Live servers will be coming down at 8PM PT tonight (approximately 8 hours from when this was posted) for an update which is estimated to take 4 hours. Test servers will be unlocked for play at that time, and patch notes will be added into this thread once the downtime starts.
EDITED 5:38PM - Full Patch Notes Below!
Today's patch brings a brand new weapon just to Auto Royale - the guided rocket launcher (LG-IR)! We're also introducing a new Auto Royale Duos mode.
General Updates
Auto Royale Updates (Duos)
As mentioned above, Auto Royale is now available as a Duos mode as well! Hop in with a friend (or stranger), decide who's driving, and get into the action.
Auto Royale Updates (Duos and Fours)
Known Issues
3/20 Hotfix - Cursor Issue
Hi all - we've just pushed a hotfix to Live that only contains one thing: a possible fix for the ongoing cursor issue. You should see a small download hit Steam momentarily (or you can grab it right away by verifying your files).
If you're still seeing the cursor issue AFTER you've patched, please document exactly what you were doing before it occurred, along with your location and the region you're connecting to. You can then submit a ticket directly to us using this link and make the subject of your ticket "[reddit] Cursor Issue Steps" to help us further - we appreciate it!
Weekend Events: Double XP, Auto Royale at Night, and Shotties & Snipers!
This weekend is chock-full of goodies in H1Z1, as we're bringing you Double XP, a nighttime version of Auto Royale, and the return of the fan-favorite event Shotties & Snipers! Here's a quick breakdown of each:
Double XP We've turned on Double XP just for this weekend, from now until Monday, March 19 @ 10AM PT! Double the XP means faster leveling, which means MORE REWARDS - remember, with each level you gain you earn two Victory Crates.
Auto Royale at Night We're trying something a little different with Auto Royale this weekend: all matches will be kicking off around dusk and getting darker as the match progresses! If you'd like to turn on your headlights, the default keybinding is G (beware - this could be a dead giveaway to your foes!)
Shotties & Snipers The Shotties & Snipers event returns for the weekend with a matching Challenge and Skull rewards to boot! You can read more on that here.
Game Update: March 15
Live servers will be coming down at 8PM PT tonight for an update that includes Shotties & Snipers for the weekend, the retirement of some classic Skull Store items, the animated update to the 2018 Showdown Participant AR, and some additional fixes. The downtime should be approximately 3 hours - full patch notes below!
[UPDATED] Welcome To Season One!
Starting with Preseason One, we set out to make H1Z1 as competitive and rewarding as possible. We added Team Scoring for Duos and Fives to continue that trend. With each Preseason we shook up the point values and Tier distribution numbers and made future decisions based on previous Preseason data. We gave out rewards for end of season placement and players were fully sporting their accomplishments in-game.
Now that we're out of Early Access, it's time to put Preseasons behind us and get started on the culmination of all that work: Season One! Here's a breakdown of our new Scoring System now that we have data to work with and we understand how players are behaving.
Season One Scoring Equation
Season One introduces a revised scoring system that reflects a player's overall performance through the season. During the Preseasons, Royalty was solely achieved by a player's ability to get high kill games and nothing else. This lead to player behavior of jumping into a match, getting as many kills and possible and not caring about anything else. The new scoring system starting in Season One rewards players who can get kills AND place well on a consistent basis. The skill to accomplish both a high kill and high placement game separates the top players from the rest.
The formula we're using to generate your overall score comes from taking your 10 best matches as a base, and then we apply a modifier to it based on your average kills per match and average match placement for the season. The important thing to note here is that if you perform poorly over and over again, you can find yourself sinking into a lower Tier.
So, how does this all work? What are some of the details? What does this mean for kills? Let's take a moment and break some of that down so we can provide the context and insight needed to help everyone understand our end goals. Here's the base equation so you can understand what's going on behind the scenes:
Base Score * (Placement Multiplier * Kills Multiplier) = Season Rank
(There's a lot more to the equation than just that, but this showcases the basics and how we're coming up with your rank for Season One.)
This equation gives us a ton of control and tuning knobs to adjust and emphasize the aspects we'd like to. If we wanted to make a Season about nothing but your Top 10 games, we set the min and max multipliers to 1 for placement and kills. If we want to emphasize kills, we can; same goes for placement. For Season One, while Placement is a factor, we've decided to give the Average Kills Per Match a higher modifier, so while Placement definitely matters, Kills per Match are still extremely important and carry a heavier weight in ranking. You'll need both if you want to rank among the elite!
