10/23 HALLOWEEN PATCH

[MageLO 157]

Hello everyone,

Our standard weekly maintenance will be held this Wednesday (10/23) starting at 9 AM UTC. The game should be back up and running in 6 to 8 hours.

 

Patchnotes

 

After a long break, Epidemic has returned, bringing chaos back to San Paro! Though it hasn’t been seen since 2018, the dangerous objective remains unchanged: three rival corporations are competing to unleash their deadly pathogens and infect the city’s population, turning citizens into mindless zombies. It’s a fight for domination, but only one virus will prevail. The question is: which corporation will reign supreme?

 

This weeks patch introduces our 2024 Halloween Event, Scoped N-tec 5 Dvah as well as many balance changes, primarily focusing on Legendary and Secondary weapons. For more information all about Halloween 2024 please check out our dedicated blog post here.

 

Epidemic

• Added the Epidemic 2024 game mode and role as part of our 2024 Halloween Event.
• Epidemic no longer forces player outfits on players, instead, players will be marked with a Title that corresponds to the team they're on.
• Reduced the maximum amount of damage enemy controlled zones can deal to opposing players within Epidemic by 50%.
• Reduced the completion requirement for all common Epidemic daily activities.
• Common Epidemic dailies now award 150 Joker Tickets rather than 100.
• Reduced the Pulse Strength of Epidemic's zone markers making it much easier to see in/out of the zones.

 

Major Additions

• Re-enabled the Purple and Red Pumpkin hunt roles for Financial and Waterfront.
• Re-enabled Trick and Treat as Seasonal contacts on the Waterfront District.

 

 

Weapon Balance
ISSR-A

• Hard Damage per shot lowered from 54 to 40.5.

 

Dev Note: The recent rework to the ISSR-A has landed extremely well but we do think it is over performing in some aspects so we are lowering its Hard Damage to be more in line with other Assault Rifles.

 

RHD LS1 'Corsair'

• Now fires roughly 17% faster.
• The minimum damage per shot the Corsair can deal is now 30% of its base damage. (was 45%)
• Minimum damage range of the Corsair has been increased from 5m to 25m.
• Recovery delay reduced by 25%.

 

Mountie

• Magazine size increased from 20 to 24.
• Magazine reserve increased from 140 to 168.
   

Showstopper

• No longer reloads one round at the time.
• Reload time increased from 0.4s to 1.6s.
• Reload animation changed.

 

ACT 44

• Equip time lowered from 0.9s to 0.6s.
   

RSA

• Equip time lowered from 0.9s to 0.7s.

 

S-AS PDW

• Marksmanship modifier reduced by 23% making it more accurate when in marksmanship mode.

 

R2 'Harbinger'

• Accuracy Cooldown removed.
• Equip time reduced from 0.8s to 0.5s.
• Reload time reduced from 3s to 2s.
• Ammo per Resupply cycle increased from 6 to 7.
• Maximum Bloom reduced by 50%.
• Recovery per second increased by 20%.
• Run Modifier reduced by 25%.
• Effective Range reduced from 65m to 50m.

 

Dev Note: These changes intend to move the Harbinger out of its currently awkward spot between the Act-44 and RSA by reducing its range and doubling down on its fast firing close range capabilities making it much more efficient in close range whilst allowing it to be a decent mid range choice up to 50 meters.

 

VBR

• Walk Modifier reduced by 25%.
• Health Damage increased from 170 to 180.
   

FFA 'Bullshark'

• Bloom per shot decreased by 85%.
   

S1-NA 'Frenzy'

• Significantly decreased both horizontal and vertical recoil.
• Health Damage increased from 143 to 153.

 

 

Vehicle Balance

 

Charge Sentinel

• Health increased from 1050 to 1250.
   

Dolton Montane

• Health increased from 1250 to 1350.

 

Varzuga Rally XS

• Fixed an issue which caused the Vehicle to accelerate slower than intended when using Nitro Booster.

 

Miscellaneous changes

• Added the Scoped N-tec 5 Dvah to the Joker Ticket store. Account wide versions of this item will become available on ARMAS shortly after the servers come back online.
• Added several new color tags.
• Added the Varzuga Rally XS 'Prototype' to Ophelia on the Joker Ticket store.

 

Dev Note: When making changes to the original Varzuga Rally XS we lost a fun interaction that the original version had that some players really enjoyed, because of this we're introducing the Varzuga Rally XS 'Prototype' which uses the original Varzuga Rally XS stats.

 

Thank you for your patience during this period, and Happy Halloween!

[MageLO 157]

 

ISSR-A

• HardDamageModifier decreased from 0.2 to 0.15.

RHD LS1 'Corsair'

• FireInterval changed from 0.6 to 0.5.
• MinDamagePercentage lowered from 45% to 30%.
• MinDamageRange increased from 500 to 2500.
• RecoveryDelay decreased from 0.4 to 0.3.

