Patch Notes v1-0-1783

Firefall has gone through many changes over the last six months. Due to the nature of those changes and the inter-connected nature of the systems involved, it is not possible to provide a comprehensive changelist for every weapon, ability, item, or system. As such, these patch notes may be missing some details, but provide an overall view at what you can expect in this version of Firefall.

Patch Highlight

 * We’re happy to announce we are now available via Steam! You now have the option of using the stand alone launcher or installing to Steam.
 * Sertao has been added to the open world intended for levels 25-37.
 * Devil's Tusk (formerly known as Diamondhead) is now primed to be fully unlocked.
 * Kanaloa has surfaced! Be sure to check out our first maximum level raid boss encounter!
 * Players are now able to accept ARES Jobs. These jobs are available for players of any level from corresponding ARES Job boards at the POIs.
 * Resources have been simplified. There will no longer be 1000 different quality levels for 16 different resources. Instead we have opted to switch to a more traditional resource system which has varying rarities depicted by color (white, green, blue, purple or orange).
 * Battleframes now advance in levels rather than constraints. Maximum level will be reached at 40.
 * Permanent item loss has been removed.
 * Due to the nature of the work performed on core systems, many items have been either migrated to fit the new system, converted into salvage, converted to Crystite, or removed depending on the item. Check the migration list for full details here: http://forums.firefallthegame.com/community/threads/item-migration-information-and-inventory-limits.4047121/
 * Players can now create 20-player groups called “Platoons”.

Battleframes & Combat

 * Battleframes now advance in levels rather than constraints. Maximum level will be reached at 40.
 * Context: Path to Launch Blog #1
 * Battleframe movement and energy have been adjusted to grant more mobility at lower levels.
 * With the removal of constraints the way pilot tokens are earned has been adjusted. Players will now gain 10 pilot tokens upon reaching max level with any battleframe.
 * All secondary weapons now have a near-infinite amount of ammo.
 * Context: We realized running out of ammo just isn’t fun so we decided to raise the ammo of secondary weapons to a huge amount so players won’t ever feel “defenseless”.
 * Melee attacks no longer require an equipped perk. This allows all battleframes access to melee without having to spend precious perk points that could be used elsewhere.
 * Melee damage scales on power rating and deals double damage when used from behind a target.
 * All frames now progress visually when they advance in levels. At certain level intervals the frames will gain additional pieces of visual armor so that other players can see your strength!
 * All battleframes now have a “power rating” which gives the players an easy way to view their overall strength. Think of this stat as your traditional strength/dex/intellect score from other MMOs but instead of multiple damage stats you only need to worry about one. Power rating directly affects your weapon damage as well as ability damage/healing.
 * Context: Path to Launch Blog #1
 * Sprint animations have been updated for all battleframes.
 * Battleframe passives have been converted into Perks.
 * Out of combat health regeneration for players has been increased.

Perks:


