Anthem Hotfix Patch Seemingly Broke Freeplay For A Bit [Update]

Almost immediately following an update that addressed issues with Strongholds and the tethering system in Anthem, BioWare has released a hotfix for its multiplayer-focused action RPG. Unfortunately, according to USGamer, this latest patch broke the game for a while. Thankfully, according to a recent tweet, it seems like a fix should be rolling out shortly. [Update: Another hotfix seems to have fixed the issue. The original story follows.]

The patch in question introduces changes in how Anthem's loot system works. Specifically, inscriptions will better match the items they're on. Additional patches are planned to increase the drop rate for masterwork weapons and abilities, lower the crafting requirements for masterwork items, and remove common and uncommon items from level 30 drop tables entirely. However, as stated above, there was an unforeseen side effect to this first patch.

Somehow the hotfix caused enemies to stop spawning in Anthem's freeplay mode. If you join a freeplay session, there still a good chance you won't be able to find any signs of life in the game until the fix is live across all systems. Additionally, there have been instances where players have been kicked out of Stronghold missions upon spawning into the expedition.

Anthem has had a rough start. Prior to release, Anthem's private demo faced huge issues, and then when the game finally did launch, it was to less than ideal review scores. BioWare has remained committed to improving the state of its game, though, laying out a 90-day roadmap of planned content drops and regularly interacting with player complaints on social media.

In our Anthem review, Kallie Plagge gave the game a 6/10, writing, "Anthem has good ideas, but it struggles significantly with the execution. It's a co-op game that works best with no one talking; it buries genuinely interesting character moments and puts its most incomprehensible story bits at the forefront; its combat is exciting until you get to the boss fights and find your wings have been clipped. Even the simple, exhilarating act of flying is frequently interrupted by the limitations of your javelin, and you never quite shake that feeling of disappointment--of knowing, throughout the good parts of Anthem, that you'll inevitably come crashing back down."

Anthem is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Even though the game hasn't been out that long, the price has already been reduced for the PS4 version on Amazon.