With new weapons, a new map, new game modes and tons of balance changes, is right now the time to jump back into the game or give it a try for the first time? In this video we’re going to go over all of the new content in season 4 and then i’ll go over my thoughts on the state of the game.
First up we’ve got some new weapons to play with. We’ve got the akimbo .50 cal pistols for the heavy class. I’ve heard people say these are good weapons but I’ll be completely honest, I hate akimbo weapons. I don’t like only having the option to hipfire. But for those of you that enjoy akimbo weapons I'm sure you’ll have a good time with these. They don’t feel over or underpowered and while I didn’t have the best of luck with them I'm certain there is an entire group of players that will absolutely crush and have a great time.
Next we’ve got the Pike 556 for the medium class. And dear lord this might be one of my favorite weapons I’ve ever used in any fps game. I really hope they don’t nerf it. It’s extremely useful at medium ranges so you can keep a lookout while defending your cashout but it’s also really strong up close because of how tight the hip fire spread is. Now that’s important to note because it seems like one of the ways The Finals balances weapons is that you can’t really change the optics on your weapon. And the zoom on the pike 556’s scope is quite difficult to use up close, which is why having really good hip fire accuracy is so important. Now it’s not over powered to the point of being broken. The trade off is that it has a slower fire rate and has a big risk reward element. If you hit your shots you’ll most likely come out on top but, missing just one shot can put you at a huge disadvantage in those close range fights, especially against the light class, because they’re extremely agile and deal quite a bit of damage up close. But overall this weapon just feels fun and rewarding to use, similar to something like the wingman from apex or quick scoping in call of duty.
Patch Notes Pike-556
Decreased damage from 59 to 52
Dev Note: On reviewing data it’s become apparent that the Pike was fairly overturned in our 4.0 release and this adjustment is intended to move it to a more reasonable place. We suspect it may still be too effective in too many different use cases, so we’ll continue to review the impact of this change and adjust in later patches if we feel more balancing is needed.
Next we’ve got the M26 matter shotgun for the light class. Now this one, I gotta be honest, I think this weapon just flat out sucks. I found very few situations were the M26 worked for me. Yes obviously it’s a shotgun and obviously you have to get in close, using all of the tools at your disposal as a light class to get in close. But it kind of feels like a lot of the other weapons in the light category give you a little more flexibility and can do much more meaningful damage at those medium ranges. And the problem is that if you try to poke someone with the m26 at any range other than point blank you’re going to do very little damage and also give away your position immediately and then they usually just kill you. Now maybe I just don’t have enough playtime with the shotgun and haven’t fully figured out its strengths but it feels like it’s only good in a handful of situations. So if you have any tips for using the light class and the m26 drop them in the comments below.
Next we’ve got a brand new map to play on in season 4 called furtones stadium. This map kind of feels familiar in the sense that it gives you the impression that it’s built out of parts from other maps but still feels new. Lots of vibrant colors, new building designs and ways to get in and out of fights with jumpads and ziplines in all the right places. Now I would like to see the finals start to take their map designs in a little more of a creative direction. At the moment everything has that pristine and extremely modern clean vibe. I would like to see a map set in a futuristic dystopian city with a lot more verticality. Almost something like a titanfall 2 style map design. Now don’t get me wrong, the new map is great and plays really well. But I think at some point everything starts to blend together and feel too similar and I'd love to see the game have more map variety.
It seems the developers at Embark studios have heard players' feedback on feeling like the game doesn’t have enough progression or reasons to play, despite having really solid gameplay as the foundation. So in season 4 they’ve added something called sponsors. Where you can choose from 3 different sponsors or “factions” essentially and you’ll have unique challenges and rewards from your sponsors based on your performance. You’ll also notice that at the end of each game, you will earn fans based on your performance in the game which go towards unlocking sponsorship rewards. I think this is such a cool way to add progression that really fits in the finals universe. This is something that the game has desperately needed and the new sponsor system in season 4 is a massive W. Now when choosing a sponsor make sure you look at the cosmetic rewards because once you sign with a sponsor, you’re locked into that sponsor for the entirety of the season. Now that may change in the future but that’s the way it works at the moment. So choose wisely.