 * Perk points have been revised to a simpler number. Players now can obtain up to 21 perk points. Each perk will cost either 1, 2, 5 or 8 points to equip based on perk tier.
 * Chosen Hunter – 1 point - Awarded from Scourge of the Chosen Achievement – Increases damage dealt to chosen targets by 10%.
 * Ambush – 1 point – Nighthawk level 10 unlock – Nighthawk restricted – While not acquired by enemy SIN, the Nighthawk’s shots gain extra damage.
 * Auxilliary Tanks – 1 point - Tigerclaw level 10 unlock – Tigerclaw restricted – Grants the Tigerclaw bonus energy regeneration when an ability is used.
 * Conduit – 1 point - Raptor level 10 unlock – Raptor restricted - Each hit of the charge rifle grants a stack of Conduit. Upon reaching three stacks, the next ability becomes empowered. Using an empowered ability consumes all stacks.
 * Dynamic Relay – 1 point – Electron level 10 unlock – Electron restricted – Dealing damage increases the strength of the Electron’s shields, applied shields increase the Electron’s rate of fire.
 * Incinerator – 1 point – Firecat level 10 unlock – Firecat restricted – Targets that are hit by the Firecat’s abilities are briefly set on fire, dealing damage over time.
 * Munitions – 1 point – Arsenal level 10 unlock – Arsenal restricted – Each ability use provides the Arsenal with additional ammo.
 * Rally – 1 point – Dragonfly level 10 unlock – Dragonfly restricted – Dealing damage increases the Dragonfly’s healing output, healing targets increases the Dragonfly’s damage output.
 * Nanite Absorption – 1 point – Assault level 10 unlock - Assault restricted – Gain additional healing when picking up or using health packs.
 * Imminent Threat –1 point – Mammoth level 10 Unlock – Mammoth restricted - Nearby enemies take additional damage.
 * Necrotic Poison – 1 point – Recluse level 10 Unlock – Recluse restricted - Dealing poison damage applies poison effect to enemy targets that reduces the target’s damage output.
 * Overseer – 1 point - Bastion level 10 Unlock – Bastion restricted - Nearby deployables take 30% less damage.
 * Personal Shield – 1 point - Rhino level 10 Unlock – Rhino restricted - Using any ability grants the user a small damage shield.
 * Repairing Nanites – 1 point – Accord Engineer level 10 Unlock – Engineer restricted - Deployables will attempt to heal upon dropping lower than 30% health.
 * Regenerative Plating – 1 point – Accord Recon level 10 unlock – Recon restricted – Grant a short burst of health after a kill or assist.
 * Resilient Plating – 1 point – Dreadnaught level 10 Unlock – Dreadnaught restricted - Gain additional health regeneration when health drops below 25%.
 * Siphoning Unit – 1 point – Biotech level 10 unlock – Biotech restricted - Heals the user for a percentage of damage dealt to targets.
 * Prototype plasma has been removed.
 * Invigorate – 5 points - Assault level 30 Unlock – Activating any ability increases movement speed and attack speed for the user and nearby allies.

Assault:


 * Overcharge has been reworked. Overcharge now grants increased rate of fire and unlimited ammo for the duration of the ability.
 * Soaring Afterburner is no longer an ability that can be created in the game.
 * Context: Soaring Afterburner was enabling movement beyond what was intended by design for players.

Tigreclaw:


 * Disruption is now a front-facing cone attack with a small knockback with an appropriate visual effect.
 * Tigerclaw’s Missile Shot is now instantly fired without using ammo from the primary weapon and has damage which scales by the ability’s level rather than the weapon the tigerclaw is using. It will also deal bonus damage to targets under 50% of their maximum health.

Firecat:


 * Thermal wave is now a front-facing cone attack with a small knockback with an appropriate visual effect.
 * Immolate has an updated visual effect.

Dreadnaught:


 * Turret Mode now inflicts a brief cooldown after it is disengaged, and no longer increases damage per round.

Mammoth:


 * Teleport shot now teleports the player if it reaches max distance without hitting terrain or an enemy.

Rhino:


 * Rhino’s Charge now grants temporary knockback immunity and allows the Rhino to pass through enemies. It also knocks back, snares, and damages any enemies near the Rhino.

Engineer:


 * Female engineers will no longer suffer during cold weather. We realized we could rebuild them, we have the technology. As a result: Female engineers now have two full pant legs.

Accord Engineer:


 * The Accord Engineer’s primary weapon has been changed to the Tesla Rifle. We wanted all engineers to have access to repair deployables, so the decision was made to offer the Tesla Rifle to the accord engineer battleframe which in turn allows all advanced Engineer battleframes to attain this weapon as well.
 * Heavy Turret accuracy has been greatly improved to increase usability.
 * Context: Previously Heavy Turret had a wide spread range which caused the turret to have major issues hitting small targets from a distance resulting in lower damage output and less fun overall. This should help the engineer perform more competitively with other frames.
 * Updated Heavy Turret to have a visually distinct “effective range” so players can easily visualize the turret's range potential.
 * Heavy turret now has a base duration of 120 seconds, modifiable by modules.
 * Players can now have more than one heavy turret when modified by modules.
 * HKM Supply Station is no longer an ability that can be created in the game.
 * Context: HKM Supply Station was enabling players to charge HKMs much faster than intended.

