PlanetSide 2 News

The Public Test Server (PTS) will be taken offline on Friday, February 21 at 2:30 PM PST (10:30 PM GMT) to bring you the newest Test update. Estimated downtime is 2 hours.



(See here for more information about the upcoming Escalation game update, which launches on live PC servers next Wednesday, February 26)

• Mid-continent events (Aerial Anomalies, Maximum Pressure, etc,) have been removed.
  
• Territory control of 41% now awards 5 Empire Strength.
  
• Territory control of 44% provides an additional 5 Empire Strength, and this effect also occurs at 48%, 52%, 56% and 60% territory.
  
• While a Bastion Fleet Carrier is hovering over contested territory, the faction will earn progress toward unlocking 15 Empire Strength. This process takes roughly 17 minutes to complete, and progress made toward this objective is not depleted when the Bastion is destroyed.
  
• Eisa Tech Plant (Esamir) Empire Strength benefit from 30 to 25.
  
• The Ascent (Amerish) Empire Strength benefit from 15 to 25.
  
• The Crown (Indar) Empire Strength benefit from 15 to 25.
  

Dev Note: This is a first pass at the new continent progression, and we will be making adjustments and doing some UI cleanup here in the future. Bastion power projection will earn Empire Strength more quickly and in smaller chunks, instead of the lump sum we're sending to PTS, in a later update. There will also likely need to be more tuning done post-launch to ensure continents don't feel like they're rotating too quickly, or inversely, feel like they're relying on a Bastion to appear every continent.

• When a Meltdown alert triggers, the faction that started the alert will receive an immediate 5x tick of resources from bases they own.
  
• When a Meltdown alert ends, the faction that won the alert will receive an immediate 5x tick of resources from bases they own.
  
• Unstable Meltdown alerts do the same, but with only a 2x tick of resources from bases owned.
  
• At the end of the alert, all outfit ownership is wiped.
  

Dev Note: These notes were removed from the previous PTS update as the system seemed bugged. These effects should be properly working now though, please report any issues you find.



Movement

• Bastion will now rotate in place towards its movement waypoint and won’t move forward until it is facing that direction.
  
• Rotation speed has been increased a few degrees per second.
  
• Flying too close to the mountain range of The Ascent on Amerish will now push the Bastion away from it.
  
• Bastion no longer pitches up and down while ascending or descending, and instead remains level.
  
• Movement waypoints will now be rejected if placed too close to Bastion's current position.
  
• Fixed various movement related issues and exploits.
  

Weapons, Softpoints, Response Fighters

• Weakpoints now have much more health, and have been given a shield bar that regenerates up to 25% of their total health pool while out of combat.
  
• Weakpoints should now always properly despawn when the Bastion does.
  
• Mauler (waypoint controlled) turrets are now much more powerful, and deal damage in a larger area.
  
• Mauler (waypoint controlled) turrets should now always correctly face the direction of their shots.
  
• Turrets now have new cameras that showcase the weapons more, and turret angles have been increased.
  
• Response Fighters (Interceptors) are now specialty ESF loadouts, fitted with an ejection seat, rank 1 composite armor, rank 1 decoy flares, quick-recharge fuel tanks, and default nosegun variants with higher magazine size.
  
• NSO characters will now eject themselves into the Interceptors of their currently assigned faction.
  
• We're leaving the door open to do more with these Interceptor variants in the future (including the possibility of customizing them personally).
  

Misc. Bastion Changes

• Fixed an issue where Bastion could get into a bad state when the user summons a different vehicle as the Bastion spawns.
  
• Bastion Terminals can no longer be interacted with while continents are Unstable.
  
• Bastion icon no longer pops in and out when it is on the edge of the minimap.
  
• Captains have received new first and third person Bastion cameras.
  
• Going out of bounds with a Bastion will now destroy it.
  
• Removed extraneous collision from the Bastion model.
  

Environment

• Fixed numerous geometry, visibility, and texture issues in Sanctuary.
  
• Work continues on the outer ring of Sanctuary.
  
• Skybox has received significant visual changes.
  

Vendor Changes

• Nascent Expeditions Rep. now properly deducts resources you trade to her, and we've added a TEST SERVER ONLY item that will instantly restock all outfit resources when purchased.
  