Season One Tier Thresholds
Similar to previous Preseasons, the score thresholds for each Tier have been adjusted slightly:
Season One Example Stats
Looking for some examples on what to aim for if you want to reach the top of the leaderboards? Here's what some of the current averages are that you'll need to reach Royalty 1 in each mode type:
Keep in mind that the above are just examples, and the system awards players more flexibility when it comes to how ranks are achieved. For any of these examples, you could get fewer kills in your Top 10 but increase either your Kills Per Match Average or your Average Placement and still reach the same rank. One of our goals with the new scoring system was to give you the ability to play how you want to play, and allowing this kind of flexibility helps us deliver on that goal.
So, how did we come up with some of these numbers? Data! We did a massive dive into the data from prior Preseasons to see how players stacked up in general and we found that the above combination was a good mix of consistent playstyle and aggressive killers. Keep in mind, the above examples are all SEASONAL averages - for something like Kills where you're expected to get 5 kills every single game, players should be fighting opportunistically and making calculated plays (rather than camping).
Season One Rewards
We're continuing the tradition of rewarding players at the end of every season based on what Tier they achieved. As before, you'll only need to reach the required rank in ONE mode in order to be eligible for the Emote, and you won't earn multiple Emotes for placing in multiple modes. However, you WILL receive the designated amount of Skulls from each mode based on your placement. In summary, while you'll only receive one instance of an Emote that you qualify for, you'll receive the Skull payouts of each Tier across modes. Since it's possible to sink into a lower Tier during Season One, the rewards you receive at the end of the Season are based on the highest rank you achieve within the Season, NOT the rank you finish with at the end of the Season.
We want to thank all the players that joined us on the ride through Early Access and the various Preseasons. The feedback and data you were able to provide during that time was invaluable. And now, without any further ado…welcome to Season One!
New to H1Z1? Check out H101!
If you're about to drop into your first game of H1Z1 Battle Royale, we're here to help with some quick video tutorials on the basics of the game. While we can't hold your hand and help how well you aim (which will come with practice), these videos should help you to survive longer, understand the core mechanics, and loot up properly to ensure you start to rise up the leaderboards.
Remember to try out the Combat Zone before your first match as well to try out all the weapons and learn how to properly aim down sights, compensate for recoil and reset time, and understand the individual purposes. Combat Zone also has the special Super Serum, which will instantly heal you.
Watch below!
H101: Armor & Helmets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12VVYg9VqVE
H101: Vehicle Keys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WfB69_JLDE
H101: Healing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA3MEiyOg18
H101: Hit Markers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gT17NoRZ7E
H101: AR-15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOS4370uSRI
H101: AK-47
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH_3avCmExY
H101: Hellfire 4-6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiGExLuNzgw
H101: Crafting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y4uByS8kmQ
H101: Throwables
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UYttMy42fU
Hotfix - March 9th
You'll see a small download on Steam in the next few hours for a hotfix that includes the following:
Vehicle movement in Auto Royale should no longer appear choppy.
Vehicle HUD is no longer occasionally missing when starting a game of Auto Royale.
Exit Vehicle key-binding now works properly after being rebound.
Incoming hit-markers now show as expected when wearing Laminated or Makeshift Armor.
Gas grenade damage radius now matches its visual radius.
Updated the 8am lighting (currently only in Duos) to reduce sun brightness and improve performance.
Through 3/14, play three games of Auto Royale and receive a Cherry Sedan skin.
H1Z1 Is Now Free To Play
You asked, we heard you. Experience the game that put Battle Royale on the map and then redefined it with Auto Royale, for FREE. Yep, you read that right! Starting at approximately 10 AM PT, you can download H1Z1 for FREE!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-MUEPsT8eI
Free to play isn’t the only thing to get hyped about. The H1Z1 Pro League just confirmed the 15 esports teams that will be participating in the inaugural season, the official venue location in Las Vegas, and its streaming partnership with Facebook. More info can be found here.
“We are very excited to announce that H1Z1 will be free to play starting today. Not only does this decision allow us to share our version of Battle Royale and Auto Royale with even more players, but it signifies the next step in making H1Z1 a must-watch esport. The Pro League is going to redefine esports when it kicks off in Las Vegas this April, and whether a person is an aspiring pro athlete or just wants to play with friends, we want everyone to have the chance to play the most competitive battle royale game.”-- Anthony Castoro, H1Z1 General Manager
To thank all of our loyal players who helped make awesome, game-changing decisions during our time in Early Access, we'll be rewarding everyone who already purchased the game with the “H1Z1 Appreciation Pack”, containing the following items:
H1Z1 is best played with friends, so if you already play, there has never been a better time to bring them in, especially as a group of four in Auto Royale! You’re also going to need a solid crew for Duos and Fives if you want to earn those Victory Crates. Reach out and let them know to download H1Z1 RIGHT NOW.
