Shadow Arena Is Now Live On Steam Early Access With A New Hero

Pearl Abyss’ Black Desert Online battle royale spin-off, Shadow Arena, initially started life as an additional game mode for the original game last year. It was later taken down before resurfacing as a standalone game, and after several rounds of open beta tests, is now officially live on Steam Early Access. According to the press release, the Early Access version comes with improvements and balance changes based on feedback gathered from the beta tests along with a new hero which brings the current roster up to ten.

“Starting today, players choose between 10 Heroes, including the new Hero Venslar. Venslar brings a brand-new combat style to the battlefield, featuring a balanced kit with both offensive and defensive skills. This new Hero will allow players to experience strategic gameplay by choosing whether to focus on being on the attack or the defense.”

Aside from a new hero, the Early Access build will also feature adjustable difficulty for AI matches, Ultimate Skill levels which will allow players to make one skill more powerful, and different monster types and levels depending on which part of the map players are on. Hero skins and emotes have also been added to give heroes more personality. In addition, players will now have an easier time to level up their heroes with new Daily Quests, Challenges, the Suspicious Cauldron, and the Ancient Weapon Puturum.

“Shadow Arena is a standalone game that lets our fans experience the Black Desert universe like never before,” said Lead Producer Kwang Sam Kim. “During the Early Access period, we’ll continue to listen closely to player feedback and perfect the game for our official launch.”

You’ll find the new Shadow Arena Early Access trailer right down below.