Free-to-play cooperative shooter SYNCED ushers in a host of brand-new content with the launch of Season 1: Lambent Dawn on December 14, 2023. Lambent Dawn sees the Meridian enveloped by an unknown aurora. This season, Runners will venture into the Meridian and hunt for the source of the mysterious aurora.
This light has also inspired a range of new environments, game modes, boss Nanos, and Guntech weapons. On top of that, an all-new Runner - Amelia - has crashed the party at Haven. Discover her backstory and how it relates to the aurora when Season 1: Lambent Dawn releases on December 14, 2023.
A New Challenger Appears Amelia Escher is a former military intelligence officer who disappeared into the Meridian while searching for her mother. A year later, she reappears with unanswered questions and fragmented memories, hoping to uncover the truth behind the Meridian. In SYNCED, Amelia excels at deploying mines to attack her enemies, and detonating these mines with her weapons can cause additional fire damage.
New Game Modes Season 1 introduces some fresh new ways to play SYNCED. Ascension presents a variety of fiendish challenges to overcome, while Tyrant Rush allows you to get up close and personal with some of our terrifying new boss Nanos. Speaking of which...
Terrifying New Boss Nanos To keep Runners on their toes, we've upped the ante with some awe-inspiring new boss Nanos, or Tyrants. For example, the Tyrant Destroyer attacks from long range with devastating projectile weapons, while also littering the battlefield with timed explosives. Meanwhile, the Tyrant Bulwark can construct walls and barriers capable of blocking both your movement and offensive weapons fire.
An Ever-evolving Season Our seasons change with time, offering players new and exciting things to do with each passing week. Our fun seasonal events will infuse the SYNCED gameplay you know and love with festive vibes, while the introduction of creative new Guntech weapons is sure to spice up the meta. To cap it all off, Season 1 will further expand the pool of Mods, enabling players to fine-tune their builds in ways not previously possible.
We're incredibly excited to welcome players, both new and old, to the fresh new content on offer. SYNCED Season 1: Lambent Dawn is available for free from December 14, 2023.
Get ready for a new dawn!
Dev Shorts - Split Ender
Guntech weapons come in many flavors, with their unique effects often complimenting the build you choose to run with.
Split Ender is one such weapon - an assault rifle with a difference. Firing beams of light that can damage multiple enemies, Split Ender is a good option when you find yourself vastly out-numbered.
Yaheng, 3D artist at NExT Studios, is here with a deep dive into the visual design of Split Ender.
Dev Shorts - A Unique Nano Identity
Season 1: Lambent Dawn is just around the corner, and we'll be sharing lots more information very soon on all the new content you can expect to see once the season hits - watch this space! In the meantime, check out part two of our look at the design and implementation of the Nano visuals in SYNCED.
We've previously seen how inspiration from the natural world - particularly ocean ecologies - helped us to settle on a logical yet alien design for the Nanos. But these unusual designs don't just act as set dressing for our in-game world, they help to inform all aspects of the game's visual language, while also providing subtle in-game cues to warn players about the danger-level of a given location.
We caught up with Catan once again, concept artist at NExT Studios, to learn how these Nano visuals were incorporated into gameplay.
Patch Notes 1.0.148
Attention Runners,
Maintenance is now complete, and you can enter the game once again. Below is a list of fixes and optimizations implemented in this patch:
Runner Cooldown and Damage Adjustments As we approach the launch of Season 1: Lambent Dawn and the changes to combat and gameplay that it will introduce, we are trialling the following Runner cooldown and damage adjustments. We are eager to receive your feedback on these changes.
Reduced the cooldown times of the following Runner skills:
Park (Chain Bomb): 60s -> 30s
Glory (Smoke Bomb): 50s -> 30s
Layla (Ghosting): 45s -> 30s
Ragna (Radiant Eye): 60s -> 30s
Deadcut (Fire Grenade): 60s -> 30s
In addition to the above cooldown reductions, all Runner skills now deal significantly increased damage (Note: Dr. Stone is not included in the above as his skill is not damage-based)
Bug Fixes
Fixed some localization issues
Fixed an issue where using Layla’s “Ghosting” skill prevented additional damage from being caused to a Tyrant Nano
Other
Added a Season "end page", to alert players to the upcoming end of the current Season
Please log out of the game and close/restart your client to ensure the update applies correctly.
The SYNCED team
Dev Shorts - Designing the Nano World
SYNCED tells the story of a world overrun by terrifying Nanos - creatures born from rogue technology. The Nano enemies that players encounter in the game represent corrupted humans, but this malicious Nano-technology is visible everwhere in the game, giving each scene and environment a distinct look and feel.
