BioWare's Anthem was ultimately disappointing, failing to live to its promise of a co-op persistent world and a rich story to get immersed in. As per our review from 2019 we called it disjointed. Since its release BioWare has been working to fix the issues and build a cohesive experience in what has been dubbed Anthem 2.0. Today, as part of a new report over at Bloomberg, this effort has now reached a critical milestone.

In that the team working on Anthem at BioWare is now at the point where it needs more resources to deliver the new version of the game. As per the report EA will decide whether to expand the team (totaling around 30 people) or pull the plug. Based on the issues with the game at launch no doubt whatever is planned and in the works would require an almost complete rebuild or remake -- and money to make happen.

Another factor would be relevance, with Anthem coming and going in the early parts of 2019 you have to wonder if people would be willing to reinvest time in replaying similar story beats -- not to mention keep playing as Anthem was positioned as a Destiny-style action-RPG live service.

Perception of Anthem is that it was a rare BioWare misfire, a third-person action shooter in the style of Destiny and The Dvision that fell short in many ways. Outside of the flying around like Iron Man stuff. Since its debut the game has seen very little in the way of post-launch content, with the main BioWare team in Edmonton moving on - presumably - to the next Dragon Age. Leaving BioWare Austin the task of picking up the pieces.

In a new blog post, Studio Director at BioWare Austin Christian Dailey presents a high level view of the state of the game. Where a small 30-person or so team is "experimenting/prototyping to improve on the areas where we believe we fell short and to leverage everything that you love currently about Anthem". Adding that it is going to be a long process, with the goal being to include the community along the way - detailing the measures taken to improve the game. No doubt the current work-from-home climate has slowed things down too.

We do believe the changes we are making are the right ones and we hope you think so as well…but you might not and that is cool too. It is the constructive criticism and feedback we need – in either direction.

With Anthem releasing in January of last year it'll be interesting to see just how far this update or remake goes and whether or not the game will get a re-release or soft launch to highlight the changes. As per our review we felt that Anthem's major problems were systemic, and part of the core experience - where story, exploration, and combat was disjointed and just, well, average.

By stating in a new interview over at GameDaily.biz, that Anthem "may not have had the start that many of us wanted, including our players. I feel like that team is really going to get there with something special and something great, because they've demonstrated that they can." Citing the pedigree of BioWare and the strength of the world created.

This statement was prefaced by the idea that a strong IP has a 7-10 year cycle and that EA is committed to Anthem. Andrew Wilson of course is entirely diplomatic in his responses, talking about how Anthem didn't quite get the right blend of BioWare story and multiplayer co-op. As opposed to being buggy, unfinished, and with not much there after a dozen or so hours. So the idea that BioWare has demonstrated it can create a shared-world shooter set in a rich universe remains to be seen.

Post-launch so far has been mostly uninteresting with bug fixes and patches that haven't added much to the overall experience. The upcoming Cataclysm event, which is playable on the Anthem public-test server on PC, is apparently very thin on content and is mostly a score-attack mode. With a blue filter to demonstrate a storm.

Still, it'll be interesting to see how EA and BioWare continue with the game and the IP. With Andrew Wilson adding, "If we believed that at the very core the world wasn't compelling people, if we believed at the very core that the characters weren’t compelling for people, or the Javelin suits weren't compelling, or traversing the world and participating in the world wasn't compelling then provided we hadn't made promises to our players... we might not invest further."

Perhaps Anthem will go dark for a while and re-merge with a 2.0 release sometime in the future.

With BioWare revealing that the delayed Cataclysm event will be detailed via a livestream tomorrow. After the Anthem team announced that it was delaying all post-launch content roadmap a month ago, so they could focus on improving the game and fixing issues - it's been mostly radio silence. Case in point, today's Patch announcement is the first post on the official Anthem Twitter account this month.

And May is just about over. For a live-service game it's a little worrying that there has been no community engagement in 30 days. The Patch notes for the 1.2.0 update are similarly worrying, where outside of some quality of life improvements like being able to fast travel and see loot icons on the mini-map it's fairly uninteresting. The addition of Emerald Abyss Legendary Missions reworks existing content, which no-one is clamoring for. The only real clue that there's an active attempt to overhaul Anthem comes with buffs to every Javelin ability in terms of damage output. Which is definitely welcome.

