Season 6: Massive Mid-Season!
MID-SEASON UPDATES: STACKED AND LOADED
Season 6 is hitting its stride with the Mid-Season Update, and we’re bringing the heat! While the limited-time Close Quarters Event takes the spotlight, there’s no shortage of serious updates in this major drop: starting off with a long list of balance changes, bug fixes, and QoL improvements!
Let’s take a look at all the new, exciting, revamped, revived, and renovated updates waiting for you today!
THE CLOSE QUARTERS EVENT
Time to get up close and personal with our brand new limited-time event that comes with a whole new map to explore (and destroy)! Welcome to the ALFA ACTA P.E.A.C.E. (Prototype Evaluation And Combat Experimentation) Center! Junior McJohnson welcomes you to this high-pressure environment nestled deep in the [LOCATION REDACTED] woods.
Here, you’ll be testing out fast fights in tight spaces where every move counts. Partake in a brutal Team Deathmatch where danger lurks around every corner! The P.E.A.C.E. Center is live for a limited time, so step in and leave your mark!
[previewyoutube=-gcXIKyG7d8;full][/previewyoutube]
SPIN THE WHEEL OF TRUST
As if an invitation to The P.E.A.C.E. Center isn’t reward enough, ALFA ACTA has also spun up 20 potential prizes on the Wheel of Trust! During the event, hand in Daily contracts for tickets and spin to unlock something new. If you trust your luck, you might even take home BULL’S EYE BARRY, the latest and greatest smart-dummy.
The festivities await!
MEET THE NULLIFIER
The prodigal Stun Gun returns to the loadout screen with a brand new name and totally re-worked functionality! It’s time to meet The Nullifier!
In this newly revamped version, Contestants caught in the line of fire will be nullified, unable to take or deal damage, use items, or interact for the duration for the effect. Nullified players will still be able to move freely, so there’s time to make a getaway. Equip it now and start increasing the odds by nullifying the competition!
NEW TWITCH DROPS
To further celebrate, let’s bring in more Twitch Drops! Head on over to Twitch, watch your favorite streamer, and earn the four new Drops in dazzling blue! Practical, fashionable, and including an item from our latest breakout category: Nails!
You may also remember us asking what weapons would be cool to pick for the next round of Twitch drops. Time for you to pick up those Sledgehammer, AKM, and XP-54 skins!
So make sure to nab your Broadcast Blaze items on Twitch as soon as the Drops go live! Claw your way to victory and trim down the competition.
GET CREATIVE
We’ve taken the Body Paint Category and broken it down into four parts:
- Face paint - Anything that goes on the face[/*]
- Body paint - Anything that goes on the body, or full body[/*]
- Nails - Nail polish![/*]
- Tattoos - You can now wear tattoos beneath any paint! [/*]
This means you can now mix-and-match 4 different parts of your body-deco at once, many of which were previously merged into one! If you already own any of the old Body Paints, you’ll find that your items have been separated into new separate items in these categories and are waiting for your next Outfit creation!
SOCIAL IMPROVEMENTS
It’s time to grow your crew! Clubs have increased in membership so you can now invite up to 100 Contestants to take on the Arena together!
You’ll also find multi-channel chat is active, so you can chat with your party, your team, a whole private lobby, and your club while you play!
We’ve also beefed up the social settings, adding chat and voice under Social, and providing options to control Background Opacity, Text Size, Turn Channel Icons off and on, and the ability to hide the Club Chat in-game.
You’ll notice changes to the main menu, as well! You’ll be able to see your progress for Battlepass, Career, Sponsorship, Circuits, and Contracts at a glance right alongside your Contestant! You’ll also notice that we will recap the progression update when returning to the screen from a match so you wont miss that you unlocked that item you were chasing!
You’ll always find some improvements to the social features you already know and love.
PARTY IN THE PRACTICE RANGE
It can get lonely in the Practice Range, even with the smart dummies for company. Now you can party up and enter with two to five friends by your side. Goof around, test things out, and cause mayhem as a team!
The dummies have been looking increasingly nervous on the leadup to this update…
IN WITH THE OLD
We know you’ve been missing old Vegas so we’re putting it back into rotation! Get ready for the glitz and glam of the hot lights in Quick Cash, Terminal Attack, and Ranked Tournament as you play Las Vegas 2032!
We’re also introducing a new Carriable to toss around the Arena that will feel familiar to those of you who have been here a while: The Health Canister! Toss it to provide temporary healing to an area of effect.
Throwing things at your Team has never been more rewarding!
AND MORE!
