Game servers will go down for our scheduled pc update tomorrow @ 6am pt / 3pm cest. for a 3hr downtime window.
Halloween Event (Oct. 01 - 31)
The spooky Halloween vibes are back on Auraxis!
Experience the return of the space pumpkins, new Dia De Los Muertos inspired cosmetics, month long sales for infantry AND vehicle weapons / gear, camo, a 4x EXP for all event and more!
Muertos Mask and Muertos Camo from the Nanite of The Living Dead 2024 directive
4X EXP For all Event
Everyone can enjoy 4x exp this week starting Oct. 1 - 6. Enjoy!
The return of the Space Pumpkins!
Randomly spawned across a continent near you, you'll find a space pumpkin! Destroy it for some sweet XP!
Nanite of the Living Dead 2024 Directive
Space Pumpkin season is back and this year we have decided to make some cosmetics themed around Dia De Los Muertos. Below you will find a table of what rewards you can reap!
Veteran players will notice we are still distributing the older masks in the missions and the in the Novice tier of the directives! This will be changed next year for a new set of masks and the masks that are available now will be moved into a Directive Bundle for members to purchase in future.
Infernal Facepaint from the Nanite of The Living Dead 2024 directive
Muertos Banner and Frame
Monthly Members Bundle
October's Monthly Member Bundle contains:
Phylactery [Perfect]
NS Homerun
Directive Bundles
Members can now purchase previous year's Halloween Directive rewards through Directive Bundles in the Members Only section of the Depot.
Members can choose to purchase with A7, which will be for their CHARACTER only
Members can also choose to pay with Daybreak Cash to unlock these cosmetics for their entire ACCOUNT
These bundles will only be available during their respective seasons (Auraximas, Valentine's etc)
The first Directive Bundle will be for Nanite of the Living Dead 2023 which contains:
Title: Infernal
Halloween Banner 2023
Halloween Banner Frame 2023
This Directive Bundle may feel a little lackluster compared to the future ones we will add. The reward structure for Directive Rewards have changed this year (2024), as previously described in our Directive Dev Letter.
There are a LOT of items in PlanetSide 2 and as much as we strive to bring old or limited time items back to the depot (within reason), we would love to hear if there are any specific Seasonal Directive Rewards you would like brought back!
Sales
The following sales will be active all through October!
Infantry Weapons - 40% Off
Infantry Gear- 40% Off
Infantry equipment- 40% Off
Vehicle Weapons- 40% Off
Vehicle Gear- 40% Off
Vehicle Equipment- 40% Off
Camo - 40% Off
Bug Fixes
The Springstep implant now triggers when completing the reload of a tube-fed weapon (eg. a shotgun)
Fixed preview for Ice Dragon Camo when showcasing it on a vehicle
Removed discounts that have been permanent on some scopes for non default rifles
The integrated suppressors on the NS-30 Tranquillity and the NS Viscount G6 now stop the Counter-Intelligence implant's primary effect
The LC2 Lynx AE use correct laser as it's default
M12 Kobalt | Magrider audio fixes
The progress of the specifc Conquest directives being transferred to Conquest Oshur directives has now been fixed
TR Vulcan, Enforcer and Larion PPC have had some audio tuning
Fixed in weapons that come across too loud in first person and too quiet in third person
Reduced pitch on the spool up for the Kindred
Replaced spin down noise for the Light PPA nose canon
Removed a spin down sound effect on the Reaver M30 Mustang AH
When driving from the ground into water with the Sunderer, it will always start floating
Dying while using an ability now won't prevent you from using it when revived or respawning
Fixed a crash when changing the shadow quality of the game
Sunderer's diving deployment now displays in the UI
Removed the ability for the Sunderer to spawn cargo while reversing
Fixed a bug where Bouncing Betty, Proximity Mines, and the F.U.S.E. could deal increased damage in odd circumstances
4X EXP For Everyone [ OCT 1 - 7 ]
Kick off the month of Halloween with an all week long 4X EXP event!
4X EXP will begin after maintenance completes. Event is scheduled to go through Oct 7th.
Get up to speed on our Nanite of The Living Dead event here.
