The Finals Reveals Patch Notes for Major Midseason Update

The creators of The Finals, Embark Studios, recently rolled out a significant update for the free-to-play shooter, incorporating a novel game mode, enhancements, balance tweaks, and other improvements. As we approach the halfway mark of Season 7 for The Finals, Embark is maintaining excitement by introducing an exclusive new mode called Super Cashball, a one-of-a-kind experience that players haven’t encountered before. Additionally, there are numerous balance adjustments and bug fixes that gamers should examine prior to diving back in.

In June, the seventh season of The Finals commenced, introducing a wealth of fresh content for gamers to explore. One of the key features is a new arena divided by the rift, giving players a one-of-a-kind battlefield with its unique layout. The major update also integrated three novel gadgets, designed for Light, Medium, and Heavy characters, as well as new Sponsors for players to select. As always, this season brought a brand-new Battle Pass for players to acquire. However, Season 7 introduced an Ultimate Battle Pass specifically for The Finals, resembling the Blackcell Battle Pass in Call of Duty. It encompasses all the benefits of the Premium Battle Pass, along with 1,000 Multibucks upfront, a 25% Match XP boost, 20 levels unlocked at the start, and an additional 10 elite rewards.

As a dedicated fan, I’ve noticed that Season 7 of The Finals has been a major triumph for Embark Studios, as the player count on Steam has significantly increased. To keep the momentum going and ensure players continue to come back for more thrilling gameplay, the developers have just rolled out a substantial mid-season update. This exciting patch is now available for download on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The update introduces a new game mode, an engaging spin-the-wheel feature, and a host of balance adjustments and bug fixes to enhance the gaming experience.

According to the official patch notes, which can be found further down this article, significant changes have been made to all three Archetypes, while four distinct Gadgets have also received some tweaks. Fans are already jumping into the action, so grab your controller and dive in!

At Embark Studios, they consistently introduce new experiences for their fans by incorporating diverse game modes, like Power Shift, introduced to The Finals in Season 2. Now, they’re introducing Super Cashball as an additional mode. This 5v5 game mode necessitates teamwork, where players need to collaborate to toss the Cashball into the opposing net to gain points. There are also multiple ways to boost point accumulation when scoring, such as passing the ball among teammates or charging it up before making a goal. Super Cashball is divided into two five-minute halves with a brief break in between for halftime.

In addition to the new Super Cashball gameplay, there’s also the Super Cashball Wheel, sponsored by one of The Finals’ Seasonal Sponsors, VAIIYA. Players can obtain tickets for the wheel by completing daily tasks. These tickets can be used for a spin on the Super Cashball Wheel, offering various prizes related to Cashball. Every player starts with a free ticket, and additional spins earn more tickets. Once you have three tickets, they can be combined to make a complete one. In total, there are 20 prizes to win, along with a special Zone Eforcer Set for those who unlock all the prizes.

The Finals Mid-Season Update 7.6.0 Patch Notes

QUEUE UP FOR SUPER CASHBALL!

Hit the locker room Contestants, it’s time to suit up for SUPER CASHBALL!

Step into our exhilarating, pressure-cooker 5v5 gameplay, where you collaborate to propel the “Cashball” towards the enemy’s goal! You can amass colossal points by exchanging passes with your fellow players, boosting the ball for increased values! A fully energized Cashball could potentially earn you a massive 3 points in a single strike! Even if a pass touches the ground, it still counts as long as the following teammate catches it.

The game consists of two 5-minute periods separated by a brief intermission, and any remaining points scored just before the final horn can count, making those end-of-game shots crucial. Time is always critical at the CA$HBALL STADIUM.

Want another chance? Score within the final 30 seconds to earn an additional 30 seconds on the clock! In case of a tie, the team that reached the equal score first will emerge victorious.

Choose your position wisely! Loadouts are locked and the best team has a balance:

Medium Build: Playmaker

In simpler terms, this role involves catching the ball mid-air using the Winch, then leading the entire team towards the other end of the field.