We’ve made sweeping improvements to Maps, fixed some bugs and at least partially squished some others, and have many balance changes for you to experiment with in this update. We’ve also tweaked some of the most problematic Cashout Station locations in the Kyoto Map!
There’s new items in the store, including a free Idle Inspection bundle to kick off your new Nail Polish collection:
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And finally, a new bundle with Multibucks included that some PlayStation players may have gotten an accidental sneak preview of yesterday!
[previewyoutube=e-dht9ohquo;full][/previewyoutube]
We’re halfway through Season 6 and so excited to have you with us!
Check out all the nitty-gritty details below:
Balance Changes
Dev Note: We’ve recently done a review of the effective ranges for various weapons and found there were a few outliers. Some weapons were over or under performing at certain distances, and not meeting our expectations. A number of the changes below aim to address this issue.
Arena Carriables
All Carriables
- Increased the launch force of carriables by 10%, making them easier to throw at targets[/*]
- Increased the pick-up range of carriables from 6m to 6.5m, making them slightly easier to pick-up[/*]
Decorative Carriables (e.g. plant pots, chairs etc)
- Increased the impact damage done for medium carriables from 50 to 60[/*]
- Increased the impact damage done for large carriables from 50 to 70[/*]
Health Canister
- li>Added the new Health Canister Arena Carriable. This blue spherical container smashes open when thrown into surfaces, spreading a healing mist that triggers health regeneration for players who stand inside its area of effect[/*]
Charms
‘Little Chief’
- Increased the ‘moo rate’ of the Little Chief Moolah charm from 25% to 100%, meaning it will now moo for 100% of kills[/*]
- Added the ability for Little Chief to moo when the attached weapon is inspected[/*]
Dev Note: Based on community feedback, it has become obvious that our past nerf to Moolah was by far the worst nerf we’ve ever made to the balance of the game. In the spirit of trying to buff more than we nerf, we’ve now reverted Moolah to their previous superstar status ;)
Gadgets
Proximity Sensor
- li>Increased the size of the Proximity Sensor, making it easier to shoot [/*]
Dev Note: This change aims to address how fiddly it has been to destroy Proximity Sensors, they should be much easier to hit now.
Stun Gun/Nullifier
- Re-introduced the Stun Gun after a re-work, it is now known as the Nullifier[/*]
- Players hit by the Nullifier are put into a “nullified” state for several seconds, during which they cannot attack or use items, but are still able to move. During this time the player is fully impervious to damage or effects from items[/*]
Specializations
Winch Claw
- li>Winch Claw will now force players it hooks into the ‘uncontrolled’ state, adjusting the victim’s bullet dispersion and recoil as if they were falling from a building[/*]
Dev Note: Players’ ability to very accurately shoot a Winch Claw user, while being pulled is something we feel is a little too strong. This change is a subtle nudge to make fighting back while being winched slightly less viable
Weapons
.50 Akimbo
- Decreased damage falloff minimum range from 37.5m to 35m, giving the weapon a slightly shorter effective range[/*]
- Decreased damage falloff max range from 47.5m to 42m, giving the weapon a slightly shorter effective range[/*]
93R
- Increased damage falloff minimum range from 28m to 32m, giving the weapon a slightly longer effective range[/*]
- Increased damage falloff max range from 35m to 40m, giving the weapon a slightly longer effective range[/*]
- Decreased damage falloff multiplier from 0.55 to 0.4, meaning the weapon now does slightly less damage at range[/*]
ARN-220
- li>Decreased the length of the quick reload animation from 0.95s to 0.75s[/*]
Dev Note: This is a small buff to the ARN, partially to boost its power but mostly aimed at making it feel a little less clunky.
Cerberus
- Decreased pellet count from 12 to 11, effectively lowering the max damage per shot (minus fire damage) from 120 to 110[/*]
- Updated pellet pattern to retain a similar coverage per shot, despite the removal of one pellet, meaning the weapon should retain a similar accuracy to before[/*]
Dev Note: The Cerberus has been performing very well this season and we’ve decided we need to bring it back in line with other weapons. This small reduction in damage should help achieve that while still keeping the weapon viable.
FAMAS
- Decreased damage falloff minimum range from 37.5m to 35m, giving the weapon a slightly shorter effective range[/*]
- Decreased damage falloff max range from 47.5m to 42.5m, giving the weapon a slightly shorter effective range[/*]
M134 Minigun
Dev Note: We have seen your feedback on how easy it is for players to keep the M134 ‘spun up’ while moving, juggling the spin-up state and making it quite powerful in the right hands. This is something we’re monitoring and are likely to adjust the balance of in an up-coming patch, but the changes we’re considering aren’t ready in time for 6.6.
