Nov. 17, 2022 - 10-Year Anniversary (PC Update)

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Happy 10-Year Anniversary!

On November 20, PlanetSide 2 will be celebrating ONE DECADE of war on Auraxis. In this anniversary update, you'll find loads of visual updates, balance changes, an entirely new facility capture mechanic, new items available in the Depot, and even some upcoming events. All the details found below.

Ultimate Empire Showdown

Join us at 2pm PT (11pm CET), Nov. 20 on www.twitch.tv/PlanetSide2 for a head to head to head matchup with community creators, Camikaze78, CMDRCyrious, and Wintergaming, hosted by ArsheeTV! Our guests will pit the might of their faction against one another on Jaegar for this special event.
More information here: https://www.planetside2.com/news/ultimate-empire-showdown-2022

Double Experience Weekends!

Want some DOUBLE EXPERIENCE? Check out the schedule below!

• Double Experience for ALL- Nov. 18, 19, 20
• Double Experience for MEMBERS - Nov. 25, 26, 27

All Access members receive double experience on the last full weekend of each month. More information here: https://www.daybreakgames.com/allaccess

Claim your 10th Anniversary Decal!

Celebrate the 10th Anniversary with a new decal, only 10 Certs in the Depot for a limited time!

 

Capture the Conduit

With the 10-year anniversary, we've added a whole new way to wage war. You'll see various bases throughout Auraxis outfitted with a new CTF-style mechanic we call Capture the Conduit.

Attacking a Conduit Outpost goes like so.

1. Hack a Repo.
2. Steal a Conduit.
3. Deposit the Conduit into the Repo.
4. Repeat.

Defending a Conduit Outpost goes similarly.

• Re-secure hacked Repos.
• Return stolen Conduits.
• Repeat.
  
  

A more detailed breakdown is found below.
Each Conduit Outpost has at least one Podium and one Repository (or "Repo",) but some bases have more.

Podiums hold Conduits that attackers must steal from the defenders. Conduits can only be off a podium for a limited amount of time, and any captured Conduits respawn after a short delay.

Each outpost has a certain number of captures, referred to as "strikes," against a base before it's conquered by attackers. The faction that captures the last Conduit will conquer the base.

Conduits
Grabbing a Conduit will give you a short burst of speed and restore your shields, but you can't fire weapons, and some abilities have reduced effectiveness while a Conduit is held.

Dropping a Conduit puts your suit's hazard protection on cooldown, preventing you from picking it back up for a time, but an ally (or enemy) can pick it up immediately.

If a defending player interacts with a dropped Conduit, it is immediately re-secured, and the Podium it came from will generate a new Conduit in its place.

 

Repositories

To attack a base, you'll need to hack one of these Repos to establish your presence.

A Repo is where attackers can cash in the Conduits they've stolen.

Capturing a Conduit by depositing it into a Repo will earn a strike toward the base.

If defenders are able to re-secure all Repos at a base, the base itself will be immediately re-secured, and the assault will need to begin anew.

Dev Note: Currently, Repos only take a few seconds to hack, but this will be converted to an overload-style mechanic in the near future.

 

Below is the list of bases converted to Conduit Outposts.
Amerish

• The Bastion
• Shrouded Skyway
• Splitpeak Pass
• Onatha Southwest Gate
• Wokuk Watchtower
• Crux Headquarters
• West Pass Watchtower

Indar

• J908
• Indar Excavation Site

Esamir

• Mattherson's Triumph
• Elli Tower
• Andvari South Bank
• The Traverse
• Baldur Amp Station
• Jord Amp Station
• Spral Oasis
• Andvari Barracks

Hossin

• Fort Drexler
• Hunter's Blind
• Hurakan Secure Storage
• Naum Marsh Compound
• Ixtab Water Purification

Oshur

• Astira Hydroelectric

 

Map and Environment

The following bases and lattice links have received updates.
Amerish
Ikanam Biolab

• Three capture points are now located within the facility, and an additional fourth capture point has been added in the construction area atop the base.
• Greenery has been added atop the construction area to provide cover... and color.
• Vehicle terminal area now has more room for vehicle deployments.