• Expedition Coordinator will notify players when "the boys are on expedition" if the player has no completed expeditions available for debrief.
  
• Nascent Expeditions Rep. and Expedition Coordinator now reject players who aren't in an outfit or don't have Expedition Asset Use permissions.
  

• Upon completion of the Outfit War alert, the continent is now locked to the victorious faction, and players are booted 30 seconds after.
  
• Placeholder particle effects have been added on continent lock at every obelisk location. In the future these will be more thematic, and better showcase an outfit's victory.
  
• The victorious outfit now receives a free Bastion Fleet Carrier if they do not have one already stocked.
  
• Fixed significant graphical issues in Desolation, particularly in the Command Centers.
  

• Merit balance now updates dynamically on Vendor screens.
  
• Players will no longer become stuck if in the rumble seat of a Flash XS-1 as it despawns
  
• The Flash XS-1 can now be driven out of the Warpgate area if initially summoned there.
  
• Unlock button now changes to “Unlocked” after user reaches the inventory cap on Flash XS-1.
  
• You can no longer start crafting Bastion components if you already have a Bastion Fleet Carrier stocked or under construction.
  
• Expeditions can now only be crafted one at a time.
  
• Biolab snowy visuals have been reverted.
  
• War Assets now use "realistic" values more akin to how they'll be on Live, and the timers remain low for TEST SERVER ONLY.
  

• Bastion can get into a state where it’s collision or location in the world appears differently for separate players.
  
• A.N.V.I.L. collision may stay in place if players are atop it, and will disappear only when they leave.
  
• Sanctuary's framerate issues are still being looked into.
  

The Public Test Server (PTS) will be taken offline on Friday, February 14 at 3:00 PM PST (11:00 PM GMT) to bring you the newest Escalation Test update. 

Thank you everyone for helping us test the upcoming Escalation game update on PTS! We're continuing to gather community feedback, make improvements and fixes, and add additional polish to each major feature, which should be reflected in the large update we're pushing today to the the Test Server. Today's patch should have most of the major structures in place, including an accelerated Outfit Wars loop that will allow players to freely participate in tournaments on PTS.

Read on for full patch notes:

Outfit Wars is now available for public testing! As shown on our recent livestreams, Outfits will be able to participate in a special competitive event that pits top-scoring Outfits against one another (read here for an Outfit Wars breakdown). On the Public Test Server, players will need to create new Outfits (or join ones that already exist there) in order to participate. Only Outfit members that qualify and place in the brackets will be eligible to join the War.

Outfit Wars matches have now been enabled on a recurring schedule. There will be two Outfit Wars that take place each day (EU and NA primetime), starting tomorrow, Saturday February 15, and running through Tuesday, February 18. They will follow the schedule below:

First Outfit War:

• Opt-In Phase Begins: 8:00 AM PST / 4:00 PM GMT    
  
• Outfits must opt-in during this phase by using the Outfit Wars tab.
  
• Qualify Phase Begins: 11:00 AM PST / 7:00 PM GMT    
  
• At least one base must be captured in order to earn points during the Qualify phase.
  
• Preparation Phase Begins: 11:30 AM PST / 7:30 PM GMT   
  
• This phase is meant to allow players to let their Outfits know that they've successfully qualified for a match.
  
• War Phase Begins: 12:00 PM PST  / 8:00 PM GMT  
  
• When this phase is active, Desolation will be unlocked, and the game mode will go through its routine.
  

Second Outfit War:

• Opt-In Phase Begins: 3:00 PM PST / 11:00 PM GMT    
  
• Outfits must opt-in during this phase by using the Outfit Wars tab.
  
• Qualify Phase Begins: 6:00 PM PST / 2:00 AM GMT    
  
• At least one base must be captured in order to earn points during the Qualify phase.
  
• Preparation Phase Begins: 6:30 PM PST / 2:30 AM GMT   
  
• This phase is meant to allow players to let their Outfits know that they've successfully qualified for a match.
  
• War Phase Begins: 7:00 PM PST / 3:00 AM GMT   
  
• When this phase is active, Desolation will be unlocked, and the game mode will go through its routine.
  

