PlanetSide 2 News

Riches and glory eternal beckons from beyond the wormhole, soldiers...welcome BACK to Outfit Wars!

For newer players, Outfit Wars is a competitive tournament cycle, first introduced in last Spring's Escalation PC update, for aspiring Outfits to prove their valor, earn rewards, and compete for the title of Auraxis's best. Any PlanetSide 2 PC Outfit with a full platoon(48) of members and enough resources can opt-in to participate in their server region, before competing in a series of epic 48v48v48-player matches on Desolation, a new Asteroid continent built for competitive play. NEW to this update (now available on PTS!), ALL participating Outfits will compete on Desolation throughout Qualifiers, with the top Outfits from each faction advancing to the playoffs.

This is a major change from our prior Qualification Phase, one intended to be more participatory, less disruptive to the main game, and ultimately allow every enlisted player the opportunity to battle it out on Desolation. Given the scale of changes going into this update, it's crucial we get it up to the Public Test Server for community playtesting and feedback before it hits Live. 

Read on for all the intel on the new Outfit Wars, including details on how qualification works, and the full PTS match schedule!

[h2]OUTFIT WARS 2.0 (ALPHA CYCLE 3)[/h2]

In a slight change from prior Outfit Wars tournament cycles, Alpha Cycle 3 will consist of 4 primary phases:

Enlistment Phase --> Qualifying Phase --> Playoff Phase --> Championship Phase (Finals)

As every OW match features 48 players per Outfit, Outfits will need at least 48 members to be eligible (we've dropped that requirement to 12 players on PTS this weekend, and have also waived the normal resource requirement to enlist). There is no limit to the number of Outfits that can enlist, but there must be an equal number of Outfits per faction (if your Outfit's status is listed as "pending," you will be added to the Qualification Phase once an even number of Outfits have enlisted).

Important note: As soon as your join an Outfit Wars match, your account is locked to that Outfit for the duration of the War on that server. You will be unable to fight for another Outfit on that server until the War completes. Additionally, leaving an Outfit now zeroes out your Loyalty, and at least Rank 3 Loyalty will required to travel to Desolation for a match. The goal with these changes is to cut down on the amount of "ringers" participating in multiple Outfits. This was a major point of feedback from our first Outfit Wars Alpha cycles.

[h3]QUALIFYING PHASE [/h3] 
New to this update, enlisted Outfits will participate in a Qualifying Phase that features weekly competitions on Desolation. Each week, Outfits will be ranked within their their faction based on their performance that season to date. They'll then compete that week in a 3-way match vs. two Outfits of similar rank from their respective rival factions, moving up or down their faction's leaderboard based on the results. 

Each match, Outfits will move up, down, or hold their ground on the leaderboards. 1st-place victories hold the most value, while 2nd or 3rd place is worth far less. Rank will be determined by overall record. After Qualifying ends, the top-6 Outfits from each faction will then advance to the playoffs.

[h3]PLAYOFF PHASE[/h3]
At the start of the Playoff Phase, all but the top-6 Outfits from each faction are immediately eliminated, and all leaderboards are reset.

The scoring also alters slightly with the introduction of Victory Points. Each Outfit is awarded an initial number of Victory Points based on their finish during Qualifying:

• Rank 1: 6 points
  Rank 2: 5 points
  Rank 3: 4 points
  Rank 4: 3 points
  Rank 5: 2 points
  Rank 1: 1 points

This scoring system is intended to offer a slight seeding advantage for Outfits that finished higher up the Qualifying Leaderboards. Playoffs will consist of 3 weekly rounds, with the winners awarded additional Victory Points after each match (+3 for Gold, +1 for Silver, 0 for Bronze). Last-place Outfits will be eliminated at the end of each round, until there are only 3 Outfits per faction left standing. The 9 remaining victors will advance to the Championship.

[h3]CHAMPIONSHIP PHASE[/h3]
The final competitive phase occurs over a single round of matches - it all comes down to this, soldier!

