully, this signifies a new era of new content for Onward after years of stagnation.
