Turtle Rock Studios, the studio behind Evolve, promised that all of the game's extra maps would always be free.

The team didn't want to split up players into those that had the DLC and those that didn't, and it's a smart move: it ensures that anyone is able to play with anyone, though fans have had to wait and see if the studio would keep its promise.

Thankfully, Turtle Rock Studios has: the studio announced today that the first two DLC maps for Evolve, Broken Hill Mine and Broken Hill Foundry, will be released for free on March 31st.

First up is the Broken Hill Mine, and it's a bit of a departure for Evolve. While the rest of the game's levels take place in some sort of box canyon, Broken Hill Mine obviously takes place underground. That's not to say that the monsters won't have any room to maneuver - the map is just as big as the rest - but the fact that nearly everything is sealed off from above means that everyone will have to think differently about getting around the environment.

There are plenty of new hazards, too - one of the larger areas of the map is entirely devoted to a venom hound nest (which doesn't bode well for the squishy hunters), and the map comes with a few exclusive effects on Evacuation campaigns. A Hunter win will re-purpose the mining droids into shield drones, while a monster win will de-stabilize the area, sending birds into the air, distracting the Hunters.

The second map is the Broken Hill Foundry, and it immediately stands out thanks to its relatively civilized look. Most of the maps on Shear look like industrial sites, they don't look like people ever lived there...but Broken Hill Foundry is different. Neon signs, bars, residences - it shows off a different side of Shear, but don't worry - there are still plenty of open industrial areas for monsters who want a little breathing room.

The monster's standard diet of lovable forest creatures has been switched out for crates of bohrium gas. While eating the crates is done much more quickly, it's also a lot louder, meaning the Hunters will have a much easier time tracking a hungry monster. The map also supports more unique Evacuation effects, as Hunters receive super-charged jetpacks after a win, while the monster's melee attacks receive a huge damage buff.

There's no video of the maps just yet, but the Evolve team will be livestreaming the reveal later today: at 4pm PST on March 12, head on over to the Evolve Twitch channel to see both the Broken Hill Mine and Foundry maps. If you can't make it, there's going to be a second stream on Friday, March 13 at 3pm PST, and both can be seen via the player below:

There's been a lot of press about the ridiculous amount of downloadable content that Evolve shipped with, but most of that was cosmetic - it's nice to see that, for now, Turtle Rock Studios is keeping the DLC that matters free for everyone.

The Broken Hill Map Pack, which consists of the Broken Hill Mine and Broken Hill Foundry maps, will be released on March 31.

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