Enjoy, Auraxian!
Dev Letter: Creating the new Extra Life cosmetic
Welcome back, AuraxiansÂ
Welcome back Auraxians! This month we will dive into the making of the new medic tool inspired by the Extra Life fundraising event. Learn about our participation in the event and how you can be part of our Extra Life team here.
Extra Life is a fundraising program of Childrenâs Miracle Network HospitalsÂŽ. Donations go to local member hospitals to fund critical life-saving treatments and healthcare services, innovative research, vital pediatric medical equipment, and child life services.
Our previous assets for the Extra Life event had a theme based on the program logo, where the element of angel wings is used as an accent piece on the Benefactor Helmet, an asset with a protective nature, so to speak. Benefactor Helmet
This year we decided to expand on this theme by using another element based on the fundraising program logo, a halo. Instead of making assets with a protective nature, we focus on the assets with a restorative nature (healing and repair).
Logical choices were the Medical Applicator and Nano Armor Kit, where we took the feather design we have seen on the benefactor Helmet and translated it to the tools as a main recognizable element. Here you can see the final concepts and models for both tools, where the accents on tools are the primary while the feathers are in the faction's secondary colors. Medical Applicator Concept
Nano Armor Kit Concept
Medical Applicator 3D model without faction coding
Medical Applicator 3D model with faction colors
Nano Armor Kit 3D model without faction coding
Nano Armor Kit 3D model with faction colors
Itâs worth noting that these tools' impression was strengthened by using VFX in the form of a halo effect around their beams.Â
As a bonus, to make the whole fundraiser more interesting, we did the set of Decal, Banner, Banner Frame, and Camo. We didnât want to use the fundraising program logo design as it is, so we focused on the elements we used as inspiration and made a play around that.
Extra Life Decal
Extra Life Banner
Extra Life Banner Frame
Extra Life Banner Frame in usage with Extra Life Banner
Extra Life Nudge
We hope you enjoyed a glimpse at the work in progress for these upcoming assets. As we get closer to in-game development we will share further details later.
If you would like to learn more about donating to Extra Life or simply want join our Extra Life team to show your support, head on over to our official PlanetSide 2 Team Page.
See you next time, Auraxian!
The PlanetSide 2 Team
đ˘ August 27th, 2024 - Game Updateđ˘
PC servers are coming down at 6AM PT / 3PM CEST tomorrow for a PC Update that will address the following below. Estimated downtime may be up to 3 hours.
Labor Day 2024 Sales
Celebrate Labor Day weekend with Flare Guns, 40% off gear and more! The sale runs from September 1st - 10th.
40% off Infantry and Vehicle Gear
Return of Patriot Camo and Flare Guns
Some older cosmetics are making a return for limited time (mostly hood ornaments):
September's Monthly Members Bundle is available from September 1st - 30th and contains:
Spitfire "Prime Directive" Turret
Meteorite Drop Pod
Features
Implemented a feature where the Sunderer can now deploy underwater. Pressing the deploy button (default B) will make the Sunderer sink to the floor and deploy as usual
Improved Stealth Module. Allies that emerge from a Sunderers Stealth Module will now be cloaked for 10 seconds. Cloak effect will be cancelled up usage of items, weapons and abilities
Implemented a separate mesh for the Sunderers Reactive Armor which will replace the standard model from the moment it receives damage until it recharges
Bug Fixes
Updated the U-ARX Dirac's stat card, changing its iron sights zoom of 1.35x to 3.4x
Fixed a visual bug with the progress bar of capture points
Fixed Acan Bio Lab rendering issues on Hossin where meshes would pop in and out of view at close distance
More Weapon audio fixes and reworks
Fixed a bug with some of the Conquest Directives where progress of point capture would contribute to Oshur
Fixed a Point Defense sound effect issue where the sound would be slower in 3rd person
Enhanced the Reaver's Air Hammer sound effect as it is too quiet for an aircraft mounted shotgun
Lumine Edge's sound effect is now more prominent
Fixed a bug where the Wartime Emissary and Frontline would disappear and not shoot when equipped and resupplied
Dev Letter: Directives 2024
Welcome back, AuraxiansÂ
Some of the unique experiences in PlanetSide 2 reside with the events you play in the game. Whether they are Seasonal Events such as the Tides of Summer, Nanite of the Living Dead, Auraximas or others, thereâs always something for everyone. For this monthâs letter weâll cover the topic of player retention along with some of our plans for upcoming events. But first letâs cover some of the urgent topics at hand: our Anti-Cheat update, past directive rewards and sunderer cert refunds.
