June 17, 2020 - Enter: Colossus (PC Update)

PC servers will come down Wednesday, June 17, 2020, at 6am PT (1pm GMT), for the game update below. Downtime is expected to last up to two hours.

"Reactor priming. Commencing exercise Bravo 2, Skylance field deployment."

The vehicle settled for a brief moment, as if to take a breath. Pneumatic stabilizers anchored themselves into the sand below as the scraping of metal and whirring of mechanical gears signaled the main cannon's transformation.

"Reactor at critical mass. Skylance operational at all levels, no issues with deployment. Commencing exercise Bravo 3, Skylance firing test."

- Communications log of an unknown Nanite Systems operator.


Colossus Tank
The Colossus Heavy Tank, a massive, 5-seated combat platform, has been deployed to the battlefields of Auraxis. Capable of transforming into a powerful anti-Bastion Skylance Battery, a deployed Colossus emits a hardened shield bubble that can protect allies nearby. Advanced Nanite Transports (or ANTs) can also assist the Colossus by restocking its deployed shield with the Cortium that powers it.

The Skylance fires a piercing beam that passes through vehicles, and can strike any of the Bastion Fleet Carrier's weakpoints from the ground, and a special HUD assists in targeting. The strength of the Skylance is so powerful that it damages the Colossus' structural integrity while doing so, requiring allied support to keep the vehicle operational.

Outfits construct this vehicle as a War Asset within the Outfit Armory, and deploy it from special terminals located at allied Warpgates and Tech Plants. Each Colossus can be customized by the operator, and a variety of weapons and enhancements are available to unlock with the Outfit-based Merit currency.





Outfit Logs
Outfits now have access to a "Logs" page that keeps track of notable Outfit events, like recruiting members, crafting and deploying War Assets, and capturing bases for your outfit.





Facility Modules
We've expanded upon the War Asset system to bring a new type of strategic element to Auraxis.



Outfits can now craft Facility Modules that impart region-wide benefits, and most previously existing facility benefits have been rolled into this new feature.

Current Facility Modules available:

• Phalanx Auto-Repair - Phalanx turrets installed at this base will repair themselves overtime. Even when destroyed or under attack.
• Infantry Health Regen - While in the region, allied soldiers gain passive health regeneration.
• Light Vehicle Discount - Harasser assault buggies and Flash ATVs cost 30% less Nanites when pulled from this facility.
• Support Vehicle Discount - Sunderers and ANTs cost 30% less Nanites when pulled from this facility.
• Mobile Armor Discount - Lightnings and Main Battle Tanks cost 30% less Nanites when pulled from this facility.
• Light Aircraft Discount - Empire Specific Fighters and Valkyrie Aircraft cost 30% less Nanites when pulled from this facility.
• Heavy Aircraft Discount - Liberator Gunships and Galaxy Air Transports cost 30% less Nanites when pulled from this facility.
• Phalanx Combat Improvements - Phalanx turrets at the facility gain infrared zoom optics and can fire for longer before overheating

As a part of this feature's introduction, we've adjusted the rules for spawning MBT and Liberator.

• Liberators and Main Battle Tanks no longer rely on the Tech Plant benefit to be pulled.
• Liberators can now always be pulled from Outposts with Air Pads available.
• Main Battle Tanks can now only be pulled from Large Outposts and Facilities.

Assets are deployed through the Waypoint system.



You can see which benefits are active at a facility through the TAB key scoreboard.



Bastion Fleet Carrier
Resistances

• Bastion weakpoints from 15000 Health/5000 Shield to 17500 Health/2500 Shield.
• Bastion weakpoint shield recharge cooldown from 12 seconds to 20 seconds.
• Resist type 5 (light anti-vehicle) from -100 to -150.
• Resist type 7 (tank cannon) from -25 to -200.
• Resist type 23 (air to ground warhead) from 0 to -25.

Dev Note: Changes here should make the Bastion a more susceptible to chip damage, and increases damage from more weapon types.

Bug Fixes

• Mauler Cannons now use a different icon on the death screen.
• MAX units can no longer pilot the Bastion Fleet Carrier, or its Interceptors.
• Bastion Interceptors now have consistent first and third person projectile origin.
• Fixed an issue where Bastion Interceptors could swivel their weapons in first person.

Merit Deployables
Flash XS-1
The Flash XS-1 now uses a schematic like other Merit items, and can be restocked from the loadout screen.

Aux Spitfire
We've replaced the Aux Spitfire with the Ordnance Dampener tactical slot equipment.

Ordnance Dampener
While near a deployed Ordnance Dampener, allied infantry receive rank 1 Flak Armor, and allied MAX units receive Rank 1 Ordnance Armor.