You can read the full patch notes - here.

It doesn't stop there though as the mysterious Cataclysm event is a part of the update, with BioWare noting that the team is still working on it and plans to launch Public Test Servers on PC to allow players to check it out early. In addition to being able to get live feedback on changes moving forward. If the Cataclysm turns out to be an impressive bit of Anthem content, then that will definitely be a minor win for the troubled game.

In fact, we're okay with the radio silence as we'd love to wake up one day and see a revamped Anthem 2.0.

And with those two changes makes the higher difficulty levels more approachable in addition to upping the rewards with guaranteed Masterwork items for Grandmaster activities like Strongholds and Legendary Contracts. The patch notes for the Anthem 1.0.3 update, which dropped early over the weekend can be found here.

With the more major changes listed as follows:

Respawn restrictions have been removed - Respawn timers are now based on the activity a player is in. Crit-Path, Agent Missions and other non-end game missions now have a respawn timer of 10 seconds. Strongholds, Legendary Contracts, and other end game missions now have a respawn timer of 30 seconds. The respawn timer Freeplay remains unchanged.

Loot Changes - Common (white) and Uncommon (green) drops will no longer appear for players that are level 30.

Improved stability for all platforms - this includes fixes for a number of issues that were causing crashes or connection problems

Audio Improvements - Fixed a number of issues that could cause audio to drop out

In addition to a sizable list of bug fixes and tweaks the patch also introduces some quality of life updates requested by the community, including the ability to launch expeditions from anywhere in Fort Tarsis. Also included is a base damage buff for all Masterwork weapons, and an overhaul of the Titan enemies to make them easier to engage - with longer duration and larger weak-points to target.

Which was brought to our attention yesterday, which showcased how a Level 1 rifle was somehow the most powerful weapon in the game. Even though Anthem has had a somewhat rocky launch in terms of issues and a general feeling that there's not much to do once you finish the campaign, BioWare have been responding to feedback and addressing issues pretty quick.

The next patch coming to Anthem is due next week, and after the recent investigation by the team and EA they've discovered what has been causing the PlayStation 4 crashing problem. BioWare's Head of Live Service Chad Robertson took to twitter to confirm the fix - adding "we have not encountered an instance where Anthem has “bricked” a PS4 console".

UPDATE: We’ve identified several causes for the temp power-down crash some PS4 users experienced. Fixes for the top issues are in patch next week. If you encounter a game crash where your PS4 console won’t respond, you can manually power down and restart it – no risk of damage.

— Chad Robertson (@crobertson_atx) March 6, 2019

The patch is set to go live next Wednesday, with patch notes to be released beforehand. It's expected that this patch will feature a number of fixes and updates, as Anthem moves into it's post-launch new content phase.

After garnering mixed reviews and the game experiencing a few technical issues around its launch, BioWare and EA's Anthem has a rather significant problem on its hands. It seems that for a number of players on PlayStation 4 the game is hard-crashing the console. Which means a full power-cycle is required, and due to the system's own design this means sitting through a scan to ensure storage hasn't been corrupted or damaged.

It's what happens when you accidentally unplug a PS4 when it's in sleep mode, something that we've done before and then took note of the console's dislike for that sort of thing. Playing Anthem on PC and Xbox One we've experience crashes, but only to desktop or to the dashboard. And never in the sort of frequency that made us feel like the game was broken. During our two week review period where we played a lot of Anthem on PC, it crashed maybe two or three times.

With reports of the PS4 hard-crashes appearing over the past few days on Reddit - with players contacting Sony directly - EA is now gathering info to try and figure out the source of the issue. With a new post that reads,

We are currently in process of gathering information about the PS4 issues so we can determine the root cause. If you are experiencing hard crashes of your console please reply with the following information:

PlayStation Console: (PS4, Slim, Pro)

PSN ID:

Crash Info:When does the crash take place? Are you having to take specific steps to get your PlayStation going again?

Have you reported your crash data when prompted? (Y/N)

Since going up there have been numerous replies with examples from Anthem players on PS4. Even if this represents a small slice of the total player-base, having the game cause a hard system crash is definitely a problem. Anthem isn't alone, as we've been made aware that the recent release of Ace Combat 7 has caused both PS4 and Xbox One X consoles to crash due to overheating.