Loadout:

Winch Claw
Riot Shield
Goo Grenade
Jump Pad
Zipline

Light Build: Strikers

Swift-footed and skilled with a lethal dagger, they can swiftly overpower adversaries and cover vast distances in an instant within the stadium!

Loadout:

Evasive Dash
Dagger
Glitch Grenade
Thermal Bore
Nullifier

Heavy Build: Enforcer

Secure the ball, protect our goalpost, and push the other team towards their starting area, often symbolized by coins.

Loadout:

Charge n Slam
Sledgehammer
Barricade
Dome Shield
Lockbolt

In the game, there’s a restricted area surrounding each goal, known as the penalty zone. If a player from the opposing team enters this zone, their character will be temporarily disabled, a state we refer to as being ‘Glitched’. During this Glitched state, players cannot touch or move the ball, use gadgets, or activate special abilities. Therefore, it’s crucial to mind where you tread and avoid being lured into the enemy’s territory!

Achieving success in SUPER CASHBALL relies heavily on cooperation and coordination among team members. Keep passing the ball, observe your surroundings for open areas, and stay prepared to take that decisive shot.

In addition to regular matches, you’ll also find SUPER CASHBALL in private ones! Don’t forget to check out the leaderboard too!

CA$HBALL STADIUM

A fresh stadium, called CA$HBALL STADIUM, hosts all the action! Lights are on, and the playing field is prepped for play.

SPIN THE SUPER CASHBALL WHEEL

As a grateful gamer, I’m thrilled to announce the introduction of the electrifying Super Cashball Wheel, generously sponsored by VAIIYA! This wheel is bursting with Cashball-themed prizes, and To kick things off, everyone gets a free ticket to join in the fun. Plus, every duplicate spin you take will net you another ticket piece. Collect three ticket pieces and voila! You’ve got yourself a brand new ticket for an extra spin! Let’s roll those Cashballs!

You stand a chance to win 20 prizes, and if you manage to unravel them all, you could also get your hands on the Zone Enforcer Set!

CUSTOMIZE YOUR COMMS

Now, you’re free to select the voice of your Contestant in the Arena, distinct from the Face you’ve already chosen. This is made possible by our brand-new Voice Customization feature, conveniently located in the Appearance Tab. Some voices even include personalized voice lines for added fun!

Regardless of the selected voice, specific items will continue to apply voice-changing effects as intended.

CHUCK THE HEALING EMITTER

In this latest version, we’ve added CASHBALLS and Wheels – let’s add another round item to the fun! Starting today, our fresh Twitch drops campaign begins, giving you the opportunity to collect Chuck the Ball. Alongside this, you’ll also receive a Chuck nametag sticker and a Chuck Charm, ensuring that even while playing Light and Medium games, Chuck will always be with you!

To get started, simply join any live stream from the ‘FINALS’ category, sit back, and watch to start earning! Don’t forget to link your Twitch account, or you might miss your new best friend!

LOTUS REAPER SET + 2400 MB

The Lotus Reaper Collection is now here, boasting an impressive 2400 Multibucks, and featuring some of the most awe-inspiring items we’ve encountered in the Arena thus far! Blossom tranquilly, deliver ruthlessly!

STORE UPDATE

Experience some special instances in The Arena in stunning 8mm quality all over again, thanks to the Overexposed FAMAS!

Check it, and much more, out in this week’s store:

SERVER CRASH EXPLOIT

In important updates, we’ve fixed a severe issue that enabled gamers to bring down our servers. We’ve successfully put together a record of those who intentionally used this bug for an unfair advantage, and will be taking action to ban these players from the game.

In the upcoming games, we’ll reinstate the misplaced RS to players impacted during a Ranked Tournament, while those caught using the exploit for chaos will receive permanent bans. Using game-ruining tricks intentionally is strictly prohibited as they are severe offenses.

To those affected by this issue, we apologize for any trouble caused and are grateful for your contributions in reporting it, which enabled us to recognize and halt the problem.

A note on Melee from Design Director, Matt:

Let’s provide some insights about the current status of melee combat, as it’s been a subject of great interest among our community members recently. Our aim is to make clear our perspective on melee and outline the steps we are taking to enhance its quality in the future.

