Summary
Redfall’s final update has launched, and the patch notes have revealed some of the changes that have been made to the game. The update serves as a closing chapter toRedfall, which is seeing its support permanently ending.
Redfallstruggled to meet expectations, receiving largely mixed-to-negative reviews from critics and players alike.Redfallwas performing so poorly that four months after its launch, theconcurrent player count forRedfallfell to single digitson Steam. While this would be a terrible thing to see with any game, asRedfallis a co-op title, the writing on the wall was becoming apparent. Bethesda initially stated that the company was dedicated to making the title “a good game,” but a year later and following acquiring the company, Microsoft chose to give up on it.
Redfall’s studio didn’t completely give upthe ghost at that point, though, as the team revealed that the game would be receiving one last update, which has now launched. Some mechanics have been tweaked, while others have been added. A new system called Community Standing rewards players for basic actions like unlocking Safehouses, rescuing civilians, or defeating Underbosses. Players will be able to use earned points from these actions towards the Safehouse Skill Tree, where they can unlock up to 39 permanent buffs to their character.
Elder Nests have been added to the game, which will be accessible via purple-tinted portals. Players are tasked with defeating a Vampire boss located within. After beating them, players can free the Heart, grab loot, and will be rewarded a unique buff called Heart Shard that can convey one of several bonuses to the player. However, the Nests are also changing so that players have to escape before the area completely destabilizes if they want the Major Remnant. If they don’t escape in time, they can keep their loot, but will have to attempt it again to acquire the Major Remnant.
As players had requested, anOffline Mode has finally been added toRedfall, and players can also now pause during single-player play.Redfallwill now be playable without being connected to the internet.
A number of changes made in this update are still under wraps. The game has added new encounters, tweaked the Story Mode difficulty, improved AI, and added a new Unrivaled Weapon. However, the developer didn’t detail these changes beyond those vague notes.
Sadly,Redfall’s time has come to an end. Arkane Austin has been shuttered by Microsoft, and the planned major overhauls for the title, including DLC, have been axed. It’s an unfortunate conclusion to a game that diehard fans continued to believe in, especially amid so many other studio closures and game cancelations plaguing the industry right now.
PC (Steam): 20.20 GB
XBOX: 19.94 GB
NEIGHBORHOOD REVAMP – INTRODUCING COMMUNITY STANDING
With the release of Game Update 4, unlocking a new Safehouse, completing Safehouse missions, rescuing civilians, orkilling an Underbosswill all contribute to a new reputation bar called, “Community Standing”. As you assist the residents of Redfall in freeing their town from the grip of the Vampire Gods, you’ll be able to use your Support currency to unlock new rewards from the Safehouse Skill Tree.
There are six ranks of Community Standing giving you 39 unique rewards that serve as permanent buffs. As you progress higher through the Skill Tree, the unlocks become increasingly more impactful.
To help you get a better idea of what upgrades await, let’s look at a couple of unlocks from each of the six ranks of Community Standing.
All the upgrades from the Community Standing Skill Tree are meant to provide you with a mixture of QoL and gameplay benefits. A few of the traits will even help collectors finish out their hunt for cosmetics and Grave Locks.
NEST REVAMP – ELDER NEST
Also arriving with Game Update 4 are Elder Nests. These new Boss-focused Nests will challenge you to destroy dangerously modified special Vampires to free Redfall from their influence.
Portals to the Elder Nest will appear around Redfall much like their Heart Nest siblings. But these new psychic spaces can be distinguished by their purple glow over the areas where their influence reaches.
Once you’ve accepted the challenge and entered the Elder Nest, your objective is to find the Vampire boss buried deep within and destroy them, freeing the Heart inside, grabbing your rewards, and escaping.
After successfully clearing the Elder Nest, you (and your teammates) will be granted a temporary buff called a Heart Shard. The duration of the Heart Shard scales to the campaign difficulty; granting a longer buff at each higher difficulty.
Here are just a few of the Heart Shards that could be granted after completing an Elder Nest:
There’s one more major change coming to all Nests with this update. Failing to escape a Nest during its destabilization phase will now result in you not obtaining the Major Remanent. Any loot that you pick up will still be yours, but the Major Remnant is now rewarded after you successfully exit the collapsing Nest.
OFFLINE MODE
With the release of GU4 you will be given the option to play Redfall while disconnected from the Internet. You will also be able to continue playing if you’re disconnected from the Internet in the middle of a solo session. When playing in co-op, the host will be dropped into a solo offline session.
SINGLE PLAYER PAUSING
Another new feature we’re happy to introduce is Single Player Pausing. Now if you need some time to adjust your kit, or you just need to step away for a minute, the world of Redfall will wait with you.
WRAP-UP
This article only covers the largest additions coming to Redfall, but that is not all. New enemy encounters in Redfall Commons, continued AI improvements, Story Mode difficulty, and a new Unrivaled Weapon have also been added with this update.
*There will be no full patch notes for this update. Thank you for understanding.
Redfall
WHERE TO PLAY
Uncover the truth, take back Redfall: The island town of Redfall, Massachusetts, is under siege by a legion of vampires who have blocked out the sun and cut the citizens off from the outside world. Ally with a handful of survivors against the creatures threatening to bleed the town dry.Slay alone or squad up: Venture into the darkness alone or to squad-up for up to four player co-op. Teammates can try different loadouts and combine their strengths to find creative solutions to the vampire apocalypse that suit their playstyle.Unconventional heroes versus the night: Choose from a team of diverse heroes – each with their own character-specific abilities – to overcome the vampire legion and their brood of maniacal followers.The open world of Redfall: Redfall is a true Arkane experience in a rich world that blends the familiar with the extraordinary. Fight through cultist outposts and supernatural psychic spaces as you piece together Redfall’s many mysteries.
