Greetings Operatives!

We are happy to share the “First Assault: The Future is Now; Renewal” episode with the community. Tons of changes to the game are a part of this update, many of them refined by the effort that you, the players, put in during our PTS playtest. We hope you enjoy this update as much as we do, and thank you all for your help in making this happen.

Renewal is here! Read on for the list of changes to First Assault, coming July 18th 2017.

View the patch notes on our website for images: http://firstassault.nexon.net/en/news/23963/the-future-is-now-renewal

User Interface

-The UI has undergone a complete overhaul.

We made some major updates and optimizations to the user experience and flow. Please check it out in game!

-Results Screen

You can now press the ESC key to immediately go to the results screen. Skipping the rewards distribution screen will still provide you with rewards.

New Operatives

Welcome these three new recruits to Section 9!

-Azuma

Azuma earned several commendations during his time in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force [JGSDF], which guaranteed his transfer to Public Security Section 9.
His tactical shield allows him to advance on enemies quickly and make the most of his combat experience.
Despite his stern looks, Azuma tends to grow very close to his teams.

Assault Class
HP: 180
AP: 135
Tier 1 Ability: Tactical Shield. Provides a barrier in front of Azuma that absorbs incoming frontal damage. Will break under concentrated fire.
Tier 2 Ability: Tactical Dome. Provides an unbreakable dome that Azuma and his allies can shoot through from within, but enemies cannot shoot through. Enemies can walk through the dome, so watch out! Also activates a more powerful version of his Tactical Shield.


-Reiko

Coming from an affluent family, Reiko excelled at cyberbrain engineering and earned her PhD in the field two years early.
Her education gave her an edge in cyberwarfare, and she became an expert in combat diving to distract and disorient enemies.
As a new recruit to Section 9, Reiko tends to be bright and at times sarcastic with her comrades.

Infiltrator Class
HP: 135
AP: 90
Tier 1 Ability: Net Jump. Reiko dives into the Net for several seconds, removing herself from the physical world.
Tier 2 Ability: Net Jump. This Net Dive lasts longer, and provides Reiko with allied and enemy position information.


-Sitara

Sitara came to Public Security Section 9 by way of the CIA's Special Counterterrorism Unit. Growing up in the struggling American Empire left her with strong survival skills but troubles relating to others.
Unable to advance within the CIA, she jumped at the chance to join Aramaki's External Affairs team in Public Security Section 9.
With a remarkable talent for mechanical engineering, Sitara is able to maintain her own prosthetic body and support her team in combat with automated drones.

Specialist Class
HP: 175
AP: 150
Tier 1 Ability: Siphon Drone. Sitara places a hovering drone that will attack any enemy that enters its zone of control.
Tier 2 Ability: Siphon Drone. This upgraded drone can be repositioned after deployment, is more durable, and patrols a wider area.


Operative Changes (Operative 2.0)

All of the Operatives have undergone major and minor changes, whether it be attached to their class assignment or more direct changes to their abilities.

-Batou
HP: 200
AP: 150
Arm Launcher: No longer deals damage to himself. Tier 1 rocket deals 250 maximum damage. Tier 2 has been changed to fire 4 rockets in quick succession.

-Borma
HP: 220
AP: 165
Nano-Gel Armor: Tier 1 provides HP regen over time, slowly ramping up. Does not increase max HP. Does not have an activation animation. Tier 2 provides up to a maximum of 200 bonus HP.

-Ishikawa
HP: 220
AP: 125
Cyber Sentry: Now covers 360 degrees and provides ammunition to nearby allies. Tier 2 will fire rockets that deal splash damage at enemies.

-Motoko
HP: 150
AP: 100
Therm-optic Camo: Tier 1 and Tier 2 no longer have an activation animation.

-Paz
HP: 125
AP: 85
Hyper Sprint: Tier 1 and Tier 2 no longer have an activation animation. The new Infiltrator slide is augmented by his Hyper Sprint when active.

-Maven
HP: 165
AP: 110
Therm-optic Barrier: Enemies who move through the barrier suffer the effects of EMP. Both Tier 1 and Tier 2 barrier size has been increased significantly.

-Kuro
HP: 175
AP: 100
EMP: Tier 2 EMP radius has been increased significantly.

-Saito
HP: 150
AP: 150
Heat Sensor: Time between pulses increased. Tier 1 no longer has an activation animation.

-Togusa
HP: 125
AP: 125
Seeker Drone: Tier 2 spawns 3 drones.

Operative Classes

All Operatives now fall under 3 classes: Assault, Infiltrator, and Specialist. Each class has unique aspects in addition to the abilities that each Operative brings.

-Assault

The Assault class characters all feature higher Hit Points [HP] and Armor Points [AP], making them the most durable Operatives you can bring into battle. They also tend to move slower than other Section 9 Operatives. Being on the frontline, the Assault class uses Assault Rifles and Machine Guns [MG] to do battle.