Bastion:


 * The Bastion’s primary weapon has been changed to the sticky grenade launcher. This allows the bastion to have a strong combat weapon without being restrictive to the other engineer frames due to being the only engineer with a weapon that can repair.
 * Multi-turrets now have a base duration of 120 seconds, modifiable by modules.

Accord Recon:


 * SIN Beacon now has the potential for multiple charges (similar to Trail Blaze or Multi-Turret). Maximum amount of charges can be modified by Deployment Modules.
 * Cryo Grenade now has the potential for multiple charges (similar to Trail Blaze or Multi-Turret). Maximum amount of charges can be modified by Deployment Modules.

Nighthawk:


 * The Nighthawk's Sniper Rifle will now do 30% bonus damage on critical hit volumes such as headshots.

Raptor:


 * Overload will now properly override the player’s ammo on their current primary weapon rather than granting a temporary charge rifle. This allows Overload to be used with the R36 as well as the charge rifle.

Player VS Environment
New Player Experience:


 * Added introduction area before the Copacabana instance where players can move at their own pace, view basic battleframes, adjust key bindings and learn the movement controls.
 * Updated the narrative on the Copacabana instance to match the overall Firefall story line.
 * Added a guided new user introductory quest line to help players understand the open world of Firefall.

Open World:


 * ARES jobs are now available from the local ARES job boards! 300+ new jobs have been added to the open world.
 * Context: Path to Launch Blog #3
 * Sertao has been added to the world as a progression zone.
 * Sertao is meant for levels 25 through 36 and is connected to Coral Forest. Players will experience a fast zone transition when walking between these two zones.
 * Devil's Tusk (formerly known as Diamondhead) is now primed to be fully unlocked.
 * Devil’s Tusk is designed for levels 37-40. Players will receive a mission that will send them to Devil’s Tusk when at the appropriate level. Arcporters to Devils Tusk are also available in Copacabana, Trans Hub and Sunken Harbor.
 * Devil's Tusk will start out mostly covered by the Melding, and will be unlocked by players in stages.
 * Dark Crystite will be required for creating Dark Crystite Cores for the first unlock of Devil's Tusk.
 * Infused Dark Crystite will be required for creating Infused Dark Crystite Cores for the second unlock of Devil's Tusk.
 * Powered Dark Crystite will be required for creating Powered Dark Crystite Cores for the final unlock of Devil's Tusk, permanently unveiling the area in its entirety for players to enjoy.
 * When players donate the respective (Infused/Powered) Dark Crystite Cores for their respected areas, they will be placed on the leaderboard shown for unlocking the zone permanently.
 * New monsters have appeared across Sertao and Devil’s Tusk, some of which have been shown in our Creature Feature blogs while others will be entirely brand-new!
 * Numerous world building updates and changes.
 * Updated town NPC animations, emotes and poses.
 * Antartica and Sargasso Sea have been closed down for the time being as they are currently unfinished and not used in current content.
 * The Melding now has an enhanced visual effect which is much closer to our original concepts.

Creatures:


 * Creatures in the open world now regenerate HP out of combat.
 * There are a multitude of new creatures entering the world of Firefall, some of which may be familiar and others which may be a total surprise. Some of these creatures have been shown via our Creature Feature blogs but other existing creatures have also had some updates! Last we heard those bandits factions were getting particularly creative in their weaponry.

Campaign:


 * Chapter 1 of our episodic campaign is now available in its entirety.
 * Bandit Caverns are now part of the campaign series and have been renamed Subterranean Caverns.
 * Blackwater Anomaly has been reworked narratively to complete Chapter 1, along with a new boss fight.
 * Campaign Points have been removed, campaign missions will now be unlocked at specific levels (one-time unlock per character).
 * Context: Path to Launch Blog #4

Instances:


 * An all new max level platoon instance “Kanaloa’s Lair” has been added to Devil’s Tusk. Prepare to face off with one of our first Titans released!
 * Baneclaw has been updated and moved to a platoon instance in Devil’s Tusk.
 * Kanaloa and Baneclaw both have 7 day lockout timers.
 * The Devil’s Tusk melding pushback event is available as a max level replayable platoon instance after completing the pushback event in the open world.

