Hey there folks,

 

As you probably know, the PlanetSide 2 team has been working very hard for quite some time on a sizeable game update. We’ve got good news – tomorrow, the New Soldier Game Update will finally be going live.

The most significant part of this update is the change to PlanetSide 2’s renderer, which has been upgraded from DirectX 9 to DirectX 11. It also includes the new Nanite Systems Operatives faction, and a new alert focused on delivering cortium to rocket launch sites which will allow you to win access to the Wasp air vehicle for your faction in a future update. We’ve wrapped all of this up with a number of other improvements that you can read about in the patch notes, which will be available later on.

We announced our port to DirectX 11 on our 6th Anniversary. At the time, we were testing an early build and performance tests looked promising. It’s been a long road since then, but our full integration is complete! DX11 will significantly boost FPS performance on modern hardware and will give us a path for further optimization in the future. This is not a visual or gameplay update, so everything should look and play the same as it always has – just with better performance.

Nanite Systems Operatives will also arrive. For the first time ever, a new faction is being added to PlanetSide 2! These robotic mercenaries will fight alongside the lowest populated empire in any zone. This means you won’t have to wait to join the action on an active continent as long as it’s not completely full. For now, the NS Operatives system will only be available to members (we don’t want to see PlanetSide 2 turn into RobotSide overnight).

The team is very proud of this update and we never would have gotten this far without the continued support of our players – we couldn’t ask for a better community than the one that remains dedicated to Auraxis. We will be working to promote this update, and with all of the changes we expect there to be a good amount of new and returning players coming into the game... which means that means we need the PS2 community to come together more than ever.

PlanetSide 2 can be a challenging game to get ramped up on. Revamping the new player tutorials is the team’s next focus, but there is no better introduction to PlanetSide 2 than the helping hand of an experienced player. One of the small changes we’ve made will automatically place low BR players into Mentor squads when they log into the game. We’d love to see seasoned players start Mentor squads and be ambassadors to new players. Show them where the fights are, what to spend their first certs on, and how to drop in behind enemy lines from a high-flying Galaxy.

We'll be keeping track of who runs great Mentor squads and creates upbeat, informative, and positive experiences for new players. We plan on reaching out to some of these all-stars for community spotlight features. And don’t just try to pad up your Mentor squad hours – this isn't what we’ll be looking for!

That about covers it for now. We hope you are all as excited as we are for tomorrow's massive update! Looking ahead, in addition to the upgraded tutorials we mentioned, we have a lot of other exciting plans including the new Oshur continent. I’m sure we’ll have some tweaks and bug fixes to make in the wake of this update, but it feels great to cast our eyes down the calendar to the amazing future for PlanetSide 2 we’re moving towards.

 

Thanks again, and we're looking forward to seeing you all on the battlefield.

- Nick Silva
Producer, PlanetSide 2

Join us on Friday, April 12th, 2019 at 2 PM PT on the Public Test Server to help us test and gather feedback on both DX-11 and the NS Operatives System! This large-scale playtest will help the team collect important telemetry about the new systems being put in place and help us catch new bugs and issues that might surface at a large scale.




During the playtest, we're headed RobotSide - we want to see a ton of Nanite Systems Operatives robots swarming the battlefield in an epic clash of automaton warfare!



All participants who join up on the PTS for the playtest will unlock a brand new reward for their account - Raijin Ninja Stars. If you can find the time to help us test, you'll be one of the first players to get your hands on this awesome new weapon. If your Friday is booked, be sure to keep an eye out for more community playtests in the near future so that you can earn your own Ninja Stars.



You can learn about the test server works and how to patch here. See you on the battlefield, soldier!

For our 6th Anniversary, we wanted to celebrate by giving players a chance to get their own artwork in-game! 

There were over two hundred incredible pieces of art entered into the contest, and the team was blown away by the amount of talent shown by the PlanetSide 2 community. It was a blast going through all of the entries, and it proved difficult to pick just a handful of winners... but the results are finally in.

