Players fight either on foot as free-running "pilots" or inside agile mech-style walkers called "Titans" to complete team-based objectives[6][7] on a derelict and war-torn planet[8] as either the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (IMC) or the Militia.[9] The game is online multiplayer-only, but injects single-player elements such as plot, character chatter, and non-player characters into its matches.[10] Respawn founder Vince Zampella described the game as bringing "scale, verticality, and story" to first-person shooter multiplayer gaming.[11]
Up to twelve human players[12] choose their pilot types and are dropped on the map, beginning the game.[13] A timer displays the time until a Titan can be deployed, which is reduced by killing other players.[13] Once deployed, Titans are protected by a forcefield for about 30 seconds, which protects the player-pilot as well.[13] Pilots are agile and accumulate momentum while running (similar to Tribes), which lets players run on walls and chain together double jumps.[11] There are multiple types of Titans, each with unique abilities and animations.[11] Pilot and Titan controls are identical except where the pilot's double jump becomes the Titan's dash,[11] as Titans cannot jump, crouch, or cover.[13] The mechs are not slow, but their movement is slower than the nimble pilots.[13] Titan game-balancing abilities include the vortex blocker, which stops and returns enemy ammunition in midair, and electrified smoke, which hurts and repels pilots climbing the Titan's back.[11] Player-pilots can eject from Titans that take too much damage, and the Titan replacement timer is reset upon the Titan's death.[13] Titans can also act autonomously when put in guard and follow modes, which directs the Titan either to protect their vicinity or to tail their pilot, respectively. Games end with a race to the losing team's evacuation dropship.