Well, this is it folks! Arkane Austin delivered the latest update ever today Redfall on Xbox and PC in the form of “Game Update 4,” which adds a bunch of new features to the 2023 shooter, including an offline mode.
The patch notes also include a final comment from Arkane Austin prior to the studio’s closure:
“We are proud to bring you Redfall’s Game Update 4. We are grateful for the millions of players who have joined us. From everyone at Arkane Austin, thank you for playing our games and loving our worlds, It was an honor to bring these experiences to you.”
You can check out the patch notes for Redfall Update 4 below, but note that they don’t go into huge detail about the “wrap-up” section – unfortunately Arkane says more extensive patch notes are not will be made available.
NEIGHBORHOOD RENEWAL – INTRODUCING THE COMMUNITY POSITION
With the release of Game Update 4, unlocking a new Safehouse, completing Safehouse missions, rescuing civilians or killing an Underboss all contribute to a new reputation bar called “Community Standing”. As you help the citizens of Redfall free their city from the grasp of the vampire gods, you can use your support currency to unlock new rewards from the Safehouse Skill Tree.
There are six ranks of Community Standing, giving you 39 unique rewards that serve as permanent improvements. As you move up the Skill Tree, the unlocks become more and more effective. To help you get a better idea of what upgrades await you, let’s take a look at a few unlocks from each of Community Standing’s six ranks.
Rank 1:
- Treat yourself: Cosmetics near your location will appear on your map and compass.
- I participate: Turrets and Tripwires take 50% less time to hack.
Rank 2:
- The rest of the story: Burial locks near your location appear on your map and compass.
- Ammunition dump: Human enemies drop more ammo when they die.
Rank 3:
- Well grounded: Take 50% less damage from Rook Storm lightning strikes.
- Castle Doctrine: Unlocked Safehouse defenses now include some friendly turrets.
Rank 4:
- Family heirlooms: Fishers, Shrouds, and Siphons drop better rewards on death.
- Homeopathic remedy: Using a medical device has a 40% chance of not consuming the item.
Rank 5:
- Crystal ball: Each Psychic Residue Orb collected has a 40% chance of giving you significantly more Psychic Residue.
- Last laugh: When destroyed, Friendly Turrets will electrocute enemies within 60 feet. Does not affect enemies immune to electrocution.
Rank 6:
- High roll: Unmatched items appear much more often in loot.
- Escape plan: Activate a salvaged Bellwether Cloak for 10 seconds when you reach a critical health level. Attacking is deactivated. Can only occur once every 10 minutes.
All upgrades from the Community Standing Skill Tree are intended to give you a combination of quality of life and gameplay benefits. A few features will even help collectors round out their hunt for cosmetics and Grave Locks.
NEST RENEWAL – OLDER NEST
Also arriving with Game Update 4 Elder Nests. These new Boss-focused Nests challenge you to destroy dangerously modified special vampires to free Redfall from their influence. Portals to the Elder Nest will appear around Redfall, just like their Heart Nest siblings. But these new psychic spaces can be distinguished by their purple glow over the areas where their influence extends.
Once you’ve accepted the challenge and entered the Elder Nest, your goal is to find the vampire boss buried deep within and destroy it, free the Heart within, grab your rewards and escape. After you successfully clear the Elder Nest, you (and your teammates) can get a temporary buff called Heart Shard. The Heart Shard’s duration changes depending on the difficulty of the campaign; awarding a longer improvement with each higher difficulty level.
Here are just some of the heart shards that can be awarded after completing an Elder Nest:
- Ammunition Synthesis: Holstered weapons regenerate ammo and reload when not in use.
- UV healing: A player gains health when hit by UV.
- Light in darkness: The expanding aura around the Nest weakens the vampires within it, instead of the usual strengthening effect.
With this update comes another big change for all Nests. Failing to escape a Nest during the Destabilization phase will now result in you not obtaining the Major Remanent. Any loot you pick up is still yours, but the Major Remanent is now rewarded after you successfully exit the collapsing Nest.
OFFLINE MODE
With the release of GU4 you get the ability to play Redfall while not connected to the internet. You can also continue playing if you don’t have an internet connection during a solo session. When playing in co-op, the host is placed in a solo offline session.
SINGLE PLAYER PAUSE
Another new feature we’d like to introduce is Single Player Pausing. If you need some time to customize your gear, or just want to get away for a while, the world of Redfall is waiting with you.
COMPLETE
This article only covers the biggest additions coming to Redfall, but that’s not all. New enemy encounters in Redfall Commons, continued AI improvements, Story Mode difficulty adjustment, and a new unmatched weapon have also been added with this update.