Update 4.10.0

2024.12.04

Season 4’s Finale!!

As we bid farewell to Season 4 of THE FINALS, we want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for making this season unforgettable. Your creativity, competitive spirit, continuous support and constant feedback has not only filled the Arenas with incredible gameplay, but have also made THE FINALS the world’s greatest game show! This is the last update of Season 4, and while it’s bittersweet to see it go, we couldn’t be more excited for what’s coming next. Make sure to head over to our Season 5 blog to learn more about the NEXT STAGE!

To celebrate the incredible journey we’ve shared, we’re gearing up for an unforgettable event – the Anniversary Showdown, a live-streamed extravaganza happening on December 7th. Mark your calendars and join us as we reflect on the season’s highlights, showcase epic gameplay, and maybe even drop a few surprises!

Looking ahead, Season 5 is shaping up to be something truly special, and we can’t wait to share it with you. If you’re as eager as we are, head over to our latest blog post, where we’ve teased some of the thrilling updates, fresh features, and innovative changes coming your way. Whether you’re a returning competitor or a newcomer ready to step into the action, Season 5 promises to set the stage for even more heart-pounding moments and unforgettable battles.

For those of you currently fighting your way through ranked, the ranked season will end at 8:30 a.m. CET on Thursday the 12th of December. An in-game timer has been added today to reflect that, as well.

Before we leap into the future, don’t miss out on the last store update of Season 4, featuring glistening items to commemorate this amazing chapter. Thank you for being an integral part of THE FINALS community – we can’t wait to see you in the Anniversary Showdown and beyond!

Introducing Season 5

2024.12.03

NEXT STAGE: SEASON 5

The curtain rises on Season 5 of THE FINALS this December 12th, and this time, it’s not just about new maps, modes, and mayhem. It’s also a milestone—celebrating one incredible year since the launch of THE FINALS! For four seasons, we’ve been redefining what it means to compete in the world’s greatest game show. Now, it’s time for the Next Stage.

Season 4 was a love letter to the community, bringing back the soul of Ranked Tournaments, launching the vibrant Fortune Stadium, and doubling down on everything that makes THE FINALS unique. But as we look to the future, the next year will be packed with fresh surprises, innovative features, and brand-new destinations.

Without further ado, let’s dive into what makes Season 5 the most exciting season yet!

BIENVENIDOS A BERNAL

Welcome to Bernal, the stunning new map for Season 5, brought to you by our generous sponsors! This magical town is set in the shadow of the awe-inspiring Peña de Bernal, one of the largest monoliths in the world. The Arena blends rich culture with the showstopping dynamism of THE FINALS. Traverse the narrow, cobblestone streets of its colorful colonial plaza which serves as the map’s heart, leap from rooftop to rooftop, or carve your own path right through the walls. With destructible environments, turn Bernal’s historic charm into the Arena of your dreams. Will you uncover its secrets or leave it in ruins? The choice is yours! 

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A DEADLY EXPANDED ARSENAL

Season 5 introduces two game-changing weapons that are sure to leave their mark:

• ShAK-50: A heavy-hitting rifle for the Heavy that fires two bullets per shot, delivering immense stopping power with each pull of the trigger.
  

• Cerberus 12GA: A break-action triple shotgun for the Medium loaded with incendiary shells that can set both contestants and the environment ablaze.

Along with two powerful new gadgets:

• Gravity Vortex: a deployable gadget for the Light with a remote trigger that creates a local singularity that pulls in everything around it, including objectives, players and objects.
  

• Lockbolt Launcher: a gadget for the Heavy that shoots an anchor into the environment that captures and holds up to three targets. Players are still able to move when anchored but they won’t get far.

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WELCOME TO THE CLUB

Season 5 introduces Clubs, our new social system where contestants can form groups and play together. Whether you’re a solo star or a party animal, Clubs give you a new way to connect, collaborate, and compete and beat the solo-queue-blues! 

Club features include:

• Club Bonus: Earn extra XP and Fans by competing as a team.

• Club Wall: Stay informed about your Club’s latest activities and join the chat. 

• Team-Up Requests: Find teammates for your favorite modes more easily.

This is just the beginning—we can’t wait to see how you and your Club work together to make your mark on THE FINALS.

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NEW SPONSORS, NEW LOOKS

Sponsors are taking center stage!  You’ll be able to sign with just one sponsor who will support you through the entire season, so choose wisely! 