Anti-Cheating Update
We are aware of the rampant cheating that has been going on in the game. Your voices are heard. Over the past couple weeks we have been making some progress in preventing cheaters from ruining your fun. Unfortunately we cannot reveal additional information on how we are addressing the issue as we do not wish to give these bad actors the satisfaction of knowing how to circumvent our anti-cheat measures; however, starting with our next update an additional change to the game will be made with the hope of deterring future disruptions.
Beginning with our next update, after character creation, all new characters will be required to play through the tutorial. We understand that this may frustrate current and returning players looking to start fresh but the goal here is to deter future troubled cheaters from ruining your fun.
As these and future measures are implemented we will continue to monitor your feedback and experiences in the game.
As always we encourage you to report cheaters with a screenshot, or video recording and send it to our Customer Support team. This data is helpful as our team continues to work around the clock in minimizing cheaters in the game. Submit your screenshots / videos to us here: cheater@planetside2.com
Previous Directive Rewards
We have been addressing this issue and a resolution is almost ready to remedy the problem. Thank you so much for your patience.Â
Sunderer Cert RefundsÂ
We removed previous Sunderer modules in a way that interfered with the way cert refunds were handled in the past.Â
We now know how to perform cert refunds correctly for the future and we truly apologize for the stress and inconvenience this has caused.Â
There is no need to contact Customer Support on the matter as we are well aware, and we are working on a way to get players some form of compensation for this mistake. Please bear with us a little longer. Â
Directives
Directives are goals that are measurable for the player.
Players love progress, so with our Directives you can see the progress of each directive and view what rewards they are going to receive upon completion. They also provide players with what are called âOpen Loops.âÂ
What are Open Loops?
 Open loops are achievements, goals, or commitments you make but which have not been fulfilled yet. You know that long term directive you want to achieve? Or that weapon you want to Auraxium? Those are open loops.
A lot of casual free to play games will use open loops to frustrate players into monetization. Here in PlanetSide 2, we keep it mostly as an achievement system.
Players will usually try to complete open loops (and we want you to, just not too fast but not too slowly either).Â
This is also a proven psychological phenomenon. Humans tend to remember incomplete or interrupted tasks more than those they have finished.
So, if you want players to think of your game outside of the game in some way, then try out some open loops (and when they close it, open another!).Â
Planning Directives
PlanetSide 2 is coming up on its 12th year anniversary. PlanetSide 2âs directives have not been updated for some time and we want to address this.
We are going to add some more long-term directives for all factions to strive towards, however we need to plan these out and coordinate with the art and production teams for next year's roadmap.
Long-Term Directives When it comes to planning Long Term Directives, we tend to assess what features we are updating or adding.Â
Planning Around Features With brand new features we will add a Long-Term Directive to accompany it. Once all the hype dies down, players will use the new feature less after having a solid binge. To prevent players from forgetting about the feature, we give them some goals they can achieve with the new content. Directives are a good starting point for making a new feature âsticky,â creating some new open loops.Â
Friction Each directive Tier is an indicator of how much âfrictionâ a player will encounter when attempting to complete directives.  Â
This friction is important because we need to make sure players are achieving at a decent pace. If we have too little friction, the challenge of completing a directive becomes too easy and players may just get bored and leave the game entirely.
