MeinMMO editor Dariusz took a look at the beta of Spectre Divide and is already a big fan after just a few hours. Learn here what makes the tactical shooter from shroud so good.
Spectre Divide is a tactical shooter being developed by Mountaintop Studios. The gameplay draws on the classic mechanics of tactical shooters like Valorant and Counter-Strike, but has a few unique features.
If you haven’t heard of Spectre Divide yet, let me briefly explain what kind of game it is. Just expand the text “What is Spectre Divide?”. There you will find a summary of the game.
What is Spectre Divide?
In Spectre Divide, you have the same objective as in CS or Valorant. One team defends, one team attacks. The attackers aim to plant a bomb. The defenders’ goal is to prevent the planting or to defuse the planted bomb. Additionally, you earn money with each round played, which you can then use to buy weapons and gadgets.
However, Spectre Divide has a few important differences:
- You play 3v3 instead of 5v5
- You use scopes much more than in CS2 and Valorant
- You can move while shooting without losing precision
And of course, the big feature: You control 2 bodies, not just one. You can switch to this second body, called Spectre, at the push of a button. The second body can be used tactically, for example, to stand on the spot where your main body currently isn’t. Or you can place it in a way that flanking enemies can be intercepted. Or you can use the Spectre as a second chance, as there is no respawn.
You have the choice of how to use your Spectre.
Here we have already introduced Spectre Divide in detail:
Give the people movement and scopes!
I have now spent nearly 6 hours playing Spectre Divide. After I played the short stress test on August 3rd, which only ran for a few hours, I jumped straight into the closed beta on August 13th. I was actually looking forward to the beta for a few days because the stress test was already a lot of fun.
Spectre Divide simply does a few things differently than Valorant and Counter-Strike that bothered me a bit with both genre giants. Two of these points are unfortunately central gameplay aspects of the shooters:
- Shooting “from the hip” instead of using scopes
- The declining precision while shooting during movement
That I was “bothered” by these two points might be a bit of an exaggeration. But I told friends years ago: If I could shoot while running in Valorant like in Rainbow Six: Siege and the use of scopes was more important, I wouldn’t play anything else.
In Spectre Divide, scopes are important. At long distances, you won’t hit much with hip fire. Also, you don’t lose precision while moving. You can wonderfully spam “A” and “D”. Tactical shooters with scope use and movement? I love it!
Unique gameplay through multiple bodies
Of course, the big feature of Spectre Divide is a plus point that I really like – not just because I have a second chance with the second body if I rushed into a gunfight that I could only lose.
This is indeed a big advantage. Instead of waiting several minutes for your four remaining teammates to win or lose the round, you can jump back into the fight. This simply gives you more actual playtime and fewer breaks. This also means you have less time to blame your teammates or insult enemies.
Regardless, the principle of two bodies really offers countless tactical possibilities. We had a few situations where we cleverly played the opponents with the second body and were then pleased that it actually worked.
A very simple example: feigning an attack on the A-spot with the second body but attacking the B-spot. The opponents switch to their bodies on “A” and you have a few seconds to get to the spot and position yourself well.
There are truly countless other ways to use the two bodies tactically, and that’s just a lot of fun.
The perfect size for friend groups
I have been playing tactical shooters for several years now. One thing I constantly see is that the teams almost never consist of 5 players playing together. Nevertheless, most tactical shooters are designed for 5v5 matches.
Of course, my experience in the games is not representative of the entire player base, but there have been many large community discussions on this topic. In Rainbow Six: Siege, for example, players have been demanding for years that there be separate matchmaking for solo players, 2-3 person teams, and complete 5-player squads.
Whether that’s a good idea is debatable. But players are talking about it because it concerns them. A team composed of a 2-player and a 3-player squad is simply at a disadvantage against 5 well-coordinated players in their established formation. However, many players can’t pull together a 5-player squad during spontaneous gaming in the evening. Let’s be honest: Someone is always missing.
Spectre Divide is 3v3. This makes it much easier to field a complete team. You are not dependent on random teammates who, in the worst case, are really toxic. But even if you are only two in Spectre Divide, it’s already significantly better than trying to play a 5v5 game as two or three. You can significantly influence the mood of your team.
You are 2 thirds of the team. If you communicate a lot, are friendly, and encourage your random teammate, there’s a high chance that he will also not behave toxically. However, two toxic randoms in Valorant can’t be calmed down easily even with three.
The conclusion: The best PvP shooter of 2024
For me, Spectre Divide is the best PvP shooter of 2024 so far – even though it is only in a closed beta at the moment. The gameplay is familiar but still unique. You quickly become familiar with the basic gameplay and can then try to play tactically well. There are already exciting, intense matches, and everything without bugs or server issues – at least I haven’t experienced any yet.
For me, XDefiant is the biggest competitor for the title of “best PvP shooter 2024”, but Ubisoft’s title just lacks a lot for me. The progression system could be better, shots are still not registered properly at times, and there are numerous bugs. I really enjoy playing XDefiant and check in regularly since its release, but it just hasn’t left as positive a lasting impression as Spectre Divide.
Delta Force: Hawk Ops could also be a really good PvP shooter with the Battlefield mode, but I haven’t been able to test the alpha yet. In terms of innovation, I don’t see such a big impact as with Spectre Divide. A 3v3 tactical shooter with 2 bodies is truly unique.
And otherwise? All the extraction shooters like Gray Zone Warfare or Arena: Breakout Infinite feel too similar. I’d better not even start on the massive performance problems. And Sony’s new hero shooter Concord is also not very promising: Sony’s new shooter for PS5 and Steam needs to change a lot if it doesn’t want to die within a week.
