Explorers,
We’ll be performing an update on Friday, September 10th.
Scavengers will be unavailable for downtime starting at 8 AM PT / 4 PM BST. This downtime is expected to last for approximately 1 hour.
R.A.S.P Evacuation
You know what to expect from matches by now: teams of Explorers collect data for Mother on Earth with a single Dropship sent to evacuate the survivors after the Expedition is finished. But while competition is a healthy part of the experience, we wanted to re-evaluate that approach, exploring new strategic opportunities for different playstyles. R.A.S.P evacuations are being introduced to Expedition Mode, and offer Explorers an emergency evac route, allowing those who have completed their mission to leave on their terms.
How to Use the R.A.S.P
Explorers can use a Rescue Beacon to summon a R.A.S.P Rocket during a match for a quick evac with their Datapoints. A Rescue Beacon can be found in Item Cache (Backpack icon) camps. While you can store more than one Rescue Beacon in your Inventory, they do not stack.
When a R.A.S.P is summoned, there will be a global announcement within the match and an icon will appear on the map, alerting allies and enemy players. Interact with the R.A.S.P to start the evacuation sequence.
After starting the evacuation sequence, you have 20 seconds before the R.A.S.P leaves the planet. Anyone, allies or enemy players, who are within the evacuation zone when the countdown ends will be extracted.
Datapoints, EXP & Salvage
When you leave on the R.A.S.P, any Datapoints that you’re carrying will be banked. If any teammates don’t extract with the R.A.S.P, your banked Datapoints will contribute to their score when the match ends.
You’ll earn EXP based on your performance and amount of Datapoints banked up to when you extract. If all teammates leave on the R.A.S.P, then you’ll EXP for all collected Datapoints. However, if anyone is left behind, you won’t receive credit for any unbanked Datapoints that they are carrying.
You will only extract with the Salvage collected by any teammates leaving on the R.A.S.P. You can read more about the adjustments made to how Salvage is awarded below.
Salvage Changes
Originally, there was only one way to earn Salvage: by extracting on the Dropship. However, since the launch of Early Access, we have made it a bit less punishing, adapting it so you could receive Salvage not just by extracting, but also if you were eliminated or left on the planet.
Since then, we’ve added additional ways to earn Salvage and Research materials and components through Challenges and Battle Pass rewards. And in this update, we’re also adding a new extraction method with the R.A.S.P which will allow you to extract before the Dropship arrives.
These additional ways to earn Salvage and make progress on your Research projects have established a more meaningful and rewarding experience. To reflect that, starting with this hotfix, you will need to successfully extract in order to earn Salvage. You will keep whatever Salvage was collected by you and your teammates up to the point of extraction.
What does that mean? Let’s say that all three teammates have collected Salvage:
- Teammate A extracts on the R.A.S.P, leaving Teammates B and C behind. Teammate A will only receive the Salvage that they collected
- Teammate B and C successfully extract on the Dropship. Teammates B and C will each receive the Salvage collected by all three members of the team
Directional Sliding
Getting around the map is simple: take a vehicle, run, walk, or slide. Sliding is enjoyable but it has been limited in direction - your movement moves you forward, with adjustments to the left and right.
Directional sliding brings an entirely new dimension to sliding. Now, you’ll be able to slide forwards, backwards, or sideways! You can even jump in any direction when sliding, making it easier for course corrections when you decide to head to a different location or avoid enemy attacks.
You also control your speed when sliding. Use the directional keys to build up momentum and gain speed or ‘tap the brakes’ by reversing direction to slow down.
Sliding isn’t just for getting around the map or evading enemies. You can also slide into the enemy camp, taking out opponents with ranged or melee weapons. Using a light melee attack won’t interrupt your sliding; however, you will stop sliding if you use a heavy melee attack.
Fog of War
Storms aren’t the only hazard in Cascade Springs when Fog of War rolls in.
With Fog of War, locations on the map will be obscured until you get close to an encounter. Encounters found by teammates will also appear on your map. High value objectives, such as Sluka or Orbital Debris, Data Uplinks, R.A.S.P, and the Dropship will be visible even through the Fog of War.
When you first approach an encounter, you’ll see it pop up on your map but you won’t see many additional details. Once the encounter appears on your mini-map, more details will become clear, including the type of Cache or number of Datapoints available. You’ll also see a ring emanating from the map icon while a Keeper is engaging with it.
Depending on how you leave the encounter, the icon will show up differently on your map. If you leave without completing the objective, the icon will appear dimmed, indicating that the encounter was found but the information is out of date. Leaving after completing the objective turns the icon grey, as all resources have been depleted.
Weekly Challenges
Challenges are a way for you to earn rewards simply by playing Scavengers. With this hotfix, we’re adding Weekly Challenges to the Daily and Career Challenges.
The Challenges for the week are fixed, with every player receiving the same set of Challenges. At the start of the week, new Challenges will be added.
Hotfix Changes
- Fixed: Strike Rifle Vigor did not stun nearby enemies
- Fixed: No collision with many objects in while in Barricade Outpost
- Fixed: Sometimes unable to identify the active speaker in voice chat
- Fixed: For Horde Mode, only one Salvage per type (e.g. one Orbital Debris) would show on the rewards screen even though the players received the correct number of Salvage
- Fixed: For Horde Mode, Heavy Outlander Horde should now award correctly
- Fixed: For Horde Mode, spawning should now trigger more reliably
- Fixed: For Horde Mode, after the cutscene for Wave 3, the HUD stopped working correctly
- Changed: For Horde Mode, barriers now cost 50 Scrap, down from 75
- Changed: For Horde Mode, chests now always drop some Scrap
- Changed: For Horde Mode, Scrap from Orbital Debris decreased from 400 / 520 / 640 to 250 / 325 / 400
Keep Warm,
Midwinter