When The Finals shadow-dropped in December after The Game Awards, it took the gaming community by complete surprise. As someone who had loved what I played in the early test sessions and prior betas, I was incredibly excited.
It has been a whirlwind three months for the team at Embark Studios with The Finals gaining a large audience and seeing higher player numbers than they anticipated. While the launch content and early events have been satisfying, many players have been wondering, “What’s next?” Enter season 2.
Season 2 of The Finals launches today and brings with it a wide range of substantial additions. We got the chance to enjoy an early play session with the team at Embark, so let’s dive into why this update is very promising for the future of the fast-paced FPS.
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One of the largest additions in season 2 is a third-game mode. Titled “Power Shift,” it’s the first two-team mode featuring two teams of five. Similar in ways to modes like “escort” in other titles, but with the action dialed up in typical Finals fashion, it’s essentially a giant game of explosive tug-of-war. A large, moving platform begins at a central location on the map, and teams battle it out to occupy the platform and keep it moving in their favor. Given the variety of gadgets and weaponry available to players, combined with the verticality of the maps, it gets incredibly chaotic battling for the platform in all the best ways.
Capitalizing on the unique destruction found in The Finals, the platform will also crash through buildings and objects, thus further compounding the chaos. The team and I had a lot of fun in the few matches of this mode. Not only is it something completely different than Quick Cash and Bank It, but the two-team approach allows for new strategies and team combinations. Of course, having a team mode also allows you and up to four friends to team up, which is also a welcome addition.
Alongside Power Shift is a new map, named SYS$HORIZON, and it runs with the 80s, synthwave-themed season. Over the course of several matches, I found it feeling like a solid addition to the map rotation while offering a good mix of close quarters battles and large, open pathways to navigate. And, just like the other maps, time of day, weather, and effects all randomize.
Perhaps the most game-changing additions in season 2, however, are the new gadgets. The light build gains the Gateway, the medium build gains the Dematerializer and the Data Reshaper, and the heavy build gains the Anti-Gravity Cube. To give you a quick overview directly from Embark:
- The Gateway for Lights is a pair of limited-range deployable portals. When both are thrown and activated, contestants and objects can move between the two locations. Anyone can use a portal, but players can’t see or shoot through them. Perfect for a quick getaway, when things get hairy.
- The Dematerializer for Mediums is a specialization that temporarily erases physical surfaces, like walls, ceilings, or goo — allowing contestants to see, shoot, and pass through them. Create new passageways and close them back up again —turn every obstacle into an open door.
- The Data Reshaper for Mediums is a gadget that changes enemy fortifications (or any random objects for that matter) into something else entirely — like turning an enemy mine into a chair. Or an enemy turret into a table. Great for breaking through enemy defenses!
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The Anti-Gravity Cube for Heavies is a deployable cube that manipulates gravity in its immediate area, lifting contestants and objects upwards. Is it a traversal tool? Or a defensive gadget? It’s up to each contestant!
While we had limited time with the new gadgets, the Dematerializer was already completely game-changing. It enables you to jump through floors, shoot through walls, and utilize the levels in ways you never could before. I can only imagine what players will begin to pull off once the broad community has time with them all!
Combining with the new gadgets are a new weapon for each class. The Lights gain access to the 93R burst-fire machine pistol, the Mediums the FAMAS burst-fire assault rifle, and the Heavies the KS-23 slug shotgun. Each plays a unique role for their class. I adored my time with the FAMAS, which felt deadly at range providing you were accurate.
Season 2 also expands upon the game progression systems. In addition to the new battle pass, there is now a contract system that provides you with bonuses over an extended period of time. These are tracked over the course of a season and completed through daily and weekly contracts. It’s a more thorough system than what was in place originally and gives players more items to work towards.
The League System (ranked competitive mode) also sees updates with season 2. The progression through the ranks has been revised, and there are new, more-meaningful rewards to be earned.
The final cherry on top for season 2 is the addition of private matches. This has been a heavily requested feature by the community, so it’s great to see Embark getting to it quickly. It is rather bare bones to start, but Embark has taken the approach of getting it out with haste and then continually building upon it. More features and updates are in active development.
Finally, it wouldn’t be a new season of a live-service game without a new battle pass and cosmetics. The new battle pass is structured similarly to the first one, with 96 levels of unlockables. As with the rest of the season, it is 80s-themed and plays to the theme well with homages in all forms. As part of our preview session, we were able to buy all the new cosmetics and the new pass from the store to play around with. I’ll just say this: if you enjoyed customizing your character in The Finals already, you’re going to love the variety that season 2 brings.
That about wraps it up for what to expect in The Finals season 2. With the new season launching today, you don’t have to wait to experience it for yourself, so we’ll plan to see you on the show. Just be prepared to be turned into coins.