The Bastion

• Added more cover along tower walkways.
• Adjusted jump pads and added a third wall tower to facilitate CTF gameplay.

Indar
Lattice Links

• Removed lattice link from Indar Waste Treatment to Crater Firing Range.
• Added lattice link from J908 Impact Site to Ceres Hydroponics.
• Added lattice link from Dahaka Southern Post to Dahaka Pump Station.
• Added lattice link from Snake Ravine Lookout to Xenotech Labs.

Scarred Mesa Skydock

• Added shields to both Sunderer Garages.

Hvar Databank

• Added shields to both Sunderer Garages.

Sunken Relay Station

• Moved the capture point indoors.

Esamir
Andvari Barracks

• Has received more cover along the bridge area.

Andvari South Bank

• Has received more cover along the bridge area.

Oshur

• Bastions are now available on Oshur.
• Has received a new mid-tier stabilized state, like other continents.

 

Bastion Fleet Carrier

The Bastion Fleet Carrier has received a role adjustment that places its power in the realm of map control. This massive vehicle can now hasten attacks on enemy bases, stall attacks on allied bases, and become a spawn point for more than just your Outfit.

New Commands
Three new commands have been added to the Bastion's repertoire - Lockdown, Assault, and Anchor.

• Issuing the Lockdown command over an allied facility area that is being captured will cause the Fleet Carrier to fly over and pause the capture timer.
• Issuing the Assault command over an enemy facility area will accelerate the capture timer of a facility that's currently being captured, as if it had one additional capture point already controlled in your favor.
• Issuing the Anchor command will turn the Bastion into a spawn point for the entire faction.

Each of these commands last until the Fleet Carrier issues a new command or is destroyed.

Mauler Cannons

• Mauler Cannons and the Attack command have been removed.

Bastion's Ship to Ship Cannons

• CoF Recovery Rate from 0.67 to 8
• Ironsights in/out time from 3sec. to 0.5sec.

Dev Note: The above adjustments make these weapons a bit less of a headache to use.

Picture of a Bastion Fleet Carrier against Esamir's updated sky.

 

Graphics Improvements

We've developed a number of new graphical enhancements and updates in anticipation for the Anniversary release.

Texture Updates
We've polished many of the texture sheets in our game by bringing them more in line with current physically based rendering (PBR) standards. Overall, the changes pull back some of the excessive grunge on structures and vehicles, bumps up the reflectivity, and makes the faction colors on painted metal feel a bit more vibrant.

 

Water Reflections
Oshur's ocean now looks more... ocean-y, with the addition to water-based reflections. You can adjust the quality settings of these water reflections in the Graphics menu.

Screen Space Reflections
Many of the glossy surfaces in the game will now reflect what you see on your screen when the new "Screen Space Reflections" are activated. We refer to this in the Graphics menu as "Object Reflections", the higher the quality, the more detail they'll reflect.

Sky Improvements
We've made updates to the skies across Auraxis, generally adding more color to the environment and cleaning up issues like blocky clouds.

New Explosions
Many of the on-impact explosions have received visual revamps, as well as performance optimizations.

Anti-Aliasing Options
You now have new anti-aliasing options to choose from, allowing you to smooth out those jagged edges. We've added options for FXAA, TAA, and FXAA+TAA.
Dev Note: The TAA options need a bit more refinement, which will land in a later update.

Advanced Specialization Program 03 is now Unlocked

• For the hardcore battle rank enthusiasts, we've unlocked A.S.P. 03 for you to pursue.
• A.S.P. is unlocked by achieving Battle Rank 100, and visiting the My Character screen, and provides access to hybrid class unlocks and other advanced loadout customization options.
• Certing into A.S.P. costs 10,000 Certs, and is FREE if you're a Member.

