This week, we’re introducing an experimental World Tour event, some balance changes, performance improvements, a long list of bug-fixes, a freshly updated Store and a bunch of freebies to collect. Read all about today’s update below and don’t forget to tune in to the community stream for some TGM26 info!

WORLD TOUR | RESPEC ORDER

Our World Tour stop for Update 10.3, Respec Order, is less of an event and more of an experiment! That means, we need your help to try it out!

Back in Season 3, we used World Tour as a testing ground for various changes to Cashout mode. This gave us a chance to gather telemetry and sentiment, player feedback, and just see how small changes interacted with the game. Respec Order will do exactly the same, and your feedback will be important (once you’ve actually gotten in the game and given it a try). 

In Respec Order, we’re adjusting both the health values and the base movement speeds of the Heavy and the Light archetypes in Cashout mode for one week, the changes will be as follows:

• Heavy

  • Health decreased from 350 to 325

  • Base movement speeds (run and sprint) increased by approximately 10%

• Light

  • Health increased from 150 to 175

  • Base movement speeds (run and sprint) decreased by approximately 10% 

  • Increased health regen delay from 7s to 8s

Try out the Respec Order event in World Tour and see how your experience changes!

To learn more about the reasoning behind this experiment, what we hope to learn, and more, please head over to this blog post [www.reachthefinals.com]from Matt Lowe, Design Director on THE FINALS.

You can also join the conversation yourself by chatting in the dedicated channel we’ve created in the official Discord server[discord.gg], or ask Matt a question over on Reddit. We’re working with the fan-run r/thefinals subreddit to collect your questions for Matt. The top relevant questions will be answered when Matt joins Oscar’s stream on Thursday, April 23rd!

See you there!

NEW CIRCUIT | SIEGE THE DAY

No Cashout is safe!

This week, complete contracts from the Siege the Day Circuit and earn some sweet rewards including the Ironthorn Sovereign Legendary V9S skin and spike things up in the Arena.

STORE | LADY UNYIELDING SET

While your true identity is sealed away behind your mask, everyone in the Arena knows who you are. As the last one standing on the frontline, this cashout station is now yours. Anyone who dares to attempt to steal it will learn that iron doesn’t bend, and neither do you.

TWITCH | TANGERINE SET

As delicious as it looks, the Tangerine Set is available for free as a Twitch Drop!
Simply watch anyone playing THE FINALS with Drops Enabled to be eligible to earn this set.

• Watch for 1 hour and claim the Tangerine Spear

• Watch for 2 hour and claim the Tangerine Blades

• Watch for 4 hour and claim the Tangerine Sword

Available now until April 30th. Check Twitch.tv for the full terms and conditions.

TWITCH | APE SQUAD CLASSICS

Join in and celebrate the Ape Squad Classics as for the first time we have an additional Twitch reward for all Contestants to collect! The Classic Cosmetic might even be as delicious, and the potassium might fuel you to Reach THE FINALS!

Watch Ape Squads Classic Tournament with 80 teams across EU and NA compete for victory and cheer your favorite team on! Watch the official

https://twitch.tv/ApeSquadOrg

channel, or any of their affiliated channels, for 4 hours to claim the APE SQUAD Banana Gun Charm. The next event is already close - check out for NA competing April 16th at 8pm ET (2am CEST) and April 19th 1pm ET (7pm CEST) for EU!

The campaign is live from April 16th at 11PM UTC, through May 12th 1am UTC. Check Twitch.tv for the full terms and conditions.

GAME UPDATE | BALANCE CHANGES

Gadgets

H+ Infuser

• Increased the delay before ammo starts regenerating from 8s to 10s

  Dev Note: The H+ Infuser still performs a little too well compared to the Medium’s Healing Beam and can be too powerful in securing Cashout steals while under fire. This change has been made to level things out 

Healing Emitter

• Added the ability to deploy the Healing Emitter in the air, no longer requiring it to be placed on a surface. If deployed in the air it will fall to the ground after deployment

• Decreased the size of the Healing Emitter by approximately 15%

  Dev Note: These are largely quality of life changes for the Emitter, allowing it to be more easily deployed and less of an obstruction when walking into it.

Hover Pad

• Increased health from 300 to 350

  Dev Note: Based on early feedback from the community since its S10 launch, we feel like the Hover Pad needs a little extra health to be a more desirable tool.

Gameplay

• Decreased the time it takes for goo to break when overlapping a player from 0.8s to 0.2s

  Dev Note: Goo overlapping and blocking players wasn’t ever intended but is one we’re happy to keep, within reason. It definitely requires some better visual treatment going forwards and has been too powerful to date, so we think this change will reduce a lot of the frustration some players experience related to it.

