The Finals Update Nerfs Popular Weapons and Makes Big Change to Matchmaking

gamerant.com:

Embark Studios releases update 1.5.5 for The Finals, introducing a bunch of nerfs for popular weapons and gear including the Defibrulator, while also making important tweaks to Crossplay and Matchmaking services. Since the official launch of The Finals during The Game Awards 2023, Embark has continued to tweak and update the experience for the growing number of players.

Alongside the live-service format, Embark has continued to release new updates to add new features, tweak existing systems, as well as fix bugs that the community has identified. In fact, last week brought with it The Finals first limited time game mode called Solo Bank It, taking the familiar team-based mode and instead pitting 12 solo players against one another to see who can be the first to bank 40,000 in cash. The update also attempted to balance some of the stronger weapons in the game like the SH1900 shotgun, but it's clear that Embark had a bit more it wanted to accomplish, which is where update 1.5.5 comes in.

The latest update for The Finals includes even more weapon and gear balancing, as it attempts to bring some of the more popular items back in line. Specifically, when using defibrilators or when reviving a teammate, the period of invulnerability isn't quite as long going from 1.5 seconds, to only 0.75. The Guardian Turret also had its health pool reduced slightly, while weapons like the .357 Revolver and FCAR saw their damage output lowered. However, the update did apply a few buffs as well, giving a slight increase to the damage of Heavy Build Grenade launchers like the MGL32 and CL-40.

For many players, though, the patch also features a big tweak to The Finals matchmaking services. Specifically, the update fixes a bug where the player's crossplay settings were being ignored outright, ensuring that if players have it turned off, they'll no longer face anyone on other platforms. In addition, Embark Studios revealed that it made a background change to how matchmaking works in both the