But how did we settle on the visual representation of the Nanos, and what inspired their design and ecology? We spoke with Catan, a concept artist at NExT Studios, to get the details. Check it out in our latest Dev Short video!
Dev Shorts - Crescendo
Guntech weapons offer increased offensive capabilities, often with powerful effects capable of turning the tide in battle.
However, when it comes to Guntech weapons, there's one in particular that has garnered a reputation for devastation within our community - Crescendo. Crescendo boasts a powerful knockback effect, enabling Runners to strategically manage the battlefield with carefully timed blasts.
We spoke to Vany, a senior 3D artist at NExT Studios, to find out how Crescendo was designed. Check it out in our latest Dev Shorts video:
Patch Notes 1.0.142
Attention Runners,
Maintenance is now complete, and you can enter the game once again. Below is a list of fixes and optimizations implemented in this patch:
Bug Fixes:
Fixed an occasional issue where in-game narrative text interaction displays as voice interaction.
Fixed an issue where the Memory Fragment in "BIRONTECH LABYRINTH STAGE 2" cannot be picked up.
Fixed the incorrect Guntech weapon image in the Rift Challenge event.
“Rift Challenge” Event Changes:
The purchase limit for Red Mod Cartridges will be changed from 1 per week to 5 per week.
The purchase limit for the Limited Automat Coin will be changed from 1 per week to 5 per week.
The above changes have already been implemented through a server update on November 3rd.
Please log out of the game and close/restart your client to ensure the update applies correctly.
The SYNCED team
Prepare for the Ultimate Challenge
Have you ever wanted to add some extra chaos to an existing SYNCED game mode? Perhaps you're the type of Runner who likes to test themselves in new and interesting ways?
Oh boy, have we got a surprise for you!
Rift Challenge is the latest Meridan Arcade seasonal game event. Running from November 2 - 22, Rift Challenge invites you to customize a different SYNCED game mode each week. Add a range of powerful modifers and buffs, and then take on your devious creation in pursuit of the best Rift Challenge rewards.
Check out our Rift Challenge video and put your skills to the ultimate test!
Patch Notes 1.0.141
Attention Runners,
Maintenance is now complete, and you can enter the game once again. Below is a list of fixes and optimizations implemented in this patch:
New Content:
Rift Challenge is now available as the latest Meridian Arcade game mode. Running from November 2 - 22, Rift Challenge invites you to customize a different SYNCED game mode each week. Add a range of powerful modifers and buffs, and then take on your devious creation in pursuit of the best Rift Challenge rewards.
New Items Available for Purchase in the Store:
“Take the Cannoli Bundle”: Includes the "Take the Cannoli" skin for Park, a weapon skin for The Automagic & Chaos Theory, the “Lemme Buy U 1” expression, and 10 Tux Bux. This bundle is available for purchase from now until November 15, 2023.
“Heart on Your Sleeve Bundle”: Includes 5 unique Actions which can be used for all Runners. This bundle is available for purchase from now until November 15, 2023.
Bug Fixes:
Resolved additional technical issues that could lead to crashes in some scenarios
Fixed some localization issues
Fixed occasional missing teammate icons and green checkmarks in the Peak Showdown mode
Fixed an issue causing Nano Pillars and Surge Formations to exhibit semi-transparent attacking spikes
Optimized Peak Showdown technical performance
Fixed an issue where completing Peak Showdown stages and returning to the home screen or closing the client during the countdown phase would cause the corresponding weekly task to fail
Fixed an issue where re-matching after a disconnection timeout would result in failure to enter the level correctly
Fixed an issue where the countdown would remain red when leaving a Rift during the fifth stage of the Master Ops+ mode
Fixed an issue where picking up memory fragments in the eighth stage of Core Ops would not unlock the "Animal Testing" MIMIR entries
Fixed an issue where players would not take damage from a Tyrant's fire circle when climbing a Nano Pillar that had spawned on doors or some boxes in the fourth stage of the Peak Showdown
Fixed an issue where releasing a not-fully-charged Supernova shot would sometimes result in a visible projectile, despite no shot being fired
Fixed an issue where two Memory Fragments in the Erosion Labyrinth Stage 1 could not be interacted with and picked up
Please log out of the game and close/restart your client to ensure the update applies correctly.
The SYNCED team
Hotfix 1.0.135
Attention Runners,
We have deployed a minor hotfix to address the issues outlined below:
Identified and resolved a "GPU crashed" issue that was impacting some players
Added some missing localization text for Peak Showdown Mode
Please log out of SYNCED and then close/reopen your game client to ensure the update applies successfully.