Infantry Updates
New Weapons
Combat intensifies as new armaments are deployed to the front lines.


NS-66 Punisher (Common Pool SMG)
The Punisher is a next-gen PDW built with close-quarters aggression in mind. The in-built underbarrel fires fragmentation grenades, and can be adapted to fire class-specific ammunition instead.

Class Underbarrel archetypes:

• EMP (Infiltrator) - Destroys deployables and scrambles HUD.
• Impulse (Light Assault) - Knocks back enemies and the user on impact.
• Enhancement (Engineer) - Mechanical targets receive increased maximum health and a repair over time.
• Havoc (Heavy Assault) - Renders mechanical targets immune to repair effects for a time.
• Cleanse (Combat Medic) - Heals over time and removes slow/blind/concussion effects.

NS-06 Thumper SE (Common Pool Heavy Weapon)

• This special edition variant of the Thumper heavy grenade launcher celebrates the 17-year old PlanetSide franchise!
• It comes equipped with an anti-infantry fragmentation payload, and has access to multiple specialized munitions.
• This weapon contributes progress to the Exceptional III directive line.

Adjustments
NS-30 Tranquility (Black Market Battle Rifle)

• Is now correctly classified as a Battle Rifle, instead of a Scout Rifle, in the loadout screen.
• Direct damage from 280at75m - 250at150m to 280at15m - 225at150m
• Slow on hit no longer stacks with other Tranquility users, or with Concussion Grenades.

Dev Note: These changes primarily change the weapon's effectiveness at long range so that it's not competing directly with semi-auto sniper rifles.

Rocklet Rifle (Light Assault Tool)

• Locklets have been replaced with Sabot Rocklets.
• Sabot Rocklets sacrifice damage for increased accuracy at range. When equipped, alternate fire is replaced with a low-bloom 3-round burst, and projectile velocity is increased for both firemodes.

Dev Note: Reload speed increases no longer affect the Rocklet Rifle in unintended ways (ie. hyper reload speeds.) A consequence of this fix was that Typhoon Rocklet implementation had to be reworked (though players should see no gameplay impact,) and Locklets had to be replaced as an option.

NSX Tanto (Common Pool Carbine)

• Hipfire cone of fire bloom from 0.24 to 0.12.

Dev Note: The excessive hipfire penalty on the Tanto was originally meant to offset its higher-than-normal starting accuracy, but we've peeled that penalty back as it has enough counterbalances elsewhere.

NSX Daimyo (Common Pool Sniper Rifle)

• Now appears in filters as a Sniper Rifle, instead of a Scout Rifle in marketplace filters.
• Maximum damage from 225 to 325.
• Minimum damage from 175 to 250.
• Headshot multiplier from 5x to 3.5x

Dev Note: We're reducing the extremes between bodyshots and headshots a bit so the reliance on the Daimyo's unique headshot multiplier is lessened, though it will remain incapable of a 3 bodyshot kill at maximum damage range.

Hunter QCX (Common Pool Sidearm)

• Explosive Bolt direct damage resist type from 3 (a deprecated resist type) to 34 (Infantry Rocket Launcher.)
• Explosive Bolt direct damage from 450 to 300.
• Explosive Bolt indirect minimum damage from 10 to 50.
• Explosive Bolt indirect minimum radius from 0.35m to 0.5m.
• Explosive Bolts no longer lose damage over distance.
• Replaced Explosive Bolts hipfire cone of fire penalty with a smaller magazine size (by 1) penalty instead.
• Detect Bolts reduced the number you can have on the field at any time from 20 to 4.
• Smoke Bolts have been replaced with Incendiary Bolts, which ignite enemy infantry to deal damage over time.

Dev Note: We've done some cleanup on the Hunter crossbow's attachments. Explosive Bolts' unnaturally high damage against certain targets is brought to be more in line with the weapon's intended functions. Additionally, we're stepping away from the spammability of smoke on this weapon to encourage the use of alternatives.

Underbarrel Smoke (Underbarrel Attachment)

• Ammo restocking time from 4sec. to 5sec.

Dev Note: Some weapons shared this reload time already, but we've done a pass to put the others in parity. This change matches the reload times with underbarrel grenade launchers.

Recon Detection Device (Infiltrator Tool)

• Maximum active darts from 20 to 6
• Firing while aiming down sights no longer reveals your minimap location.
• Recon Darts should no longer lift vehicles into the air when placed in their springs.

Infradine (Black Market Consumable)

• Duration from 20 seconds to 30 seconds.
• Nanite cost from 3 to 25.

