The Finals Season 2: Exciting New Features and Rewards for Returning Players

The Finals Season 2: New Content, Weapons, and Power Shift Mode

Since its debut at The Game Awards 2023, Embark Studios‘ The Finals has maintained a strong player base. With the launch of Season 2 tomorrow, the game is set to introduce new weapons, gadgets, a battle pass, a fresh map, and the exciting Power Shift mode. Despite having taken a break from playing The Finals shortly after its release, the sneak peek of Season 2’s content has piqued my interest enough to dive back in.

Season 2 Battle Pass and Progression

The Finals Season 2 features a 96-level battle pass, themed around a hacker group called CNS and digital elements. Cosmetics are inspired by this faction and popular video games such as Street Fighter and Minecraft. Embark Studios has confirmed that the battle pass pricing will remain unchanged, and no new gameplay-related content will be locked behind a paywall.

THE FINALS | Season 2 | March 14

The studio also teased a new Career Circuit challenge-based progression system, providing players with specific goals throughout the season, and a revamped matchmaking system for the game’s ranked mode. These additions aim to keep players engaged as the game progresses post-release.

New Map, Weapons, and Gadgets

Season 2 introduces SYS$HORIZON, a new map with an intentionally glitchy aesthetic. Despite its colorful appearance, the map maintains the intuitive and destructive level design that makes The Finals stand out. The season also brings new weapons for each character build, with the FAMAS assault rifle for the Medium build becoming my personal favorite.

The three new gadgets and the Dematerializer specialization for Medium-build characters are even more exciting. The Dematerializer allows players to erase nearly any physical surface on the map, providing an alternative to explosives for destroying walls or ceilings. This ability can lead to thrilling last-minute wins and emergent gameplay moments.

The Anti-Gravity Cube creates a zero-gravity space, causing anything within it to float upwards slowly. While initially thought to be a traversal tool, it proves to be an excellent defensive utility, making it harder for enemy teams to steal payloads. The Gateway, reminiscent of Splitgate, allows players to set down two portals for quick travel and escape. Lastly, the Data Reshaper removes enemy fortifications, providing a counter to players who heavily rely on mines and other defensive structures.

Power Shift: A Game-Changer

As a casual player, I’m most excited about the new 5v5 mode, Power Shift. Drawing inspiration from Overwatch 2’s Push mode, teams compete in a tug-of-war to push a platform deep into enemy territory. What sets Power Shift apart is how the platform plows through buildings, showcasing The Finals’ impressive emergent destruction system and constantly reshaping the map.

Players can change their character build and loadout between deaths, encouraging experimentation and reducing the pressure on individuals to perform flawlessly. By my third Power Shift match, I had made it my mission to wreak havoc as a heavy build with a grenade launcher, mines, and an RPG, causing chaos whenever the enemy team gathered on the platform or destroying rooftops to disrupt their positioning.

This is some of the most fun I’ve had with The Finals since I first played a prelaunch build over one year ago.

Power Shift provides an enjoyable, explosive experience that capitalizes on The Finals’ strengths and encourages players to explore every aspect of the character builds. With the launch of Season 2, I’m confident that The Finals will find its way back into my multiplayer game rotation.

The Finals is available now for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Season 2 begins on March 14.

The Finals: Shaking Up the Competitive FPS Scene

The first-person shooter (FPS) genre has been in dire need of innovation, with recent entries in popular franchises like Call of Duty and Battlefield feeling more like rehashes than groundbreaking experiences. Enter The Finals, a new multiplayer shooter developed by Embark Studios that aims to breathe new life into the stagnant FPS landscape.

A Fresh Take on Gameplay

The Finals sets itself apart from its competitors by introducing several unique elements:

• Longer time-to-kill, allowing for more strategic gameplay
• Distinctive match objectives that go beyond simple elimination
• A strong emphasis on level destruction, creating an ever-changing battlefield

These features combine to create an experience where no two matches feel the same, as evidenced by hands-on impressions from recent playtests. The emergent, memorable moments that organically arise during each match are a testament to the game’s innovative design.

Extraction Mode: A Game Show with a Twist

The primary game mode in The Finals, called Extraction, puts a fresh spin on the traditional multiplayer formula. Four teams compete to earn the most money by locating vaults, obtaining cash boxes, and delivering them to designated cash-out stations. Additional rewards are given for kills, while a team’s total is halved if they are completely wiped out.

The basics of the FPS gameplay will feel familiar to genre veterans, but the longer time-to-kill allows players to appreciate the highly reactive and destructible environments that set The Finals apart from its peers.

If you’re an FPS fan who craves destructible environments and inventive competitive shooters that don’t simply chase trends, The Finals is definitely worth keeping an eye on. With its unique blend of gameplay elements and focus on emergent, memorable moments, it has the potential to shake up the competitive FPS scene in a big way.

The Finals: A Game-Changer in FPS Map Destruction

Transforming Maps and Organic Situations

In a recent beta preview build, I had the opportunity to explore two maps inspired by Monaco and Seoul in the upcoming game, The Finals. These maps feature points of interest connected by indoor arenas and lengthy outdoor corridors, typical of FPS maps. However, the real magic happens when explosives come into play, causing the map to transform as buildings crumble and the environment reacts to the players’ actions. Embark Studios’ server-side technology ensures that any changes to the map are tracked and accommodated, creating a dynamic and ever-evolving battlefield.

While the developers at Embark Studios hoped their technology would make other developers panic, The Finals may not go that far. Nonetheless, it handles destruction more effectively than other games that have attempted similar feats, such as Crackdown 3 or Battlefield 2042. This technical achievement opens up a world of organic situations not found in other FPS games.

Adapting to the Changing Battlefield

During one intense moment, I found myself retrieving a cash box and heading to a cash-out station while a building was crumbling around me. Under heavy fire, an opponent’s rocket destroyed the pathway leading to the building where my teammates were located. Knowing I couldn’t let the enemy team get their hands on the cash box, I made a split-second decision to sacrifice myself by throwing the vault across the gap to my teammate before holding off the enemies as they delivered it to the station.

The environment in The Finals is highly reactive, especially when players wield flamethrowers or flame grenades. In one instance, my team was delivering to a station in an open park, with other teams approaching from all angles. To gain the upper hand, I threw several fire grenades while my teammate used a flamethrower, setting most of the park ablaze and forcing our opponents into pathways where we could pick them off more easily. The destructible nature of the game means that floors can crumble beneath you, staircases leading to objectives can be destroyed, and the map mayhem helps define each match of The Finals.

Customization and Strategy

Players can leave their mark on the world of The Finals by customizing their characters with outfits and special loadouts before each match. Some options allow players to set down jump pads and ziplines or use a grappling hook to enhance mobility. Equippable items like turrets, barriers, and mines can be used to direct the flow of battle and herd opponents into specific map sections. In one memorable moment, my team called two elevators in Seoul, only to discover that another team had placed a turret in one and themselves in the other.

The Finals’ destruction creates some compelling dynamics, making the player feel like they are shaping the world that each match takes place in.