Anthem day-one patch addresses load times, updates Javelin abilites

Anthem is in early access for Xbox One and Windows PC players, and doesn’t enter wide release until Feb. 22 on those platforms and PlayStation 4. On Feb. 20 there will be a major patch to the game, releasing between eight and 10 p.m. ET, weighing in at 6 gigabytes. While most of these changes are to fix bugs that have affected early access players, there are some balance changes for individual Javelins in here as well.

We’ve compiled a list of the must-know changes for this day-one patch. The full patch notes can be found at the bottom of this post.

Lead producers Ben Irving and Mike Gamble revealed in a stream that Anthem’s next patch will release a few weeks after launch.

Better loading times

Anthem’s load times are brutal in almost every activity. On certain hardware, it can take players multiple minutes to load into missions with the rest of their teammates. This can become a problem in a story-focused game like Anthem, where mission dialogue plays regardless of everyone’s load state. Even on a solid-state drive, load times can be long depending on the activity.

The patch notes say BioWare “improved loading times.” While vague, any improvement is better than the state it’s in now.

Bug fixes

Bugs plague almost every aspect of Anthem’s early access. Some impede player progress — forcing a complete mission restart — while others are visual. Most of this patch comprises bug fixes, some of which we’ve experienced firsthand in our time with the game.

One bug stops loot from dropping for players who are downed when the enemy dies. This issue, along with several others, is being fixed with the day-one patch.

Javelin updates

There are a few updates to the player classes. The Colossus Javelin will be able to whip out their shield faster after using abilities, and keep it up while reviving downed allies. The Interceptor’s combo aura will deal deals damage to nearby enemies over time, and is more powerful.

BioWare has also removed a Storm exploit that allowed them to use their ultimate on repeat.

Full patch notes

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

Update (Feb. 20): In a pre-launch stream, BioWare revealed that they’re releasing the day one patch a day early. They also revealed the size of the patch. The introduction of this story has been updated to reflect this new information.