While the winners will be featured below, you can check out all of the amazing entries here.


Best Action Scene Winner


"Reflection" by Pixenal
 

Best Lore Portrayal Winner


"TR Scout Mission" by FelixTheLion


Best Social Setting Winner


"Waiting for Orders" by Isonami

 

Runner-Ups


"Dogfight for Esamir" by ShasOwl



"Prayers" by Isonami



"Ambush" by Pureboy

 

"Indar Battleground" by FelixTheLion

 

"Victors" by Fuzzbukets

 

Thank you to everyone who submitted their work to the 6th Anniversary Loading Screen Contest - we're so excited to have 3 new pieces of art to show off in-game, and incredibly impressed by our talented community. If you want to see the rest of the entries, you can view them all here. We're already looking forward to the next contest, but until then, see you on Auraxis!

The coldest season of the year has arrived, bringing forth some chilling soldiers to the battlefields of Auraxis!



A faction of snowmen has sprung up across the planet, perfect for earning XP and getting in some target practice as you work towards wrapping up a victory for your empire. You'll also find a deployable Snowman Soldier in your infantry utility slot - deploy this snowman and it will do it's best to protect you from incoming threats.

You can also get your squad in the Auraximas spirit by picking up an assortment of festive hats and weapons in the Depot! You'll also find that C4 models will appear as presents and ammo boxes will look just like your favorite candy box, which makes opening up these presents a lot more fun.

And of course, there are presents that you can earn yourself by completing the holiday directives:

• Tier 1: Empire Specific Holiday Hat
• Tier 2: 20 Certs, Basic Implant Pack
• Tier 3: 100 Certs, Auraximas Banner
• Tier 4: "Grouchy" Title & "The Little Helper" Shotgun

Once unlocked, you'll be able to use these gifts even once the snow melts away.



On top of all the battlefield fun, don't forget that the 31 Days of Auraximas deal is happening in the Depot right now! Each day in December you'll be able to purchase a special item or get a great deal. For more details, check out that article here.

 

This event will be available in game throughout the holidays up until January 31st, 2019 at 11:59 PM PT, so santa-suit up, grab your snowman, and head out into the snow!

Nanite Systems is finally ready to unveil its line of remote-infantry combat units, called Nanite Systems Operatives, which will be available for use by each faction on a contractual basis.

Each time an Operative enters a new zone or continent, they will be put on assignment for the empire that has the least number of soldiers on the field. This will help ensure that populations will be more balanced in battle.

For more information on the upcoming Nanite Systems Operatives program, you can watch the announcement from our livestream here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P59QgRZu9B4
Before Nanite Systems is ready to launch this new program, these bots are going to need some heavy testing - and that's where Auraxians will come in! Nanite Systems Operatives are now available on the Public Test Server, with scheduled playtests (and rewards for participating!) to follow. Keep an eye out for more official announcements on Twitter, Facebook, and here on the PS2 website.

In the meantime, if you want to take a closer look at these new hi-tech units, you can see them in detail in Doku's portfolio here.

We're looking forward to starting and strengthening this new connection with Nanite Systems!

PlanetSide 2 wouldn't be what it is today without our incredible players - over the years, you've helped us build and shape the game. Now, we're giving you a shot at getting your own artwork IN to the game!

From Tuesday, November 20th, 2018 at 12:00 PM PT to Friday, November 30th, 2018 at 11:59PM PT, we're taking submissions for player-created loading screens!



Submission Requirements:

• The submission must be the entrant’s original digital artwork (or in-game screenshot), and must be PlanetSide 2 related and appropriate.
  
• Each individual is limited to 3 submissions.
  
• Submissions must be 1920 x 1080 pixels in size
  
• Submissions must be in one of the following categories: Best Social Setting, Best Action Scene, or Best Lore Portrayal
  
• Loading screens will be judged by the PlanetSide 2 team based on originality and creativity, and the overall appeal for PlanetSide 2 and the chosen category.