 

New to the Depot this Anniversary! (Available through November)

In the Depot for a limited time, the warriors of Auraxis prepare for their final battle with new Norse-inspired weapons and cosmetics.

Craftsman's 10-Year Anniversary Bundle - 1999 DBC

• Faction-specific Decal (All factions)
• 10-year Loyalty Profile Banner (All factions)
• Trickster's Helmet (VS only)
• Thunderer's Helmet (NC only)
• Wyrdwatcher's Helmet (TR only)
• Valfreyjan Helmet (NSO only)
• Heimdall's Anvil Drop Pod

Drop the hammer with the Heimdall's Anvil Drop Pod.

 

Warrior's 10-Year Anniversary Bundle - 3999 DBC

• Faction-specific Decal (All factions)
• 10-year Loyalty Profile Banner (All factions)
• Trickster's Helmet (VS only)
• Thunderer's Helmet (NC only)
• Wyrdwatcher's Helmet (TR only)
• Valfreyjan Helmet (NSO only)
• Heimdall's Anvil Drop Pod
• Einherjar Plating (Valkyrie Exterior)
• Einherjar Cockpit (Valkyrie Cockpit)
• NS "Fenrir's Maw" Annihilator (Infantry Rocket Launcher)

Be one of Freyja's chosen with the new Einherjar Valkyrie cosmetics.

 

Giant's 10-Year Anniversary Bundle - 7999 DBC

• Faction-specific Decal
• 10-year Loyalty Profile Banner (All factions)
• Trickster's Helmet (VS only)
• Thunderer's Helmet (NC only)
• Wyrdwatcher's Helmet (TR only)
• Valfreyjan Helmet (NSO only)
• Heimdall's Anvil Drop Pod
• Einherjar Plating (Valkyrie Exterior)
• Einherjar Cockpit (Valkyrie Cockpit)
• NS "Fenrir's Maw" Annihilator (Infantry Rocket Launcher)
• NS-30 "Gungnir" Vandal (Infantry Scout Rifle)
• Supernova "Fafnir" FPC (VS Magrider Cannon)
• Titan-150 "Fafnir" AP (NC Vanguard Cannon)
• P2-120 "Fafnir" AP (TR Prowler Cannon)
• CT-150 "Fafnir" Cyclops (NSO Chimera Cannon)
• Stormbringer (Heavy Melee Weapon)
• Ragnarok Contrails (Scythe, Reaver, Mosquito, Dervish, Valkyrie, Liberator, Galaxy)
• 10-year Loyalty Banner Frame (All factions)
• Trickster's Light Assault Armor (VS only)
• Thunderer's Light Assault Armor (NC only)
• Wyrdwatcher's Light Assault Armor (TR only)
• Valfreyjan Light Assault Armor (NSO only)
• Perfect Experimental Stims (Account-wide Implant)
• Perfect Berserker (Account-wide Implant)
• Title: Eternal
• 12-month Heroic Boost

Call down the thunder with the Stormbringer heavy melee weapon, complete with custom audio and FX.

 

PlanetSide Legacy Bundle - 4999 DBC
The PlanetSide Legacy Bundle returns during this event, offering a 6-month Heroic Boost, three "Perfect" account-wide exceptional implants, fresh cosmetic takes on classic weapons, and more.

• 6-month Heroic Boost
• Title: Enthusiast
• Apex Drop Pod
• "Apex" NC1 Gauss Rifle
• "Apex" T1 Cycler
• "Apex" Pulsar VS1
• Infravision [Perfect]
• Avoidance [Perfect]
• Minor Cloak [Perfect]
• Legacy Banner
• Legacy Banner Frame

"Apex" T1 Cycler

"Apex" Pulsar VS1

"Apex" NC1 Gauss Rifle

 

Subterfuge Directive

You've recently begun receiving messages from a mysterious contractor looking for help. Can you sort through the static in this new directive lineup?
New daily missions will be made available alongside this new directive. Be careful though, while on these missions, you become a High Value Target to other agents in the field.