Outfit Wars Scoring has been adjusted as well.

• Facilities and Large Outposts are now worth 15 points on capture, and 6 points per 5-minute tick.
  
• Small Outposts and Construction bases are now worth 5 points on capture, and 2 points per 5-minute tick.
  

• The "Nascent Expeditions Representative" in the center shop will now allow you to "trade" resources with her. While on Test Server, resources will not be deducted at this vendor, so if you need more Outfit resources for crafting, you can gain them from her.
  
• From the "Outfit Vendor" in the right shop, players can purchase a consumable / deployable flash that is equippable in the Utility Slot (for now.) The "Flash XS-1" is available for Merit, and must be restocked on-board Sanctuary when you've run out.
  
• Collision with enemy players has been removed in this zone.
  
• We've made numerous geometry fixes, and have added ways to get out of some of the pits players could get stuck in, like the one near the Atrium window.
  
• The patrolling Bastion beyond the Atrium window has modified visuals (no contrails, more docile engines,) and the audio has been removed.
  
• Shop icons have been added to the Sanctuary minimap.
  
• The "Expedition Coordinator" in the center shop will now be more responsive based on the state of your expeditions being crafted/finished in the Outfit armory.
  
• Updated visuals of Equipment Terminals.
  
• An initial blockout (a blockout is a rough form with very little detail) of the external structure that orbits Sanctuary's hub will now be visible from the various windows aboard Sanctuary.
  

• Capturing Small Outposts now grants 5 Auraxium to any participating Outfit.
  
• Capturing Large Outposts and Facilities now grants 25 Auraxium to any participating Outfit.
  
• Owning bases with your Outfit still provides the tick rates shown on the map. Ticks occur every 5 minutes.
  

• Various terrain and cover adjustments have been made. This zone is still very much a work in progress.
  
• Vehicle and Air pads have had their visuals converted to Construction-style structures, and we've reduced the number available to two of each.
  
• Currently, each pad has its own Cortium supply with which to pull vehicles from, but in later updates we'll be adding a main Silo structure which fuels all pads, similar to the normal construction system.
  
• Nanite recovery in this zone is still broken, and will be fixed in a later update.
  
• This zone no longer appears unlocked when it is unavailable.
  
• Relic H is now properly connected to the Warpgates.
  

• Bastion no longer moves or fires without active waypoints, and waypoints will be removed when the Captain exits the Captain's seat.
  
• Bastions now require four separate War Asset components to be crafted before the Bastion itself.
  
• Captains no longer receive grief points when allies are damaged by running into the vehicle.
  
• Interacting with the Bastion preview model in the terminal no longer causes framerate drops.
  
• Bastion map icon no longer detaches itself from the player's map indicator.
  
• Players can now redeploy into a Bastion despite leaving and re-entering the zone.
  
• NSO characters can no longer deploy into Bastions belonging to other players.
  

• Six more Expedition types have been added to the War Asset menu. In the future, only one Expedition will be active at a time.
  
• A.N.V.I.L. no longer floats above the ground for some players.
  
• A.N.V.I.L. now reserves its landing area, preventing players and vehicles from clipping into them before it lands.
  
• A.N.V.I.L. waypoints will now reject placement if they are placed too close to a vehicle or player.
  
• Citadel Shield no longer enters a state where its bubble can stay up indefinitely.
  
• Outfit Name has been added to the Home screen.
  
• Improved the UI feedback for buttons in this screen. It should now be more obvious why something can or can't be crafted.
  
• Steel Rain no longer pulls players out of vehicles.
  

• Optimized the HUD health elements to reduce framerate spikes.
  
• Fixed an issue causing players to be unable to Warp to other continents through the map screen.
  
• A7 currency no longer resets when the player logs out.
  
• Cycling through weapons in Sanctuary no longer causes audio spam.
  
• Cortium icon is no longer missing from the Construction terminal.
  

• A minimum of three Outfits are required to qualify for a full match in the War Phase.  Get organized!
  
• If a spawned Flash XS-1 is despawned (via the owner re-deploying), if a player is in the rumble seat they will become unable to move.
  
