Winter Offensive: New Seasonal Content: The update introduces the Winter Offensive seasonal event with a brand-new, time-limited map, Ice Lock Empire State, a snow-covered, winter-themed variant of the existing Empire State. It also brings a limited-time multiplayer and Gauntlet mode that operate on Ice Lock and feature a ‘Freeze’ mechanic, adding fresh tactical depth and a holiday-style atmosphere. Along with the map and mode, there’s a bonus Battle Pass path tied to Winter Offensive, offering event cosmetics, XP boosters, and a new melee weapon, the Ice Climbing Axe.
Improved Combat & Hit Registration: The patch aims to fix long-standing issues with hit registration, especially in fast-paced or close-quarters fights, shots fired just before zooming, or rapid aim adjustments, are now far more reliably registered. Weapon handling has also been refined: recoil behavior, first-shot consistency, and attachment alignments have been adjusted so that weapons feel more stable and predictable during firefights.
Visual + Soldier Visibility Enhancements: To make combat clearer and more navigable, the update strengthens close-range soldier visibility: character highlights are more pronounced, and prone/animation visuals have been polished. These changes help reduce visual clutter and improve identification of friend vs foe, which is especially useful in chaotic, visually busy maps or snowy environments like Ice Lock.
Gadget, Vehicle & Utility Fixes: Beyond weapons, the patch fine-tunes gadgets and utility usage: core gadgets like portable mortars, supply pouches, smoke cover, traversal tools, and even throwing knives, have been adjusted to behave more consistently and reliably. Vehicle behavior has also improved: damage zones, HUD overlays, seat reticules, camera behavior have been corrected, making vehicular gameplay smoother, whether driving, riding, or engaging as passenger.
Map and Mode Rebalance: Rush & Breakthrough: Several maps/modalities got layout reworks, especially in the attacker-defender balance for modes like Breakthrough and Rush. Capture volumes, vehicle spawns, M-COM placements, and sector flow have been restructured to reduce bottlenecks and improve fairness. The result aims at smoother objective pushes and less frustrating matches for both attackers and defenders, addressing prior complaints of imbalance and chaotic spawns.
Audio Overhaul & UI / Quality-of-Life Upgrades: The patch delivers a broad audio pass: footsteps, vehicle sounds, armor-break cues, general combat audio, all refined for better spatial clarity and consistency, to help players better track movement and incoming threats. In addition, the update brings UI and HUD enhancements, improved controller-aiming responsiveness, and fixes for issues that previously reset player settings upon update, making for a more polished, user-friendly experience.
Stability Gains: Additional Issues Fixed: While many prior fight-mechanics issues (hit-reg, animations, gadgets, audio) have been addressed, many players on PC report new performance issues, notably stuttering, micro-freezes and “hitches” even on high-end rigs. Workarounds, like disabling the Steam friends list, reportedly help for some users, but the developers say they’re actively investigating; a proper fix is expected in a future hotfix.
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