On the other hand, too much friction can cause players to leave the game due to frustration of achieving Directives too slowly. Or the rewards are not worth the time and effort to obtain. In short, if something has too much friction, it becomes annoying and feels futile. We want to challenge and reward you, not punish you!Â
There is only one exception when we lower the friction of Directives, and that is with our Seasonal Event Directives, as they are designed to be completed over a month.Â
Below is how much friction to expect from each Directive Tier:
Rewards If you flick through the Long-Term Directives of PlanetSide 2, you will see we reward our players for achieving Directives.Â
These have been around for years and while the game rewards you for your efforts, sometimes the rewards can be a little underwhelming. Â
Directive rewards cannot be retroactively obtained (so updating rewards for existing ones is out of the question as you will not be able to obtain them if you have already completed them). Anything that has gone live will stay the way it is.
Although we cannot add rewards to the already released Directive Trees, we do want to create a solid reward structure for future Long-Term Directives.Â
The reward structure for long-term directives is not solidified yet, however the structure we implemented in the new Conquest directives is a step in the right direction.
Tier 1 â Beginning here, is our starter reward for Tier 1.
Tier 2 - Expanding to Tier 2 we attach another reward for encouragement.
Tier 3 - This is quite an important Tier. It is a challenge, so giving the players a decent reward to celebrate and encourage them to keep going to Tier 4 is crucial. Â
Tier 4 â And here we place the biggest reward for the whole event.
Seasonal Event Directives These Directives are designed to be achieved in the short term, usually over a month.  Â
We release Seasonal Event Directives throughout the year for our players to enjoy. Here is a list of them in monthly order:Â
February - Valentines DayÂ
July - Tides of Summer (Alpha)Â
August - Tides of Summer (Bravo)Â
October - Nanite of the Living DeadÂ
December - AuraximasÂ
Since these are limited, we can change the rewards how we see fit. In fact, we have made a solid reward structure for seasonal events that you might have noticed!Â
Season Directive Event Reward Structure
Seasonal Directives yield a lot more rewards than Long-Term Directives. Especially when it comes to offering currency such as ISO-4 and A7.Â
One of the main reasons we formulated and switched up the reward structure for Seasonal Event Directives was due to player feedback. On Reddit, we noticed players talking about how Seasonal Directive rewards were not worth the grind. We really hope this reward structure has addressed that concern.
We would like to be able to offer a similar reward structure to Long-Term Directives, but it takes time to make these rewards, especially if we decide to make rewards for each faction (including NSO).
In ConclusionÂ
We hope this has been an informative Dev Letter and that it gives some insight into the design process. Design is always tricky to demonstrate and give examples of.Â
We want to hear from you! Fill out our survey and let us know what would you like to see Directive-wise in PlanetSide 2!Â
Members can enjoy double exp this weekend from 8/23 - 8/25. The 2X EXP event starts tonight. đLearn more about Daybreak All Access: https://daybreakgames.com/allaccess
Audio Dev Letter Update: Your Feedback Matters!
Hello Auraxians!
First of all, a huge thank you to each and every one of you for your passionate engagement with the game. Your feedback, suggestions, and enthusiasm are what keep us going, and weâre thrilled to see such a friendly and supportive community.
Hereâs a quick rundown of whatâs been happening behind the scenes:
Feature Discussions
Weâve been diving into your suggestions regarding new features and sounds. Our game designers are actively considering your input, and weâll keep you in the loop as decisions are made.
Bug Squashing
All reported bugs have been diligently transferred to our QA team. Expect fixes to roll outâweâre on it!
No NC music removal
We hear you loud and clear about not removing the NC music. Fear not! While we explore our new vision, weâll share samples and gather community feedback. Weâll find a way to keep everyone happy.
Battlefield Beats
Youâve asked for more music beyond Sanctuary, and weâre all ears. Expect fresh tunes on the battlefield
New Voicepacks
Yes, theyâre in the pipeline! Get ready for some exciting new voices.
Now, letâs talk priorities
BRRRRT Returns: The T7 BRRRRT is making a comeback. The community loves it, quirks and all. Who are we to deny you that satisfying dakka?
MAX Audio Weapons Rework
Just like we did with infantry and vehicle weapons, weâre giving MAX weapons some love. Bugs, creativity, and balanceâconsider them tackled.
Sound Investigation
Weâre deep-diving into the OCCLUSION and ATTENUATION systems. That mix? Yeah, weâre tweaking it to make foley and locomotion sounds clearer. Itâs a journey, but weâre committed.