You'll also want to make sure you and your friends are following us on our social channels for the most up-to-the-minute information.
Purchase H1Z1 recently? Refunds will be provided by Steam in accordance with its refund policy. Please contact Steam customer service with any questions about refunds. If you have any further questions regarding your account, feel free to reach out to Daybreak Customer Support via help.h1z1.com, and we will work with you to make it right. Don’t forget to login and receive the Appreciation Pack mentioned above to obtain those items, crates, and skulls!
NEW Steam DLC - Bronze, Silver, and Gold Battle Royale Packs!
In case you missed it, H1Z1 will be free to play! Get ready to head on over to Steam to download the game beginning at approximately 10AM PST and hop into all the high-octane Battle Royale and Auto Royale mayhem.
To celebrate our launch and transition to free to play, we’re introducing three brand new Steam DLC bundles - each with some Crates and a variety of existing and never-before-seen skins, going live around 10AM PST, but here's a preview before they go live.
The items you receive out of the Crates and the items from existing Crates (such as the Zodiac Crate) are all tradeable/marketable after the usual duration. The items marked as (New) are all untradeable/unmarketable.
Can I purchase multiples of the same Pack?
Each tier of Pack can only be purchased once per Steam account. If you purchase more than one tier of Pack, any duplicate items across the multiple purchases will stack. There is no “upgrading” from one tier to another - each is a separate purchase at the stated price.
Which of the new outfits are you most excited to sport in Auto Royale? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter!
15 LEADING ESPORTS TEAMS AND CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT TEAM UP WITH THE H1Z1 PRO LEAGUE™ – THE WORLD’S FIRST PROFESSIONAL “BATTLE ROYALE” ESPORT LEAGUE
Top Teams CLG, Cloud 9, Echo Fox, Luminosity, Rogue and TSM Will Compete in the Inaugural H1PL Season Livestreaming Exclusively on Facebook From the New Twin Galaxies Esports Arena Beginning April 21st
Daybreak Game Company Adds to the H1PL Momentum by Announcing H1Z1 Goes Free To Play
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., March 8, 2018 - The H1Z1 Pro League™ (H1PL), the first professional battle royale esports league today unveiled the 15 charter teams that will compete in its inaugural season beginning April 21st in Las Vegas, Nevada. The H1PL also announced that it has teamed up with Facebook to exclusively broadcast all digital content and that Caesars Entertainment will be its official venue and entertainment partner. Redefining the current esports model, the H1PL is the first professional esports league established as a joint venture between a game publisher and an independent league operator – Daybreak Game Company and Twin Galaxies LLC.
“Our goal with H1PL is to take the leap from Esports 1.0 to 2.0, establishing a league where for the first time in esports history, everyone participates in success – the fans, the players, the teams and all of our supporting partners,” said Jace Hall, Co-Chairman of Twin Galaxies. “The battle royale format has quickly become the most popular and entertaining multi-player video game genre, and we’re confident that the H1PL will drive fan engagement and excitement to even higher levels through the use of groundbreaking production techniques along with access to Facebook’s global gaming community.”
Fifteen of the best and most well-known esports organizations have signed on to join the H1PL, including North America’s Counter Logic Gaming (CLG), Team Solo Mid (TSM) and Cloud 9 and Europe’s Alliance, Team Vitality and Epsilon Esports. The teams will compete over the course of two, 10-week “splits” at Caesars Entertainment Studios, a 50,000 square foot, state-of-the-art production facility designed for full-scale feature film, television show and live esports event productions. H1PL is the first esports league to name Las Vegas as its home city.
The teams joining the H1PL inaugural season are:
The H1PL will livestream all competition via Facebook Live throughout the season. H1PL and Facebook will also introduce a variety of community-focused features to augment the viewing experience, such as the curation and granting of free, redeemable in-game rewards for fans that tune-in during H1PL streams throughout the week.
“The battle royale genre is fast becoming one of the most popular and accessible gaming categories to both watch and play, and we’re excited to help this brand-new league for H1Z1 grow its community on Facebook,” said Patrick Chapman, manager of esports partnerships at Facebook. “The league’s primary focus to engage and support players and fans aligns closely to our commitment to help build the world’s community for people to play, watch and share the games they love.”