Model 1887
- Decreased the pump-action duration from 0.8s to 0.78s, effectively increasing the fire rate from 75RPM to 77RPM[/*]
- Increased damage falloff minimum range from 15m to 20m, giving the weapon a slightly longer effective range[/*]
- Increased damage falloff max range from 25m to 30m, giving the weapon a slightly longer effective range[/*]
- Decreased damage falloff multiplier from 0.7 to 0.65, meaning the weapon now does slightly less damage at range[/*]
Dev Note: Since our last round of changes to the Model, it has performed slightly worse than we would have expected. These changes are aimed at buffing it ever so slightly while increasing its effective range to give it a more unique feel compared to the other shotguns. We’re mindful that we don’t want to nudge it too far in a single change, as we’d prefer to not go back to a meta where this versatile weapon is overly effective.
R .357
- Increased damage falloff minimum range from 23m to 27.5m, giving the weapon a slightly longer effective range[/*]
- Increased damage falloff max range from 40m to 44m, giving the weapon a slightly longer effective range[/*]
- Decreased damage falloff multiplier from 0.45 to 0.4, meaning the weapon now does slightly less damage at range[/*]
SA1216
- Decreased rate of fire from 200RPM to 190RPM[/*]
- Decreased the length of the magazine rotation animation from 1.1s to 0.8s, effectively speeding up the weapon’s fire rate when firing more than four shots[/*]
- Updated magazine rotation animation so it’s a little easier to see[/*]
- Updated recoil pattern slightly, to retain approximately the same recoil behavior prior to the rate of fire reduction[/*]
Dev Note: This is a small nudge to reduce the power of the SA1216, which remains one of the most effective weapons in the game. The decrease in the length of the magazine rotation animation, as well as the updated animation, are quality of life changes that hopefully improve the readability of the weapon and make it more accessible to a wider audience. The animation change also effectively increases the weapon’s fire rate in scenarios where the player takes more than four shots
Content and Bug Fixes
Animation
- Smoothed the animation for dropping held items when blending back to the equipped item[/*]
- Fixed an issue where the wrong magazine could sometimes be inserted into the ARN-220[/*]
- Fixed an issue where the discarded magazine would launch forward when reloading the Lewis from empty[/*]
- Polished Cerberus reload and inspect animations to reduce clipping[/*]
- Fixed the M134 Minigun crouch pose during interactions to prevent your third person pose being lower than intended[/*]
- Fixed an issue where the third consecutive Spear attack animation could sometimes be skipped[/*]
- Reworked the animation for the Sword's secondary attack to better match the action, and fixed an issue where the third-person attack animation would not play correctly, causing confusion about damage for players being hit by it[/*]
- Fixed animations looking incorrect when crouching with the CL-40[/*]
- Fixed an error where the weapon could briefly show when carrying an object and vaulting at the same time[/*]
- Fixed an issue where getting eliminated with fully-charged Defibs could prevent weapon inspection after respawn[/*]
- Fixed an issue where the Sledgehammer and Spear could block the view while vaulting by lowering the weapons instead[/*]
- Updated the animation for being Winched to better show the gun-ready state at the right time to reduce confusion [/*]
- Fixed the Riot Shield sometimes blocking the view during a high vault[/*]
- Fixed an issue where the Riot Shield could briefly cover the screen during weapon swaps[/*]
- Slightly reduced visual recoil on the M11 Holographic Sight to match the Red Dot Sight[/*]
- Fixed an issue where a white "mask" could appear during emotes with some faces[/*]
Audio
- Improved audio for bots[/*]
- More Scotty and June dialogue to better reflect team performance in TDM[/*]
- Added announcer voice over when billboards light up[/*]
- Updated Cashout lines for Round 2 and Final Round[/*]
- Fixed an issue where Power Shift Overtime lines would not play[/*]
- Added new lines for Power Shift's Sudden Death phase[/*]
- Improved the audibility of single-shot weapon fly-bys, making them easier to hear when nearby [/*]
Clubs
- li>Increased the maximum Club size to 100[/*]
Contracts & Circuits
- li>Resolved issues where eliminations with the Tracking Dart and Defibrillator did not count toward elimination contracts with Gadgets[/*]
Customization & Cosmetics
