Anthem Season of Skulls is the new Cataclysm, bringing new enemies and items for Halloween

Anthem is one of several titles holding a video game Halloween event this year, bringing a close to its long-running Cataclysm event and ushering in the Season of the Skulls for the haunted holiday festivities.

Developer BioWare describes Season of the Skulls as "a themed, season-long event that offers unique rewards and challenges for its duration", which is live in the game from now until an unspecified end date presumably sometime in November next month. 

Those who log into Anthem can select the Season of the Skulls option from the main menu to begin the event, which features a number of special arenas with Halloween-themed modifiers and rewards. 

The season has affected the game's freeplay mode, too, in which a mysterious fog has enveloped the land, and Freelancers will be able to partake in a number of Anomalies that pop up across the open world, complete with special enemies like "brutal Scars and terrifying Ghostly Spiders".

Getting involved with any of these timed challenges will allow you to rack up Crystals, which can be used to purchase War Chests and items from Herschel’s Hut in the Fort Tarsis market for special items exclusive to the Season of the Skulls, which also increases Legendary drop rates and features the opportunity to purchase Legendary-only War Chests.

The surprise announcement of this mode will come as positive news to vested Anthem players, who have become increasingly frustrated with the lack of communication from BioWare about the game's longterm future. Hopefully, Season of the Skulls can be the momentum driver that Anthem has so desperately needed since launch earlier this year. 

If you're one of the people still playing, check out the last set of Anthem Patch Notes, or watch below for a guide to everything else out this week.