This time, we have one returning sponsor and two new ones!  You’ll be able to pledge your loyalty to VAIIYA, DISSUN, or ISEUL-T! If you’re signing up with ISEUL-T for the second time, you’ll have access to a second tier of their high fashion reward track!

ISEUL-T

be ANYONE. be EVERYONE. be ISEUL-T.

Yun Beom-seok, CEO, encourages you once again to transcend the physical limitations of the meatspace with style.

VAIIYA

We. As One.

VAIIYA CEO, Sal Scoria, promises more than protection: “We deliver confidence. We protect you from everyone. Including yourself.”

DISSUN

Power is power, and you want it.

DISSUN CEO, Damien Vossler, reminds you that DISSUN offers you exactly what you want: raw power that makes you unstoppable and undeniable, keeping you at the center of any action.

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MORE WAYS TO PLAY

• Snowball Blitz: Celebrate the holidays with this limited-time event—a 5v5 snowball fight TDM in Monaco featuring festive contracts and rewards.
  

• Updates to Quick Cash: We’re introducing wave respawns to reduce long respawn times and keep teams together, as well as in-round loadout swapping inspired by Power Shift.
  

• Meta Overhaul: A significant balance update ensures fresh strategies and dynamic gameplay.
  

We’re also adding new ways to experience THE FINALS: 

• For those with PS5, PS5 Pro, or Xbox Series X connected to a 120Hz capable TV, Season 5 will introduce 120Hz mode for a smoother, faster gameplay experience targeting 120hz! It’s perfect for players who want to immerse themselves in THE FINALS’ high-octane competition.
  

• Last but not least, we are launching on Playstation 4! You will be able to compete in the World’s greatest gameshow on more platforms than ever before!

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HIT THE JUKEBOX

Finally, we’re commemorating THE FINALS’ first anniversary with the Jukebox, a playlist feature where you can enjoy all the music released throughout Year 1. Whether you’re gearing up for a match or reliving your favorite moments, let the music set the tone.

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Clubs are forming. The jukebox is playing. Bernal is loading in…

December 12th can’t come soon enough.

It’s time for the…
NEXT STAGE!

World Tour: Sponsor Showdown

2024.11.28

SPONSOR SHOWDOWN 

It’s the last two weeks of the Season and our sponsors are battling it out to see who can control the Arena, map by map! 

Contribute to the battle and promote your Sponsor by earning fans in the Sponsor Showdown! Any map you play across all modes will help your sponsor earn more ad space in the Arena. The look and branding of each map can be altered, based on the outcome of your matches. 

Time to paint the town blue, green, or orange! The Sponsors are counting on you! 

HOW IT WORKS 

• The Sponsor battle that has been raging all season has determined the starting points for the Showdown Standings:  

• HOLTOW takes the lead with 80 points to start 

• ISEUL-T in second place with 40 points 

• ENGIMO in third place starts at 20 points
  
  

• Each map will have a daily competition to see which sponsor is dominating the Arena by ranking them based on the average fans earned per contestant for each sponsor.
  
  

• At the end of every 24-hour period, sponsors will add points to their Showdown Standings based on their performance in each Arena location. For every map, the sponsor with the most earned Fans will get 3 points, followed by 2 points for second place, and 1 point for third. 
  
  

• You can add to your sponsor's Standing by playing any mode, not just the World Tour

REWARDS 

• All players who competed in Season 4 will receive a reward at the start of Season 5 from the sponsor with the highest Showdown Standing at the end of the Sponsor Showdown
  
  
  

Update 4.9.0

2024.11.27

Roll, rumble, and rise!

This week’s update cranks up the action with FANFARE: enjoy 200% XP for Daily Contracts and up to 150% bonus XP and Fans earned for gameplay until the end of Season 4! Whether you're chasing victories or grinding out those last rewards, now’s the time to shine.

Suit up with the Smashquaker Set for roller derby dominance, channel primal energy with the Savage Spots Set, or stay sleek and fast in the Swift Stripes Set. Prefer a cooler approach? The Eclipse Shade adds a shadowy edge to every encounter.

On the technical side, we’ve reshaped the Model 1887, boosting its pellet count and tightening its spread while reducing the damage for more precision-packed shots. Customization fixes polish up fan favorites like The Synthsprawler and Darque Mood, and performance tweaks should give your HUD a smoother shine.

Stay sharp, and keep your aim true. Now, let’s dive into the full patch notes!