Each winner (one for each category) will receive a code for 2,000 Daybreak Cash and their picture will be used as a loading screen in PlanetSide 2! All submissions have a chance to be showcased on official PlanetSide 2 and Daybreak social media channels, and any impressive runners-up or honorable mentions may also get lucky enough to have their pictures used as loading screens, too.

To enter and read up on the rules and details, check out the contest page here.


We can't wait to see what you create!

War has raged on Auraxis for six years, with dedicated soldiers from every empire keeping the battle alive with their fighting spirits. This is no small feat - over the last six years, we've changed and grown together as Auraxis has become what it is today, and this couldn't have happened without the support of each and every one of our loyal fighters. Now is the time to be proud of the battles you've fought, and of course, the time to celebrate another exceptional year of PlanetSide 2.

We're going to be making this anniversary unforgettable - read on to learn more about the awesome activities that will be taking place on Auraxis!



Double XP

Gear up and get ready for some monumental fights - throughThursday, November 22th, 2018 at 11:59 PM PT ALL players will receive double experience on the battlefield!


6th Anniversary Gifts

We've got another little gift for you - use the promo code "6YearsPS2" to receive a special 6th anniversary Loyalty Decal and the NSX-P Naginata LMG!

You can log in to your Daybreak account and redeem that code here.
(If you're playing on PS4, this bundle will be available in the Depot for just 1 cert.)



Sixth Anniversary Bundle

Sixth Anniversary Bundles are being delivered to the Depot on November 15th, 2018! These bundles will be available in three tiers - Recruit's, Veteran's, and Warmachine's.

Each bundle tier contains an assortment of items, including weapons, camo, horns, decals, and more. Pick up Veteran's or Warmachine's bundle, and you'll also receive a Heroic Boost!
You can find a list of what each individual bundle contains here.



Thank you for your dedication to PlanetSide 2 - the entire team is elated to be celebrating another successful year, and even more excited to show you what we have in store.

We'll be in touch, but in the meantime you can share your favorite moments and memories from Auraxis with us by posting with the hashtag #6YearsPS2 on Facebook, Twitter, or the PlanetSide 2 Forums! Here's to another great year.

Last week, the PlanetSide 2 team announced the game's next continent: Oshur.



Oshur will consist of multiple islands that will harbor a wide variety of biomes including crystalline forests, tropical jungles, desolate sands, and even underground cave systems.

This wide range of terrain will include less bases than a typical continent, and will function to encourage a more logistical style of play. The unique islands will best be traversed by aircraft, which will put an emphasis on the importance of air combat. Construction will help you take control of the varied land, and will also be an instrumental part of winning battles for your faction.



Each faction will deploy their forces to the islands using Bastion Fleet Carriers - warpgate technology is not available on this continent.

Exploring Oshur will also allow us to take a closer look at the previous inhabitants of Auraxis... it has been said that a strange Vanu technology may be hidden within the center of the continent. It seems like the land holds secrets to the past, and if you're the inquisitive type, there will be hidden areas for you to uncover.



If you're looking for even more information on Oshur, you can watch the announcement from our developer livestream right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNxHlSYdqu4

Oshur is still in the early stages of creation, but we want to share this process with all of you. We'll be providing updates about continent's development as we continue to make progress, so be sure to keep an eye out for news on Twitter, Facebook, and of course on the PS2 website.

We've made numerous changes to the code base that should not only remedy many of the performance issues found in the last major update, but should positively impact other areas of the game moving forward.

Developer Note: This is a very long road we are following towards getting the game more performant. This is a step in the right direction we hope, but still a long way to the finish line.



Unstable Warpgates
Unstable Warpgates will remain unstable for 3 hours at most before stabilizing. This will help servers like Briggs move through the continent rotations more quickly, as well as participate in continent events outside of peak hours. 

Charging Warpgates
Warpgates now take less time to charge overall, bringing it closer to the three hour mark before you can start triggering a continent-wide alert.