Player VS Player

 * Open world PVP consists of 3 or more ‘sanctioned’ teams – The number of teams will automatically increase as the teams become more full. Each team can consist of up to 20 players.
 * A Sanctioned team fights under the moniker of one of the corporations (Omnidyne-M, Astrek Association, etc.)
 * When you join Broken Peninsula you will automatically be put onto one of the sanction teams (with your friends if you join as a squad)
 * There are 6 outposts and 9 towers.
 * All bases and towers are able to be captured by players by destroying their protective objectives and interacting with the command terminal.
 * When you interact with a command terminal of a location that is not owned by you it will start a capture timer (2 to 5 minutes) that counts down to 0. When the timer reaches 0, the attacking team will gain control of the objective.
 * Controlling a base/tower provides you the following:
 * Spawn Point – IF you die in the Peninsula, you will respawn at the closest place that your team owns to where you died.
 * Access to SRT thumpers – Short Range Thumpers that are position able anywhere within the SIN radius of that location.
 * (**Thumpers crafted by players cannot be used to deposit resources at owned bases in Broken Peninsula**)
 * SRT Thumpers deposit their resources INTO the location that you got the SRT from, not player inventories.
 * These locations will periodically send ‘back’ the resources that you put into them to New Eden by arcporting --- which will give them to you PERMANENTLY.
 * The team that controls the base WHILE the arcport completes splits the haul amongst the team.
 * Any resources that you collect are TEMPORARY in your inventory until you deposit them into an arcporter and successfully defend them for the duration of the arcport, at which point you will see a reward message with your share of the loot.
 * Players will DROP all temporary resources AND a crystite resonator on death.
 * Player can use Crystite resonators to upgrade bases, making them tougher to capture (more objectives) and provide access to better technology ( SRTs, Thumpers, Vehicles.)
 * Context: Path to Launch Blog #7

Crafting

 * We have simplified the resource system to no longer use a 1000 quality system. The new resource system uses three different categories of materials: metals, electronics and biomaterials. Metals can be gained from thumping, electronics are gained from salvaging bandit and chosen drops and biomaterials are gained from killing creatures in the open world.
 * Context: Path to Launch Blog #2
 * All crafted gear will now have a randomized prefix attached which will slightly boost one specific stat depending on the prefix.
 * Players will no longer be required to specialize in a profession in order to craft or research specific items. The end result is a player can research as much as they'd like and have access to all items they have researched at any time.
 * Updated the research menu to be more manageable. Upon selecting the crafting type, a subcategory menu will be shown. The recipes of the selected subcategory will be shown to the right of the subcategory menu.

Items

 * With the updates to resources, items no longer rely upon quality levels either. Instead we have opted to go with a much more conventional approach using color to represent quality level (green = uncommon, blue = rare, etc.).
 * Context: Path to Launch Blog #1
 * Some equipment now comes with module slots. Modules are a new item that can be slotted into the player’s existing gear to raise power rating as well as boosting other stats. Some example modules would be increased rate of fire, increased damage or reduced cooldown. Modules drop as loot from killing enemies or are rewarded from jobs and missions.
 * Permanent item loss has been removed. In the new system gear will still have durability and need occasional repairs, but the gear will no longer be able to be destroyed from use. Players can repair at any garage terminal for crystite.
 * Item drops are now much more prevalent in the world. This will help players who are not crafters in still being able to attain gear from drops or missions and jobs.
 * Summoned pets no longer collide with players, stop bullets or otherwise interfere with player actions.
 * LGVs now have different ratings: "Average", "Above Average" and "Excellent". These vehicle stats affect handling, vehicle hit points and movement speed. All existing LGVs purchased with red beans will have the "Excellent" handling and movement speed ratings, with 3,000 vehicle hit points. The end result for existing LGVs is players should experience no change in their performance with this update.
 * All weapons now have various appearances and warpaints, as well as unique inventory icons.
 * Servos, plating and jumpjets have been combined into one item called a “Core”. The player’s core will determine their overall move speed, jump height and health. This puts players in a position of deciding between having higher health and being able to take the hits directly or to have higher mobility and be able to completely avoid the incoming damage.
 * Players now gain reputation vouchers from completing ARES Jobs at specific POIs. These vouchers can be spent at the corresponding POI for higher rarity weapons and abilities that match the POI’s level range.
 * Shell Fragment have been renamed to Reflective Shell.