The top-3 Outfits from each faction (9 Outfits total per server region) will face-off in Gold, Silver, or Bronze medal matches, depending on their final Playoff performance. Rewards are accrued for every participating Outfit after the final matches end. To the victor go the spoils...

[h2]PTS SCHEDULE[/h2]

We've scheduled an abbreviated Outfit Wars cycle on PTS so we can test every phase of the competition. The Enlistment Phase starts today and will run through the end of the week, with Qualifying matches kicking off on PTS this Saturday, January 30. Check-out the full PTS schedule below:

Enlistment
Starts immediately and runs until Sat, Jan 30 at 12:00am PST (late Friday night) 

Qualifiers (Match #1)
Sat, Jan 30 at 12:15pm PST or 12:30pm PST

Playoffs (Match #2)
Sat, Jan 30 at 2:00pm PST or 2:15pm PST

Championship (Final Match)
Sat, Jan 30 at 3:45pm PST

For instructions on how to download the Public Test Server, visit here.

On PTS, all Outfits will need at least 12 players to enlist, rather than the 48 required on Live. Enlistment resource requirements have been disabled, as have Orbital Strikes on Desolation. Characters must also be Loyalty Rank 3 or greater to join a match on Desolation (you can pickup free Outfit Loyalty and other currencies on PTS from the holographic Flash located on Sanctuary, next to Representative Ayla in the Atrium). And as a final reminder, players are locked into that character/Outfit as soon as they join their first match, much like things will work on Live. 

You can read up on all the details going into this update (including Outfit Wars rewards!) over on the patch notes, including additional changes to Indar, War Asset balancing, Deployables and more. We'll have more to share on the Live timing and Alpha Cycle 3 schedule later next week. 

As always, we greatly appreciate you participation on Test, soldiers, and look forward to hearing your feedback! It's almost time to show all of Auraxis your Outfit has what it takes to be the best - enlist on PTS now!

A New Year beckons (finally!), and while 2020 saw its share of challenges, it also brought meaningful victories on the battlefield. PlanetSide 2 evolved in memorable ways, from the massive Escalation update through The Shattered Warpgate, and we couldn't be more excited for the year ahead.

So dust off your Party Time camo, soldiers, and join us in ushering in another banner year of all-out planetary warfare! To mark the occasion, we've brought back the New Year's Celebration Bundle, now available in the Depot through Sunday, January 3:    

[h3]New Years Celebration Bundle - 3999 DBC[/h3]

• Kazoo Horns (all factions and vehicles) 
  NS Patriot Flare Gun
  Party Time Camo

We've got a lot in store for you in 2021 - a year we intend to make the biggest yet for the PlanetSide 2 community. The next chapter in Auraxian lore is just around the corner, so raise your kazoo and join us as we ring in the New Year together, soldiers!

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All All PC servers will come down for the Auraximas update tomorrow, Wednesday, December 16, at 6:00 AM PST (3:00 PM CET). Downtime is expected to last 2 hours.

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Bundle up and bunker down, soldiers, the 2020 Auraximas update is incoming for the holidays!

The most wonderful time of the year means a wealth of wintry goodies and festive events, starting with new Holiday Missions, Auraximas Directive, and our annual Snowman hunt! Sanctuary has received a merry makeover, while holiday-themed equipment and items can be collected or acquired from the Depot.

Read on for all the Auraximas activities sleigh-bound this season!

[h2]A JOLLY HUNT[/h2]

Snowmen are back on the battlefield! The frostiest faction are appearing across Auraxis once again, offering bonus XP to the intrepid winter warriors who hunt them down. You'll also find a deployable Tactical Snowman in your infantry tactical slot - deploy this frigid fighter to protect you from incoming threats. Stay frosty and you might even happen upon the elusive Golden Snowman, who offers a rare special surprise!



[h2]DECK THE HALLS[/h2]

Our favorite Auraximas party is about to get started - no RSVP required! Simply join us in Sanctuary, which has been decorated most festively with holiday cheer.



Holiday lighting, music, laurels (mistletoe? mistletoe!) and much more have gone into planning this year's festivities - you can even find hidden presents and claim an event reward once a day while the party lasts! 



