The Finals has finally made its grand appearance, stealthily dropping while its launch trailer aired at The Game Awards 2023. As one of the most hotly anticipated shooters of the current generation, it’s got big shoes to fill. However, with its blend of Apex Legends-like movement and Call of Duty-esque gunplay, we’re confident that Embark Studios is onto a winner. But if you’re looking to pick up the free-to-play FPS game’s battle pass and start climbing on PS5 and Xbox, you may end up on the losing team.
The selection of The Finals cosmetics that Embark has presented to us on its inaugural pass looks great, whether you fancy yourself the next Elvis, Tyson, or E.T. But before you hastily plunge for your purse and begin buying into what could be one of the best FPS games of the past few years on PS5 and Xbox, let us present you with an alternative purchase option: the Season 1 Starter Pack. ‘But, The Loadout, what does this have to do with the big shiny Battle Pass?’ you may be wondering. Well, let us cook.
You see, for 1,150 Multibucks – the same price as the base Battle Pass – you can pick up the starter pack. Within the pack, you’ll find a selection of deliciously hippy dippy skins for the AK-47, V95, and M60, alongside a commemorative sticker and an adorable love heart emote. Though that’s not all…
Also nestled within this bundle is a fat stack of, you guessed it, Multibucks – 1,150 Multibucks, in fact. That’s right, if you loot the starter pack from the store first, you’ll not only find yourself in possession of some snazzy skins but you’ll also retain the cash money necessary to get the Battle Pass on top – result!
Even if you’re not enamored with the pass, it’d still be a huge mistake to ignore the pack if you’re looking to spend a wedge of Multibucks on other content. For example, we desperately tried to keep our paws off of the Conspirakitten as soon as it popped up in the store – it’s so cute! – and now feel vindicated for our restraint as the double dopamine hit has rolled in.
If, however, you do buy into the pass then you’re in for a good time. The Finals has opted for a similar model to Fortnite whereby you can earn more than enough currency to purchase the next season’s pass with change to spare on goodies in the shop. This is great news for budget-conscious players who can effectively pick up every subsequent pass for free after the initial outlay – provided they play enough to merit the investment.
As for the pass’ highlights, we’ve got our eyes glued to the Riff Wrecker Sledgehammer skin that’s unlockable at level 32 – bludgeoning our opponents with a guitar is a strat that we firmly advocate. Meanwhile, we also fancy the Boutonniere Boom SH1900 skin at level 60, the Beam Bye-Bye emote that you can hoover up at level 72, and the Tinfoil Takedown Goo Gun at level 88 – that’s wraps on the list.
So, whether you’re playing one of the new PS5 games and new Xbox games as part of Team Blue or Team Green, make sure you don’t end up with buyer’s remorse. It’s easy to gloss over shop bundles in modern shooters, but we’re glad to see Embark has offered up a genuinely valuable package for players jumping into what we hope will become one of the best free shooting games for the first time.