Balance Changes

Weapons 

Model 1887

• Increased pellet count from 8 to 9, by adding a center pellet

• Decreased damage from 16 to 13 per pellet

• Updated pellet dispersion pattern, reducing the outer radius slightly

Content and Bug Fixes

Customization

• Fixed an issue that would cause the ‘Dye Job’ skin on the SR-84 to look different between the menus and in-game

• Fixed interaction between 'Gaucho Bolero's' Black&White effect and 'The Synthsprawler' Hairstyle

• Fixed missing pink streak in 'Darque Mood' Hairstyle

Game Modes

Ranked Tournaments

• Fixed an issue where a team’s score would not immediately update in the ‘Squad Wipe’ announcement on the HUD

Performance

• Made various optimizations to the in-game HUD that should improve client performance for some players

Weapons 

• Fixed an issue where the Recurve Bow and Throwing Knives could stop sending updates to the server, causing them to look like they were firing when they actually were not

World Tour: High-Fashion Havoc

2024.11.14

ISEUL-T Cup
Week 9: High-Fashion Havoc  

High-Fashion has never soared this high!

ISEUL-T are rounding out their sponsorship for this season by raising the stakes cashouts to brand new heights! This week our arenas are painted in ISEUL-T’s signature colors and will feature Suspended Structures and Moving Platforms! 

Additionally we’re kicking off a brand new community event where we’re challenging all of you to successfully steal 600.000 cashouts within the last minute of a match! The intensity has never been higher in The Arena.

Get ready to show off your style and stylish plays in these Arenas;

• Monaco

• Skyway Stadium

• Kyoto

• Seoul

ISEUL-T – be ANYONE. be EVERYONE. be ISEUL-T.

Update 4.8.0

2024.11.20

Shred, forge, and fix!

This week’s update cranks the volume to 11 with store items that bring the noise and some much-needed fixes to The Arena.

Take center stage with Death by Rhodents! Smash your foes in style with the Wrath of Rats Set, complete with a sledgehammer electric guitar that riffs on inspect, or embrace your inner fan with the Thrash Rat Bundle. Prefer a more refined edge? The Synthronium Forge Set lets you channel futuristic craftsmanship in every encounter.

On the technical side, we’ve tuned up a whole bunch of bugs and included some much-needed quality-of-life changes with everything from fixing the interrupt steal contract not rewarding players properly, to a new accessibility option that replaces flashbang whiteouts with blackouts.

Looking ahead: Tomorrow kicks off Week 3 of the ISEUL-T Cup, alongside a brand-new community event. Stay tuned for all the details in tomorrow’s notes!

Check out this week’s store update:

And now, let’s dig into the fixes!

Content and Bug Fixes

Animation 

• Fix for rare cases where animations could get stuck in the charge and slam pose

• Fix for animations looking wrong when quickly inspecting after throwing a carriable

Audio 

• Added a potential fix to audio issues that caused weapon sounds to loop or not make any sounds  

Contracts

• Fixed a bug with the contract for interrupting steals that would sometimes not reward players properly

Game Modes

Cashout Gamemodes

• The flashing indication on the cashout station marker now plays for everyone, regardless of which team is stealing the cashout

• Fix for vaults no longer spawning when two cashouts are completed in the exact same frame

Gameplay

• Fixed the bug that turned leaking gas canisters into shields when picked up 

• Fixed an issue that caused gamemode objects (Cashboxes, Transfer stations, etc.) to “bounce” up and down in situations where they think they are out of bounds

Maps 

Monaco

• Fixed an issue near the park shed that allowed the cashbox to fall out of the gameplay space

Kyoto

• Re-fractured wall destruction into larger chunks to reduce the amount of small-scale debris and make destruction more consistent with other maps

Kyoto, Seoul & Skyway Stadium

• Objective spawns have been added back to moving platforms and elevators  

Movement

• Fixed an issue where input could become locked when using the Mesh Shield and inverted vertical camera control

Performance & Stability

• Fixed an issue that caused the contestant selection portion of the pre-round not to show 

Security

• Added a new cheating detection rule

Settings

• Fixed characters being stretched in strange ways when using an aspect ratio narrower than 16:9

• Added an accessibility option to make the flashbang blackout the screen,  instead of a whiteout

• Added input hints to the settings menu 

Specializations

Grapple Hook

• Added improved targeting, to solve the recurring bug where the hook would hit invisible targets 

Dash

• Fixed an issue that allowed players to interrupt dashes by emoting, making them lunge further than intended

UI

• Fixed an issue where explosive damage in the damage log would show the weapon that triggered the explosion instead of the explosion itself

• Gameplay UI is hidden while in the settings menu so that it's not visible while in the Video settings

• Made sure the Matchmaking information widget snaps to the correct location in ultra-wide resolutions

• Added input hints to all items when equipping

• Added the emerald rewards on the World Tour info screen

• Fixed an issue where the wrong sponsor might be shown in the map introduction sequence

World Tour: Fashion Week

2024.11.14

ISEUL-T Cup
Week 8: Fashion Week  

Hit the Runway!