To start with, melee weapons are essential for THE FINALS. We wouldn’t include them if they weren’t crucial. A melee weapon needs to be a practical playstyle, easy for both the player and their opponent to grasp, and make kills feel deserved. Let’s dissect that.

Viability

To ensure melee weapons remain relevant and competitive, they should be able to match the performance of guns in certain scenarios, but not outperform them overall. Given the diverse range of weapons available, some will naturally be more accessible while others cater to specific playstyles, which is a characteristic of designing such asymmetrical tools. Melee weapons, shotguns, sniper rifles, and bows typically fall into the niche category due to their unique characteristics like short or long ranges, fast or slow firing speeds, etc. Balancing these extreme styles can be challenging since they are prone to being underpowered or overpowered if not managed carefully. When power-boosted, they can become too strong and difficult to play against. The challenge lies in keeping them viable without making them frustratingly overpowered or excessively niche for regular gameplay. It’s a demanding objective, which is why we continue our efforts to achieve it.

Intuitiveness

To ensure that melee weapons are user-friendly for both beginners and experienced players alike, they should operate in a manner that is predictable and consistent with general expectations. This is the purpose of ‘melee tech’. Fundamentally, ‘tech’ refers to identifying and utilizing glitches or unique aspects within the game mechanics and design. Typically, these discoveries occur where various systems intersect. For instance, the ‘super lunge’ feature on the sword is a result of two different movement systems (the Evasive Dash and the lunge) interacting. Similarly, the ‘phantom strike’ exploits bugs and unique aspects in our animation system to allow melee attacks without visible animations. While this can be exciting to discover and master due to the increased weapon power and skill required, it can also be frustrating for some players because of its unpredictability, invisibility, and disproportionate strength.

Since our initial Alpha and Beta phases, our stance on technology within our game has been consistent. We’ve talked about this in our “Meet the Makers” podcast. In simple terms, we view technology as a potential issue. When it disturbs equilibrium or annoys players, we strive to rectify the problem and, in extreme instances, may impose bans on persistent abusers. Rarely, we come across technology that is user-friendly and maintains balance. In such infrequent cases, we might integrate this technology into the game as a permanent feature, provided it aligns with our objectives. However, it’s important to note that technology usually arises unintentionally and can negatively impact the overall gaming experience.

Current Melee Tech

More modern ‘brawl technology’ has placed us in a challenging predicament. When we lack this technology, certain items may seem weak, but when it is employed, these same items can become excessively powerful and unpleasant to confront during gameplay.

In the meantime, as we’re working on removing ‘tech’ elements in the system (as detailed previously), we’ve found ourselves grappling with the inconvenience it’s causing temporarily. To manage this issue, our usual approach has been to adjust or “nerf” the affected item until the problem is fully resolved and we can enhance it again (“buff” the weapon). This is a challenging predicament we’ve faced recently with the Sword, which has been nerfed to counter some ‘tech’ issues that were making gameplay frustrating. With update 7.6, new functionality is introduced that should tackle the ‘tech’ problem, enabling us to enhance the Sword once more. We’ll keep an eye on its performance post-update and decide on future adjustments accordingly.

Beyond the technical aspects, we recognize that many melee weapons are not as polished as our firearms, and this is an area we aim to improve over time. In update 7.6, we’re making several adjustments to even out some of these items’ disparities. However, a significant number of them require substantial overhauls to reach their optimal state for both users and adversaries. These revisions take time. We’re optimistic that we can roll out several of these changes in the upcoming seasons, but until then, we’ll continue to make adjustments within our current framework.

As a gamer, I’m sharing insights into my perspective on melee combat and the strategy we employ. Furthermore, I hope this breakdown sheds light on the multiple melee adjustments implemented in patch 7.6. Continue to offer your valuable feedback, and rest assured that we’re committed to adapting and catering to a diverse range of playstyles as effectively as possible.