[h2]NEW HOLIDAY MISSIONS & AURAXIMAS DIRECTIVE[/h2]

It is the giving season, and our generous vendors on Sanctuary are most thankful for your service - that means new daily missions and updated challenges that offer special rewards!

In addition, each of these completed missions contribute to the new Auraximas 2020 Holiday Directive, which will run for the duration of the holiday event.

[h2]SEASONAL EQUIPMENT & NEW ITEMS IN THE DEPOT[/h2]

Even our corporate patrons at Nanite Systems are feeling the holiday cheer, and that means new seasonal gear like gift-wrapped C4 and cookie-box themed ammunition packs! 



Along with all of our Auraximas deals, you'll find plenty of new stocking stuffers at the Depot, including Snowflake Lumifibers, Northwind Tire Trails, and a stocking-full of holiday horns, camos, weapons, and cosmetics!





The 2020 Auraximas game update also introduces plenty of bug fixes, balance adjustments, and other improvements. Head over to the official forums for full patch notes.

There's no time like the holidays, soldiers, and we are most grateful to be celebrating another Auraximas with all of you. Share your favorite Auraximas doings and deeds with the Rogue Planet team on Twitter, Facebook, or the official forums!

Layer up and bunker down, soldiers, that icy chill you feel creeping through your battle armor can only mean one thing: Auraximas deals are headed back to the Depot!

This holiday season, we’re offering Auraximas deals every weekend throughout December. Premium offerings like Anniversary Bundles, Re-enlistment Bundles, Resurgence Bundles, the Mercenary Bundle, and more will be discounted for limited-time windows so you can get all your shopping done at the Depot. Check out the full calendar below to preview everything coming your way...starting this weekend!

[h3]Friday, December 4 - Sunday, December 6[/h3]

20% off the following Anniversary Bundles:

• One-Year Anniversary Bundle
  
• Two-Year Anniversary Bundle
  
• Three-Year Anniversary Bundle
  

[h3]Friday, December 11 - Sunday, December 13[/h3]

20% off the following Re-enlistment Bundles:

• Re-enlistment Bundle Alpha
  
• Re-enlistment Bundle Bravo
  
• Re-enlistment Bundle Charlie
  
• Re-enlistment Bundle Delta
  

[h3]Friday, December 18 - Sunday, December 20[/h3]

20% off the following Anniversary Bundles:

• Fourth Anniversary Bundle
  
• Initiates's Five-Year Anniversary Bundle
  
• Soldier's Five-Year Anniversary Bundle
  
• Commander's Five-Year Anniversary Bundle
  
• Recruit's Six-Year Anniversary Bundle
  
• Veteran's Six-Year Anniversary Bundle
  
• Warmachine's Six-Year Anniversary Bundle
  

[h3]Friday, December 25 - Sunday, December 27[/h3]

20% off the following Bundles:

• PlanetSide: Arena - Mercenary Bundle
  
• The COLOSSAL Bundle
  
• Soldier's Resurgence Bundle
  
• Captain's Resurgence Bundle
  
• Warlord's Resurgence Bundle
  

Along with a veritable cornucopia of merry deals, this year's Auraximas update will also feature a new directive, holiday toys, and more goodies for your stocking. There may even be a Snowman hunt on the horizon...keep your eyes on our official Twitter and Facebook accounts for every announcement.

Don't miss out on the perfect holiday deal, soldiers. And from all of us here at Rogue Planet Games, have a very Merry Auraximas!

All PC servers will come down at 6:00 AM PST (3:00 PM CET) on Thursday, December 3 to bring you the new game update. Estimated downtime is 3 hours to publish the update and perform additional backend maintenance.

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Read on for full patch notes and a note from the development team: 

[h2]Esamir Electrical Storm changes[/h2]

We've made some pretty significant adjustments to the lightning storm that address the main pain points brought up by players.

• Storm bolts that would normally "follow" players and vehicles no longer do so, and instead target the ground nearby.
  