Aerial Anomalies

• Anomalies now spawn closer to the center of the map.
• Anomalies will now never spawn in the same location more than once, and will respawn at every available spawn location before beginning another "loop."
• Anomalies have also received a new look that appears from further away, lines up with the range at which you can receive points, and encourages players to leave the anomaly to do battle with incoming hostiles.
• Added a speculative fix for ASP air vehicle discounts not being applied after an Anomaly alert ends.

Meltdown
Meltdown Alerts now increase experience gain by 25% for the duration of the alert.

Gaining Ground (New Event)

• A new continent event has been added to the lineup.
• The "Gaining Ground" event, similar to Biolab, Tech Plant, and Amp Station Facility Capture events, will ask each faction to control the most Large Outposts on the continent in order to win the event.
• We've greatly reduced the frequency of the old facility capture alerts at the same time, as the intent has always been to phase them out when enough new event types made their way into the game.

Join Combat (Instant Action)

• We've reduced the distance the center of a combat area will search for a valid spawn location nearby.
• This change will reduce the amount of available instant action locations, but it will also be less likely to drop you into spawn locations that aren't very close to fights.
• In short, better quality by sacrificing quantity. We'll be able to adjust this setting (or revert these changes) on Live without downtime, if need be.

August 31st marks the last day for the Summer event, so be sure to try to complete directive before it's gone!

Until September 1st, we've unbundled and discounted the Heatwave weapons as well as some summer themed camos. We've also added released a new "Barren Desert" camo that will go back into hiding once this event ends.

In addition, all Infantry Weapons will be 30% off until September 1st. 


 

Mentor Squads
Players have been given a new tool to help guide players through the rigors of combat on Auraxis. "Mentor Squads" can now be created in the squad pane.
Players less than Battle Rank 15 are encouraged to join Mentor Squads by prioritizing them when auto-finding squads, and with prompts through the squad pane.
Mentor Squads are stripped down versions of a typical squad, creating an environment that's more straight forward and easy-to-understand for newer players.

Mentor Squads...

• Cannot be converted into Platoons.
• Do not have access to Fireteam waypoints. (More about that further down.)
• Do not have access to Offensive, Defensive, and Colored Smoke markers.

We have plans for more improvements to Mentor Squads in the future, and are looking forward to seeing how these squad types perform for players interested in guiding the next generation of Auraxian soldiers.

Squad Changes

• Waypoints have received new visuals for clarity. No more confusion about which is a squad waypoint, which is a platoon waypoint, which is an alpha squad, but also squad ( ? ) waypoint?
• Players can now modify their squad’s default description, as well as basic recruitment and mentor status in the squad finder before pressing the Squad Create button.
• Squad bans now persist past character logoff, and last until the squad disbands.
• You can now right click on a squad member to access the options dropdown (instead of clicking on the >> button.)
• New squads will be started as public and recruiting, unless chosen otherwise from the squad pane.
• Squads can now choose to auto-fill into a platoon, instead of having to open each squad individually.
• Squads inside of platoons will inherit Alpha Squad's privileges.
• Squad map indicators now show the player's facing direction.
• Squad leaders can now toggle on or off Squad Beacon privileges.

Outfit Hosted Platoons and Squads

• Outfits can now choose to "Host" squads and platoons by enabling the checkbox option when creating a squad.
• Outfit hosted platoons will always pass leadership to another outfit member if the squad leader goes offline.
• Outfit hosted platoons that have no more outfit members to pass leadership to will automatically disband.

Fire-team Changes

• Joining a squad will now filter you into fireteams by default.
• Fireteams now have access to a /ft chat channel, as well as a fireteam voice channel, bindable in the settings menu.
• Fireteam leaders (the uppermost player within a fireteam list) now have the ability to place beacons and waypoints.
• Fireteam beacon privileges can be enabled and disabled by the squad leader.

Misc. Squad and Platoon changes

• /platoon promoteme was removed.
• Orders chat has been removed and refunded.

 


New Directive
A new directive has entered the field. The Construction Directive will challenge players to build, support, and make use of construction objects on the battlefield. This directive line can be found under the “Strategic” Directive Category.


