Quake Champions Keel is coming to the beta this Holiday…

Quake Champions Keel is coming to the beta for the hardcore competitive shooter.  But that’s not all. A new duel map, which also serves for 2v2 play, a new ranked mode and leaderboards, and the game’s first Holiday Season event are all coming in the December update. Plus, the long-awaited cross-hair customization.

From the press release:

The December Update will include:

• NEW CHAMPION – Keel is Back! Quake 3 Arena’s resurrected war machine Keel will join the roster of heroes next week, bringing a Grenade Swarm active ability that allows him launch a barrage of grenades and the Stockpile passive ability, which reduces the cooldown on Grenade Swarm with every ammo box he picks up. Keel will be free for players who own the full Champions Pack and available for purchase using Platinum via the in-game store for everyone else.

• NEW DUEL MAP – Vale of Pnath – Duel mode’s pure test of skill has ignited competition in Early Access, and next week players will get another arena dedicated to 1v1 and 2v2. Vale of Pnath is a wickedly vertical shrine to the Elder God Ithagnal built atop treacherous acid-filled caverns. This new map is free for all players of the game – get in there and face off with your friends!

• RANKED PLAY AND LEADERBOARDS – Quake Champions is the most intense FPS competition on any platform, and now Early Access players will be able to take their skills to the next level and easily see where they rank against the best in the world.

• HOLIDAY CELEBRATION – Celebrate the holidays with specially themed items including animated Champion shaders and festive weapons shaders, holiday decorations on Burial Chamber and Corrupted Keep, holiday hat vanities for Champions, and limited edition profile icons and nameplates.

• CROSSHAIR CUSTOMIZATION – One of the most requested features from the community will go live with the December update, allowing players to choose from 40 different crosshair options and use a slider to select the color of their choice.