5 reasons why you should test the PvP shooter on Steam and Xbox

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A beta test for the upcoming hero shooter FragPunk is currently running on Steam and Xbox Series X|S. MeinMMO editor Dariusz gives you 5 reasons why you should play the shooter now.

What kind of game is FragPunk?

  • FragPunk is a hero shooter in which teams can choose up to 3 playing cards at the start of a round. These playing cards have different effects. For example, they can change the weather, give your opponents larger heads or block opponents from being healed.
  • The game is played 5v5 and the attacking team has to place some kind of bomb on one of 2 spots (A or B). The defenders have to prevent that. There is no respawn.
  • The heroes all have different abilities, including a sonar scan, a smoke screen or healing mushrooms.
  • The weapons are independent of the heroes, but if you have lost a weapon due to a death, you can no longer specifically select it. However, there is an opportunity to get a random weapon from a vending machine.
  • In the event of a draw, the teams compete against each other in 1v1 duels.

    • How can you participate in the beta? There are three ways to participate in the beta:

  • You request access on Steam and hope to get it
  • You watch FragPunk streams on Twitch and get access as a Twitch drop
  • You will be invited by a friend with Beta access when he/she receives a key from the Pioneer rewards in-game

    • 1. Playing cards bring unique gameplay twist

    The playing cards you choose at the beginning of each round inevitably change the course of the round. This means that if, for example, you are the attacking team, you cannot try to take the A spot in the same way every time. The playing conditions are always different.

    This sets FragPunk apart from tactical shooters like Valorant and CS2. There, the teams at the highest level in particular have well-rehearsed tactics and procedures that they can play to a certain extent every round. There is no random factor such as playing cards that cause special effects that the teams have to adapt to within the match.

    2. It’s also fun if you’re not a big sweater

    FragPunk has the potential to be fun even if you’re not extremely competitive and want to sweat every match. The effects bring a fun component to the otherwise competitive gameplay of tactical shooters – at least at the beginning when you’re still new to the game.

    The playing cards invite you to play unusual “tactics”. For example, you can tie a turtle to your back to protect you from being shot at from behind. And yes, I have seen players run backwards into a spot because of this.

    The speed of the game, especially the gunfights, also contributes to the entertaining nature of FragPunk.

    Here you can see a trailer for FragPunk:

    FragPunk: The beta for the hero shooter starts on Steam at the beginning of October

    More videos

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    3. FragPunk is competitive, but much faster than the competition

    Games like Valorant and CS2 play fundamentally differently than shooters like Call of Duty, Battlefield or The Finals. The gameplay is much more deliberate. You also can’t sprint properly, run back and forth a lot while shooting, or even jump.

    This is possible in FragPunk. So if CS2 and Valorant are too slow for you and you miss bunny hopping, for example, you might like FragPunk more. There are also playing cards and abilities that make you faster or jump even higher.

    4. The duel feature is an asset because it replaces the boring extension

    In many competitive games, the same thing happens when there is a draw: there is extra time. In extra time, a certain number of rounds are played again until a winner is determined. It changes which team attacks and which defends.

    In FragPunk, if there is a draw, teams compete against each other in 1v1 duels. First, like in a penalty shootout, you have to decide the order and choose your weapons and heroes. Then the duels start on small maps that are structured the same for both sides. The winner of a 1v1 duel plays another round but retains the damage taken.

    There are several aspects of the duel feature that are really cool. On the one hand, it’s just something new and not another boring extension. On the other hand, you really root for your fellow players because you get to watch while they are fighting their duel.

    In addition, in the duel you have another opportunity to do something for your team, even if things didn’t go well for you before. For example, I played a bad match and got hit hard. I ended up fifth in extra time. My teammates lost their duels, but I successfully won several duels in a row and won the match for us. So you still go into the next game with a good feeling.

    5. Get rewards for the finished game

    You can grab some full release rewards by playing the FragPunk beta. If you like the game, you will already have the first skins at launch.

    However, you cannot keep the different currencies and most items such as pendants and name cards upon release. All you have left are the premium rewards from the Battle Pass, a Halloween pack and ranked rewards for playing ranked mode.

    Overall you can expect:

  • 1x stickers
  • 3x weapon skin
  • 1x name card
  • 1x knife skin
  • 1x cover
  • 1x background
  • 1x MVP icon
  • 1x Pop Idol Skin for Kismet
  • Rank Rewards (Stickers)
  • Jack-O-Lantern Bundle

    • However, you don’t have to spend any money to buy the Battle Pass. You will receive enough currency through the free rewards with which you can unlock the Premium Pass. So if you play hard and collect the FragPunk currencies, don’t save, get the pass.

    Another tactical shooter: If you like playing tactical shooters, you might also like Specter Divide. I’m still a fan of the gameplay even after the full release, even if the game unfortunately wasn’t able to impress many games on Steam: Specter Divide was already the best PvP shooter of 2024 in the beta – that’s why the new game is so much fun

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