Flash and Quick-Det Flash Grenades (Light Assault)

• Moved the resist type from this grenade from type 2 (small arms) to type 6 (common explosives.)

Concussion Grenades (Heavy Assault)

• Concussion turning speed reductions no longer stack, which would cause inverted movement controls.
• Moved the resist type from this grenade from type 2 (small arms) to type 6 (common explosives.)

Revenant (Implant)

• Rank 5 benefit has been changed to the following: If you revive an allied player, they will now be cloaked upon accepting.

Failsafe (Implant)

• Cooldown from 20 seconds to 12 seconds, at all ranks.

Survivalist (Implant)

• Rank 5 no longer offers reload speed increase.
• Rank 5 now heals the player for 150 health over 6 seconds when shield is broken.
• Sprint Speed buff will now be stripped when damage is taken.

Misc. Infantry

• Fixed non-NSO MAX small arms resistance to the correct 80% (was previously broken at 75%.)
• Removed the broken shield shimmer benefit from the Chameleon Module suit slot.
• NSO Defectors no longer have the creepy human head in the second loadout slot.
• Disengage and Heavyweight impulse effect use new visuals.

Misc. Changes, Fixes, and Additions
High Priority

• !! We've made adjustments to the Heavy Assault shield visuals in first person to address a major loss in framerate that would occur while aiming down sights with weapons that had highly detailed geometry.
• !! Russian and Chinese translations have been released after receiving rounds of feedback on PTS. Note that there are still inconsistencies in voice overs.
• !! Fixed an issue where killing vehicles wouldn't contribute to your directives or weapon medal progress.
• !! Fixed an issue where using a deployable would also activate your utility slot consumable for free.
• !! Players who are BR5 and lower can no longer be invited to an outfit, but can still apply to one.
• !! Construction vehicle gates once again prevent enemy vehicles from passing through.
• !! Fixed an issue preventing players without Outfits to show their base capture score.
• !! Tech Plant gates once again go down when both generators are destroyed.
• !! Placing a construction object will once again show its placement sockets.
• !! Changed the chatbox font to allow for broader language support.
• !! Fixed an issue where the Base Capture HUD could go missing.
• !! Construction Shields once again block enemy vehicles.
• !! Speculative fix for Bastion weakpoints going missing.
• !! Various crash fixes and stability improvements.
• !! Korean language chat input is now working.
• !! We are testing a speculative fix for various voice communication issues internally. If our testing proves out, we'll release this fix in a client-only update at a later time. We'll keep you posted.

Sanctuary and Desolation

• The Relic sites on Desolation now have full names.
• Fixed a Sanctuary guard who would fidget consistently.
• Fixed some broken collision related to Desolation's relics objects.

Black Market

• Fixed an issue where empty Black Market terminals would display the last previously shown item.
• Added the Daredevil Chassis options to the Black Market for Harasser and Flash.
• All Black Market weapons now use A7 for attachment unlocks.

Weapons, Skills, and FX

• Fixed a bug where aiming down sights or switching vehicles weapons could give you free thermal vision.
• Phoenix Missiles will no longer sometimes advertise the game while in flight.
• Harasser Stealth certification line now upgrades correctly at all ranks.
• Renamed Maelstrom Turbo Laser to “V26 Maelstrom Turbo Laser”
• Fixed jump jet visuals on various cosmetic light assault armors.
• NSX-A Kappa now plays firing audio at the correct fire rate.
• Pillager audio can now be heard in first and third person.
• Cleaned up Gatekeeper particle effect origin.

UI

• Removed the defunct "Go to Koltyr" button that would occasionally appear.
• Fixed an issue with loadout weapon filters being unresponsive.
• Fixed various issues with Outfit Message of the Day displays.
• Vehicles no longer have an offset cooldown timer in third person.
• Galaxy tier 4 directive no longer incorrectly shows two rewards.

Bases and Continents

• Esamir Eisa Tech Plant Empire Strength value from 25 to 20
• Capture point pulse experience no longer contributes to base capture score.
• Heal experience no longer counts toward base capture score.
• Standardized all variations of LithCorp to use this capitalization.
• Hossin continent lock benefit now only affects allied vehicles and MAX units.
• The Stronghold on Indar is now classified as a Small Outpost.

War Assets and Merit Deployables

• Using a War Asset should no longer show a pop-up notification.
• Increased the range at which Hardlight Canopy generators are visible.
• Orbital Strike War Asset tooltip now displays the correct max count.
• Citadel Shield can no longer have objects deployed atop it.
• Citadel Shield generator health from 6000 to 10000.