The Finals Update Adds New Features to Private Matches and Other Game Improvements

Embark Studio releases Update 2.1.0 for The Finals, further fleshing out the Private Match mode, fixing a ton of recent bugs, and making other general improvements to the rest of the game. Season 2 of The Finals has seemingly given new life to Embark’s online shooter, a game which saw massive growth out of the gate but had started to experience a lot of drop off from players. However, season 2 provided a big refresh to the core experience, and so far, seems to be a hit with fans.

New content, including a map called SYS$HORIZON, has provided a fresh experience by leaning heavier into a glitchy, neon-inspired visual style. New tools, like the Destabilizer, which can temporarily erase surfaces, joins with the antigravity cube, Data Reshaper, and portals, add a bit of chaos to matches, giving players more creativity and freedom to approach combat. Not only that, a new game mode called Power Shift offers the most unique experience in The Finals yet, with two teams attempting to control a level-destroying platform. However, Season 2 was just the start, as Embark has released the first update.

For many players, the biggest part of this update is that Embark has made good on its promise to continue fleshing out the recently added Private Match mode. Originally part of The Finals big Season 2 update, Private matches were introduced as fairly barebones, with new settings and features planned to continually be added over time. Update 2.1.0 makes good on that promise by introducing the first of many new features with a map selector, giving players the option to select the arena of their choice when setting up these matches. Three bugs were also fixed relating to Private matches, including a softlock resulting from players being able to bypass the Crossplay ON requirement.

Outside of Private Matches, Update 2.1.0 also makes substantial quality of life improvements through bug fixes, weapon balancing for the SA1216, GLitch Grenade, and Glitch traps, while also enhancing security features with a new 3-strike ban system. The newly added Power Shift game mode in The Finals has also received some general improvements as well. Specifically, the maps Skyway Stadium and Monaco have received tweaks to Power Shift in that spawns have been updated, new arena features like jump pads and zip lines have been added, and other fixes implemented.

Momentum seems to be back on the side of The Finals, with many fans wondering what else could be around the corner to keep the community thriving. One thing that most players can agree on, however, is that with the introduction of Power Shift, The Finals continues to showcase why it remains a game with the most impressive physics-powered engines available.

The Finals Update 2.1.0 Patch Notes

BUG FIXES & ADDITIONS

Private matches

• Players can now select the map when starting a private match
• Players will no longer be stuck trying to join the game server after leaving a private lobby
• Fixed an issue where party members with different crossplay settings could be unable to leave private match lobbies
• Fixed a bug where players could bypass the “Crossplay ON” requirement for private matches, which resulted in a softlock

Console

• Crash fix for audio-related crash

Power Shift

• Monaco:
  • Fixed jump pads clipping the streets on low/medium/high settings
  • Added a short zip line to the closed alleyway next to the cathedral to make traversal smoother
  • Polished placement and orientation of spawn points
• Skyway Stadium:
  • Added jump pad outside the construction spawn area
  • Tweaked spawns to sit less close to edges
• General:
  • Fixed objective count score in the summary screen

Maps

• Performance and polish on SYS$HORIZON
• Adjusted collision on ceiling blocker to prevent players from getting stuck above the library when using the gateway gadget in SYS$HORIZON
• Moved a spawn location in the corner of Monaco near the Hotels that was creating imbalanced scenarios in some game modes
• Fixed incorrect destruction effect on trees in SYS$HORIZON
• Fixed missing destruction effects on concrete fences in Seoul
• Fixed missing destruction effects in multiple assets in the tutorial

Weapons & Gadgets

• Fixed bug with inconsistent damage when multiple explosives were triggered at the same time by C4s and breaching charges as opposed to multiplied melee damage
• Fixed an issue that made recoil on burst weapons not behave as intended
• Fixed Gateway ammo not being properly refunded when being thrown into an APS
• Fixed hovering objects after transmutation
• Blocked transmutation on friendly carriables
• Improved zipline behavior to better match the intended exit point and direction of the player
• Improved the dematerializer ability to dematerialize/rematerialized objects when multiple objects are close to each other
• Removed the ability to equip the mesh shield during defib revive

Art

• Updated the shoulder-length hairstyles to avoid clipping
• Fixed oversized ÖRF Sweater to prevent the sleeves from blocking ADS

UI/UX

• Social syncs will not be excluded if a user is already logged in
• Fixed a bug that would cause carriable objects to weigh more if they had an active Ping marker attached to them
• Fixed incorrect text on certain contracts
• Fixed overflowing text in item tutorial videos

Audio

• Fixed seek-to-start time not working
• Corrected the audio for the Season vignette video

BALANCE

Weapons

• SA1216
  • Decreased fire rate from 230RPM to 200RPM
  • Decreased damage per pellet from 7 to 6

Gadgets

• Glitch Grenades
  • Changed glitch grenades to trigger on impact when they hit mesh shields and dome shields — on other surfaces, they will still bounce
• Glitch Traps
  • Changed glitch traps to trigger on impact when they hit mesh shields and dome shields

SECURITY

• Improved prevention and detection
• Added ban progression with a 3-strike system

The Finals

Framed as a game show, The Finals is a free-to-play multiplayer shooter that also supports melee combat. Embark’s FPS emphasizes destruction along with teamwork.

Released

December 8, 2023

Developer(s)

Embark Studios

Publisher(s)

Embark Studios

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Violence