Mountie

• MagazineCapacity increased from 20 to 24.
• AmmoPoolCapacity increased from 140 to 168.

Showstopper

• ReloadTime increased from 0.4 to 1.6.

ACT 44

• EquipTime lowered from 0.9 to 0.6.

RSA

• EquipTime lowered from 0.9 to 0.7.

S-AS PDW

• MarksmanModifier decreased from 0.85 to 0.65.

R2 'Harbinger'

• AccuracyCooldown reduced from 10 to 0.
• EquipTime reduced from 0.8 to 0.5.
• ReloadTime reduced from 3 to 2.
• ResupplyUnits increased from 6 to 7.
• OverallShotModifierCap reduced from 3 to 1.5.
• RecoveryPerSecond increased from 3.5 to 4.2.
• RunModifier reduced from 2 to 1.5.
• RampDistance reduced from 6500 to 5000.

VBR

• WalkModifier reduced from 2 to 1.5.
• HealthDamage increased from 170 to 180.

FFA 'Bullshark'

• PerShotModifier decreased from 0.2 to 0.03.

Varzuga Rally XS

• 4500 RPM Torque decreased from 15 to 7.
• 7000 RPM Torque decreased from 25 to 5.

[Szambi 85]

Looking forward to testing the Harbinger!

[SuperChaffee 69]

Cool

[MidnightQ 11]

Guys need to add more weapon skins in the Joker store 

[iRawwwN 286]

corsair change ;O

[ninjarrrr 261]

no stabba buff?

 

disappointed, but not surprised honestly

[MACKxBOLAN 435]

On 10/14/2024 at 7:29 AM, MageLO said:

Minimum damage range of the Corsair has been increased from 5m to 25m

This is Slug firing 20 Gauge. 

This is good but not good enough for something firing a solid slug. 

Should have never been set so low to begin with.

I mean 5 meters is like 15 ft. 

I'll try the gun again, but if it does not perform I won't continue the rent to own. 

This game has always had this misunderstanding of ballistics.

For one any drop off in velocity occurs over distance gradually. 

Shotguns do drop off a bit quicker than rifled rounds but not 

instantly at a given range, the bullet decides its only worth .2cents.

You still have all that mass.

 So somebody sits 16 ft away n tanks 5 quick rounds from a slug n just smiles n kills ya. 

That's not a Slug firing shotgun I want to have. 

Even if I shot him with a .410 with bird shot 5 times, he'd be dead at 16 feet away. 

 So this is better. 

[N66 100]

On 10/14/2024 at 5:33 PM, MageLO said:

MinDamageRange increased from 500 to 2500.

 

31 minutes ago, MACKxBOLAN said:

 

Should have never been set so low to begin with.

I mean 5 meters is like 15 ft. 

 

 

Corsair until now had 30m range of full damage after which it drops to min at 35m

 

The text is slightly confusing, the change means that now it drops from 30m to a min at 55m, right? or did you mean that the new drop off starts at 25m now?

[killersan6 32]

And ofcource no Colby 45 again. SO what the point in a all of this changes if ACT44, RSA and pretty much ALL secondary weapons are non exist in a current meta.
There is only a 3 seconadris for now Colby 45, FBW and FROG thats all.
Corsair is a still 3 STK short range shotgun in a game where OBIR exist...
 

[MACKxBOLAN 435]

57 minutes ago, N66 said:

or did you mean that the new drop off starts at 25m now?

Yes. They indicate it was raised from 5 meters to 25 meters.

 

RHD LS1 'Corsair'

Now fires roughly 17% faster.

The minimum damage per shot the Corsair can deal is now 30% of its base damage. (was 45%)

Minimum damage range of the Corsair has been increased from 5m to 25m.

Recovery delay reduced by 25%.

[Darkzero3802 614]

I still dont understand why we picked a halloween event that was unaniomusly rejected by the community back in 2018. Everyone prefered the old halloween event as it was more fun. I would still say its more fun even if its been watered down some in recent years

[Westford 170]

Admittedly , I have not participated in any holiday events that were

hosted in the last 10 ,, maybe 12 years.

 

Sorry G1 ..

 

But this Epidemic looks interesting.

 

 

Edit:

Although I did shoot a few pumpkins.

Edited October 23 by Westford

[Ardita 73]

1 hour ago, Darkzero3802 said:

I still dont understand why we picked a halloween event that was unaniomusly rejected by the community back in 2018. Everyone prefered the old halloween event as it was more fun. I would still say its more fun even if its been watered down some in recent years

It's 6 years ago, people change. Time change. ^.^

[LilyRain 680]

Yet again, buffs are a step in the right direction but these changes.... are aimless and meaningless. The meta is still quite ahead.

It seems LO mistook NL9 for Corsair and even then, does LO expect players to run around for extended times playing with Corsair? Because what is the point of 1 second ttk primary in an effective range of 30 meters? Compete against the likes of JG, OCA, Carbine, OSCAR, N-TEC and Colby .45...?

