Anthem is in early access for Xbox One and Windows PC players, and doesn’t enter wide release until Feb. 22 on those platforms and PlayStation 4. On Feb. 20 there will be a major patch to the game, releasing between eight and 10 p.m. ET, weighing in at 6 gigabytes. While most of these changes are to fix bugs that have affected early access players, there are some balance changes for individual Javelins in here as well. We’ve compiled a list of the must-know changes for this day-one patch. The full patch notes can be found at the bottom of this post. Lead producers Ben Irving and Mike Gamble revealed in a stream that Anthem’s next patch will release a few weeks after launch. Better loading times Anthem’s load times are brutal in almost every activity. On certain hardware, it can take players multiple minutes to load into missions with the rest of their teammates. This can become a problem in a story-focused game like Anthem, where mission dialogue plays regardless of everyone’s load state. Even on a solid-state drive, load times can be long depending on the activity. The patch notes say BioWare “improved loading times.” While vague, any improvement is better than the state it’s in now. Bug fixes Bugs plague almost every aspect of Anthem’s early access. Some impede player progress — forcing a complete mission restart — while others are visual. Most of this patch comprises bug fixes, some of which we’ve experienced firsthand in our time with the game. One bug stops loot from dropping for players who are downed when the enemy dies. This issue, along with several others, is being fixed with the day-one patch. Javelin updates There are a few updates to the player classes. The Colossus Javelin will be able to whip out their shield faster after using abilities, and keep it up while reviving downed allies. The Interceptor’s combo aura will deal deals damage to nearby enemies over time, and is more powerful. BioWare has also removed a Storm exploit that allowed them to use their ultimate on repeat. Full patch notes High level fixes Improved loading times Fixed many infinite loading screens Fixed multiple challenges not tracking properly A number of issues have been fixed that were causing players to disconnect or crash Weapons and gear now have numbers present for modifiers General Fixes and Improvements Loot Reveal and Expedition Summary now correctly play during the end of expedition screen. The gather party mechanic has been made more lenient in a number of situations At the end of expedition screen players will no longer get stuck on “Recording Victories” or “Skipping All”. Game no longer hangs in Javelin menu when unlocking the second, third or fourth javelin During the mission “What Freelancers Do” dying after killing Junkmaw & freeing Arcanists leaves you unable to progress, this has been fixed Challenges now unlock for players at the correct levels Fixed some camera issues during cutscenes Legendary Contracts can now be accepted from the Social Hub contract board Some enemies have had their shield values decreased Loot now properly drops for players who are downed The texture quality on the NPC Prospero has been improved Final boss of strongholds now drop loot instead of only being shown on the end of expedition screen Fixed the time outs on echoes and relics to prevent griefing and to handle disconnections properly Players can no longer fall through the floor during the 3rd trial in the Fortress of Dawn Completing the tutorial expedition will now show the correct Ranger appearance After disconnecting, rejoining an expedition will now place you back into a squad if you were in one previously Corrected an issue where players could not interact with each other in the launch bay in certain circumstances Corrected an issue during the Mission “Bad Deal” where outlaws won’t spawn, blocking progress The start of expedition screen has been improved Addressed a variety of situations where killing enemies does not properly progress world events Opening a chest now increments Tomb of the Legionnaire progress for all squad members present Scar snipers can no longer shoot through Storm Shield Corrected an issue where players would get stuck on the end of expedition screen in some situations Players will no longer get disconnected if joining the “Finding Old Friends” mission while the cinematic is playing Addressed a number of situations where players can get stuck on the environment in the launch bay Increased the damage of the electric status effect Corrected an issue where the Shield of Dawn could be crafted with less materials then intended in some situations The Platinum Mission feat now grants completion as intended Status effects can more reliably be applied to Titans Strongholds Fixed an issue that would cause a Stronghold server crash after defeating the last boss Temple of Scar - Players can no longer get stuck in the mined tunnel in the explosives room Temple of Scar - Players can no longer be blocked from entering the explosives room due to fog wall Fixed Tyrant Mine so people that join the stronghold in-progress do not end up locked away from their team Adjusted lighting in Tyrant Mine underwater section to make it easier to navigate to the exit The Swarm Tyrant will no longer get stuck in the side cave entrances in some situations Corrected an issue where players would spawn into different areas of the Tyrant Mine in certain situations Gear and Weapons After having 1st pilot unlock suit after tutorials, creating a new pilot and going to forge no longer causes load screen hang Ice damage bonuses are now correctly applied on ice gear Suit-wide bonuses from inscription are now functioning properly Players can no longer salvage equipped items Javelin specific gear and/or weapons are no longer able to be used on javelins they aren’t intended for Corrected an issue where in some circumstances Masterwork Components do not have any inscriptions The Endless Siege Masterwork Autocannon no longer displays a damage increase of 0% in its tooltip Javelins The Colossus javelin is now able to activate its shield more quickly after using an ability or firing a weapon The Storm javelin now reacts to getting hit when its shields are up Fixed an exploit that allowed the Storm’s ultimate attack to be used more times than intended The Colossus javelin can now shield and revive at the same time Interceptor Combo Aura has been increased in power and now has a damage over time component Crafting Non-Masterwork materials purchased from the crafting