• Black Market Kills - Earn kills using any Black Market weapon.
• Collect A7 Data Nodes - Collect exposed data nodes found at consoles throughout the world.
• Cutting off the Head - Eliminate enemies designated as High Value Targets.
• Subterfuge Missions - Complete Subterfuge Missions to progress this challenge.
• Invisible Stalker - Earn kills while cloaked...
• Cloak and Dagger - Spot targets, hack or destroy terminals, and overload generators.
• Conduit Outpost Capture - Capture any Conduit Outpost.

Mastering this directive will grant you the KTR-3 Saboteur, an anti-materiel punching dagger capable of inflicting damage to heavily armored vehicles.

 

Exceptional VII

A new Exceptional directive has landed, allowing use of the past Halloween event weapons, and this Anniversary's new weapon lineup!

Prepare yourself for the gates of Valhalla with the Exceptional VII's Chromeshine Camo reward.

 

New Loot with Prime Gaming, beginning Nov. 23rd!

PlanetSide 2 is coming to Prime Gaming! Each month, new equipment and cosmetics will be made available to eligible Amazon Prime or Prime Video members!

This month, the NS-11A Frontline assault rifle and Gladiator Helmets are up for grabs. The Frontline assault rifle contributes to the new Exceptional VII directive progress!

Want your loot? Check here for more information on Nov. 23rd: https://gaming.amazon.com/home

 

Infantry Balance

Many of the balance adjustments below have been made based on community feedback.

Shotguns
Pandora VX25, AF-57 Piston, AS16 NightHawk, SG-A25 (Empire Automatic Shotguns )

• Maximum damage from 125 to 112.
• Magazine size from 8 to 6.
• Ammo capacity from 56 to 54.
• Fixed a typo on the Piston's Extended Magazine purchase data that incorrectly mentions 4 rounds.

NC05 Jackhammer (NC Heavy Weapon)

• Burst fire pellet spread from 2.5 to 3.5
• Burst fire pellet count from 5 to 4.

Phobos VX86, GD-66 Claw, TRS-12 Uppercut (Empire Pump Shotguns)

• Maximum damage from 125 to 100.
• Minimum damage from 50 to 63.

Dev Note: This is a heavy swing. These weapons will very likely need to get tuned back into a more usable position once more data comes in.

Deimos VA29, LA39 Bruiser, TAS-16 Blackjack, HSG-400 (Empire Heavy Pump Shotguns)

• Maximum damage from 125 to 100.
• Minimum damage from 50 to 63.
• Maximum damage range from 8m to 5m.

Dev Note: Similar to the above, this heavily reduces these weapons' effectiveness, and will likely need to get tuned upward after this update to make them more competitive with the semi-autos.

 

Non-shotgun Weapon Adjustments
Vanu Sovereignty
Prominence VE4 (Carbine)

• Min damage from 112 to 125.

VX29 Polaris (LMG)

• Min damage from 112 to 125.
• Reload speed from 4.925 long / 3.925 short to 4.225 long / 3.225 short.

New Conglomerate
EM1 (LMG)

• Min damage from 112 to 125.

NC6 Gauss SAW (LMG)

• Min damage from 167 to 143.

NC6S Gauss SAW S (LMG)

• Min damage from 167 to 143.

NC6A GODSAW (LMG)

• Min damage from 167 to 143.

Terran Republic
T5 AMC (Carbine)

• Min damage from 112 to 125.

T16 Rhino (LMG)

• Min damage from 112 to 125.

Nanite Systems Operatives
CB-ARX Newton (Carbine)

• Reduced projectile size to be in line with most other weapons.

CB-200 (Carbine)

• Rate of fire from 550 rounds per minute to 577 rounds per minute.

AR-100 (Assault Rifle)

• Magazine size from 28 to 30.
• Ammunition capacity from 196 to 210.

AR-101 (Assault Rifle)

• Magazine size from 28 to 30.
• Ammunition capacity from 196 to 210.

