The Savage Gauntlet has started this week for the first time in Exoprimal. The event promises to shake things for players of the dinosaur eradication game. But in what ways will it deviate from the standard mode? Let’s find out.
What is Savage Gauntlet in Exoprimal?
As described by Capcom, Savage Gauntlet is a dynamic New Game for pilots who have accumulated a significant amount of mission time. The mode pits 5 Exo-pilots against waves of the most dangerous dinosaurs in the game. The goal is to compete against other players across the globe for the fastest clear time.
The mode itself will become available for 4 days of the week starting on Friday. Though the first event has already begun this Thursday. The mode will have different rules and objectives each week, offering a different type of challenge from the regular Dino Survival.
The mission objectives are locked for the duration of the event. There won’t be any unexpected surprises throughout the event. It’s all about finding ways to optimize tactics to get the fastest mission clear as possible.
Since it is considered end-game content, the mode’s difficulty is expected to spike akin to the game’s hardest missions. (At least that’s what expected.)
Repeated playthroughs of the mode are encouraged so that players can fine-tune their tactics to perfection. The players with the fastest times will be rewarded with a new emblem for the platform they participated in.
Savage Gauntlet Entry Requirements
To be able to participate in Savage Gauntlet, players will have to complete the main story. Players eligible for the event will be able to join via the “Savage Gauntlet” icon in the main menu while the event is online.
Savage Gauntlet Event Period
Trial 1 of Savage Gauntlet will be live for the following period:
EDT: Thursday, July 27, 11:00 p.m. – Monday, July 31, 10:59 p.m.
UTC: Friday, July 28, 3:00 a.m. – Tuesday, August 1, 2:59 a.m.
Savage Gauntlet Trial 1 Encounters
Trial 1 of Savage Gauntlet is set in Downtown. This will be the map that players will be taken to at the start of the event. It is also the only map that players will be on during the 4-day event.
The first encounter is a dinosaur culling mission where Exos are expected to hold a park from groups of Gas Neosaurs, Raptors, Pacheycephalosaurus, and Triceratops. AOE damage is paramount for quick success.
The second encounter is a VTOL defense mission against 2 T-Rexs, a stegosaurus, and waves of Gas Neosaurs. The T-Rexs are going to be a problem. Split responsibilities between two pairs. One should keep the T-Rexs at bay long enough for another group to focus down the stegosaurus. Once all other enemies have been dealt with, focus all firepower on the T-Rexs.
And that’s it. The top times in the opening moments of the event are sub 10 minutes. We will not be surprised if those times dip below the 5-minute mark for the fastest of teams.
Savage Gauntlet Rewards
Players will be relieved to hear that the event will contain non-exclusive rewards. Or rewards that can only be obtained during that event period. Players will get emblems for clearing a high enough threshold on the leaderboards.
Survivor: Complete Savage Gauntlet at least once.
- Gauntlet Survivor Emblem
Fighter: Completion time ranking in the top 50%.
- Gauntlet Fighter Emblem
Master: Completion time ranking in the top 20%.
- Gauntlet Master Emblem
Savage Gauntlet Reception
Trial 1 of Savage Gauntlet is drawing in a lot of mixed reactions from the community. Most players are confused about how fast the rounds are going. Being a “gauntlet”, they expected the rounds to be much longer and more brutal.
Some players were predicting that the game mode was going to be so brutal that the completion rate would be extremely low. That has been the opposite so far.
In a way, the players left the event feeling disappointed at the end of their first Savage Gauntlet. We will have to see how things will change next week when Capcom introduces a new location and mission.
Exoprimal is out now on PlayStation, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (via Steam). It is also available on Xbox Game Pass.