Summary
The latest update forThe Finalsarrives, bringing additional bug fixes and balance changes to the online shooter, while also adding a limited-time Valentine’s Day-inspired event and rewards. Staying true to its live service roots, Embark continues to updateThe Finalsfrequently, both with general improvements and tweaks, as well as bringing new content for players to check out. Alongside traditional seasonal updates, Embark has also added smaller limited time modes to keep things feeling a bit fresh.
In fact, one of the updates made to the game wasn’t received well by the community, forcingEmbark to remove the Dead Go Boom evententirely. The game mode added a modifier which made defeated players explode, which naturally had dire consequences for everyone nearby. For certain classes like the Heavy, which wields a sledgehammer and can do big damage up close, the mode proved to be incredibly frustrating. As Embark takes the modifier back to the drawing board, the studio has released thelatest updateforThe Finalsand adds a new holiday twist to the online shooter.
For many players, the biggest piece of this latest update is a brand new event. With therecent Steal the Spotlight game modebeing taken down,The Finalsis celebrating Valentine’s Day with a new event and set of rewards for players to collect. The very short trailer teases a few of these items including a weapon charm, cosmetic items, as well as an emote which shows the character blowing a kiss that spawns a small heart logo. These rewards are tied to specific event contracts, aka challenges, like reviving a teammate or performing other specific actions during a match.
In addition to the new reward to chase, Update 1.8.0 also features a good number of tweaks and fixes, including a big one to what the community calls “nukes and snukes.” Essentially, players found a way to double the explosion radius and damage when placing items like C4 together on an object, which has been confirmed as not intentional and been removed with this update. In addition, Embark also enabled gravity and more realistic physics to Red Canisters with attachments, which will force them to drop faster and become far less predictable. Xbox players also got a boost with this update, as input latency on the console has been improved and themuch discussed voice chat inThe Finalsreceived a number of new tweaks and general quality of life updates.
After blazing out of the gates whenThe Finalslaunched in December 2023, the game has seen a steady decline in players. These quick updates and limited time modes are intended to hold player interest between the larger seasonal updates, though based on new Steam numbers, it doesn’t appear to be working as much as hoped. At the end of January,The Finalsplayer numbers dropped by 80% on Steam, a concerning number for a game that is still relatively new. With more big releases set to launch in the months ahead, it’ll be interesting to see if Embark can keep building momentum, especially with the console versions.
The Finals
WHERE TO PLAY
Viewers at home, here’s the news you’ve been waiting to hear: THE FINALS is accepting new contestants, and that means YOU! That’s right, soon the world could be watching YOU tear apart our newest dynamic arenas and seize everlasting fame!As you know, THE FINALS is the world’s greatest free-to-play combat game show! Our contestants plug in to our virtual world and join teams in escalating tournaments. They fight it out in our beautifully-rendered arenas based on real-world locations that they can alter, exploit, and even destroy.Sure, you can aim and shoot, but contestants that add our carefully curated virtual environments to their arsenal are more likely to advance, so do anything you can imagine in the name of victory! Burn arenas to the ground! Send wrecking balls crashing into your opponents! Don’t just pull triggers - pull down buildings!