It is unfortunate because LO worked on the weapon's ramp more than the effective range that actually matters. And even then, at the extended ramp, the weapon will pale against CR762, N-TEC and all the juicy meta waiting to feast on Corsair. Shame.

The same goes for most items in the list.

On 10/14/2024 at 6:29 PM, MageLO said:

Dev Note: These changes intend to move the Harbinger out of its currently awkward spot between the Act-44 and RSA by reducing its range and doubling down on its fast firing close range capabilities making it much more efficient in close range whilst allowing it to be a decent mid range choice up to 50 meters.

What the Devs should note and do is balance weapons compared to the meta rather than... a less relevant group of weapons between themselves.. I am sorry but it seems you have no clue to what needs to be done.

Disappointing, a step in the right direction but it is still disappointing. You are still too afraid to make meaningful changes, LO.

Edited October 23 by LilyRain

[BlatMan 718]

I would have kept the Corsair's minimum damage at 45%. Otherwise, no complaints about the weapon changes.

 

Actually, I take that back. The R2 'Harbinger' Effective range needs to be changed back to 65M. There's no point in this weapon existing if it's limited to 50M. The ACT44 has 60M, and the RSA has 70M. 65M for the R2 seems like a good spot. I rarely used the weapon due to the bloom. Now I have no reason to use it.

Edited October 24 by BlatMan

[Nagletz 219]

Never had a chance to play Epidemic mode, looking forward to it. Weapon balancing changes are welcome, too. pls nerf ap also today is my b-day im kinda excited lol

 

Edited October 23 by Nagletz

[Yapopal 180]

I like Corsair, even though he's useless. Useless because it is replaced by ATC44. Changing characteristics does not give this weapon any advantages. Perhaps it is worth adding an effect to slow down the enemy after the second hit at the optimal distance?

[Frosi 722]

11 hours ago, N66 said:

Corsair until now had 30m range of full damage after which it drops to min at 35m

 

The text is slightly confusing, the change means that now it drops from 30m to a min at 55m, right? or did you mean that the new drop off starts at 25m now?

 

Previously the Corsair had 30 meters of effective range and a 5 meter minimum damage range which meant that at 30 meters and onwards the damage would nosedive to its minimum percentage damage of 45% of the base damage after just 5 meters.

Here's an example:

Prior to this patch the Corsair would deal 400 Damage within 30 meters and afterwards have that damage drop to 180 (45% of its base damage) over the course of 5 meters. 

 

After this patch the Corsair will deal 400 damage within 30 meters and afterwards have that damage drop to 120 (30% of its base damage) over the course of 25 meters. 

 

This means that because the damage doesn't drop as fast as its drop is now stretched out across 25 meters rather than 5 meters it will now be able to 3 shot up to 35~ meters, however, this comes at the cost of no longer being able to get a 6 shot kill at up to 100 meters as I felt that this was a bit excessive given the rate of fire buff.

 

Do however note that all of these changes are subject to change in future passes, generally speaking the goal is to ship changes that work mechanically and then improve upon them in further iterations if required.

Edited October 23 by Frosi

[CookiePuss 5382]

13 hours ago, ninjarrrr said:

no stabba buff?

 

disappointed, but not surprised honestly

I was thinking about this earlier and wouldn’t it make more sense to balance the guns both factions can use rather than the niche ones only enforcers can use? 

[ProJH 27]

2 Secondary gun balance patch and no nerf to .45 AP. You guys are unbelievable as always.

[TheSxW 48]

where is that part?? i can only see JT being discounted by 15%...

"To celebrate the return of Epidemic, we're launching the Halloween 2024 Sale with an array of killer deals. Stock up on Joker Tickets, character slots, and some of your favorite weapons like the OCA Nano ‘Butcher,’ Colby .45 AP, and the VAS C2 ‘Troublemaker.’ All SWARM, ISSR-A, FR0G, and ATAC 424 variants are also discounted, along with exclusive kits and vehicles like the Criminal and Enforcer Firehawk sets and the Han Coywolf Bundle"

 

where is OCA Nano ‘Butcher,’? thats the first weapon listed that doenst exist on the marketplace... it should be in secondary weapons...

[sweetLemonade 113]

6 hours ago, LilyRain said:

Yet again, buffs are a step in the right direction but these changes.... are aimless and meaningless. The meta is still quite ahead.

What the Devs should note and do is balance weapons compared to the meta rather than... a less relevant group of weapons between themselves.. I am sorry but it seems you have no clue to what needs to be done.

Disappointing, a step in the right direction but it is still disappointing. You are still too afraid to make meaningful changes, LO.

^ took the words out of my mouth

[TheSxW 48]

5 minutes ago, yourrandomnobody74 said:

^ took the words out of my mouth

yup and they should finally address obir, ntec (with ursus)

[MageLO 157]

Hello everyone, we ran into a last minute issue with the Varzuga Rally XS 'Prototype' which prevents it from being customized - We plan on fixing this issue in a follow up patch in the coming week.