Includes: Batou, Borma, Ishikawa, Azuma

-Infiltrator

The Infiltrator class features low HP and AP levels, but faster sprint speeds and the useful slide mechanic, activated by pressing your crouch key while sprinting. They are the only Operatives that have the skill to fire while sprinting at full speed. These operatives rely on their speed, stealth, or disruptive abilities to outplay their opponents. Close range combat is what the Infiltrator excels at, so they focus their skills using Sub-Machine Guns [SMG] and Shotguns.

Includes: Motoko, Paz, Maven, Reiko

-Specialist

The Specialist roles provide more nuanced abilities to assist their teammates through area denial and information gathering. Their stat values are average across the board, but they can traverse terrain in interesting ways using double jump. Specialist Operatives provide long range support with Sniper Rifles and assist their allies in close quarters with Personal Defense Weapons [PDW].

Includes: Saito, Togusa, Sitara

Weapon Balance

Nearly all weapon stats have been adjusted. Click here[forums.firstassault.nexon.net] for detailed stat changes.
Shotgun and Sniper Rifle damage has been increased to compensate for the overall HP increase for all Operatives.

New Weapon

MG33-A

Price: 237,250 GP

Gameplay Changes

-Tier 1 abilities are now bound to the E key by default. They do not cost any Intel, and are on a low cooldown.
-Tier 2 abilities are bound to the Q key by default. They require Intel, but no longer have a cooldown. Tier 2 and Tier 1 abilities of the same name cannot be stacked.
-Skill Sync download is now bound to the F key by default.
-Allies with fully charged Tier 2 abilities will now be highlighted yellow, and can be seen through walls.
-Hacking a Tachikoma is bound to the F key by default.
-The PP-2200 and the KA-P5W are now a new class of weapon, the PDW, useable by the Specialist class.
-Free Operative Rotation: an Operative will be made available to play for free for all players, rotating every 2 weeks.
-New players will unlock Borma for free permanently.
-The capture zone in Terminal Conquest maps has been increased in size. There is now an indicator for how many allies and enemies are standing in the capture zone.
-The default target score for Terminal Conquest games has been reduced to 4 from 5.
-The default target score for Team Deathmatch games has been reduced to 8,000 from 10,000.
-Added objects in the shooting range for dynamic movement practice purposes.
-After a Quick Dive match ends, you will be moved back to the main game lobby and re-queued for another Quick Dive match.

Maps

-New Map: Electronics Center. This important information hub is a network node where most of Japan’s network traffic is routed. Due to its importance, it is the target of many cyber terrorist threats, and Section 9 is often called upon to take action here. Electronics Center provides open areas outside of the center and inside the lobby, as well as close quarters combat rooms and hallways as you delve deeper inside. This map is available in Team Death Match and Demolition modes.

-Cyber Ward has been updated with new textures and balance changes.

-Downtown Dejima and PSS9 Headquarters have been updated with new textures.


Modes

-Elimination

Elimination is a round-based team death match. First team to win 6 rounds wins the game. Each Elimination map features zones that become dangerous to walk through in the last 30 seconds of each game, dealing damage to anyone attempting to hide there. Elimination can be played on Port, Dubbing Site, and Urban City.

-Team Death Match

Port, Dubbing Site, and Urban City are no longer available as Team Death Match maps.

MC Shop

The Night Ops Operative skins are now available in the MC Shop!

Cyber Gate

New items have been added to the Cyber Cases and Inter Gate! The following Character and Weapon Skins have been added:

-SAITO HEATWAVE
-PAZ PLAYMAKER
-ISHIKAWA URBAN FORCE
-TOGUSA DEALER
-BORMA ARCTIC WARFARE
-MAVEN HYPER ACTIVE
-KURO ANTAGONIST
-MOTOKO SUNSET
-MOTOKO DEEP SHADOW
-BATOU HEAVY METAL
-TOGUSA CUTHROAT
-MOTOKO CYBER JUNGLE
-PAZ CYBER JUNGLE
-TOGUSA CYBER JUNGLE
-KURO CYBER JUNGLE
-REIKO CYBER JUNGLE
-K22 RACER
-F-MAS G1 DESIGNER
-S25-R FALL
-UMP-45S1 TOXIC
-KA-P5W ILLUSION
-USS 12 PUTRID HEX
-870-ICS CORROSION
-KSG G-1 JUNGLE
-M99D DECO
-SA50 WIRED
-M249-G4 COWBOY REDUX
-L86-SEO GLACIER
-VOLCANO Skins
-DOGTOOTH Skins
-SEBURO M5 PEACEMAKER
-MEGATECH KNIFE CHEETAH
-M030 GOLDMINE
-SCRAMBLER JUNGLE
-SMOKEBOMB BLOSSOM

18 new stickers, 16 new name cards, and 15 new name emblems have also been added!


DLC

Coming Soon!

Bug Fixes

We have a full change log for bug fixes posted here[forums.firstassault.nexon.net].