PlanetSide 2 News

Prepare to dive into our latest update, Surf and Storm launches July 13 on PC.

Here's what the next wave of content holds for you.


[h2]First-ever watercraft, the Corsair[/h2]

Nanite Systems has dipped their toes into the naval vessel market with the new Corsair assault craft.

One driver, two gunners, and up to five additional passengers can set sail from any available Seapost.

This vehicle is currently only available on the continent of Oshur.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Armament Utility: Fire Suppression, IR Chaff
Defense: Nanite Auto-Repair, Proximity Repair, Proximity Ammo Dispenser
Chassis: Speed Chassis, Scout Chassis, Agility Chassis
Weapons: M20 Basilisk, M60 Bulldog, Dingo ML-6, C2-20 HCG (NSO), M18 Palisade-C (TR), N30 Trawler-C (NC), V42 Pariah-C (VS)
Special: Squad-spawn Capable, Catapult System
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Catapult System
Allies in the last 5 seats of the vehicle have access to a unique Catapult System that can launch them from the vehicle.

Soldiers hurled through the air land safely on impact.
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[h2]Underwater Combat[/h2]
Seaposts have been added throughout Oshur, with underwater capture points to wrest control over. Most infantry and MAX anti-infantry weapons have been enabled for underwater combat on Oshur.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Propel yourself along the coral beds with the new Diver Propulsion Device, unlocked from the Tactical Slot.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Outfit Wars Returns![/h2]
The Outfit versus Outfit tournament makes a triumphant return on Nexus.

This year's Outfit Wars enters a 1v1 format, and even allows you to fight your own faction for the first time. On Nexus, it's a fight for territory control over nine snow-capped bases during a 45 minute alert. Hold the most territory, or cut off a faction's Warpgate to dominate the victory.

Each match has a limited pool of "bracket points" teams can earn by holding territory, which break win/loss record ties, and help determine who will fight who.

Enlistment phase begins August 3rd.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]And more...[/h2]
Bug fixes for long-standing issues, Summer Directive part 2, a major revisit to Oshur's layout and lattice, and way more arrive with this new update. Be on the lookout for patch notes arriving tomorrow!

All players can enjoy Double EXP starts today July 1st through July 4th.

Check out our latest Surf and Storm PTS Build update!

See you in game, soldier!

[h2]Independence Day Event![/h2]

Double Experience for ALL
Double Experience for ALL from July 1 - July 4.

Holiday Event Items
Starting July 1, you'll find the FREEDOM THRUSTERS, a max-rank Icarus Jump Jet available to equip in your Light Assault's loadout screen. This seasonal item will remain active all through July.

[h2]New to the Depot![/h2]
(Available July 1 - July 31)
Stars and Stripes Contrail Bundle! - 999 DBC
Patriotic new contrails available for the following vehicles!

• Galaxy
  
• Liberator
  
• Valkyrie
  
• Dervish
  
• Mosquito
  
• Reaver
  
• Scythe
  

Liberation Bundle - 1499 DBC
These new Liberator cosmetics were inspired by the F/A-18 Hornet!

• Title: Liberator
  
• Liberator Talon Cockpit
  
• Liberator Talon Plating
  
• Screaming Eagle Drop Pod
  

Liberator with Talon cosmetics and Stars and Stripes contrails.

[h2]Returning Items![/h2]
The Nomad-I Light Assault, Flare Guns, and Patriot Camo return throughout the month of July!
Pictured: The Nomad-I Light Assault armor.

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

• We've decided to hold the release of the second summer directive until Surf and Storm releases, part 1 has been extended through July 5.
  
• Temporarily disabled the Motion Blur graphics setting.
  
• Updated the Red October outfit decal to move away from hammer and sickle iconography.
  

Daybreak All-Access members can enjoy Double EXP starting today through June 26th.

Check out the latest news on our upcoming Surf and Storm summer update here.

Learn more about Daybreak All-Access here.

See you in game, soldier!

Hey there, folks. We've got a boatload of content releasing this summer, and we'd like to share some of what you'll see in our newest update: Surf and Storm.



[h2]All Aboard the Corsair[/h2]
The flagship of our Surf and Storm update starts with the Corsair assault craft, the first proper naval vessel added to PlanetSide 2.

This squad-spawnable patrol boat is the faster, sleeker, waterborne counterpart to the Sunderer, with a heavy focus on the necessary logistics to move players around Oshur's island chain quickly.

A seasoned navigator can cruise around with two gunners, and up to 5 additional passengers.

Weapons on the Corsair are similar to other Nanite Systems common-pool vehicles, and includes the M20 Basilisk, M60 Bulldog, and Dingo ML-6, and Empire-Specific Basilisk alternatives, to start.