Next I want to just run down some cool new or updated features here in season 4, but before we do that, if you’re enjoying the video drop a like and i’d like to hear what you think about the finals. I’ve heard quite a few different opinions on the game. Everything from how great it is to people complaining that the time to kill is too long. So I kind of want to do a temperature check and see what the overall feeling of the game is. Are you enjoying the finals? Are you maybe considering playing it for the first time? Because if that’s the case you’re in luck because with season 4 they’ve added a completely updated onboarding experience for first time players. They’ve got videos that explain all types of stuff in game so you don’t have to watch a youtube video on your phone and a much more in depth tutorial process for the game modes. I remember when I first played this game on launch day and it wasn’t super obvious how the game modes played and what the objectives were. On top of that they’ve also revamped the default player outfits and given new players dedicated challenges and rewards for their first few matches. So if you’ve never tried the game, now is the best time ever to jump in, give it a shot and see if you like it.
Lastly, when it comes to new features and content for season 4 we have a few things I just want to run down and then we’ll get into my thoughts on the state of the game.
We finally have private matches added to the finals, however it will not launch unless you have at least 2 players. So it’s great if you want to have it out with another buddy or a few friends but if you want to just drop into a game and explore around the maps, appreciate the art work and design of the dev team or maybe find some sneaky paths around the maps, you need a second account or a friend to jump in with you.
Next we’ve got the addition or updated version of the world tour game mode. TBh i’m not entirely sure if it’s brand new or returning for this season. Either way I really like this part of the game. A big issue for me with games is feeling like I'm playing for no reason. And with the world tour mode the cash you deposit counts towards your overall score that goes on to a leaderboard. So even if you don’t qualify for the next round at least the money you earned counts as progress towards something. I think it does a really good job of sitting somewhere between a full on sweaty ranked mode and just a classic pubs mode, which is perfect for me.
The new player card customization is a great change and with all the unique badges and cosmetics you can earn it’s a great way to show off your in game achievements. If you’ve seen any of my other videos you know this is a massive wish I've had in many games across the board. Just something cosmetic to earn that shows that you’ve grinded the game to accomplish something difficult. And the player card is perfect. So I’m super happy to see this feature get some extra love in season 4.
We also got a massive list of balance changes to seemingly everything across the board. The list is so long It would take an entire separate video to go over that and would probably be incredibly boring. But just rest assured that they are collecting data and feedback and making changes to balance the game out for all players. And I will say the game does feel like it’s in a better state overall. However I do have some issues I’d like to point out despite how solid I think this game is. The Melee meta is becoming frustrating. I understand they want melee weapons to be viable, especially because they sell them as cosmetics in the store and battle pass. Maybe it’s just me but I prefer my First Person Shooter games to be uhhhh IDK shooter games and not feel like 3D mortal kombat. It just feels like there are so many situations where if someone with a melee weapon is able to get close to you that they usually just win. I understand that’s the trade off because of how hard it is to close that gap when you do have a melee weapon, but a lot of times they’re able to sneak up on you in the chaos, especially when third partying another team. And while we’re on the melee topic, getting grapled by the heavy class is absolutely infuriating. They pull you in with the grapple and then two tap you with the sledge hammer or spear. I don’t like things in competitive games that basically take away all control I have in the situation. But that’s enough complaining from me.
The new menu and UI for season 4 is great and an improvement from the previous versions. I remember feeling a little confused and lost clicking around the first season menu trying to find my different character builds, character customization and contestant builds. So i’m really glad to see that they’ve realized that the previous UI just wasn’t intuitive and have made changes to make it better. Take notes call of duty. And I only point this out because for a developer to make changes to the main menu UI signals to me that the actually care about their game at a deeper level than just making it passable or playable.
It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to confidently make this type of statement but, This game feels amazing on mouse and keyboard, but not to the detriment of controller players. Some games feel kind of clunky or weird on mnk or something about the aiming mechanics just feel off. But i’m happy to say that everything here in the finals just works.
This next part is going to sound like a negative but I mean it in the most optimistic way possible. There is a lot to learn for new players. Don’t be discouraged because that is what makes this game awesome. Listen, I'm going to be real with you guys for a minute, there's a reason games like call of duty get stale after a short period of time. If the game is easy to just pick up and understand in your first game it probably doesn’t have a lot of depth and you’re going to get bored after a while. Now if you’re the type of person who feels entitled and only has fun when they’re constantly playing well then IDK what to tell you. But games like Apex Legends, or the Finals have a lot going on and a lot to learn. This can make the learning curve a little bit steeper for some players. But don’t be discouraged because this is a good thing. This is just the result of a game that has a lot of depth and moving pieces. Trust me if you stick with it, you will see yourself improve and you will have so much fun as you get better at the game. That feeling of progression is extremely rewarding because it’s literally built into human psychology. So don’t be discouraged if you try it for the first time and get confused.
Overall the finals season 4 is a massive W for the game, it’s community and the first person shooter genre as a whole.
Comments