Welcome to Fashion Week! The ISEUL-T Cup continues with a passion for fashion! Dress to impress this week and submit your best look for the chance to win a prize! 

We’re partnering with THE FINALS Runway to pick the top 25 most head-turning looks! Head over to the fan-run subreddit, r/TheFinalsRunway, and read the rules to enter! Don’t forget to participate in the vote! May the most stylish contestant win! 

Let’s start the festivities! 

Stomp the catwalk in this week’s Arenas: 

• Fortune Stadium

• Monaco

• Skyway Stadium

• Vegas

ISEUL-T – be ANYONE. be EVERYONE. be ISEUL-T. 

Update 4.7.0

2024.11.13

Get in sync with the Synthsprawler and juggle your way to victory!

Get ready to turn heads in the Arena with Update 4.7!

Suit up with The Synthsprawler to bring futuristic flair to the Arena, or add a playful punch with the Playtime Payload Set for your .50 Akimbo. For those who love precision, Juggle Jam has you covered with timing-perfect animations.

Plus, we’re just a day away from Week 2 of the ISEUL-T Cup in the World Tour, and this week there’ll be a community focus on fashion! Keep an eye out for Thursday’s notes to catch all the info.

Now, let’s check out this week’s store update:

World Tour: OPENING WEEK

2024.11.07

ISEUL-T Cup
Week 7: Opening Week  

Passion for Fashion?

Today we usher in the ISEUL-T Cup, a new leg of the World Tour sponsored by ISEUL-T! 

They’ve cleaned up the arenas from last week's chaotic, frightful, spooky season and are offering us stylish arenas with standard cashout rules!

Here are this week’s Arenas: 

• Fortune Stadium

• Monaco

• Skyway Stadium

• Vegas

ISEUL-T – be ANYONE. be EVERYONE. be ISEUL-T. 

Update 4.6.0

2024.11.06

Mid-way through Season 4

It’s halftime in The Arena and we bid our second sponsor, HOLTOW, farewell and Thank You for the generous sponsorship this season! ISEUL-T are next in line and have some big shoes to fill following last week’s Trick or Treat event in the World Tour - but if anyone can do it, and in a grandiose fashion, it’s ISEUL-T.

Don't forget to keep spinning the wheel! Ticket drops end on the 13th but the event will stay live until the 15th, giving you time to spend your tickets and pick up a few last items in peace. Good luck!

This week we are bringing you some balance changes, reducing the effective range of both the Healing Beam and the Sword, while adjusting the Pike-556 to have a clearer ranged identity. There’s also a boatload of bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements coming your way, with everything from a fix for beards clipping through headwear to some much-needed performance improvements for XBOX.

Worried about what to do when the sun goes dark? Thanks to this week’s store update, and HOLTOW’s generous Insurance Set - you don’t need to worry.

Check it out here:

Now, let’s dig into the changes!

Balance Changes

Healing Beam

• Decreased max target distance from 12m to 10m

• Decreased  max healing distance from 15m to 13m

• Decreased  time before we disconnect a blocked healing beam, from 1s to 0.75s

Dev Note: We felt the existing range of the Healing Beam was causing teams to benefit from healing in combat, without the associated risks of close proximity. We feel with this closer range we open up more opportunities to counter-play teams that are healing in combat, via various Gadgets. Wherever we can, we prefer to try and solve possible balance issues via counter-play, rather than straight-up nerfs, and we think this change should offer opportunities here, but as always we’ll monitor the impact of the change and adjust as needed.  