 
Tier 2 Reward

• Solid Wall schematic – A schematic for a “Solid” variant of the Rampart Wall.

 
Tier 3 Reward

• Blueprint Banner – A faction colored “blueprint” banner to display on your enemy’s death screen.

Tier 4 Reward

• Auraxium Mandibles – A faction colored auraxium variant of the default Mandible ANT weapon.
• “Builder” title – A title to show off your dedication to construction.

 


The pool of implants has been doubled. These implants have been added to the normal implant crates, alongside the ability to craft the implants you want with ISO-4. More about that below.

New Implants

• Jockey: Increases shield health when in a vehicle rumble seat.
• Survivalist: Increases shield recharge rate and grants a sprint speed boost when at low health.
• Athlete: Increases sprint acceleration, deceleration, and how quickly you get your hold-breath back.
• Gunslinger: Kills with sidearms increase your reload speed for a short time.
• Heavyweight: Grants a major reduction to flinch received from being struck by a projectile, but passively reduces your movement speed.
• Response Jacket: Grants a resistance to successive explosive damage hits for a short time after you take explosive damage.
• Ransack: Killing enemy vehicles at close range will restore a tick of ammunition for you and the vehicle you are in.
• Critical Chain: Headshot kills grant increased rechamber speed for a short time.
• Sidewinder: Increases strafing speed at the cost of lower strafing acceleration and deceleration.
• Fortify: Interact with capture points to bolster your shield health for a short time.
• Symbiote: You receive a passive small arms resistance so long as you've taken small arms damage recently.
• Covert Drop: Taking damage from a fall will cloak you on landing.
• Failsafe: When your shield breaks, it restores ability energy.
• Salvage - MAX only: Killing other MAXes will instantly restore a chunk of health.
• Paratrooper - Light Assault only: Taking damage restores jump jet fuel.
• Electrotech - Engineer only: When your shield breaks, you send out a pulse that repairs nearby equipment.
• Mobility Mesh -Heavy Assault only: Reduces the mobility penalty while your overshield is active.
• Mending Field -Medic only: Nearby allies who are critically wounded heal passively up to a certain amount of health.
• Firewall - Exceptional - Infiltrator only: You can now "hack" allied turrets to embed them with a firewall which increases their health pool.
• Disengage - Exceptional - MAX only: When Emergency Repair is activated, you will knock back nearby enemy infantry and increase your sprint acceleration speed slightly for a time.
• Avoidance - Exceptional: You no longer trip proximity mines, and spitfires require you to be 50% closer to acquire you.
• Bionics - Exceptional: Reduces health pool by 400 while increasing personal shields by 400.
• Cold Heart - Exceptional: Increases heat cooloff for a short period after a headshot kill.
• Experimental Stims - Exceptional: Gives a random movement speed, reload speed, or small arms resistance buff when consuming a Medical or Restoration Kit.

Crafting Implants
Lady Luck not on your side? Players can now craft their desired implant by using ISO-4 in the Implant Foundry. Currently, all implants except Exceptionals can be constructed through ISO-4 alone.

Construction cost is based on the rarity (drop rate) of that implant.


Implant Adjustments
Minor Cloak

• Uncloak delay for firing your weapon from 1.25sec. to 1sec.
• Moving within Minor Cloak will no longer immediately reset your cloak countdown (but will immediately uncloak you per usual.) Now, short bouts of movement after being cloaked will allow you to re-enter cloak more quickly.
• Firing your weapon now resets the Minor Cloak countdown, ensuring that players no longer accidentally fall into minor cloak while engaged in combat.

Sensor Shield

• Detection range reduction has been buffed for all ranks, and the rank 5 benefit has been modified.
• Rank 1: From within 45m to within 30m
• Rank 2: From within 42m to within 26m
• Rank 3: From within 35m to within 20m
• Rank 4: From within 15m to within 10m
• Rank 5: While walking, you are not detectable by recon devices at all.

