Latest Anthem Update Adds A Post-Campaign Stronghold

BioWare has launched a new update for Anthem, Patch 1.1.0, which introduces both balancing changes and features. Patch 1.1.0 also gives Anthem a brand-new stronghold to complete, titled The Sunken Cell, which only becomes available after you've beaten the main campaign. Fans of BioWare's action RPG may be happy to see that many of the new features introduced in the update are ones that have been requested since Anthem's release.

Patch 1.1.0 allows you to select contracts from the start of any expedition, as opposed to needing to pick contracts from their corresponding boards in Fort Tarsis. You can also now immediately launch new missions after completing an expedition instead of having to return to Fort Tarsis and climb back into your Javelin. Patch 1.1.0 allows you to access the Forge during missions, strongholds, and freeplay too, so you can experiment with new gear loadouts without needing to return to Fort Tarsis first.

Several general changes have been made to Anthem as well. A new cortex entry has been added to the game that explains exactly how combo, detonator, and primer abilities work. Three new Masterwork components have been added to the game as well--an extended sniper rifle magazine, rapid hollow point ammo for machine pistols and autocannons, and extended special arms magazines for heavy pistols and grenade launchers.

The remaining changes are bug fixes and minor changes. For example, the bug causing the Arcanist Loyalty 3 trophy to remain locked on PS4 has been resolved, as has the issue causing challenge notifications to not appear correctly. New primer and detonator icons have been added in the cortex next to gear entries as well.

The full patch notes for Anthem's latest update can be found on the game's main website. Below, we've outlined the major gameplay balance adjustments now live in Anthem. Anthem is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

Anthem Patch 1.1.0 Gameplay Balancing Changes

Masterwork Weapons

• Retaliation of Garretus - Trajector Machine Pistol
  • Increased bonus from 200% to 400%
• Rolling Carnage - Vengeance Shotgun
  • Increased bonus from 50% stacking 3 times, to 83.33% stacking 3 times.
• The Last Stand - Mauler Autocannon
  • Increased bonus from 200% to 225%
• Fist of Stral - Cloudburst Autocannon
  • Increased bonus from 10% stacking 10 times, to 16% stacking 10 times.
• Unending Battle - Fulcrum Machine Pistol
  • Increased bonus from 110% to 135%
• Death From Above - Guardian Marksman Rifle
  • Increased bonus from 65% to 235%
• Wyvern Blitz - Deadeye Sniper Rifle
  • Increased bonus from 40% to 185%

Masterwork Gear

• Colossus
  • Final Judgment - HE Mortar
    • Increased bonus from 35% to 55%
  • Fist of the Crucible - Flamethrower
    • Increased bonus from 12% *10 to 24% *10
• Interceptor
  • Serpent's Veil - Venom Bomb
    • Increased bonus from 100% to 202.5%
  • Ruthless Stalker - Searching Glaive
    • Increased bonus from 60% to 110%
  • Bitter Harvest - Cluster Mine
    • Increased bonus from 60% to 110%
• Ranger
  • Cold Blooded - Frost Grenade
    • Increased bonus from 235% to 270%
  • Avenger's Boon - Pulse Blast
    • Increased bonus from 210 % to 220%
• Storm
  • Ponder Infinity - Lightning Strike
    • Increased bonus from 60% to 165%
  • Chaotic Rime - Frost Shards
    • Increased bonus from 125% to 250%

Gear

• Friendly player projectiles should now be able to pass through Javelins in your squad.
• Colossus' Firewall Mortar should now more reliably spawn the Firewall effect when directly hitting enemies, sloped surfaces, or next to walls.

Status Effects / Combos

• Delay between when players and creatures are frozen and when the visual effect is applied has been reduced to improve readability of the status effect.
• If a player applies a status effect that already exists on a target, but the new status effect has a higher damage than the existing one, the damage will now scale to that higher value.
• Players who prime targets for combos will now also see the "Combo" text when detonated by another player.
• Increased the damage of the Electric status effect when applied to creatures.