As part of the new patch to Doom Eternal, the developers have inserted something that’s bound to be controversial. And judging by the dive in the Steam reviews for the game, that’s right on point for PC gaming. So what’s going on, let’s find out.
It’s not the maligned full DRM though, it’s just a custom script setup called Denuvo Anti-Cheat. This software is part of Irdeto’s offerings for the entire Denuvo line, aimed at helping game developers protect their games from crackers, hackers, and cheaters. This particular Denuvo solution will be aimed at helping prevent cheaters in Doom Eternal‘s BATTLEMODE.
The system for preventing cheating isn’t as intrusive as other DRM solutions, like the kernel module from Valorant. Denuvo Anti-Cheat does not take screenshots, scan your file system, or force any code changes on your system outside the game itself. The system won’t start on boot of your PC, so that’s OK I guess. Furthermore, players can uninstall Denuvo Anti-Cheat at any time through the “Add or remove programs” dialog.
There are also some other elements to the patch as well, aimed at improving the overall gameplay experience.
Aside from the Denuvo stuff, the patch also brings in fixes for various bugs, as well as working on addressing ongoing concerns over game balance in a few different ways. For example, players will find that swimming has been changed, with a new fast-moving Dash added. There’s also a Double Dash option that can be toggled on in the settings. The patch also removes all difficulty damage scaling for both Water/Slime and moves the Rad Suit in Taras Nabad to a more prominent location.
Gamers will also see new Empowered Demons banging around. These ultra-powerful enemies are being added to various game modes to offer more challenges to experienced players.
So all in all, while the Denuvo Anti-Cheat will anger some folks, people who care enough to overlook that will see some genuine improvements in the game as a whole.