Aerial Combatant

• Fuel restorations are now the same percentage of maximum fuel, regardless of jump jet type.
• Vehicle kills at rank 5 now restore 30% jump jet fuel.
• Deployables no longer trigger Aerial Combatant.

Assimilate

• Tier 5 benefit from 30% of current energy restore to 10% of maximum energy restore.
• Dev Note: Restructuring this benefit reduces the overwhelming synergy with Adrenaline Shield, while resulting in higher energy returns in situations where you’d normally deplete or get close to depleting your energy, since it no longer bases the regeneration on your current energy supply.

Nanomesh Specialist - Heavy Assault

• Your overshield abilities now decay 50/55/65/80/80% slower while stationary, and 25/28/33/40/40% slower while moving. Rank 5: Your depleted overshield no longer has a delay before it begins recharging.
• Dev Note: The rank 5 bonus and progression from ranks 1-4 have been swapped, and increased to be more useful in more situations.

Deep Operative – Infiltrator

• Whenever you spend longer than a total of 30/26/20/12/12 seconds outside of cloak without taking damage, your cloak's visibility will be reduced by 75%. Dying or taking damage from enemy sources will reset the benefit countdown. Rank 5: Killing an enemy will remove 3 seconds from the countdown.
• Dev Note: The small cloak visibility reduction of the previous Deep Operative was too weak to be noticed, and increasing that benefit as a passive could have turned out too strong. The middle ground now requires the Infiltrator to spend some time outside of cloak in order to accumulate the benefit of having a deeper one. We've also removed the rank 5 scan mechanic in place of a benefit that lets the player more quickly return to their enhanced cloak state.

Misc. Implant Fixes and Changes

• The ISO Recycler found in the Depot no longer gives players common implants, and will now only yield implants that are of uncommon or higher rarity.
• The "Breakdown Duplicates" button now shows the proper breakdown value if you happen to own an exceptional duplicate implant.
• The currency cap on ISO-4 has now been set to 100,000.
• The breakdown value of Exceptional implants has been reduced from 1500 to 500.
• Unowned implants are now filtered from the loadout screen by default.
• Breakdown Duplicates button now works if you have a filter active.
• Overdrive Implant works once again.

Heat is beating down over the battlefield, but the soldiers of Auraxis never cease. As the battle rages on, we take a moment to celebrate our fight for freedom with some special summer fun!



The height of the celebrations will run from Wednesday, July 4, 2018 through Sunday, July 8, 2018. During this time, all soldiers will receive DOUBLE EXPERIENCE! Plus, Infantry Gear will be discounted by 40%, and special-limited time items will be available in the Depot!

Looking to display your love for liberty? If you're living free in the NC, you can pick up a rockin' Independence Day variant of the Nomad Light Assault armor in the Depot!



Plus, during this period Light Assault soldiers will also find Freedom Thrusters available in their loadouts. Theses jump jets are max rank Skirmishers with a little bit of extra festive flair!


The fun doesn't end there, though. From Wednesday, July 4, 2018, all the way through Friday, August 31, 2018, there will also be a special summer directives that you can participate in!

Check your secondary weapons slot for a Soldier Soaker pistol and your grenade slot for Water Balloons, and splash your way to victory:

• Beat the Heat: Score kills with a Summer Holiday Weapon
• Beachhead: Kill enemy vehicles while in a vehicle yourself
• Death From Above: Kill enemies while mid-air as any infantry class
• Summer Support Ribbons: Earn summer support ribbons by resupplying or repairing friendly vehicles while in a vehicle yourself
• Transport Assist: Earn experience when allies leave your transport vehicle and score a kill
• King of the Castle: Earn experience by capturing or defending a control point

Complete these directives and you can earn yourself some hot new rewards, including the Indar Summer Profile Banner, Flash Empire-Specific Weaponry, and the Auraxium Water Balloon Hood Ornament.



The sun is far from setting, but you'll want to head out to the battlefield as quick as you can to make sure that you beat the heat! We'll see you out there, soldiers.