Countering pesky gadgets is essential to victory in The Finals, but the fight to destroy Guardian and APS Turrets isn’t always easy. Now, the path to stealing the Cash Out gets easier in the new The Finals update, which introduces a suite of improvements – including the brand-new Glitch Barrel carriable. And, if you’re feeling up for some close-quarters combat, Embark’s fresh melee changes aren’t to be overlooked.
We’re fast approaching the launch of The Finals Season 3, and Embark is rolling out some major improvements to its hit FPS game before it launches. The Finals’ latest patch notes arrive alongside the recent limited-time community event, and includes the debut of the Glitch Barrel. “Pick them up and throw them to apply their effect in an area, or shoot them to detonate them from afar. The Glitch Barrels apply the same effect as Glitch Grenades, removing the target’s ability to use their Gadgets and Specializations,” Embark explains.
Prior to this, The Finals classes limited this kind of AOE effect to the Light class, as players can utilize the Glitch Grenade to wreak havoc on the Cash Out. While this gadget is a useful piece of kit for mounting an excellent offense, I’m sure both you and I have both been caught out plenty of times by time in battle. Given that other carriables encourage fire, explosive, and gas damage, the addition of gadget disruption is a logical (and welcome) addition to the multiplayer game’s sandbox.
You can pair the Glitch Barrel with multiple changes to melee combat, too. Whether you’re dashing around with the Sword, or channeling your inner John Wick with the Dagger’s pencil skin, close-quarters battles are going to feel more satisfying from here on out. Here are all the melee changes currently live in-game:
- Improved backstab validation: We’ve received a lot of feedback about Backstabs not feeling as good. Hopefully, we’ve rectified that issue in this patch. The only way to tell is to let you try it and then gather your feedback!
- Fixed so that the aim assist for backstabs now synchronizes with the swing, rather than triggering at the start of the charge-up
- Improved hit validation for all melee weapons
- There is now a setting for turning melee aim assist on/off in the ‘Gameplay’ section
- The aim assist and lunge range are slightly more generous for quick melee
- We have changed the way sprinting gets blocked when attacking with melee weapons and using quick melee, so that sprint is only blocked through parts of a swing, instead of the whole duration of the attack. This is tweaked on a weapon-to-weapon basis
- The sprint toggle no longer gets canceled by melee attacks, so players don’t have to re-toggle spam to efficiently chase their target while attacking
- Riot Shield: The shield can now be raised more quickly after performing an attack
There’s no doubt that fighting with melee weapons is harder in The Finals, and can sometimes put you at a disadvantage when you’re trying to evade fire. However, that’s also part of the fun, and I continue to have a blast cutting down enemies in a frantic rush. When Season 3 lands on PS5 and Xbox, I’m exceptionally excited to see what new melee additions are potentially on the weapons roster.
Speaking of weaponry, The Finals’ new Masters Circuit is up and running, but you’ll need to grind it pretty hard if you want this gorgeous AKM skin. Also, be sure to claim the limited-time Terminal Attack rewards before it’s too late.
In other gaming news, Ubisoft’s long-awaited shooter XDefiant launches soon without one of the best modes, and this upcoming co-op shooter set in the Dead By Daylight universe already looks promising.