Your Help Needed
Regarding the Audio Drop Bug, have you experienced it in the last 30 days? Let us know.
Improvements
Have you noticed any changes regarding the audio dropout bug recently?
Unique Gun Sounds
Which popular weapons do you think deserve unique shooting sounds? Give us 1â3 namesâtheyâll get their own flair.
Off-Key popular Weapons
Any guns that sound completely wrong given their character and stats? Again, 1â3 names, please.
Your input matters, and together, weâll keep making the game better. Drop your thoughts in the discussion board!
Stay awesome, Auraxians!
- PlanetSide 2 Team
đ˘ August 6th, 2024 - PC Updateđ˘
PC servers are coming down at 6AM PT / 3PM CEST tomorrow for a PC Update that will address the following below. Estimated downtime may be up to 3 hours.
Sunderer Balance Adjustment
Reactive Armor cooldown reduced by 33%.
Reactive Armor cooldown reduction via over-healing increased by 100%.
Reactive Armor damage resistance effect duration increased to 1 second after being triggered.
Nanite Armor auto-repair amount further reduced by 35%.
Nanite Armor cooldown increased by 10% when triggered by burst repair increased.
Seasonal Event Directive
Tides of Summer Bravo: Operation Groundbreaker Dates: August 6th - September 6th
Alerts: MAXimum Pressure Alerts have a possibility of triggering
Rewards
New Depot Items!
August Members Only Bundle - (10 Certs - NOT Account Wide)
Max Class Decal (10 Certs - NOT Account Wide)
Max Class Banner (10 Certs - NOT Account Wide)
Max Class Banner Frame (10 Certs - NOT Account Wide)
Frogman Armor arrives on the Depot!
Frogman Armor themed to all factions
Can be purchased individually for your account (999 DBC)
Can be purchased in a faction only bundle for your account (4995 DBC)
Can also be purchased for all factions on your account (9999 DBC)
Frogman Helmets have been renamed to match the Frogman Armor they go with!
Depot Debut Discount of 40% off for the rest of Summer! (yes that also stacks with your membership discount!)
End of Summer Sales August 23rd - September 6th
40% Off Camo
40% Off Vehicle Gear
40% Off Infantry Gear
Selected Anniversary Bundles at 40% Off
Bug Fixes
Implant packs will no longer disappear from the depot after repeated purchases
M20 Gecko audio has been reworked for improvements and stability
An errant restricted area on Amerish has been fixed
Ungiftable items are now properly removed from the depot after purchase
Audio updates to T7 Chainsaw weapons to bring some of the BRRRRRT back
MANA Turret Audio rework to make the sounds more distinguishable
The volume of the Harasser warning horn has been increased
Infiltrator Frogman armor has been updated to better fit the model
Adjusted the shoulder pad model of the frogman armor to better fit models
Fixed frogman helmet graphical artifacts
The death zone on Ymir Containment Site has been moved
Improved syncing of reactive armor status across clients
4XP FOR ALL Weekend [ AUGUST 2 - 4 ]
đ4XP For All Eventđ As we continue to look into technical solutions for the cert reimbursement over the Sunderer module upgrades, we hope you enjoy this weekend's 4XP event.
đ˘ July 30, 2024 - PC Hotfix đ˘
PC servers are coming down at 6AM PT / 3PM CEST tomorrow for a hotfix that will address the following below. Estimated downtime may be up to 6 hours.
Adjustments & Misc. Fixes
A more comprehensive balance pass for the Sunderer is currently in the works, in the meantime we've made some adjustments to particularly over-tuned areas of the rework.
In a previous hotfix, a bug that was applying the new base stats increases multiple times over has been fixed. This had granted the Sunderer significantly more speed and maneuverability than was intended. We've decided to further reduce the stat boost integration of the performance slot from roughly 100% of each cert to about 50% of each cert.
The repair and burst heal amount of the Nanite Armor has been reduced by about 15%.
More changes may be made in combination with the balance pass in upcoming patches.
The rotation of the cargo icons on the mini-map has been corrected. Additional UI updates and improvements will be forthcoming in future patches.