XMG-200 (LMG)

• Min damage from 125 to 143.

 

Misc. Infantry Adjustments
Aegis Shield (NC MAX ability)

• Health at maximum rank from 3000 to 2250.
• Energy regeneration rate no longer increases per rank.

Infantry Rocket Launchers
Lock-on infantry launchers, and a few others have received a noteworthy revision.

• Added new "Infantry Lock-on" resist type (68)
• Abilities that modify damage from "Infantry Launchers" also modify this damage resistance (eg. Flak Armor, Flanker Armor)

Dev Note: The addition of this resist type lets us get away from using the "flak" functionality for lock-on launchers in order to deliver their AoE damage separately from the direct damage the weapons deal to ground vehicles. Now, a direct hit delivers the damage, and the AoE triggers explosive splash as you'd expect from a rocket launcher. The resist type has been configured to deal the same damage to ground vehicles as infantry launchers currently do, and more damage to aircraft than it was doing on the previous flak resistance.

Nemesis VSH9, Hawk GD-68, ASP-30 Grounder, LAV-LA (Empire Anti-Air Lockons)

• Direct damage resist type from 34 (Infantry Rocket Launcher) to 68 (Infantry Lock-on)
• Blast damage resist type from 12 (Flak) to 6 (Common Explosive)
• Blast damage from 400@5m-50@8m to 300@0.5m-50@3m
• This weapon no longer requires a flak detonation to trigger its AoE damage.

NS Annihilator (Common Pool Lock-on)

• Direct damage resist type from 34 (Infantry Rocket Launcher) to 68 (Infantry Lock-on)
• Blast damage resist type from 12 (Flak) to 6 (Common Explosive)
• Direct damage from 650 to 675.
• Blast damage from 325@5m-1@8m to 350@1m-50@3m
• This weapon no longer requires a flak detonation to trigger its AoE damage.

NS-R3 Swarm (Common Pool Lock-on)

• Direct damage resist type from 34 (Infantry Rocket Launcher) to 68 (Infantry Lock-on)
• Blast damage resist type from 12 (Flak) to 6 (Common Explosive)
• Blast damage from 160@5m-1@8m to 275@0.5m-50@2.5m
• This weapon no longer requires a flak detonation to trigger its AoE damage.

T2 Striker (TR Rocket Launcher)

• Direct damage resist type from 34 (Infantry Rocket Launcher) to 68 (Infantry Lock-on)
• Direct damage from 150 to 140.
• Blast damage resist type from 12 (Flak) to 6 (Common Explosive)
• Blast damage from 100@5m-1@8m to 200@0.5m-50@2m
• This weapon no longer requires a flak detonation to trigger its AoE damage.

Lancer VS22 (VS Rocket Launcher)

• Direct damage resist type from 34 (Infantry Rocket Launcher) to 68 (Infantry Lock-on)
• Max direct damage at each charge level from 150/350/700 to 200/400/800.
• Min direct damage at each charge level from 50/175/350 to 100/200/400.

 

Vehicle Balance

Various Main Battle Tank and Lightning cannons have received adjustments based on community feedback.

Vanu Sovereignty
Supernova PC (Magrider)

• Projectile velocity from 200 to 225.
• Projectile gravity from 5 to 4.

Supernova FPC (Magrider)

• Projectile gravity from 5 to 4.

New Conglomerate
Titan-150 HEAT (Vanguard)

• Projectile velocity from 225 to 250.
• Projectile gravity from 5 to 4.

Titan-150 AP (Vanguard)

• Projectile gravity from 5 to 4.

Titan-150 AP (Vanguard)

• Projectile gravity from 5 to 4.

JGX-12 (Vanguard)

• Projectile drag removed.

JGX11 (NC Lightning)

• Projectile drag removed.

Terran Republic
P2-120 HEAT (Prowler)

• Projectile velocity from 200 to 225.
• Projectile gravity from 5 to 4.

P2-120 AP (Prowler)

• Projectile gravity from 5 to 4.

