The Arena

Welcome back to Shanath Arena, where winners earn the adoration of the crowd and losers . . . well, let’s just say the fighting beasts here are well fed and leave it at that, shall we?

You may not have realized it, but once you’ve liberated the arena in the main campaign, you can return to it at any time for some more gladiator-style combat. Just head back to the door and talk to Noore’s henchwoman.

There are three modes of gameplay on offer.

Battles

These are “anything goes” contests very similar to the arena battles you played during the campaign. However, it’s safe to expect you’ll see more and different challenges appearing here over time.

Endless Mode

The title says it all. In Endless Mode, you fight until you literally can’t fight any more. Then you die and collect your winnings. Kind of odd, when you think about it.

Weapon Challenges

Another self-explanatory title, these challenges task you with winning a five-round arena fight while wielding but a single weapon. The crowd will still throw you ammo, and you’ll still have your takedowns if you need them, but you can’t pick up any other weapon.

Rampaging rhinos are not nearly as flammable as one might hope.

Quick Tips for the Arena

1. Sneak it up: Obviously, the arena is not about stealth. It’s about pouring bullets into your enemies like a fireman battling a four-alarm blaze. That said, charge blindly into battle and you’ll be cut down in seconds by a tornado of blood and crossfire. Keep it incognito and choose your moment to strike. This is doubly true at the start of each round, when the number of enemies is at its thickest.

2. Sneak it up, part deux:Besides, odd as it may seem, takedowns still give more points than weapon kills—even during weapon challenges.

3. Stay out of the center:There’s no reason to expose yourself to 360 degrees of vulnerability when you can keep it to 180, 90, or even less by hugging the walls and corners and staying in cover. If you must enter the center pit, do it at the end of a round, when few or no enemies remain.

4. Know your enemies: The arena has some long sight lines, which means you need to pay attention to which enemies are where. That guy with the AK47 may be twice as far away as the machete-toting maniac, but bullets reach farther than blades, so you may want to give the gunner a dirt nap first.

5. Know your allies: Animals tend to attack the closest human, so leave them alone and they’ll clear out a ton of enemies for you. You don’t get points for the animal’s kills, but you’ll live longer. Plus, it’ll soften the beasts up for when they finally turn on you.

In the arena, you earn arena points instead of experience points. Each time you finish a battle, you’ll receive a star rating based upon your score, which will also feed into your overall arena rank.