- Adjusted the size of Derbies shoes when equipped on light contestants for a better fit[/*]
- Fixed camera being offset when entering Charms/Stickers/Sights screen while certain skins were equipped[/*]
- Tweaked lens material for Reflex Sight 02 to remove the yellow glow sometimes present in the shaded areas of sunny maps [/*]
- Expanded Character Customization by splitting Body Paint into new categories: Face Paint, Body Paint, Tattoos, and Nails. What was previously a single Body Paint item is now organized across these categories. Existing outfits have been updated, and players who already own relevant items will automatically receive the new options[/*]
- Fixed an issue where certain customizations could sometimes float or clip with the character when switching contestant body type prior to a game or in the Practice Range[/*]
- Fixed color issues with the Neon Nightslinger outfit to ensure team colors appear correctly to all players[/*]
- Fixed mesh stretching on the Satchel[/*]
- Fixed stuttering on the SR-84 Ghillie Canopy skin[/*]
- Fixed alignment issues between some faces and facial hair[/*]
- Fixed an issue where Stickers could partially cover Sponsor texts on the ARN-220 'Cash Chicane' and 'Active Deterrent' skins[/*]
- Fixed an issue where charms could block aim down sights on the Revolver[/*]
- Fixed the look of the cloth under the arms of the Canyon Carver Poncho [/*]
- Fixed an issue where creating new contestants could exceed the 'My Outfits' limit[/*]
Game Modes
Practice Range
- Players can now enter together with their party (up to 5 players)[/*]
- We are aware of an issue where Quick Melee does not always work in Practice Range. We are investigating the issue but a restart of the session should resolve it[/*]
Power Shift
- li>Fixed incorrect text about extended respawn timers being shown[/*]
Tutorials
- Replaced old target bots in existing tutorials with new ones[/*]
- Fixed issues where the tutorial Cashbox, Cashout Stations, or Vaults could go missing[/*]
Terminal Attack
- li>We're aware of an issue in terminal Attack mode that causes player health to be able to fully regen to the maximum health value, rather than the intended capped values. We're investigating the cause of this and will deploy a fix as soon as we can[/*]
TDM
- Tweaked backfill conditions to always allow backfill in the first round, or in later rounds with at least three minutes remaining and no team above 15 kills[/*]
- Fixed an issue where outfit selection changes for the second and third rounds weren’t working as expected[/*]
- Fixed an issue where the outfit list would disappear after changing outfits in a previous round[/*]
Gameplay
- Health Canister Carriables can now spawn in all game modes except Terminal Attack[/*]
- Fixed an issue where the state of destruction could desynchronize after a reconnect or backfill[/*]
- Fixed various issues where Cashbox, Cashout Stations, and Respawn Statues would incorrectly trigger "out of bounds" behavior [/*]
- Fixed an issue where players would not receive Support Score for healing a revived teammate[/*]
- Fixed an issue that could cause horizontal Ziplines to be placed incorrectly[/*]
- Fixed an issue where the wrong text could appear when using a respawn coin[/*]
- Adjusted hitmarker size when aiming down sights (ADS) to reduce obstruction while zooming in with the Sniper Rifle[/*]
- Fixed a very spooky issue where Statues would show up in the previous death location for 1 frame[/*]
- Resolved issues where players who died while experiencing an effect that requires team colors could sometimes default back to a neutral color[/*]
- Improved optimization to slightly reduce the feeling of being shot around corners[/*]
- Fixed an issue where the health bars of enemy players that the player had just been spectating, continued to display for a brief second after the player respawned, giving away the enemy's location in the level[/*]
- Fixed an issue where players could spawn with missing ammo if they click LMB during round start[/*]
- Fixed a rare issue where you couldn't switch the contestant you were spectating[/*]
- Fixed a rare issue where players could lose mouse input during a round[/*]
- Fixed one issue where effects, like sonar tracking, fire etc, would remain visible for far too long[/*]
Dev Note: Lingering visual effects on contestants after exposure have been haunting us for a long time! We believe we’ve fixed the most prominent cause…but some cases remain. We’ll keep chasing it and you should keep letting us know when it happens to you! Player reports have been so helpful!
