Killzone 3 multiplayer has 16 maps, 23 different weapons, 2 vehicles (on certain maps) and can hold 24 players in one match. Downloadable maps are available from the PlayStation Store and in the Killzone Trilogy. Players can purchase Killzone 3's multiplayer from the PlayStation Store with all DLC and BotZone as well.
There have also been three "Double-XP Weekends" (points gained are doubled at the end of the match). The first two "Double-XP Weekends" were for the return of PSN from the PSN outage - the first for Europe and North America's return and the second for Japan's return - and the third was for Killzone 3's one-year anniversary. On March 29, 2018 the online servers were shutdown.
Gameplay[]
Killzone 3's multiplayer supports three game modes: Guerrilla Warfare, Warzone, and Operations. "Guerrilla Warfare" is a team death match game that supports up to 16 players per map for each map that supports this mode. "Warzone", returning from Killzone 2's multiplayer, is an objective based game (seven objectives: "Bodycount", "Capture and Hold", "Search and Retrieve", and two rounds of "Assassination" and "Search and Destroy" respectively) that supports up to 24 players per map for each map that supports this mode.
What sets "Warzone" apart from other games in the genre is the way that each objective is used. Rather than having each game type be its own separate mode, the objectives cycle randomly during the course of gameplay without ever interrupting the match. Each game type comes up with a timer, and when the timer ends or the objective is completed the winning team is awarded that "round" and the match continues until all 7 rounds have been completed.
Each warzone match is decided in a "best of 7" manner and since players continue to play and fight for control of strategic points on the map, there is a substantial continuous metagame of territory control present throughout every match. This is exemplified further by the addition of "Tactical Spawn Areas" in Killzone 3 (a change from the spawn grenades of Killzone 2) where certain spawn locations need to be fought over and are better for some of the objectives than they are for others so a teams tacticians must decide which ones are needed for the current objective, as well as weighing the possibility of what future objectives may come up and the risk involved with capturing and maintaining them.
"Operations" is a new game mode that features cinematic scenes and supports up to 16 players per map for each map that supports this mode. In Operations, the ISA and the Helghast battle for control of specific objectives - the ISA on the offensive and the Helghast on defense. The best players are featured throughout the match in cutscenes depicting their successes.
There are a total of five classes for players to choose from: Marksman, Engineer, Field Medic, Tactician, and Infiltrator. Each class has his own special abilities and weapons, such as disguise for the Infiltrator or cloaking for the Marksman. Unlike Killzone 2, players may choose any class from the start, however, they must earn Unlock Points to upgrade the abilities and to gain more weapons for each class (Unlock Points are awarded by ranking up).
Each class's abilities can be upgraded twice, and they can unlock two additional primary weapons, one or two additional secondary weapons, and/or one heavy weapon (e.g. rocket launcher) depending on class. Other abilities, such as armor or silent footsteps, are earned based on obtaining a certain rank in multiplayer and can be used on any class. Ribbons (e.g. Faster Reload, Faster Aim, Double XP, etc.) are earned in-game based upon a certain achievement required by the ribbon and only apply to that particular match and must be re-earned each match.
A new feature to Killzone multiplayer for Killzone 3 is the ability to use vehicle-like mechanisms: the jet packs and Exos (each available on one game disc map respectively). The jet packs are exclusive to the Turbine Concourse SE-6 map while the Exos, as well as the WASP rocket launcher created by the Engineer, are only available on the Corinth Highway map. Another new feature is the ability to use Mortar Beacons, which can be used if a Tactician captures a tactical spawn point from which the Mortar Beacons are found.
Mortar Beacons are featured on the Corinth Highway, Pyrrhus Crater, Bilgarsk Boulevard, Frozen Dam, and Mawlr Graveyard maps. Miniguns can be created by the Engineer on the Pyrrhus Crater, Bilgarsk Boulevard, and Turbine Concourse SE-6 maps. A snowstorm is featured on the Akmir Snowdrift map and a crusher (which the player can control) is featured in the Mawlr Graveyard.
The points system has also been updated where one kill equals 100 points, as opposed to one kill equaling 1 point in Killzone 2. Other updates to the points system include Assist kills (25 points), destroying Bots (50 points), Explosive kills (150 points), objective based points (e.g. 600 points for completely assassinating the assassination target in Assassination), Double and Triple kills and kill streaks (3, 5, 10, etc.).
Killzone 3 also supports offline split-screen co-operation for two players, which allows two players using the same console to play the campaign of Killzone 3 offline. This is a feature not present in Killzone 2. This is the only mode that supports offline split-screen multiplayer in Killzone 3. There is also an offline multiplayer mode named 'BotZone' in which players can play against computer bots.
Maps[]
- Frozen Dam
- Corinth Highway
- Akmir Snowdrift
- MAWLR Graveyard
- Bilgarsk Boulevard
- Turbine Concourse SE-6
- Pyrrhus Crater
- Kaznan Jungle
Retro Map Pack[]
Steel Rain Map Pack[]
From the Ashes Map Pack[]
- Mobile Factory
- Lente Missile Base
- Tharsis Depot (From the Ashes Map Pack)
- Radec Academy (From the Ashes Map Pack)
Weapons[]
Faction: ISA
Class: side arms
Sights: iron sights
The standard side arm for ISA soldiers, the M4 is a slow but powerful fallback weapon in case the primary weapon runs out of ammunition.
Faction: Helghast/Stahl Arms
Class: side arms
Sights: iron sights
The Helghast counterpart of the M4, the StA-18 sacrifices some power and accuracy for a higher rate of fire.
