The Finals Season 2 is live now for contestants on PS5 or Xbox, alongside the arrival of the new map SYS$HORIZON, a vibrant retrowave paradise. But before you plant your digital boots into the arena, you might not know about some crucial changes – like the complete removal of Recon Senses. Not only is the divisive ability now absent, but it could be off the table beyond Season 2.
Many of the best FPS games out there have weapons or abilities that rub players the wrong way, and we know that all too well with The Finals’ Recon Senses. Essentially allowing people to use a form ‘wall hacks’ without a penalty, Xbox and PS5 players can track their foes through solid surfaces to gain a tactical advantage. Despite a nerf for Recon Senses recently, Embark Studios is still unsure how to resolve the issue around its most controversial and overpowered ability.
The latest The Finals patch notes reveal that Recon Senses has been “removed for assessment”, and Embark explains that it has “concluded that Recon Senses have been detrimental to the game at large, and have decided to put it out of play for now.” For now, you’ll have to consider other options within The Finals classes, although Embark’s hit multiplayer game could unvault it in the future.
“The specialization may return in some new form down the line, but only after a major rework,” the studio clarifies. Making Recon Senses a fair ability isn’t exactly easy given its nature, and we think its removal will be hugely beneficial for the game’s meta.
Like you, we don’t want anyone to have an unfair advantage. So while some of you might be disappointed to see Recon Senses disappear, there are great alternatives within Season 2. We recently sat down with Embark Studios’ game director Gustav Tilleby to discuss Season 2’s awesome new weapons, and how the studio will “carefully” address the meta going forward.
After three hours of hands-on gameplay in our The Finals Season 2 preview, it is clear that there is still plenty of room for even more creative play styles. Fresh additions like the Dematerialzer, an ability that can remove the sections of the map and objects at will, had us reshaping one of the best PS5 games around as we saw fit. There’s also the Splitgate-style Gateway grenade, which is destined to be an instant classic.
In other gaming news, Stellar Blade players will be punished for their thirstiness, and you could be overlooking the new PS5 update’s sneakiest feature.