Exclusive: Firefall's Elemental Destruction update launches September 16th

It's official: The newly revitalized Firefall is due to release its first major update, Elemental Destruction, next week -- on Tuesday, in fact. The patch is bringing new dynamic encounters in addition to abilities and weapons. And if you're a Firefall nut, then today is your day because Red 5 Design Director RudiKazootie has penned an exclusive dev blog discussing in detail the five new dynamic encounters being introduced with the update. Enjoy the full read and new screens below, and keep an eye out for Friday's edition too.

Firefall Dev Blog: Announcing 'Elemental Destruction' (Part 1)

Hello Firefall Pilots! RudiKazootie here, Design Director of Firefall. I'm excited to announce the release of Elemental Destruction (Version 1.1 of Firefall) for next Tuesday, September 16th. In Elemental Destruction, you will experience five additional dynamic encounters throughout the open world, the hardcore version of our Kanaloa the Destroyer Titan Battle, an array of new weapons and prefixes unlike any of your Operators have ever seen, awesome new abilities, numerous quality of life updates, and much more. Today, I'd like to tell you about the awesome new dynamic encounters being added, and the hardcore version of Kanaloa.

Dynamic Events

Dynamic content in Firefall is often regarded as one of the most exciting aspects of the game. As you venture throughout the open world and its vast continents, you really never know you're going to run into around the next turn; however, you do know that you're going to get paid and rewarded handsomely for participating and fulfilling the goal of each encounter. In Elemental Destruction, the five additional dynamic encounters that you'll be encountering are Crossfire, Piñata Frenzy, Chosen Death Squad, Caldera Crèche, and Civilian Rescue.

Dynamic events serve a vital role in the design of Firefall. Not only do they make the world feel alive and exciting, but they also bolster other game content like ARES Jobs and Missions you find in the world. As you travel between these, dynamic events serve as fun chance encounters to break up the content flow and add gameplay variety to play sessions. The trick is to find the correct balance in the frequency of dynamic encounters so that they are easy to find and consume, yet not so frequent they become an obstacle between the player and the content goals they're chasing.

Crossfire

Spoilers! Crossfire is being introduced in our brand-new Live Event that we'll be announcing tomorrow on Firefall.com, Codename: Crossfire. While venturing throughout the open world in areas other than Devil's Tusk, you'll have a chance to come across Accord Soldiers who are being ambushed by a squad of Bandits. If spotted in Devil's Tusk, the soldiers will be facing Chosen. You'll need to protect the Accord to get paid. In a second version of the encounter that has a random chance to spawn, you may come across the Chosen engaging in a firefight with the Ophanim in Devil's Tusk, or Bandits elsewhere in the world – defeat all enemies to get rewarded for your efforts.

While this encounter is currently part of the special Live Event, once it's over, it will exclusively appear as a random encounter in Devil's Tusk.

Both versions of this encounter really reinforce the feel of the player is part of a larger battle in a world that doesn't necessarily revolve around them. Instead of initiating a battle, they come across one already in progress. With the Accord v Bandits or Chosen, it's easy to know whose side you're on – so get shooting some hostile faces. With Chosen v Ophanim, it gets a lot more complicated on who to help as they're both your enemies. The good news is you still get to shoot things in the face.

Piñata Frenzy

In Piñata Frenzy, a broken down MGV's radio has attracted a pack of dancing loot piñatas. These mechanical robots are known for carrying items of great value, and stopping them in their tracks gives you a chance to loot them. You've got to act quickly though, as these machines are fast to scamper off at the first sign of danger. This encounter can be found throughout Coral Forest and Sertao.

Chosen Death Squad

Chosen Death Squads have been spotted in Devil's Tusk. These groups of walking death and destruction can appear when you least expect it, and when they do, you'll be marked for death. We just hope you'll be able to run fast or stand your ground and fight, for if you do, the rewards are quite grand.
We return the Chosen Death Squads to our live content with some excitement. It was a hard decision to stow this encounter, but I felt it was necessary to remove them from areas newer players would encounter them. Devil's Tusk is a much better fit due to the Chosen theme and tougher environment for our veteran players. I still think the whispering is creepy though -- just sayin'.

Caldera Crèche

More strange sightings are being reported in Devil's Tusk, including the emergence of erupting crèches near the volcano. While we're still unsure if the rings some of you have been throwing in it have been causing the increased activity, you'll be tasked with destroying one if you come across it. With that said, we should also caution you to beware of Caldera Dragons. Yup. They hurt.

Civilian Rescue

Unfortunately, Bandit activity has also increased in Coral Forest, and instead of your loot, they have been capturing civilians for ransom. As the Accord has a stance against negotiating with Bandits, it will be up to you to rescue the civilians as you learn of their capture. Do so and you'll be rewarded for their safe return.

Kanaloa the Destroyer

As I mentioned above, we're also adding a hardcore version of our Kanaloa the Destroyer Titan Battle. For those who have not experienced the wrath of this melded lava worm yet, Kanaloa is a Melding Titan whose lair lies at the heart of the Devil's Tusk volcano. Its nest is in the pool of lava contained within, and let's just say it does not like visitors – and its evil twin (hardcore Kanaloa) REALLY doesn't like visitors. While there are elevated platforms throughout, they leave little room to run from the fire that rains down during battle, especially when the lava begins to rise.

In the hardcore version of this Titan Battle, we've expanded on the mechanics of the normal fight and have made them harder, but not in the sense that only extra damage is dealt. Having actual gameplay changes for this mode keeps players thinking on their feet (or jumpjets) and helps mix things up for them. I suggest becoming a veteran of the normal version, and to be even more careful when in the hardcore version.

You'll want to bring others who are as experienced as you if you even want a chance at defeating this boss. In addition to bragging rights, you'll have the chance to obtain new epic gear upon a successful completion. I can't wait for you to experience Kanaloa, and you may even see me LFG as I'd love to team up with our players to attempt to defeat it. You may be sorry you did though...

Stay tuned for another Dev Blog from me on Friday where we'll delve into the aforementioned, brand-new assortment of incredible weapons that will become available in v1.1.
Until then, see you in-game!

Scott "RudiKazootie" Rudi
Design Director of Firefall
Firefall.com