Free Update For Switch's Arms Out Now, Here's What It Adds

Update [July 12]: Arms' 2.0 update is out now on Nintendo Switch. Take a look at all the changes it introduces in the patch notes below.

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The next major update for the Nintendo Switch brawler Arms goes live tomorrow, July 12. Along with a new character and stage, the free update adds an entirely new versus mode to the game.

As Nintendo revealed last week, the new character coming in tomorrow's update is Max Brass, the champion of the game's Grand Prix. The update will make Brass a playable fighter, and as you can gather from his burly physique, he is one of the heaviest bruisers in the game. When his Arms are fully charged, he can take punches without flinching, and his Arms remain charged when his health falls below a certain point. Brass comes with three Arms sets (Nade, Roaster, and Kablammer) as well as a new outdoor stage called the Sky Arena.

In addition to Brass, Nintendo is introducing a new versus mode with tomorrow's update. In an interview with Eurogamer, Arms producer Kosuke Yabuki revealed that the mode will give players a chance to play as the game's final boss, Hedlok. "Max Brass is the main part of tomorrow's update, but there is a new versus mode where in a fight between two or three players there's a Hedlok mask players battle over, and when you get the mask your own character can turn into Hedlok," explained Yabuki.

Nintendo has said it will continue supporting Arms with a steady stream of free content. The first update the company released for the game arrived near the end of June and added an Arena Mode for local multiplayer as well as a LAN Mode. Nintendo will also take a similar approach to supporting the upcoming Splatoon 2. The team-based shooter launches for Switch this month, on July 21, and will receive free DLC maps, weapons, and gear for a year following its release.

Take a look at the full Version 2.0 patch notes below.

Arms Version 2.0 Patch Notes

• Arms League Commissioner Max Brass added as a playable character.
• New Nade Arm added.
• New Roaster Arm added.
• New Kablammer Arm added.
• New Sky Arena stage added.
• New versus mode “Hedlok Scramble” added.
  • Punch or touch the capsule containing the Hedlok mask to become Hedlok for a period of time.
  • This can be selected in Versus, Friend, or Local and it will also appear in Party Match.
• ”Stats” added to the Top Menu.
  • Check stats such as your most used fighter, best stage, and ARM accuracy.
• ”Events” added to the Top Menu.
  • Here you can set whether or not you want to join official online events.
• Snake Park has been swapped out for Sky Arena in the Ranked Match stage roster.
• Raised highest rank in Ranked Match to 20.
• Increased the penalty for disconnecting during Ranked Match play.
• Shortened the amount of time necessary for the following Arms to return after being extended, making them easier to use: Megaton, Megawatt, Revolver, Retorcher, Boomerang
• Increased movement speed of the Guardian.
• Improved visibility during charge attacks for the Popper and Cracker.
• Increased the amount of time necessary for the following Arms to return after being knocked down, increasing risk: Popper, Cracker, Hydra.
• Increased the amount of time it takes to recover when a grab is deflected with a single punch.
• Decreased the amount of damage when the Hydra’s rush connects with multiple consecutive hits.
• Decreased the distance Kid Cobra travels when jumping.
• Fixed issue where in some instances Ribbon Girl could remain airborne for an overlong period of time while continually attacking.
• Fixed issue where Ninjara would not destroy the light boxes on the Ribbon Ring stage when getting up.
• Fixed issue where the time necessary for the Triblast to return when deflected was shortened.
• Fixed issue where Arms such as Blorb and Megaton would catch on the ground and fail to fire.
• Fixed issue where explosive Arms would sometimes fail to explode when receiving an attack.
• Fixed issue where the Slapamander would sometimes fail to hit Helix when he is extended.
• In online play, fixed issue where the appearance or non-appearance of items could differ between devices.
• In online play, fixed various issues with V-Ball including an issue where the ball would remain grounded and play would not proceed.
• In online play, fixed an issue where sometimes Barq would continually defend against an opponents' rush attack for a set period of time.
• In online play, fixed issue where sometimes pillars in the Scrapyard would not be destructible.