Without the need for a new patch or client update, BioWare has rolled out a hotfix that aims to address one of the main issues with the random nature of the various loot drops. The hotfix which went live over the weekend ensures that "items will no longer have inscriptions on them that are not appropriate for that specific item."

Which is definitely welcome and a step in the right direction for Anthem. The hotfix also addressed the crafting requirements for creating Masterwork gear - in that they were way too high. With the required Masterwork Embers dropping down from 25 to 15, this will ensure that players who have reached the level cap will now be able to at least craft one of piece of high level gear without the need to grind for hours.

An additional update that will remove low-tier loot from Level 30 play is still on the cards.

Of course, this is only the beginning - with players still wanting to see BioWare address more of the unnecessary roadblocks in obtaining or unlocking high-level stuff in the game. Really though it comes down to Anthem's current lack of a meaningful and engaging endgame, where almost all daily, weekly, and monthly challenges are simple checklists of activities.

Here's hoping that the planned Act 1 rollout beginning this month addresses this key issue.

Which will fix some of the issues related to item and loot inscriptions, to ensure new items roll and come equipped with useful stats. In a recent developer post on Reddit, BioWare acknowledges that "many inscriptions are not useful to the item they are attached to". It's great to not only see that level of quick response but also an update coming so soon.

The new Patch that rolled out today includes an update to perhaps one of the more annoying features, the old 'you are too far from the action, so prepare to be transported via a loading screen'. A prompt that would pop-up on screen even if you were a few metres behind the group leader when flying towards an objective. As per the patch notes:

The tethering timer for missions has been increased. Players should now have more time to catch up to their Squad before seeing a countdown timer.

A step in the right direction but we'd remove the timer all together and put a small button prompt - letting players choose when and if they want to be teleported closer to the action. In addition to that some minor updates were applied to Strongholds.

The first loot update scheduled to roll out later tonight or tomorrow. As per the post from yesterday it's expected that the update will include the following:

Inscriptions are now better for the items they are on

This applies to new items earned in Anthem (not existing ones in your Vault)

If an inscription applies only to the item it is on (gear icon), it will be useful to that item. Otherwise the inscription will provide a Javelin wide benefit

For example, an Assault Rifle will not have an item specific +pistol damage inscription. It may have a +electric damage suit wide inscription (cool for a lightning build)

The update is also set to remove white and green items from Level 30 drop tables, which is based on community feedback. Although that sounds good it feels a little much. Trash loot is a key part of an action-RPG - it makes the higher tiered items feel more special. So yeah, another one we're not so sure of. A more welcome change though is the plan to lower the required Masterwork Embers for crafting a Masterwork Item (i.e. Legendary) - dropping from 25 to 15.

In a post over at Reddit, Diablo 3 designer and ex-Blizzard developer Travis Day posted up his thoughts on Anthem's loot and reward system. As a member of the Diablo team during the Loot 2.0 update that turned Diablo III into a great game, his thoughts on how Anthem handles loot and the surrounding communication to players is well worth a read.

One of the issues with Anthem that we highlighted in our review was how it fails to properly communicate its mechanics and systems to players. In terms of the loot specifically, Travis points out that weapons and items can roll with 'Dead Affixes'. Stats that simply do not affect the game in any way. This comes down to little icons (that aren't explained) that appear next to item stats that dictate whether they apply to your character or the item specifically. As an example a Sniper Rifle could roll with a stat that increases Assault Rifle damage, but only apply to the Sniper Rifle.

Having items roll affixes that are sub-optimal is standard practice for this kind of game but I think there should be a hard distinction made between "bad" and "literally doesn't work". Currently this causes a considerable amount of confusion for players learning the game as their initial assumption is to think anything an item rolled will work on the item it rolled on.

He then goes on to talk in-depth about the concept of risk and reward and how Anthem doesn't currently feature ways to incentivise its more difficult challenges and Strongholds. He then goes on to talk about the difficulty spikes found when going from Grand-master 1 to Grand-master 2.