• Insulated Suit and Armor descriptions have been updated to remove references to bolts being "attracted" to you.
  
• Deployed vehicles now receive only 2500 damage from overloading, instead of being destroyed outright.
  
• Increased the radius in which a storm bolt impact does its minimum 50 damage, from 10m to 15m.
  

Overall, the storm bolts will be much easier to avoid for both players and vehicles, as they're very clearly telegraphed by the effects on the ground. Fights at a base should no longer die off when the storm arrives, as an overload is now much less detrimental for deployed Sunderers.

[h2]Misc. Changes, Fixes, and Additions[/h2]

• DeRes effects (visual flashes that scan over your character) caused by Ordnance Dampener, Shield Recharging Field, and other methods, no longer re-appear each time you respawn.
  
• Fixed issues where various weapons' attachments would inherit armor camo in third person, but show the correctly applied weapon camo in first person.
  
• Daily mission versions of "Enabling Construction," "Continued Preparations," and "Crystal Stalker" now expire after 12 hours as intended.
  
• Combat Stimulant (Heavy Assault campaign ability) now heals correctly at all times. Descriptions updated to better relay what the ability does.
  
• Regeneration Tier 5 implant's headshot benefit now heals 100 health over 2 seconds, instead of 50 instantly. Dev Note: In the most common combat situations, this is a buff.
  
• Mani Lake Outpost's name no longer shows as Mani Lake Satellite on the map screen hover-over.
  
• Improved the messaging for the Tempest Shield and abilities granted from the "Biological Warfare" mission to better convey what you're unlocking.
  
• Improved the messaging for the Elysium campaign mission to better convey that you need to be near a Refinery to harvest crystals.
  
• Blackheart, Heartstring, NS-357P now count as sidearms for the purposes of objectives that require sidearm kills, and implants like Vampire 5 that rely on sidearms to trigger them.
  
• Improved the messaging for the "More than Scrap Metal" mission, noting that the player must be in the vehicle to earn credit. Dev Note: Having to sit in the Sunderer to earn credit outside of a squad isn't ideal, but unfortunately a proper fix would have broken the mission for players who currently were on them.
  
• Reduced the number of Transport Assists needed for "More than Scrap Metal" from 5 to 3.
  
• Fixed an issue where Squad Support ribbons were never being awarded to players piloting a Valkyrie. When 15 squadmates spawn into your Valkyrie, you should now receive a Squad Support ribbon the same as a Galaxy/Sunderer would.
  
• Fixed an issue where using the Neuralizer Device on an abandoned vehicle wouldn't attach the particle effects to the correct spot.
  
• Removed an errant teleporter in The Traverse spawn room.
  
• Fixed an issue where Training Missions were being granted to low-rank A.S.P. characters.
  
• Fixed an issue where reload speed ranks 2/3/4 would be faster than intended for all Lightning main cannons.
  
• Skyguard turret has been moved to percentage-based reload speed increases like the Lightning's other weapons.
  

Note: Patch notes have been adjusted to remove fixes for weapons animations that did not make it into this update.

[h2]Looking Forward[/h2]

I don't usually do this segment for the smaller patch notes, but this one is full of changes and fixes not only for Chapter 2 of the Campaign, but for some issues that have been around for years as well. Small on their own, but add up in the end, which is one of the themes we'll be bringing into 2021. Lots of refinements and fixes, as well content updates big and small. Speaking of which, Auraximas is right around the corner. As far as the typical sales calendar goes, most of what we'd tend to have on offer during the holidays has already been available all year (and the daily item showcases didn't create much value for anyone, despite looking great on a calendar). So this year, we'll be doing something a bit different by offering sales on specific bundles over the weekends, starting this Friday. Keep an eye on the PlanetSide 2 official Twitter and Facebook channels for more info on what will be going on-sale when. In a couple of weeks we'll also be releasing a new Auraximas Directive that will actually float into January 2021 a bit as well. I'll give another update once we're closer to the Auraximas release, which will contain the snowmen, holiday toys, the new Directive, and some other goodies as well.

-Wrel, Lead Designer