• There are some visibility issues in some of the interior structures (Command Centers) in the Desolation map. As a result, terrain geometry will disappear when inside them.
  

Tired of looking for love in all the wrong places? Chin up, soldier, and ready yourself for romance this Valentine's Day season!

With the announcement of our Outfit-focused Escalation update, we're feeling all kinds of warm and fuzzies, and just couldn't wait for the special day to start sharing the love. Starting TODAY and running through Sunday, February 23 (11:59 PM PST), a selection of lovely items - including brand new camo - will be available in the Depot for you to bedazzle all who cross your path on the battlefield.

Get your romance on TODAY with the full collection of items below (with an on the Lunar New Year Bundle - back in stores this weekend only!):

New Item - Pink & Gold Tiger Stripe Weapon Camo - 299 DBC (PC only)



This little heartbreaker will render entire platoons weak in the knees! Rawr.

Hearts Camo Bundle - 1499 DBC

Complete your Hearts Camo collection! Don't forget - the special black and gold Gilded Hearts Weapon Camo is only available in this bundle!

• Red Hearts Weapon Camo
  
• Tarnished Hearts Camo
  
• Loyal Hearts Camo
  
• Indar Hearts Camo
  
• Amerish Hearts Camo
  
• Esamir Hearts Camo
  
• Broken Hearts Camo
  
• Hossin Hearts Camo 
  
• Gilded Hearts Weapon Camo (ONLY comes with the purchase of this bundle)
  

Cupid Horn Bundle - 1499 DBC

The cupid horns for all vehicles and factions are now available in a single bundle!

• ANT Cupid Horn 
  
• Flash Cupid Horn
  
• Harasser Cupid Horn
  
• Lightning Cupid Horn
  
• Sunderer Cupid Horn
  
• Magrider Cupid Horn
  
• Prowler Cupid Horn
  
• Vanguard Cupid Horn
  
• Scythe Cupid Horn
  
• Mosquito Cupid Horn
  
• Reaver Cupid Horn
  
• Valkyrie Cupid Horn
  
• Liberator Cupid Horn
  
• Galaxy Cupid Horn
  

Star Crossed Bundle - 1499 DBC

These dual crossbows come with lovely visuals and will grant a special title to those who earn a gold medal.

• Heartstring
  
• Blackheart
  
• Chrome Heart Hood Ornament
  

AM7-XOXO - 1499 DBC

This Archer anti-materiel rifle variant will light up your night (literally), and can be used as progress in the Exceptional II directive.

We're ALSO bringing back last month's popular Lunar New Year Bundle for a limited time - this celebratory bundle is back in the Depot today and will be available through this Sunday, February 9 at 11:59 PM PST!

Lunar New Year Bundle (499 DBC)

• 1-Day Experience Boost
  
• Gold NS-7G PDW
  
• "Year of the Rat" Decal
  

How will you be stopping hearts this Valentine's Day season? Sound off in the comments!

THE ROGUE PLANET TEAM WILL BE BACK AT TWITCH.TV/PLANETSIDE2 TOMORROW, FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, AT 2:00 PM PST FOR THEIR FIRST LIVE GAMEPLAY STREAM!

START PATCHING UP AND JOIN US ON PTS AT 2:00 PM PST!



Mobilize your Outfit and gear up for deployment, soldiers, Escalation is inbound and the war for Auraxis will be forever changed!

Camaraderie, teamplay, and scale are the bedrock principles PlanetSide 2 is built upon, and the new Escalation game update aims to reinforce all three of them. This massive game update introduces new content for players of all levels, creates a deeper experience for our most dedicated player communities, and adds strategic depth and communal goals to PlanetSide 2 gameplay.

Escalation is scheduled to launch on PC live servers on Wednesday, February 19, 2020. It will be available TOMORROW, Friday February 7, at 2:00 PM PST to play on the Public Test Server. Start patching up Test now, Auraxians!

If you missed the Rogue Planet Dev team's Livestream announcement, you can check it on our official Youtube channel.

Join us back at twitch.tv/planetside2 at 2:00PM PST tomorrow when our team showcases live gameplay from the update on PTS!