Given the structure of loot in this game, the relative power level of any 2 given players doing the same content at end game can be enormous. Players goal is to find better items and continue advancing through the content and challenges. As it stands the difficulty jump between GM1 and GM2 is big enough that once you reach the point where GM1 feels trivial and attempt to enter GM2 you find enemies feeling like bullet sponges who 1 shot the frailer classes in the party. I love a good challenge but going from "this is trivial" to "this is hard and definitely not worth the time and energy" causes players to continue farming content that is "easy" without ever feeling they should put themselves in positions where they are reasonably challenged.

It's a great read so be sure to check it out, with Travis offering potential fixes and ways things could be improved. Since it went up, BioWare have taken notice of the post with the feedback already passed onto the team.

No doubt you've heard a thing or two about Anthem, BioWare's latest game and experince that attempts (on paper at least) to sit alongside the likes of Destiny and The Division as a looter shooter online thing. Albeit one that will benefit from decades of BioWare's storytelling expertise. And now, after spending considerable time with Anthem - we're ready to share our full review.

A snippet.

Disjointed is probably the best way to describe BioWare’s Anthem; the latest grand sci-fi epic from the Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and veteran role-playing studio. A clear departure, Anthem attempts to fit into what we’ve come to know as the ‘looter shooter’ genre. That style of game where action-RPG mechanics combine with shooter-style action, and players get rewarded with better gear and shinier loot the more they play. Using this cycle as an incentive to head back out into a large online world, alone or with friends, to face new challenges and grow more powerful – long after the story is over. That’s the plan anyway.

How Anthem fits into this mould is strange and confusing because it ultimately fails to embrace or even figure out how to properly merge its two sides.

Click Here to Read Our Full Anthem Review

With it representing Anthem's first Act of post-launch content and events called 'Echoes of Reality'. Although the official site is a little sparse when it comes to outlining specific content we do know that things will kick-off very soon with new freeplay events - called Outlaw Outrage, There Be Giants, and Shaper Surge.

With next month, March bringing new cosmetics as part of caches, the first set of Legendary Missions. April will see a new Mastery progression update in addition to more Legendary Missions and a new Stronghold called The Sunken. The first Act is set to reach its peak in May though with a Cataclysm, described as a huge world event that will bring extreme weather, new events, and even new threats.

BioWare's head of Live Services, Chad Robertson, posted, "We understand that we have lots of work ahead of us to continue to improve the game." Adding, "As a gamer, I’m excited by what we’ve created with Anthem and the promise it carries for a long future behind the game’s lush world, immersive lore, rich characters, and core gameplay. As a developer, I know we’ve worked hard to strike a balance of engaging BioWare story combined with fun action-gameplay and multi-player progression; I also know how much more we want to bring to the game."

Link.

With Anthem currently out in the wild for certain player who pre-ordered or those with premium Origin Access, if you're looking for impressions they're certainly out there. Having put close to 20 hours into the PC version, we're still hard at work on our review - but it's clear that there will be some major differences to the February 22 version. Or Day One build.

Namely in the realm of bug fixes and overall improvements. The list, which has appeared online in several places notes some of the major improvements as better loading times, fixed crashes, and quality of life stuff. No doubt we'll be taking in all of the following in our full review. But prior to that, stay tuned for our impressions prior to launch.

Day One Update Details

High level fixes

• Improved loading times
  
• Fixed many infinite loading screens
  
• Fixed multiple challenges not tracking properly
  
• A number of issues have been fixed that were causing players to disconnect or crash
  
• Weapons and gear now have numbers present for modifiers

General Fixes and Improvements

• Loot Reveal and Expedition Summary now correctly play during the end of expedition screen.
  
• The gather party mechanic has been made more lenient in a number of situations
  
• At the end of expedition screen players will no longer get stuck on "Recording Victories" or "Skipping All".
  
• Game no longer hangs in Javelin menu when unlocking the second, third or fourth javelin
  
• During the mission “What Freelancers Do” dying after killing Junkmaw & freeing Arcanists leaves you unable to progress, this has been fixed
  
• Challenges now unlock for players at the correct levels
  
• Fixed some camera issues during cutscenes
  
• Legendary Contracts can now be accepted from the Social Hub contract board
  
• Some enemies have had their shield values decreased
  
• Loot now properly drops for players who are downed
  
• The texture quality on the NPC Prospero has been improved
  
• Final boss of strongholds now drop loot instead of only being shown on the end of expedition screen
  
• Fixed the time outs on echoes and relics to prevent griefing and to handle disconnections properly
  