• Slightly decreased the movement velocity required to trigger a slide, to make them easier to perform

Weapon

93R

• Increased damage from 24 to 25

• Decreased ammo count from 24 to 21

  Dev Note: Believe it or not, the 93R is now the least picked Light weapon across all modes. These changes are aimed to increase its viability and desirability, without tipping it back to the dominant place it had in the meta a few seasons ago. 

FAMAS

• Slightly decreased recoil when aiming down sights (ADS), making the weapon more accurate at range when using ADS

  Dev Note: The FAMAS has gradually drifted out of serious viability for the Medium Build as other weapons have been buffed, so this small quality of life improvement is aimed to put it back on a similar footing to the other Medium ARs.

XP-54

• Increased ammo count from 34 to 36

  Dev Note: We’ve struggled for a few seasons now to find a sweet spot for the XP-54 where it’s desirable for Lights but not overpowered compared to other Light weapons. With each change, the weapon has swung from one state to the other, unfortunately never quite settling in a good place. This latest change is another attempt to get that balance right 

GAME UPDATE | CONTENT AND BUG FIXES

Animation

• Fixed hit reaction animations not displaying correctly on Riot Shield when struck by projectiles or melee attacks

• Improved cloth simulation to produce more natural bending and reduce clipping

• Fixed an issue where aiming with some gadgets could cause the character to over-rotate

• Fixed an issue where certain emotes could briefly replay when switching between menus, most noticeable with the Light Build

• Improved animation behavior when aiming down sights and moving

• Reduced weapon clipping with certain Outfits in menus by updating the poses for Lewis Gun, M60, Flamethrower, SH1900, Model 1887, and Sledgehammer

Audio

• Improved Minigun audio timing so firing stops immediately when released in order to reduce desync

• Considerably reduced Weapon audio latency on systems with at least 16GB of RAM

• Fixed an issue where the team wipe buzzer could play too late

• Fixed an issue where crowd audio could cut in and out

• Improved character movement foley with new clothing material variations and additional leg-specific audio sets

• Improved clothing movement sounds by refining loop pitch behavior and adding coverage for more outfits

• Fixed an issue where Weapon sounds could sometimes be replaced by audio from other weapons

Cosmetics

• Fixed a visual culling issue on the Point Proven emotes for OSPUZE and VOLPE

• Adjusted charm clipping on several Defibrillator skins 

• Fixed pixelation on dirt details for the Lewis Gun Angel Clause skin

• Fixed an issue where the LH1 Feral Frequency skin’s magazine could be invisible on Low and Medium graphics settings

• Reduced the brightness of the clear tape on the Special Delivery AKM skin in darker areas to prevent a glowing appearance

• Reduced excessive cloth movement on the Argent Dominus Helm

• Fixed visual issues with several Emotes: the trophy no longer hovers during the Bigshot Show-Off Emote, the spyglass from Land Ahoy! no longer remains on screen after inspecting, and the Waking the Dragon Emote no longer clips into teammates in the pre-match line-up 

• Bullets no longer appear to float when using the Repeater’s Mark of the Marooned skin

• Fixed an issue where the Dominion Drape lower-body item could be missing on Medium Contestants when using Low video settings

• Improved visual detail of the dragon pet during the Drag n’Load SR-84 Inspect animation to prevent a low‑poly appearance

• Fixed an issue where the Emotional Damage Emote’s heart effects could remain attached to the hand after the Emote was interrupted

• Added a pickup animation and improved the look of the interaction and recall animations on the Codex of Exile Multi-Device skin

• Fixed some Throwing Knives not showing the correct skin when sticking to soft or metal surfaces

• Fixed the Arcane Uplink Multi-Device skin so its fire effect now changes color when placement is invalid

• Updated cloth simulation on multiple outfits (coats, capes, skirts, hair) for more consistent movement

• Updated the charm ring placement for the Codex of Exile skin

• Reduced clipping in the neck and clavicle area on Contestants

• Fixed rendering issues with the Fertilizer Bag and Copper Coin String Charms

• Updated teeth shading to improve character appearance, 9 out of 10 digital dentists approve of this change 

• Adjusted cape attachment and cloth simulation on The Sovereignless to fit different body types better and prevent clipping

• Added physics to the Ho Ho Hat, for no particular reason other than that we could

• Fixed the logic of the screen customization for the Codex of Exile Multi-device skin so incompatible screen options are now locked

• Fixed misaligned bowstring on the Cupid bow skin in the MVP screen

• Fixed an issue where the Time to Fret Emote’s sound effect could stop playing after repeated or interrupted use

• Improved compatibility between certain masks and hooded jackets

• Improved compatibility across headwear, hoods, and facewear to support more combinations

Gadgets

Data Reshaper

• Added input buffer time to improve stability during use

• Fixed an issue where using it on a Hover Pad over a pit would not credit an environmental elimination when an enemy fell