Faction: ISA
Class: side arms
Sights: holographic reflex sight
The preferred sidearm of ISA Shadow Marshals, the M66 has a very high rate of fire but not much accuracy unless fired from a crouched position.
Faction: Helghast/Visari Corp.
Class: side arms
Sights: iron sights
The VC8 offers good stopping power at short range, but quickly becomes less accurate over larger distances.
Faction: Helghast/Stahl Arms
Class: side arms
Sights: iron sights
As a sidearm the StA-2 is only really useful in close quarters battle, where its tremendous power can fell most targets in a single blast.
Faction: ISA
Class: rifle
Sights: holographic reflex sight
The M82 is such a solid all-round assault rifle that its basic design has hardly changed over its years of service. Its low recoil, high fire rate, good range and holographic scope make this the workhorse of the ISA.
M82SE Assault Rifle (Silenced)
Faction: ISA
Class: rifles
Sights: holographic reflex sight
The silenced version of the M82 fires in bursts to reduce recoil even further. The added silencer prevents the player from showing up on enemy radar.
Faction: Helghast/Stahl Arms
Class: rifles
Sights: reflex sight
The StA-52 assault rifle is the mainstay of the Helghast army. Although it lacks the accuracy of its ISA counterpart, the M82, it makes up for this with a higher rate of fire and larger ammo drum size.
StA-52SE Assault Rifle (Silenced)
Faction: Helghast/Stahl Arms
Class: rifles
Sights: reflex sight
The silenced version of the StA-52 assault rifle fires in bursts to minimize recoil. Although it reduces the fire rate, the silencer keeps the player from showing up on enemy radar when firing.
Faction: Helghast/Stahl Arms
Class: rifles
Sights: telescopic sight
Fitted with a reflex sight, this powerful low-recoil rifle is the best suited for mid- to long-range engagements. While it lacks the extreme accuracy of the VC32, it has a much higher fire rate.
Faction: Helghast/Visari Corp.
Class: rifles
Sights: illuminated 2x and 5x zoom telescopic sight
Two different zoom levels allow the VC32 sniper rifle to be used in mid-range and long-range combat. For optimal accuracy, the weapon should be fired from a crouched position.
Faction: ISA
Class: close quarter weapons
The M32 is the last resort of close quarters combatants. Suitable for both stabbing and slicing, it makes for a brutal melee attack.
Faction: ISA
Class: close quarter firearms
Sights: reflex sight
The LS13 is a pump action shotgun with devastating close-range damage. It’s not very accurate, however, and loses its effectiveness at anything other than close range.
Faction: Helghast/Stahl Arms
Class: close quarter firearms
Sights: iron sights
The StA-11 SMG boasts low recoil and a high fire rate, and does tremendous damage at close range. It is ideally suited for ‘run & gun’ type tactics.
StA-11SE Submachine Gun (Silenced)
Faction: Helghast/Stahl Arms
Class: close quarter firearms
Sights: iron sights
The silenced StA-11 SMG keeps the player from showing up on enemy radar while firing. State of the art silencing technology does not sacrifice fire rate or accuracy.
Faction: ISA
Class: close quarter firearms
Sights: iron sights
Based off the M82 design, the LS57 SMG suffers from more recoil than the StA-11, but makes up for this in range and firepower.
Faction: ISA
Class: machine guns
Sights: iron sights
The M224-A1 is an LMG with large magazine capacity and plenty of range. It’s an excellent suppressive weapon, but has a comparably low fire rate.
Faction: Helghast/Stahl Arms
Class: machine guns
The StA-3 is an LMG with a sizeable ammo drum and a tremendous fire rate. It is unmatched in its suppressive capabilities, especially when fired from a crouched position.
Faction: Helghast
Class: machine guns
Intended strictly for stationary defense, the immensely powerful StA-62 can project a wall of lead that will tear anything short of an armored vehicle to pieces in seconds.
Faction: Helghast/Visari Corps
Class: rocket launchers
The VC9 is ideal for taking down enemy vehicles and entrenchments. Although it lacks the homing capabilities of the W.A.S.P. Launcher, its portability is a considerable benefit.
Faction: Helghast
Class: rocket launchers
Like the StA-62, the StA-X3 can only be fired from a fixed mount. The weapon launches a volley of homing missiles in primary fire mode, and a targeted ‘bunker buster’ strike in alternate fire mode.
Faction: ISA
Class: explosives
The M194 is a standard- issue fragmentation grenade with a digitally enhanced fuse igniter. It is ideal for sweeping rooms or clearing out enemy entrenchments.
Faction: both
Class: explosives
The proximity mine tracks the proximity of enemies and explodes when one enters within a two meter radius. Unless the target is extremely well-armored, this is usually enough to neutralize any enemy.
Faction: Helghast/ Visari Corp.
Class: special
The VC116 is an automated defense turret that can be deployed by Helghast Engineers. It has excellent detection range, but only average firepower and accuracy.
Faction: ISA
Class: special
The LS116 is the ISA equivalent of the VC116 Sentry Turret. It has an equal detection range, and matches its counterpart in firepower and accuracy as well.
Faction: Helghast/Stahl Arms
Class: vehicles
The StA-X6 comes equipped with a belt-fed machine gun based on the StA-3 design. The range of the weapon has been upgraded to allow the wearer to fire from great heights.
Faction: ISA
Class: vehicles
Slow and clunky but extremely well-armored and agile for its' size, the ISA Exoskeleton is equipped with a heavy machine gun and a rocket launcher. It does have a weak spot that can affect the operator, however.