• Players can no longer fall through the floor during the 3rd trial in the Fortress of Dawn
  
• Completing the tutorial expedition will now show the correct Ranger appearance
  
• After disconnecting, rejoining an expedition will now place you back into a squad if you were in one previously
  
• Corrected an issue where players could not interact with each other in the launch bay in certain circumstances
  
• Corrected an issue during the Mission "Bad Deal" where outlaws won't spawn, blocking progress
  
• The start of expedition screen has been improved
  
• Addressed a variety of situations where killing enemies does not properly progress world events
  
• Opening a chest now increments Tomb of the Legionnaire progress for all squad members present
  
• Scar snipers can no longer shoot through Storm Shield
  
• Corrected an issue where players would get stuck on the end of expedition screen in some situations
  
• Players will no longer get disconnected if joining the "Finding Old Friends" mission while the cinematic is playing
  
• Addressed a number of situations where players can get stuck on the environment in the launch bay
  
• Increased the damage of the electric status effect
  
• Corrected an issue where the Shield of Dawn could be crafted with less materials then intended in some situations
  
• The Platinum Mission feat now grants completion as intended
  
• Status effects can more reliably be applied to Titans

Strongholds

• Fixed an issue that would cause a Stronghold server crash after defeating the last boss
  
• Temple of Scar - Players can no longer get stuck in the mined tunnel in the explosives room
  
• Temple of Scar - Players can no longer be blocked from entering the explosives room due to fog wall
  
• Fixed Tyrant Mine so people that join the stronghold in-progress do not end up locked away from their team
  
• Adjusted lighting in Tyrant Mine underwater section to make it easier to navigate to the exit
  
• The Swarm Tyrant will no longer get stuck in the side cave entrances in some situations
  
• Corrected an issue where players would spawn into different areas of the Tyrant Mine in certain situations

Gear and Weapons

• After having 1st pilot unlock suit after tutorials, creating a new pilot and going to forge no longer causes load screen hang
  
• Ice damage bonuses are now correctly applied on ice gear
  
• Suit-wide bonuses from inscription are now functioning properly
  
• Players can no longer salvage equipped items
  
• Javelin specific gear and/or weapons are no longer able to be used on javelins they aren't intended for
  
• Corrected an issue where in some circumstances Masterwork Components do not have any inscriptions
  
• The Endless Siege Masterwork Autocannon no longer displays a damage increase of 0% in its tooltip

Javelins

• The Colossus javelin is now able to activate its shield more quickly after using an ability or firing a weapon
  
• The Storm javelin now reacts to getting hit when its shields are up
  
• Fixed an exploit that allowed the Storm's ultimate attack to be used more times than intended
  
• The Colossus javelin can now shield and revive at the same time
  
• Interceptor Combo Aura has been increased in power and now has a damage over time component

Crafting

• Non-Masterwork materials purchased from the crafting store now show as their proper rarity instead of incorrectly showing as Masterwork

Controls

• Additional Mouse and Keyboard control improvements have been made

UI

• Some conversations were not popping up the reputation points post conversation completion, this has been fixed
  
• The squad screen now displays the correct information for each player
  
• Fixed a number of issues where subtitles will no longer get stuck on the screen after dialogue has finished as often
  
• Settings should no longer reset upon exiting and restarting the game on Xbox One
  
• Motion blur can now correctly be turned off
  
• The Electric Status Effect now shows scaled damage properly
  
• An option has been added to hide the Squad Member HUD
  
• The edge of the compass will now pulse to indicate enemy locations
  
• A notification has been added in Fort Tarsis if a player's vault is at the cap of 250 items
  
• On the "Repair the Strider" step of "A Cry for Help" the search radar has been adjusted to correctly lead the player to all 4 tools
  
• Primer and Detonator icons have been added to all Interceptor gear
  
• Corrected a user interface issue where a player’s ultimate would show as available when it isn't

It looks quite stunning in a large number of shots too - with great little snippets of action and environments and character and Javelins looking all slick and sleek. The only issue is that it doesn't really make sense as a short film - in that it's a trailer for what looks like a big budget cinematic Anthem film. Something that now, we'd like to see.

Check it out.



“Conviction sets the stage with a narrative that touches on Anthem’s beautiful and immersive world, which is ripe for exploration by these powerful Javelins. A world where danger is lurking on every ledge and in each valley,” said Blomkamp.