Hover Pad

• Fixed an issue where it could be destroyed when a Cashout vault opened

• Fixed an issue where it could spin erratically when an Anti-Gravity Cube was placed beneath it with Barricade or Guardian Turret attached

Jump Pad

• Fixed an issue where it could clip into the Cashout station

Dome Shield

• Fixed misaligned hit detection when using the Sheldon Shelldome or Island Pop skins

Game Modes

Cashout

• Fixed an issue where Vaults and Cashout Stations could continue spawning beyond the intended limit

Point Break

• Added Starlight Hollow to the regular map rotation 

• Defender Gadgets left in captured zones now take damage over time until destroyed, reducing lingering threats after a zone changes control

• Fixed an issue where deployable Gadgets and Specializations could not be placed on Grand Vault barriers

• Added cover and tweaked defender borders to prevent spawn camping on Starlight Hollow

General

• Fixed an issue where backfilled players could spawn at initial spawn locations

Gameplay

• Fixed an issue where deploying a Healing Emitter or Guardian Turret near walls could launch players upward

• Fixed an issue where destroying a Hover Pad with CL-40, MGL32, or RPG-7 would not award an environmental elimination

• Fixed an issue where using Shockwave while carrying an item could cause the item to be dropped 

• Shockwave now interrupts vaulting, preventing delayed knockback and unintended boosts

• Fixed an issue where players could be automatically detached when interacting near the top of vertical Ziplines, improving attachment and descent reliability

Maps

Fangwai City

• Fixed collision issues on one of the bridges

• Fixed an issue where the intro camera could clip through the jumbotron

Kyoto

• The Temple railing ends now block bullets 

• Fixed missing collision on bamboo piles

Monaco

• Fixed an issue where the Quick Cash Tutorial could load the Monaco map twice

Skyway Stadium

• Fixed floating roof-ledge pillars in the Market District that could appear after a building was destroyed

• Fixed an indestructible roof piece

NOZOMI/CITADEL

• Improved stability and destruction at the VAIIYA Research Facility 

• Fixed the VAIIYA sign being unbreakable

• Fixed a railing that blocked a vent and used the wrong material

• Fixed missing destruction effects on exterior stairs and stair casings 

P.E.A.C.E. Center

• ALFA ACTA welcomes you back to the P.E.A.C.E. Center! 

• Fixed an issue where multi-story buildings could remain suspended after ground-floor walls were destroyed

• Fixed trees that lacked collision

Las Vegas

• Increased health of larger planters to 800 from 400 so their health corresponds better to their size

Starlight Hollow

• Fixed an issue on where Light and Medium Contestants could get stuck under slanted thatch roofs in the Rival Farms area

• Fixed thatch roofs cracking visuals to appear as wood instead of concrete

• Adjusted barrel placement to resolve a visual overlap with a hay bale

• Fixed missing candles and corrected lighting on candle tables

• Updated building beams to the correct materials  

• Fixed a movement and camera jitter issues when standing against barrels in certain areas

• Fixed an issue where destroyed oak tree stumps could have oversized collision, blocking movement.

Practice Range

• Updated trophies with Season 9 leaderboards 

General

• Changed the health of shop storefronts from 500 to 2000 to make them more consistent with walls

• Updated wall trim on bottom floors to be destroyed when surrounding architecture is destroyed or dematerialised, improving player movement 

• Adjusted ceiling destruction settings to reduce how much they break when surrounding structures are destroyed 

Performance

• Improved boot and menu load times by optimizing how game data loads across multiple categories 

• Upgraded XeSS to SDK version 3.0.0

• Improved performance by pre-loading destruction settings at level start to reduce potential hitching

• Optimized Game Show Events by loading assets asynchronously to reduce memory usage and improve performance

• Updated AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution to version 4 and set it as the default upscaler, with support added for FSR2, FSR3, and FSR4

• Hover Pads now correctly occlude after they finish spawning, improving performance and visual consistency

• Added support for PSSR 2 on PS5 Pro consoles

• Reduced latency by avoiding frame generation hooks when the feature is disabled or unsupported

• Improved performance when navigating the store

• Optimized visual effects for Orbital Lasers, Alien Invasion, and the Glitch Grenade to improve performance

Social

• Restored the voice chat Mute button for non-party teammates in the Social menu during matches

• Updated the Clubs menu so the Playstyle dropdown now correctly shows Cashout and Ranked Cashout

• Fixed an issue where controller users could not scroll to the bottom of the Friends list after switching back to the Friends tab in the Social menu

• Added an on-screen message when you reach the limit for outgoing friend requests

• Fixed an issue where the Emote Wheel could remain on screen after pressing L3 on a gamepad

• Fixed an issue where the online Club members counter could decrease by one when using Show As Offline