Daily Login Rewards:


 * Day 1: +5% XP for the next hour.
 * Day 2: +5% XP and crystite for the next hour.
 * Day 3: +5% XP, Crystite and Reputation Vouchers for the next hour.
 * Day 4: +10% XP, +5% Crystite and Reputation Vouchers for the next hour.
 * Day 5+: +10% XP, Crystite and Reputation vouchers for the next hour.
 * Context: Path to Launch Blog #4

Glider Changes:


 * All deployable gliders used from a player’s inventory now have a 120 second shared cooldown.
 * Two gliders, the Adventurer’s Glider Pad and the Accord Emergency Glider, also have individual cooldowns which are longer.
 * The individual cooldown on the Adventurer’s Glider Pad has been reduced from 60 Minutes to 30 Minutes.
 * The Reusable Glider Pad has been renamed to the Quicksilver Glider Pad.
 * It now has a special attribute: ‘Quickened’. For each Quickened glider you own, the shared cooldown of all of your gliders is reduced by 3 seconds.
 * The Cherub Glider Pad now has a special attribute: ‘Lofty’.
 * For each Lofty glider you own, the height at which you are lifted on activating any glider is slightly increased.
 * Players with an active VIP membership now receive two seconds of increased acceleration upon activating a glider.
 * All glider changes are retroactive to existing gliders.

Credits System:


 * Players may give Crystite to the Accord in exchange for credits. This is done in the Currency Exchange interface, accessible from the Marketplace or the menu bar.
 * Credits are the currency used for the Marketplace and for many premium services in game.
 * Credits are not earned directly from missions.
 * Credits may also be used to purchase Red Beans from other players on the Currency Exchange.
 * More details about the credit system can be found here

Red Bean Cafe

 * VIP membership will now provide 25% bonus crystite, 25% bonus XP, 25% more rep vouchers, +2 crafting workbench slots, +8 market slots as well as access to the VIP Boosted Glider Pad.
 * There are now a total of four tokens for use in the Vending Machines:
 * Copper Vending Token – Earned from ARES Jobs with a small chance to give Silver level rewards.
 * Silver Vending Token – Craftable via the manufacturing station.
 * Gold Vending Token – Purchased from the Red Bean Store.
 * Red Bean Reward Token – Granted with purchases of certain Red Bean Packs.
 * Red Bean Reward Tokens are granted for purchasing Red Beans.
 * The rewards from the Red Bean Reward Tokens cannot be received by using other tokens.

Social

 * Players are now able to form large squads called “Platoons” along with their own platoon chat channel. Platoons can have up to 20 players in them and are used mainly for Platoon instances as well as open world PVP. Please note: Platoons do not currently support VOIP, need/greed or resource splitting.


 * We have added a “Need vs. Greed” loot system. When in a squad, the squad leader can set various factors which decide which loot can be rolled on. Players pick either need or greed and if any player in the group picks need they get first roll on the item (along with any others who picked need). The highest roll wins the item.

User Interface

 * Mouse mode toggle key default has been moved to Left-ALT by default.
 * Added an XP bar below the ability, calldown, health and ammo Heads Up Display.
 * The current equipped battleframe's current level will show below its icon in the upper left corner of the screen (a red arrow underneath the level denotes that the battleframe's power level is currently downscaled to the displayed level to accommodate the zone level).
 * Entity plates have been updated.
 * Battleframe icons are now shown above players' heads in the world, in squad or in platoon (previously only the archetype was displayed).
 * Activity tracker has been updated with several interface options.
 * Frame icons displayed on the world map and radar will now accurately reflect the specific frame, not just the frame archetype. I.E. – players will now specifically see a Mammoth icon instead of a Dreadnaught icon.
 * World map and minimap now show main roads.
 * Minimap is much sharper now.