Called 'Conviction' and described as "An Anthem Trailer from Neill Blomkamp", for all of its visual splendour - and it often looks stunning - it also falls into the trap of trailers in general. And the pre-release marketing material for Anthem. In that after watching this we still don't really know what's happening in the world story-wise. Plenty of mystery sure, with characters and conflict, but very little context.

But it does succeed in making us want to watch a full length version of this - or even a series of shorts. And it raises the bar for videogame live-action trailers.

As part of a gameplay series covering Anthem the latest video takes a deep dive into the endgame - that part of the online experience where you've finished the main quest, sit there and say, "what's next?" The video showcases the types of missions both out in the world and more dungeon-like (Strongholds), as well as world events called Cataclysms.

Which sound pretty interesting in that the first one will trigger a massive timed weather event full of storms, chaos, and new enemies to tackle.



Post-launch updates will come in the form of new Acts, with the first to begin in March. Alongside new content and features these Acts will also be the place that fixes and updates based on community feedback will be included. Act 1 for Anthem will culminate in the first Cataclysm, described as "a world-changing, time-limited event that comes with extreme weather, dangerous new enemies, and new mysteries to solve."

As a loot-shooter a key part of Anthem's endgame will of course be gear related, with crafting plans and rare gear coming from taking on challenging contracts and missions at the harder difficulties. In addition to that there's the cosmetic customisation options, which bring a vibrancy to the playable Javelin classes that is reminiscent of Warframe - in the best possible way.

For more on Anthem check out our recent interview with Mike Gamble, Lead Producer.

At a recent hands-on event in Tokyo, Joab Gilroy had the chance to not only check out Anthem but also sit down with lead producer Mike Gamble to talk about everything from post-game support, designing a loot-based shooter, Javelin classes, and building a brand new world. Plus, kicks thing off with that burning question.

But before that, here's a clip of The Temple of Scar Stronghold on hard.

AusGamers: So we'll just kick off with... it's a BioWare game. If you guys are known, for anything in particular, it's sexy times. How many people can you bang in Anthem?

Mike Gamble [Laughs] None! Yeah, we gotta leave some room for Dragon Age, I tell ya.

Nah, we didn't ever want really Anthem to be about that. We kind of wanted to try something different, go in a different direction, not necessarily to make it about the romances. Yeah, I mean, it was a design decision from the very beginning.

It's a great interview that covers a wide range of questions you might have, even if you're currently playing the demo.

Click Here to Read the Full Anthem Interview

Which as per the VIP demo from last week, check out our impressions here, will kick off in the ANZ region bright and early tomorrow morning. With server and connection issues still on the minds of players, Head of Live Service at BioWare Chad Robertson notes, "we will be prepared with more server capacity than we anticipate will be needed".

Adding that, as with anything online, predicting behaviour is difficult.

As a public demo everyone will be able to gain access and check out Anthem for themselves across PC, Xbox One, and PS4 tomorrow. Progress from last week's VIP Demo will carry over for those who played last weekend - which is nice - with the demo this week also bringing some minor updates.

With the full release only a few weeks out, BioWare has already implemented a huge number of improvements; including something called Social Hub: The Launch Bay, a place to chill with other players. Something that we felt was missing in our play session last weekend. In fact, as per below, the full release version of Anthem looks to address a number of things:

Further performance Improvements

Additional stability fixes

Fixes to inscriptions showing up incorrectly

Fixes to inscriptions from other Javelins being chosen

Fixes to disappearing customization settings

Fixes to XP gain behavior

Audio improvements

Improvements to PC controls, including flight and aiming

A Social Hub: The Launch Bay

And a few thousand more (literally)…

Reports indicate that the VIP demo from last week utilised (and we assume this weekend too) represents a six-week old build dating back to December.

With our biggest concern being performance, this gives us renewed hope that Anthem will launch with a rock-solid frame-rate on consoles and better PC optimisation overall. We'll be hopping back into our Javelins this weekend to check it out again, so if you plan on playing some Anthem be sure to hit us up. In the lead-up to the servers going live, players can pre-load the demo right now.

NOTE: This article was updated to properly reflect that the updates and fixes are for the full version and not this weekend's demo.