//Matt

Balance Changes

Archetypes

Light

Replaced the Grapple Hook with the Evasive Dash in the default Loadout. The Grapple Hook must now be unlocked for VRs if not already owned
Replaced the M11 with the XP-54 in the default Loadout. The M11 must now be unlocked for VRs if not already owned
Moved the Frag Grenade from the Reserve into the default Loadout
Moved the Sonar Grenade from the Reserve into the default Loadout
Moved the Flashbang from the Loadout into the Reserve in the default Loadout
Moved the Smoke grenade from the Loadout into the Reserve in the default Loadout

Medium

Moved the Goo Grenade from the Loadout into the Reserve in the default Loadout
Moved the Frag Grenade from the Reserve into the Loadout in the default Loadout
Replaced the Glitch Trap with the Explosive Mine in the default Loadout.The Glitch Trap must now be unlocked for VRs if not already owned
Added the Compact Reflector sight to the default AKM in the default Loadout
Added the Compact Reflector sight to the default R .357 in the default Loadout

Heavy

Added the Compact Reflector Sight to the M60 in the default Loadout

Gadgets

Defibrillator

Increased charge time from 0.8s to 1s Dev Note: We want to move more of the risk of reviving a player with Defibrillators onto the reviving player, not the player they revive. We think this nudge should encourage players to find a safe spot to defib more often, but we’ll monitor the impact and try other solutions if this doesn’t have the desired effect.

H+ Infuser

VFX now use team colors, making it easier to tell who is healing who

Healing Emitter

VFX now use team colors, making it easier to tell who is healing who

Nullifier

Bullets will now pass through Nullified players Dev Note: This change only impacts hitscan bullet weapons for the time being, but we plan to address projectiles as well in a future update

Maps

SYS$Horizon

Rebalanced destruction for the Campus, Workspace, and Art Gallery buildings

Mode

Cashout (World Tour and Ranked)

Any Vaults/Cash Boxes that have not been delivered to a Cashout Station by the time overtime starts will be despawned and removed from the match Dev Note: We’ve been taking in lots of feedback related to “double stacking” two Cash Boxes in the same Cashbout Station. After doing a detailed analysis, it’s clear that the biggest frustration point is doubling the Cash Boxes during the final phase, where the total value of a single Cashout can be huge. In this scenario, the second-place team almost always loses their spot, since all three other teams are incentivized to target them. The first place wants a weaker opponent next round, while third and fourth just want to qualify. Our data shows that regardless how much cash the second place team has already secured, this doubling scenario always disproportionately affects them negatively. It often occurs during overtime as well. This change is aimed at making sure second place teams that have already secured a lot of cash are more likely to qualify, by reducing how often large stacks of cash are available in the final Cashout during overtime. This change is a test and will run from 7.6 through to 7.9, at which point its impact will be re-assessed.

Private Matches

Added the Ranked Cashout ruleset from Ranked Tournaments to Private Matches Dev Note: There are two known issues with mode that still need to be addressed, players get four respawn tokens instead of 2 and players can also swap items from their Reserve between lives. We aim to fix both of these soon, but we didn’t want to hold back unlocking this mode while waiting for fixes.

Specializations

Healing Beam

VFX now use team colors, making it easier to tell who is healing who

Weapons

Dagger

Primary Attack
- Increased the outer width of the hit sweeps by ~40%, so that it better matches the weapon’s animation
- Decreased the inner width of the hit sweep nearest to the camera, to prevent the it hitting objects just outside the player’s field of view, making the weapon slightly more reliable
- Increased the duration of the hit sweep from 0.07s to 0.1s, making the weapon more reliable

Dual Blades

Increased the hit sweep range by ~40cm, to bring it more in line with other melee weapons
Increased the hit sweep height by ~5cm, making the weapon more reliable
Decreased the inner width of the hit sweep nearest to the camera, to prevent it hitting objects just outside the player’s field of view, making the weapon slightly more reliable

KS-23

Converted the KS-23 from a projectile weapon to a hybrid hitscan-projectile weapon
- KS-23 shots will be hitscan up to 25m, making it more reliable at closer ranges
- KS-23 shots will be projectiles after 25m, making it less likely to be used to snipe at longer ranges
- KS-23 projectile velocity reduced from 300m/s to 280m/s Dev Note: This new approach to the KS-23 should make it more reliable at the close-to-medium ranges it is intended for

