Update 9.7.0
Update 9.7.0 introduces significant weapon buffs for the FCAR, XP-54, and P90 alongside a health nerf for the Dome Shield and a rework for Glitch Grenades.
Key Changes
- 1FCAR damage increased to 23 and XP-54 fire rate increased to 880 RPM
- 2Dome Shield health reduced from 300 to 250 to counter Heavy-stacking meta
- 3Glitch Grenade ammo increased to 2, but cooldown increased to 25 seconds
- 4Orbital Breach event enabled in World Tour featuring Hackout and Orbital Lasers
- 5P90 effective range increased via damage falloff distance buffs
- 6New 'Appear Offline' social setting and Embark ID name rule changes
- 7Voltage Marauder Set added as a reward for ARC Raiders players
- 8Xbox and PlayStation specific performance and crash fixes
- 9Point Break Grand Vaults now have movement constraints to prevent griefing
- 10Twitch Drops enabled for CL40, MGL32, and 93R Greenroom Glitch skins
All Changes
🔫Weapons(6)
- buffFCAR: Increased damage from 22 to 23 but decreased rate of fire from 540 RPM to 520 RPM (net DPS buff).
- buffM60: Decreased dispersion when aiming down sights while standing and moving for better accuracy.
- buffM60: Decreased dispersion when firing from the hip in extreme stances.
- buffP90: Increased damage falloff minimum range from 16m to 18m and max range from 22m to 24m.
- buffPike-556: Increased damage from 48 to 49.
- buffXP-54: Increased rate of fire from 860 RPM to 880 RPM.
💣Gadgets(2)
- nerfDome Shield: Decreased health from 300 to 250.
- changeGlitch Grenade: Increased ammo from 1 to 2 but increased cooldown from 12 to 25 seconds.
🏆Game Modes(5)
- newWorld Tour: Enabled 'Orbital Breach' event, combining Hackout and Orbital Lasers mechanics.
- changePoint Break: Added constraint zones around Grand Vaults to prevent them from being moved too far from spawn.
- newPoint Break: Added the ability to spectate from the position of your Revive Statue when eliminated.
- changeSYS$Horizon: Adjusted attacker spawn locations in phases two and three for better distance balance.
- changeBernal: Adjusted attacker spawn location in phase two and added ladders for better flow.
🗺️Maps(9)
- fixFangwai City: Fixed several spots with invisible collision and restored missing stairs.
- fixFangwai City: Fixed an issue where streets appeared excessively bright on PS4.
- newKyoto: Added a path from the Villa Compound into the courtyard behind the Entrance building.
- changeKyoto: Spread out barrel spawn points to prevent chain reactions.
- fixLas Vegas: Fixed visual issue where walls displayed broken materials after destruction.
- fixMonaco: Fixed floating boxes after floor destruction and window collision blocking climbing.
- newPractice Range: Updated S8 trophy leaderboards and added S9 Snowball Blitz trophy.
- fixPractice Range: Fixed an exploit where players could escape the map using Goo.
- fixSkyway Stadium: Fixed issue where the bottom section of construction cranes could not be destroyed.
👥Social & UI(5)
- changeEmbark ID: Implemented new rules for Embark ID Display Names and removed name change cooldown for affected users.
- newSocial: Added an option to appear offline to hide status from other players.
- changeStay as a Party: Updated 'Stay as a Party' feature with new animations and sounds.
- fixUI: Scoreboard and social menus now display the correct platform icons.
- changeUI: Added shimmer effects to buttons and improved Match Recap accuracy and navigation.
💻Performance & Stability(4)
- changePerformance: Dozens of micro-optimization fixes for objects on Bernal, Nozomi, and Seoul.
- changePerformance: Adjusted texture sampling to improve Xbox GPU performance.
- changePerformance: Ongoing GPU optimization specifically for the Las Vegas map.
- fixStability: Fixed a crash occurring in the store menu on PlayStation.
🐛Bug Fixes(6)
- fixGateway: Fixed actions like grenade throws or reloads visually resetting when passing through a Gateway.
- fixDematerializer: Fixed issue where Dematerializer could consume a charge without dematerializing an object.
- fixContracts: Fixed 'Deal 5,000 damage with Gadgets' contract so Guardian Turrets no longer progress it.
- fixContracts: Fixed unreliable tracking for 'Deal damage with grenades' including CL40 damage.
- fixGameplay: Fixed issue where movement input could become unresponsive after network problems.
- fixVFX: Fixed H+ Infuser healing visuals appearing incorrect when healing teammates.
Summary
Combat & Balance
This update focuses on shifting the meta by boosting the effectiveness of automatic weapons. The FCAR, XP-54, and P90 all received buffs to damage or fire rate to compete with 'poke' and 'brawl' weapons. Conversely, the Heavy's Dome Shield has been nerfed to reduce its dominance in double-Heavy compositions. Glitch Grenades now have two charges again but with a significantly longer cooldown.
World Tour & Events
The 'Orbital Breach' event is now active in the Arena, combining Hackout (wall-hacks) and Orbital Lasers (anti-camping). Players can also earn the Voltage Marauder Set by connecting their account to ARC Raiders, and new Twitch drops are available for the CL40, MGL32, and 93R.
Social & Performance
Embark has implemented new Display Name rules for better moderation, affecting some players' IDs. A new 'Appear Offline' mode has been added. Performance-wise, the team has implemented dozens of micro-optimizations for Bernal, Nozomi, and Seoul, alongside specific GPU fixes for Xbox and Las Vegas.