Maps
General
- Las Vegas 2032 is back in the public map rotation for Quick Cash, Terminal Attack, and Ranked Tournament Dev note: We knew you were missing it. What happens in Las Vegas 2032, stays in Las Vegas 2032! [/*]
- Fixed sizes, aspect ratios on multiple THE FINALS logotypes and branding textures on all maps.[/*]
- Adjusted the health of some decor and features to better match their size and material[/*]
- Tweaked Billboard Highlight scoring to feature more varied events and show players more frequently, including a new event for last-second steals[/*]
- Fixed a bug causing destruction visuals to not appear in certain scenarios[/*]
- Updated the height of concrete beam piles to match other cover and fixed some that were indestructible[/*]
Fortune Stadium
- li>Fixed an issue where the out-of-bounds border could cut through parts of the level in Team Deathmatch[/*]
Kyoto
- Adjusted and removed several Cashout Station locations in the Bamboo Forest and near the Villa Compound water[/*]
- Carriables can now be thrown through lattice windows without fear of them bouncing back at you[/*]
Las Vegas 2032
- li>Fixes for floating signs and invisible collision[/*]
Las Vegas Stadium
- li>Minor destruction tweaks to the ALFA ACTA buildings[/*]
Monaco
- Collision cleanup of multiple Monaco assets to enhance movement, performance and traversal[/*]
- Fixed a minor issue where THE FINALS logo was cropped on the buildings[/*]
Practice Range
- li>Added Health Canister dispenser[/*]
Seoul
- Re-balanced structural strain to get more refined and varied destruction[/*]
- Fixed a rare issue where horizontal ziplines could have incorrect exit points[/*]
Skyway Stadium
- li>Fixed overlapping doors and misplaced railings in the large hotel building[/*]
Private Matches & Spectator
- Fixed an issue where assigned spectators would end up in separated sections[/*]
- Added an error message for trying to create a private lobby without being the party leader[/*]
- Fixed an issue where controllers would lose focus when entering the private match screen[/*]
- Spectator screen now correctly displays performance icons[/*]
- Fixed an issue where lobby size could be reported incorrectly for some game modes in private matches[/*]
- Fixed rare issues where spectators could end up outside the map[/*]
- Fixed an issue where the Manage Players section would not stay consistent while moving players around[/*]
- Fixed gamepad navigation and interactions not working correctly in the private matches screen[/*]
- Premade parties are now disbanded when joining a private lobby.[/*]
Settings
- Made the selection scroll to the top when restoring default settings for interface options[/*]
- Added new Text Chat settings: Background Opacity, Text Size, Toggle Channel Icons, and the ability to hide the Club Chat in-game. [/*]
- Chat and voice settings have been moved to the Social tab for easier access[/*]
- Fixed missing descriptions for several options in the Settings menu[/*]
Social
- Text Chat now supports Party, Squad, Private Lobby, and Club channels[/*]
- Added timestamps in Club chat[/*]
- Fixed an issue where the friends list would update and reorder while interacting with it[/*]
Specializations
Winch Claw
- li>Fixed an issue where winched players would not be pulled through smoke[/*]
Stability & Performance
- Fixed some of the most recurring crashes[/*]
- Optimized shader pipeline precompilation for CPUs with fewer cores[/*]
UI
- Discounts are now correctly shown on outfit icons[/*]
- Updated the look of the Cashout HUD[/*]
- Fixed an issue where a teammate's name might not display correctly after backfilling into a session[/*]
- Fixed an issue where the play button could get stuck in a cancel state when failing to join a private lobby[/*]
- Fixed an issue where images appeared stretched for a few frames in the main menu when starting the game[/*]
- Fixed an issue where store tiles could remain stuck in an upscaled state after being clicked[/*]
- Fixed a bug causing new markers to reappear unexpectedly in the Game Mode section[/*]
- Text and voice options now display consistent enabled/disabled states in the social menu[/*]
- Fixed an issue where players lost focus on the end-of-round screen, requiring a click to regain focus[/*]
- Added a “Mark All as Seen” button to quickly clear new labels from Game Mode screens[/*]
- Added mute and unmute messages to the log[/*]
- Fixed seeding display for your own team in tournament brackets[/*]
- Fixed an issue where store tiles sometimes showed a white background instead of their content[/*]
- Fixed an issue where discounts were not shown correctly on gifting buttons[/*]
- Fixed various frontend tabs that could incorrectly be moved using the mouse[/*]
- The Friends list in the gifting screen now shows online friends at the top. Friends who already own the item are grouped at the bottom but still listed above offline friends who own it[/*]
- Fixed matchmaking notification showing the wrong game mode name to teammates after picking a new mode [/*]
- Rich Presence timer now shows the full match duration instead of just the current round[/*]
- Fixed an issue where contestant icons sometimes failed to load quickly enough[/*]
- Added progression info and hotlinks for Battlepass, Career, Sponsorship, Circuits, and Contracts, along with updated visuals when returning from a match[/*]
Weapons
Spear
- li>Fixed a rare case where the spin attack would not damage nearby enemy contestants[/*]
Sword
- li>Fixed an issue that made it possible to perform an unintended extra strike with the Sword during a secondary attack, this is more commonly known as “phantom strikes” [/*]