Riot Shield

Updated the Riot Shield’s hit sweeps to make them slightly more reliable and to better match the attack animations
Increased the hit sweep range by ~50cm, to bring it more in line with other melee weapons
Increased the lifetime of the hit sweep from 0.04s to 0.12s, making the weapon more reliable
Increased the outer width of the hit sweeps by ~70%, so that it better matches the weapon’s animation
Decreased the inner width of the hit sweep nearest to the camera, to prevent it hitting objects just outside the player’s field of view, making the weapon slightly more reliable
Decreased the attack duration from 0.9s to 0.81s, effectively increasing the attack speed of the weapon by 10%

Sledgehammer

Primary Attack
- Increased the outer width of the primary attack’s hit sweeps by ~80%, so that it better matches the weapon’s animation
- Decreased the inner width of the hit sweep nearest to the camera, to prevent it hitting objects just outside the player’s field of view, making the weapon slightly more reliable

Spear

Decreased the inner width of the hit sweep nearest to the camera, to prevent the Spear hitting objects just outside the player’s field of view, making the weapon slightly more reliable

Sword

Primary Attack
- Increased damage from 74 to 88
- Increased the attack duration from 0.55s to 0.6s, slightly slowing the primary attack speed
- Increased the hit sweep height by ~5cm, making the weapon more reliable
- Decreased the inner width of the hit sweep nearest to the camera, to prevent it hitting objects just outside the player’s field of view, making the weapon slightly more reliable
- Slightly modified the hit sweeps to better align with the animations
Secondary Attack
- Increased damage from 105 to 120
- Decreased the attack duration from 1s to 0.75s, increasing the secondary attack speed of the weapon

Introduced rotation clamping to the Sword’s secondary lunge attack, preventing players from swinging 360 degrees while travelling. During the lunge, the Sword wielder is now clamped to a 40 degree forward angle Dev Note: The lack of constraint on the Sword’s lunge led to players often feeling they were hit unexpectedly when a player lunged them. This constraint makes the attack’s behavior more intuitive, allowing us to add back some of the Sword’s power that we’d previously reduced to address issues like the high rotation during lunges.

Increased the speed of the lunge from 1500 to 1750
Increased the range of the lunge from 5.5m to 7m
Introduced a new system to control stacking effect of Evasive Dash momentum together with Lunge (aka “Super Dash”), and reduced the stacking. Together with the high lunge speed, this now results an an average “Super Dash” distance of 17-20m, up from a range of 16-19m Dev Note: It’s taken us some time to implement new code to handle the unintended momentum exploit that was the “super dash.” In the interim, we nerfed the Sword lunge distance to reduce the maximum range a “super dash” could achieve, which was around 24m. With this new system in place and allowing us to control inherited momentum better, the lunge range has been buffed again as have some of the damage values.

Content and Bug Fixes

Animation

Fixed a broken third person animation that could occur when reloading an empty CL-40
Fixed an issue where players could end up stuck in a corpse pose

Characters

Fixed an issue where certain lower body cosmetics could cause very thin legs on the character when combined with low heels
Improved appearance of Chromatique Dress for the Heavy contestants
Fixed an issue where the Wise Wing Jumper would float when jumping and crouching
Fixed Medium and Light builds looking overly muscular when equipping a custom outfit using heavy muscular body types

Controller

Fixed an issue where the text chat menu would sometimes not open when using a controller

Gadgets

Barricade

Ruby Barricade skin now correctly references Season 6 instead of Season 5

Game Modes

Cashout (World Tour and Ranked Tournaments)

Fixed an issue where players could incorrectly receive an abandon penalty, even when it appeared safe to leave due to a teammate never connecting to the match

Private Matches

Enabled Super Cashball for the duration of the event

Gameplay

Speculative fix for an issue where players could sometimes end up in the wrong body when revived

Maps

General

Fixed an issue where pre-placed Ziplines in maps could become partially invisible
Adjusted the health values of various open and closed fences, so they are more appropriate and consistent
Fixed a small number of lighting issues