The H1Z1 Pro League will host its weekly matches from the Twin Galaxies Esports Arena located inside Caesars Entertainment Studios, just steps away from the Las Vegas Strip. Fans can attend in-person or watch the exciting, fast-paced gameplay online. The studio has already been home to esports competitions such as the Gears Pro Circuit™ Las Vegas Open this past June. During each split, players will be provided hosted accommodations at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino (a Caesars Entertainment property). Caesars Entertainment will also provide regional and national marketing support for the H1PL.
“Caesars Entertainment strives to partner with some of the most important esports events in the world, and we couldn’t be more proud to host H1PL,” said Christian Stuart, Caesars Entertainment Executive Vice President of Gaming and Interactive Entertainment. “The combination of an intimate venue, like Caesars Entertainment Studios, and a jaw-dropping production set will deliver a unique experience for anyone who wants to see what competitive gaming is all about. This partnership further solidifies our commitment to esports and builds on our strategy to be at the cutting edge in all forms of interactive entertainment.”
Teams will compete for total cumulative match points over the course of the entire season. The H1PL has created an innovative scoring system that rewards strategy, aggressive gameplay, and out-of-the box thinking as teams battle each week for placement in the standings prior to the H1PL Battle Royale Championship in the fall.
Daybreak Games and Twin Galaxies announced their joint venture to create the H1Z1 Pro League in October of last year. Twin Galaxies Pro League Division is establishing a first-of-its-kind League Governance Committee for the H1PL, comprised of an independent league commissioner, a Twin Galaxies representative, a Daybreak Game Company representative, and both a team ownership and H1PL player’s representative chosen by their respective peers. The H1PL League Governance Committee will be responsible for defining, modifying, and enforcing all rules and regulations for the league.
“The H1Z1 Pro League will bring together the best players in the world to compete in the adrenaline-filled spectacle that is H1Z1, and we can think of no other city that matches the energy and excitement of battle royale than Las Vegas,” said Mark Tuttle, Director of Esports at Daybreak Games. “With our announcement today that H1Z1 is now free to play, the stage is set for a robust and active community ready to tune into the H1PL every week.”
The H1PL has been crafted to redefine the esport league template by creating a league with a player-first and team-first attitude that will work closely with the players to ensure the league is operating at its best capacity. The H1Z1 Pro League will include a guaranteed player minimum salary, team owner and player representation on the governance committee, along with a comprehensive “Player Bill of Rights” and a well-defined revenue sharing model. Nearly one year ago, H1Z1’s prime-time premiere “Fight for the Crown” tournament topped the esports TV ratings with total viewership of 378,000.
H1PL will soon be releasing ticketing and hotel information for fans to attend matches, which will be played on Wednesdays, with the exception of the first broadcast for Split 1 on Saturday, April 21. In addition, all matches can be viewed live at facebook.com/h1z1proleague.
Twin Galaxies has been the recognized authority for video game world record validation since 1981. The TG Sports Bureau and World Records Division houses the world’s most comprehensive library of video game statistics and player analytics. In October 2017, Twin Galaxies announced a Pro League Division to establish, operate and govern new professional esports leagues in partnership with leading video game publishers. Twin Galaxies’ H1Z1 Pro League will commence its inaugural season in April 2018.
Caesars Entertainment Corporation (“CEC”) is the world's most diversified casino-entertainment provider and the most geographically diverse U.S. casino-entertainment company. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, 79 years ago, CEC has grown through development of new resorts, expansions and acquisitions and its portfolio of subsidiaries now operate 47 casinos in 13 U.S. states and five countries. The Company's resorts operate primarily under the Caesars®, Harrah's® and Horseshoe® brand names. CEC's portfolio also includes the London Clubs International family of casinos. CEC is focused on building loyalty and value with its guests through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership. The Company is committed to environmental sustainability and energy conservation and recognizes the importance of being a responsible steward of the environment. For more information, please visit www.caesars.com.
About H1Z1
H1Z1 is a fast-paced, highly competitive, battle royale shooter. Parachute in and search for weapons, ammo, vehicles and supplies to stay alive. As a toxic gas cloud compresses the map, develop your strategy and prepare for the spectacle of mayhem. H1Z1 is now available free to play on Windows PC with an all-new vehicle-centric game mode, Auto Royale. To learn more, visit: https://www.h1z1.com.
About Daybreak Games
Daybreak Game Company LLC is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online gaming. Best known for blockbuster hits and franchises such as H1Z1®, DC Universe™ Online, PlanetSide®, and EverQuest®, Daybreak creates, develops, and provides compelling online entertainment for millions of gamers worldwide. To learn more, visit www.DaybreakGames.com.
ESRB Rating: Rated T for Teen for Violence and Blood.