Pike-556

• Decreased damage from 52 to 47

• Increased damage falloff multiplier at max range from 75% to 85%, increasing the damage at longer ranges

Dev Note: We felt the Pike-556 still remained too strong in close-range encounters despite the previous damage adjustments. With these changes we make the weapon less effective at closer ranges while maintaining its effectiveness at longer ranges

Pyro Grenade

• Pyro Grenades will now deal damage to shields, such as the Dome Shield and Mesh Shield

Sword

• Decreased  lunge duration of the secondary attack from 0.4 to 0.3 seconds, resulting in ~1m reduction in distance, from roughly 7m to 6m

• Decreased  the length of the secondary attack’s hit sweep by 55cm

Dev Note: These changes should decrease the effective range of the lunge attack by ~1.5m, hopefully making the Sword slightly less oppressive for players facing it. 

Content and Bug Fixes 

Animation 

• Updated player card pose for the ‘Tripwire Tango’ Emote

• Fixed an issue where the Winch Claw animation would not play when firing the main weapon

• Fixed an issue with the Throwing Knives where the player’s arms could end up in a locked state after using the secondary attack

• Made adjustments to how the sprint animations are triggered for the .50 Akimbo pistols. Previously when continuously pressing the assigned sprint button, animations would retrigger making the experience feel a bit clumsy. This should now feel smoother

• Fixed an issue where you could enter a faulty movement state when detaching from a broken ladder in the practice range

Audio 

• Fixed an issue that could cause the commentators to mention it was the first team wipe when the second team wipe of a match happened

• Fixed an issue where the Treat Hunt introduction video had the wrong audio file and incorrect subtitles

• Added more line variations when new vaults spawn, 1 minute left and 30 seconds left

• Improved delivery on June’s respawn lines

Contracts

• Players can no longer progress healing-based Contracts by restoring teammates’ health that was lost due to self-damage. Only healing damage caused by enemy players will count

• Players can now only progress revive-based Contracts by reviving teammates that were eliminated by opposing players. Reviving players who eliminated themselves will not be counted

• Fixed an issue where kills caused by throwables were not granting combat score

Customization

• Fixed an issue where beards would clip through some helmets

• Made the Tacticool charm heavier, to prevent erratic movement

• Added a leaderboard to the ÖRF backpack in-game (visible on the backpack!)

• Fixed an issue where sometimes the wrong watch was displayed 

• Fixed an issue that caused many headwear items to not be displayed on characters at a distance

• Fixed an issue where certain headwear would not fully dissolve when a contestant was eliminated

• Fixed an issue that caused emote sound effects to be played when editing player cards

• Improved the experience of equipping player card items in store bundles

• Fixed an issue that caused some weapon skins to load incorrectly, glitch in the game, or not load at all on Xbox

Game Modes

• Fixed multiple issues with outline colors on contestants

• Fixed an issue where the "being revived" prompt could get stuck on screen

• Fixed an issue where thrown Cash Boxes didn't get deposited if you died before they hit the Cashout Station

• Improved the movement behaviors of the flying saucers in the Alien Invasion gameshow event

Maps

Kyoto

• Improved collision on stepping stone paths to smooth out traversal over the available water crossings

• Reduced and consolidated the amount of exposed objectives in the Villa Compound garden to make combat more directional and less chaotic

• Small tweaks to the interior layouts of the Guest House, Training Quarters, and Residential zones with the aim of improving readability and reducing complexity

Practice Range 

• Re-introduced the suspended barrel bags 

Seoul

• Fixed an issue where several walkways in the Data Center were floating

• Fixed an issue where some ladders on the billboards were floating

• Fixed an issue where several railings in Seoul had more health than intended

General

• Fixed an issue where cobwebs on some maps could block interactions 

Performance & Stability

• Added Temporal Super-Resolution (TSR) as a new Resolution Scaling Method in the Video Settings

• Fixed an issue where large-scale destruction could lead to late-joining/reconnecting players having desynced debris on the map

• Fixed an issue that would cause severe performance degradation on Xbox Series S

UI 

• Added an option to allow players to reset or turn off tutorial hints in the settings menu, resetting hints will return players to the main menu 

• New look for the matchmaking widget

• Fixed an issue where the end-of-round progression screen for Sponsors would appear faulty for players who have reached the maximum Sponsor rank

• Fixed an issue where the ‘Blinded Opponent’ score message wouldn’t disappear until the enemy was eliminated

• Fixed an issue where environmental kills could result in a large negative score on Contracts (this issue only affected the UI, not the actual Contract progress)

Weapons 

Riot Shield

• Fixed an issue where the Riot Shield could catch on fire

Melee Attacks

• Fixed an issue where the third-person visual and audio impact effects of a melee attack would be delayed