Garage:


 * The Garage interface has been updated to be easier to use and fit our new gear such as cores.
 * A Garage Station is still required to configure Perks and repair equipment.
 * Players can now equip weapons, abilities, cores and modules on the fly in the field without requiring a Garage Station.
 * The player’s paperdoll has received an update which allows players to open the paper doll while out in the field and equip any new equipment without needing to return to the garage.
 * The Paint Shop (covering warpaints, patterns and decals) and New You (covering all character-based cosmetics) can be accessed from a Garage Station.
 * Battleframes can still be unlocked at the Garage by clicking the "Battleframes" button. This will bring up a new window, "Battleframe Progression" that will display your Red Bean balance and the amount of Pilot Tokens you have accumulated. Click on the "Unlock" button on the desired premium battleframe you wish to unlock.
 * The "Battleframe Progression" window will also show a progression bar for all owned battleframes.

Mailbox & Trading:


 * The Mailbox now gives players the ability to send items to other players in their army or on their friends list. In order to trade, players must be friends with the recipient or army for a minimum of 3 days.
 * Currencies (such as Red Beans, Credits, Crystite, Vouchers) and resources may not be traded via the Mailbox.

Inventory Interface:


 * Our inventory UI has been updated and had multiple performance improvements. List and grid view are available (default view is grid).
 * The inventory is divided between "Inventory" (showing all items that count towards your inventory limits), and "Reusable items" (these are reusable calldowns that do not count towards your inventory limit).
 * The gear button next to the search field allows for quick filters for your inventory.
 * The inventory is also searchable for specific items.

Inventory Category:


 * Inventory listings are separated by the following categories, in order: Primary Weapons, Secondary Weapons, Abilities, Battleframe Cores, Weapon Modules, Modules, Consumable Items, Crafting Components, Salvage, and Unlocks.
 * The bottom right side of the inventory shows a snapshot of your major currencies: Crystite, Credits and Red Beans. Mouseover this area to display all owned currencies (including vouchers, tokens, research points, etc.).
 * The bottom left side of your inventory shows your inventory count.
 * Inventory limit created at a base of 155. Further inventory slots can be purchased with Red Beans by clicking the bag button.
 * Players can salvage multiple items simultaneously quickly. When the salvage menu is open, left clicking on an item in inventory will add the item to the salvage queue. Clicking the (x) in the upper right corner of the icon in the salvage queue will remove that item from the salvage queue.
 * Click the check mark to perform the salvage operation.
 * Clicking the salvage button while the salvage queue is open will hide the salvage queue, but not clear it.

Reusable Items Category:


 * This category will house items such as Thumpers, Vehicles, Pets and deployables (gliders, jump pads, etc.).
 * Items in this section do not count towards your inventory count.

Marketplace:


 * The Marketplace has been redesigned to be easier to use and more efficient at returning the results the player requests.
 * Marketplace categories are now listed on the left of the Marketplace interface for ease of finding desired items.
 * The Marketplace now has the ability for players to place buy orders. Buy orders are set up by players who want an item but don’t see one at the price they desire. Buy orders can be viewed by other players and fulfilled via the Marketplace.
 * All trading that takes place on the Marketplace now uses Credits as a currency.
 * Added a Currency Exchange to the Marketplace. This is the area used to convert Crystite to Credits, exchange Credits for Red Beans, and display your exchange history.

Activity/Objective Tracker:


 * A new UI component has been added which tracks thumper status and health in clear view along the side of the player’s screen. This will help with messaging and prevent players from constantly having to try to read the SIN card attached to the thumper to find out how they are doing.
 * The activity tracker has had a major overhaul which removed wandering encounters and ARES missions from appearing and added in ARES Jobs and missions. This allows players to easily track what mission or job they are currently working on and still enables them to engage with nearby content without losing track of what they were doing.

Travel Interface:


 * The travel interface, which is accessed at Armored Dropships or Arcporters, has been updated.
 * The Campaign tab is used to select between repeatable campaign instances.
 * The Missions tab is used to travel to non-campaign instances.
 * The Travel tab is used to travel to Broken Peninsula, Sertao, Devil's Tusk and Coral Forest.

Performance:


 * Various Performance and memory optimizations.