Specializations

Mesh Shield

• Improved status display to more accurately reflect regeneration

Shockwave

• Hitting a player now detaches them from ladders and Ziplines

• Fixed an issue where Shockwave could launch players much higher than intended when two were triggered simultaneously

• It now interrupts the Cloaking Device

Winch Claw

• Adjusted the pull on Hover Pads, preventing it from overshooting and stopping far from the player

Stability

• Fixed a rare crash that could occur when viewing the End of Round progression tab

• Fixed a crash that could occur, preventing the option to reconnect

• Fixed a potential crash when caching voice-over data

• Fixed a server crash that could occur after a round ended, sometimes when players disconnected and reconnected

• Prevent crash in AMD FSR when failing to load DLLs

• Addressed a rare crash that could occur during graphics upscaling initialization

• Fixed a crash that could occur in Power Shift

UI

• Apply Selective Shutdown system to comply with Korean regulations

• Removed an unintended clickable area next to tabs in the Seasonal Reward Shop and in the Summary screen’s Contracts section

• The preloading shaders warning now shows a 3-second countdown and auto-closes once loading finishes

• Made the "View Statue" keybinding changeable 

• Improved pings for enemy Respawn Statues: ping markers are now visible before activation, and pinging an enemy statue now removes its attached marker

• Fixed an issue where the Try in Practice Range button on Weapon Overview pages could be obscured by the level rewards list

• Fixed an issue where the dissolve effect on the Ultimate Battle Pass played repeatedly when the tile was double-clicked

• Fixed an issue where UI animations could sometimes freeze if you were eliminated as an animation played 

• Fixed an issue where some Gadgets that don’t use charges could be incorrectly shown as not ready when pinged

• Fixed Nails and Tattoos showing the wrong category on the purchase screen

• Added player nameplates for 2nd- and 3rd-place MVPs in the end-of-round summary

• Updated the event log messages for all Communication pings

• Added item names to event log messages related to pinging deployed equipment in the world. For example, "Explosive Mine here!" rather than "Equipment here!”

• Fixed an issue where Grand Vaults in Point Break didn't have contextual pings with details 

• The “Invite to Party” prompt no longer appears while the Emote wheel is open

• Added headshot multiplier stats to all ranged Weapon overviews

• Fixed an issue where favoriting items in the Customization screen didn’t work and favorite marks could disappear after equipping an item

• Improved background blur on the Match Recap tabs, with smoother transitions and a fix for a brief background flicker

• Fixed an issue where the Contestant could display the wrong Weapon after switching Weapons and using an Emote

• Clarified that Personal Performance stats are shown per Game Mode

• Fixed incorrect texture on the MVP screen

• Fixed cases where End of Round XP and progression values could display incorrectly

• Fixed an issue where Career XP and certain rewards were not displayed correctly after the round 

• Added callout and warning pings for all Arena Carriables with unique icons and event log messages 

• Fixed an issue where using a controller prevented entering the Interface section of the Gameplay settings

• Fixed an issue where reconnecting during the Match Recap after the second round could show an empty or distorted screen and make Stay as a Team non-functional in Cashout and Ranked Tournament

• Equipment Pings for several abilities will now display the remaining cooldown in seconds left for abilities like Grappling Hook, Winch Claw, Charge 'N' Slam, Shockwave, Cloaking Device, and Dash

• Match Recap stats in Cashout and Ranked Tournament now display consistently for all players.

• Cooldown indicators for regenerating gear no longer appear as ready in the Equipment Ping wheel when overheated or depleted

• Fixed an issue where the Cloaking Device ping sometimes failed to show the remaining cooldown time

• Fixed an issue where the Sponsor progression track refilled from 0 on startup and again after completing a match, sometimes replaying rewards

VFX

• Fixed an issue where scope glint could remain visible after elimination

• Fixed Hover Pads effects missing in Instant Replays

• Fixed an issue where arrows and throwing knives could remain suspended in air after the object they hit was destroyed

• Fixed an issue where Grenades fired in quick succession could incorrectly display a bounce-trail effect

• Polish across maps so the edges of architecture will now look covered in soot when fire has occurred

• Changed the visuals of an inactive Gateway so it’s easier to recognize

• Enabled spotlight shadows in the main menu for the low shadow quality setting

• Improved Anti-Gravity Cube visuals for clarity and performance: the field effect now renders consistently near the edge and no longer indicates a lift zone when lift isn’t possible

• Fixed ray-traced materials on buildings in Monaco for improved visual fidelity

• Fixed an issue where the Data Reshaper’s visual effect could appear oversaturated on certain walls in Bernal

Weapons

R .357

• Fixed the offset sight alignment on some skins

Riot Shield

• Will now correctly register blocks against melee attacks, providing clearer hit feedback when they connect