P4-120 Kingsnake (Prowler)

• Projectile gravity from 5 to 4.
• No longer plays firing noises when out of ammo.

L2-100 Kingsnake (TR Lightning)

• Projectile gravity from 5 to 4.
• No longer plays firing noises when out of ammo.

Nanite Systems Operatives
CT-135 (Chimera)

• Projectile gravity from 5 to 4.

CT-102 Satyr (Chimera)

• Projectile gravity from 5 to 4.

CT-150 Cyclops (Chimera)

• Projectile gravity from 5 to 4.

Common Pool
L100 Python HEAT (Lightning)

• Projectile velocity from 200 to 225.
• Projectile gravity from 5 to 4.

L100 Python AP (Lightning)

• Projectile gravity from 5 to 4.

Spear Anti-Vehicle Turret (Base Turret)

• Max damage from 600 to 800.
• Min damage from 350 to 400.
• Min damage range from 300 to 400.

 

Spawn System

• The "Spawn Priority System" has been re-activated, and now distributes large numbers of spawn requests over multiple server frames to reduce tax on the server.
• Deploying vehicles directly from the map has been disabled.
• Fixed an exploit allowing players to bypass the squad deploy cooldown.

 

Misc. Changes, Fixes, and Additions

• Three new Javelin exterior cosmetics are now available.
• Surveying the Land mission has been reworked, and now requires you to be near the objective area for a time, instead of interacting with an (often buggy) object.
• Removed Halloween decorations from Sanctuary.
• Fixed icon size issues on various profile banners.
• NS-44 "Jackpot" Commissioner now displays the correct default zoom depth in the loadout screen.
• Seeker HLX and variants now display the correct default zoom depth in the loadout screen.
• Seeker HLX Aerolite Bolts now properly reduce the firing delay.
• Added missing barrel attachment visuals to the PSA-02 Diamondback.
• PMG-ARX Schrodinger's Hybrid Laser now functions correctly, instead of increasing its pellet spread.
• Fixed a string issue with the NSO Anti-Infantry MANA Turret skill line.
• Fixed a string discrepancy with Nanoweave Armor's skill line.
• Perihelion VXC now falls into the correct Depot category.
• Fixed an issue causing the Orbital Strike UI tint color to reset.
• Cleaned up some visuals on the PMC helmets.
• Reduced the speed of the rivers on Amerish.
• Renamed "Fullscreen Windowed" to "Fullscreen Borderless" in the Graphics settings.
• NC muzzle flashes now show correctly from remote clients on low settings.
• Scaled down obtrusive muzzle flash visuals for many weapons.
• Decreased scale and opacity on suppressor smoke.
• Reduced light intensity and volume of Rocklet Rifle muzzle flash.
• NSO characters can now use Jump Pads at Sungrey Amp Station on Amerish.

 

Thank You

PlanetSide 2 was originally released on November 20, 2012... since then we've spent the last decade fighting over this massive, chaotic sandbox filled with explosions and gunfire. My first, most vivid memory of the early days was just after character creation – being briefed by the Overseer in that VO sequence we used to have, then dropping into a fight via Drop Pod. I was fully immersed as the metal screeched toward the ground below, the excitement and anticipation building.

Landing in an open field on Esamir (totally unhelpful, in retrospect,) I was close enough to an Amp Station to know I should head there, and far enough away to get absolutely destroyed by anyone noticing me scrambling across the coverless tundra. I was able to take out two targets (also, strangely in this open field) before getting gunned down myself. It was at that moment that I was hooked. There was something empowering about the challenge the game offered. Constantly whispering "I dare you to try," and forging memorable experiences from circumstance and possibility.

I imagine that many of you have similar memories, and that in some strange way, it's the cumulation of all those moments that have kept this game going strong ten years down the line. Thank you all for the challenge, on the battlefield, and even in the design space; the community, without which we would never have made it this long; and the memories, which I'm sure we'll make more of for years to follow.
-Wrel, Lead Designer