store now show as their proper rarity instead of incorrectly showing as Masterwork Controls Additional Mouse and Keyboard control improvements have been made UI Some conversations were not popping up the reputation points post conversation completion, this has been fixed The squad screen now displays the correct information for each player Fixed a number of issues where subtitles will no longer get stuck on the screen after dialogue has finished as often Settings should no longer reset upon exiting and restarting the game on Xbox One Motion blur can now correctly be turned off The Electric Status Effect now shows scaled damage properly An option has been added to hide the Squad Member HUD The edge of the compass will now pulse to indicate enemy locations A notification has been added in Fort Tarsis if a player’s vault is at the cap of 250 items On the “Repair the Strider” step of “A Cry for Help” the search radar has been adjusted to correctly lead the player to all 4 tools Primer and Detonator icons have been added to all Interceptor gear Corrected a user interface issue where a player’s ultimate would show as available when it isn’t Update (Feb. 20): In a pre-launch stream, BioWare revealed that they’re releasing the day one patch a day early. They also revealed the size of the patch. The introduction of this story has been updated to reflect this new information.<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks A new Anthem update is being released in the next 24 hours which is going to make big changes to the loot system. This was announced by BioWare earlier this week and is being planned for PS4, Xbox One and PC. However, it should be noted that Anthem update 1.04 has seen a smaller release before it, providing a little confusion. A new Anthem patch was released this morning by BioWare, taking care of a few notable issues. These include: The tethering timer for missions has been increased. Players should now have more time to catch up to their Squad before seeing a countdown timer. The Swarm Tyrant encounter in the Tyrant Mine Stronghold can no longer be reset by the entire Squad exiting to the main menu and rejoining the session in progress. Players are no longer able to reopen chests that have already been looted in Strongholds. This will be followed by another much bigger Anthem update, which is scheduled to go live in the next 24 hours.<doc-sep>
BioWare has discussed current and upcoming changes for Anthem, its loot driven shooter that officially released on PS4, Xbox One, and PC today. A post on the game's Reddit page opens by stating that the developer is able to make some fixes without the need for a patch, but notes that others will require players to download an update. In the former category, BioWare has already addressed a number of issues that were reported by the community, including a bug that displayed and rewarded the incorrect amount of Coin for some activities, and another that was causing rain to fall more often than intended. There has also been tweaks to the kind of items that chests drop, as well as how the shield performs, among other things. BioWare is also working on some other fixes which, as mentioned above, will require the player to download an update. These include an issue that would result in the final boss in the game's Heart of Rage stronghold not appearing, problems with HDR on PS4 and Xbox One, and game crashes. You can see the full list of live and upcoming changes below. Live Changes Coin changes for daily/weekly -- We have fixed an issue that displayed and rewarded the incorrect amount of Coin from various activities -- We have fixed an issue that displayed and rewarded the incorrect amount of Coin from various activities Stronghold matchmaking -- We have extended the timer that allows for matchmaking in a stronghold. This should allow groups to fill easier when matchmaking -- We have extended the timer that allows for matchmaking in a stronghold. This should allow groups to fill easier when matchmaking Non-stop rain -- We have fixed an issue that was causing it to rain in game more than intended -- We have fixed an issue that was causing it to rain in game more than intended Fusion proc bonuses on weapons -- Weapons were incorrectly applying infusion proc/bonuses from being equipped when they should only have been applying bonuses from the weapon that was in the active slot -- Weapons were incorrectly applying infusion proc/bonuses from being equipped when they should only have been applying bonuses from the weapon that was in the active slot Chests found in missions changes -- Chests found in missions now have less of a chance to drop higher tiered items -- Chests found in missions now have less of a chance to drop higher tiered items Emotes not properly saving -- We have fixed the issue that was causing emotes not to save properly when bound -- We have fixed the issue that was causing emotes not to save properly when bound Shield fix -- We corrected an issue that was allowing players who still have shields active to be one shot by high damaging attacks Upcoming Changes The final boss in the Heart of Rage stronghold isn't appearing if the group wipes before engaging HDR is currently disabled on consoles (Xbox One and PS4) Some players are encountering issues that are causing them to crash BioWare has detailed Anthem's day one patch, which is significant and covers everything from loading times and server disconnects to tweaks for Strongholds, challenges, gear, weapons, and more. Anthem became available to play on Friday, February 15 for those with EA Access subscriptions on Xbox One or Origin Access membership on PC. Both versions offered a 10-hour trial, and Origin Access Premier granted unlimited access. The game's general release is today, and if you're diving in, be sure to check out our Anthem combo guide. GameSpot's Anthem review awarded it 6/10. "Anthem has good ideas, but it struggles significantly with the execution," said Kallie Plagge. "It's a co-op game that works best with no one talking; it buries genuinely interesting character moments and puts its most incomprehensible story bits at the forefront; its combat is exciting until you get to the boss fights and find your wings have been clipped. Even the simple, exhilarating act of flying is frequently interrupted by the limitations of your javelin, and you never quite shake that feeling of disappointment--of knowing, throughout the good parts of Anthem, that you'll inevitably come crashing back down."