Read on for a full breakdown of everything coming in this update:





Escalation keeps a heavy focus on the Outfit system, introducing new communal content and features that aim to deepen the core gameplay experience for dedicated Outfits of all levels. That starts with the looming arrival of the biggest bad the battlefield has to offer: the Bastion Fleet Carrier.

Each Outfit now has access to their own Bastion! This massive interplanetary craft can be called into battle once refueled and rearmed. The Bastion is the ultimate force multiplier on the battlefield, capable of engaging enemies at long distances with mannable turrets, and serving as an air vehicle spawn point for your Outfit. They require a coordinated effort to bring down (multiple weak points must be destroyed), and when an Outfit calls one planetside, their enemies must respond or risk being overwhelmed!

Bastions require significant Outfit coordination and investment to call in, and each Empire can only field one at any given time. Additionally, Bastions contribute to Empire Strength while deployed.





War Assets provide Outfits new tools to impact the flow of battle, offer more strategic control for Outfit leaders, and add depth and variety to every soldier's gameplay experience. Capturing bases around the map now secures new Outfit resources that can be used to craft War Assets in your Outfit Armory. War Assets can then be called onto the battlefields of Auraxis. Examples of new craftables include:

• Bastion Fleet Carrier: Outfit air-based troop transport, mobile respawn point, and air vehicle spawn point
  
• Steel Rain: Coordinated drop pod assault onto a target location
  
• Citadel Shield: A massive projectile-blocking bubble shield that can be crafted to protect bases
  
• A.N.V.I.L.: Airdrop a ground vehicle of your choice into combat
  
• Orbital Satellite Uplink: Radio in an Orbital Strike anywhere on the battlefield
  
• War Assets take time and resources to craft, and Outfit leaders will have the ability to grant privileges to their Outfit members to craft and/or deploy these Assets and turn the tides of battle!
  

Dedicated Outfits now have the opportunity to qualify for Outfit Wars, a monthly competition in a battle for off-planet supremacy! Any Outfit can qualify by acquiring resources and helping their Empire in the main game, with the highest-ranking Outfits from each Empire squaring off in three-way GvGvG battle on Desolation, a new asteroid continent (map) orbiting Auraxis. The victor receives additional resources, rewards, and glory for their Empire!



The Outfit Wars competition cycle will consist of an off-season where players can choose to opt into the qualifying phase. At the end of each qualifying phase, the highest ranked Outfits will enter into up to three qualifying brackets, before going head to head (to head) on Desolation.



Escalation introduces a new personal progression system for every player in an Outfit that advances when capturing or defending bases with Outfit mates. “Loyalty Level” increases over time in a battle rank-style vertical progression, while "Merit" can be earned from completing meritorious actions with your Outfit. Merit acts as a currency which can be spent at Outfit Vendors in Sanctuary, while Loyalty Level will determine what kinds of items are available for purchase.





This update also brings the debut of Sanctuary, a new social hub for players of all Empires. Initially, Sanctuary will serve as a recruitment area for Outfit leaders, a trading space for new vendor NPCs, and a low-key relaxation zone for the war-weary. Sanctuary launches with the spacious Atrium area, as well as the Central Operations area. This environment will continue to expand as an in-game community space, and act as a foundation for future functionality.

Escalation is coming to the Public Test Server TOMORROW, Friday February 7, at 2:00 PM PST - you can start patching PTS right now - and we'll need your help and feedback to get everything shipshape for launch on February 19, 2020!

Excited to check out Escalation on PTS? Sound off in the comments!

It's been a busy 2020, Auraxians, and our team is excited to finally unveil the next major game update coming to PlanetSide 2!

Join us TOMORROW for a Livestream announcement that you won't want to miss! We have an incredible program planned, including a full hands-on preview, dates, details, and giveaways. Here are all the details:

WHERE: www.twitch.tv/planetside2
WHEN: Thursday, February 6 @ 2:00 PM PST (10:00 PM GMT)
WHO: PlanetSide 2 Development Team

We're fresh off the new studio announcement, and the energy and enthusiasm from our community has been unbelievable - your loyalty and support means everything, and we can't wait to show off everything we've been working on and celebrate with you in style!

We'll see you in Twitch chat tomorrow!