That said, passengers aren't just there to ferry back and forth – Each of the five passenger seats has access to the all-new Catapult System, which allows passengers to launch themselves like a cannonball in the direction of their choosing. With a little aim (and a built-in safe landing feature,) you'll be able to land right where the action is taking place, ready to do some damage.


Development Insight: Instead of using an amphibious or hovercraft design, we've developed the Corsair to work exclusively as a water-bound vessel for a few reasons. The first is that we've never had a naval vehicle in the game, and branching into this subset of warfare has a unique appeal to certain players -- similar to how air, armor, and construction all have their own very distinct followings. The second is that we have a goal of building on our engine and technology with each update, and wanting to improve our water tech was good impetus to create this unique vehicle. Third is that the catapult system was a feature meant to allow for more freedom of movement on Oshur, and if we were to attach it to a vehicle that could free-roam other continents, it could easily break many of the bases in the game. Water is limited, and placed with intent, so it's a useful design constraint that allows us to determine how much influence we want this feature to have over a map.



[h2]Oshur and Under[/h2]
Whether it's the ability to play cat and mouse with lock-on missiles, drive safely off of a cliff or bridge to escape your pursuers, or as a flanking route for some of the more congested areas in the map, it's clear that water has added some novelty to Oshur's gameplay for many players. However, aside from a fleeting dip beyond the shoreline, there's very little reason to immerse yourself in that environment.

With the Surf and Storm, we'll be giving you more reasons to fight beneath the waves.

Players will now be able to fight over underwater objectives, and can now make use of many infantry weapons underwater. The majority of these underwater playspaces will center around "Seaposts," which have been revisited and increased in number throughout the map. Each seapost now has a spawn room and a smaller footprint overall – you can pull the Corsair and other amphibious vehicles from the attached seadock, as well as air vehicles as usual. These new bases give you a staging ground to launch assaults on other bases, and adds some much-needed flexibility to Oshur's lattice network.

The function of seaposts, from a lore perspective, is that they've been placed over areas of interest on Oshur, be it coral reefs, wreckages, caves, or research outposts. Each of the underwater areas they're monitoring now has a single control point, with enough cover to encourage legitimate battles around these areas.


Development Insight: For the initial pass on underwater weapons, we've enabled most non-vehicle weapons that deal small arms (resist type 2) damage to fire underwater. Mines, C4, and a handful of other deployables are available, as well as medical applicators, ammo packages, and recon devices. MAX suits can also fire underwater with their anti-infantry weapons, though repair tools cannot be used underwater.

Between these limitations, underwater combat spaces become a mostly infantry-centric combat space where angle of attack, self-sustain, and maneuverability have the most impact in the moment to moment, instead of who has the bigger gun or force multiplier.

With the update, we'll also be introducing a hand-held underwater mobility device that is equipped in the tactical slot, and is available for certification points (the first time we've done this.) This device helps allay some concerns over the slower paced movement in underwater environments, provides more angle of attack options, and will help you get back to that vehicle you accidentally ejected from on the water's surface.


[h2]Outfit Wars Re-returns[/h2]
The next season(s) of Outfit Wars are finally upon us, with a new 1v1 format!

For those who missed the chaos last year, Outfit Wars is a tournament-style event where Outfits enter an arena to fight their way up the leaderboards. The winners for the season unlock some bragging rights, cosmetics, and a special statue on display in Sanctuary.

In addition to fighting your cross-faction counterparts, you'll now be able to fight Outfits from your own faction for the first time! Unlike previous events, the Nanite Systems Operatives faction will finally be able to throw their mechanical hat into the ring as well.

The official start date of the next Outfit Wars is still to be announced, but we'll share more information as we get closer to the release of Surf and Storm.


[h3]Nexus Battle Island[/h3]
The return of Outfit Wars will take place on the frigid battle island of Nexus, a 9-base map that will accommodate one platoon of players from each participating team. Jagged cliffs, frigid forests, and glacial canyons await participants.

This year's format will take place as a head to head battle for territory control, where the first faction to Warpgate the other, or the faction with the most points at match-end, will claim victory.


[h3]Beyond the Horizon[/h3]
We've been able to hit all of our goals so far for this year's roadmap, and we're being especially careful not to cause any cascading issues that would prevent us from hitting end-of-year objectives. That said, the first feature that might end up landing later could be the squad changes we've outlined, and how early Surf and Storm hits will also be dependent on how well the public testing goes.

Speaking of which, late this Friday we plan to release the Corsair, underwater combat, and Oshur changes to the Public Test Server in a work-in-progress state. We'll then be running two playtests this weekend, one Saturday the 25th at 4pm PT, and another on Sunday the 26th at 11am PT. We'll reiterate this information when we're a bit closer, and look forward to having you all test out the new content.

I hope everyone is excited for what's hitting with this summer's update(s) and I look forward to seeing you all there for testing.

-Wrel, Lead Designer