Bernal

Fixed ladders and ziplines not having appropriate sponsor colors

Kyoto

Fixed an issue where Arena Carriables could be thrown through paper walls without breaking them
Made various texture optimizations to help performance
Fixed a number of small collision issues, to hopefully improve player movement

Las Vegas Stadium:

Fixed a bug that triggered the “Hackout” Game Show Event outside of the World Tour event

Monaco

Fixed a collision issue that allowed players to get underneath the ground mesh in Monaco
Fixed a zipline in the park hovering above the ground

Skyway Stadium

Slightly adjusted the aircon vent path on the inner side of the Medical Center so they don’t break when the wall next to them is dematerialized

Rendering

NVIDIA DLSS 4 Transformer model now uses the newer “K” preset instead of “J”
Updated DLSS version from 4.0.0 to 4.0.2

Settings

Fixed an issue on the Settings screen where the Push to Talk button would not be correctly shown the first time the player loads the screen

Specializations

Improved the hit detection of the Winch Claw when using it while interacting with a Zipline

Fix Sprays overlapping with UI in customization screen when previewing
Fixed rarity display issue for the Off the Grid and Silent March outfits in the Sponsorship menu
Fixed gamepad navigation sometimes breaking when backing out of the Contestant menu
Fixed gamepad navigation sometimes getting stuck in Style and Appearance customization menus
Fixed an issue where Quickplay Points could be missing from the end of round progression screens after a match
Fixed an issue where previously earned Recruit & Rise rewards could appear in the end of round summary
Fixed issue where the respawn timer could continue to count down after the team disconnected
Made improvements to player card rendering when viewed in-match
Fixed an issue where character particle effects could remain visible after navigating to the Career screen
Fixed an issue where props used during emotes would not drop to the floor correctly in the Contestant screen

VFX

Improved the visibility of the firework VFX in the Fourth of Mayhem RPG Skin to match the intensity of Rocket Resolution RPG Skin

Weapons

Melee attacks will no longer move the player towards targets that are currently invulnerable
Increased the rarity to Epic, and introduced animated effects to the Buffer Overflow Weapon skins! Thanks for all of the support on Twitch!

Security

In the latest update 7.3, we announced some adjustments to our anti-cheat measures. This prompted several queries from you. To clarify further, we’re using this opportunity to share additional details:

Kernel-Level Anti-Cheat Isn’t New

As a dedicated gamer immersed in THE FINALS, I’ve got to say that Easy Anti-Cheat has been an integral part of our experience since the early beta stages. Now, we’re exploring new anti-cheat tools to ensure the game maintains its integrity for the long haul. There’s no specific timeline for these changes, but rest assured, we’re taking great care to avoid any interruptions during testing and planning phases.

To combat sophisticated cheating techniques, which utilize advanced hardware and artificial intelligence, aimed at manipulating games from external sources undetected, it’s essential to have robust anti-cheat systems. These systems should be capable of observing interactions with the game process directly on the user’s computer for a fair gaming experience.

Rest assured, we take privacy seriously. Our anti-cheat system is designed specifically to detect and handle threats that could impact the game’s integrity. It does not scrutinize or gather details about your personal files, and it remains oblivious to any activities outside the scope of the game.

Steam Deck and Proton Support

In our latest update, we observed some concern regarding Linux compatibility. Rest assured, we’re thoroughly testing our software across all platforms. It’s crucial for us that Proton and Steam Deck remain key focuses in our development roadmap. Though the Steam Deck isn’t officially supported due to our reliance on Proton Experimental, we are unwavering in our commitment to ensuring compatibility. We collaborate with external partners to rectify any issues before releasing updates. Every player’s experience matters to us, and this remains our priority. However, please note that general Wine support is not tested, and native Linux support is not currently part of our plans.

Thank you for your continuous support. We’ll have more to share in the next major update!

2025-07-24 16:10

The Finals Mid-Season Update 7.6.0 Patch Notes

QUEUE UP FOR SUPER CASHBALL!

Balance Changes

Content and Bug Fixes

Security

Read More