Hi-Rez Studios gave Tribes Ascend a boost this week as they released the ‘Accelerate‘ update to the masses. The 400 MB patch brought about a number of key changes to the game’s progression system, while also providing a selection of new ‘side-grades’ to pimp out each class.
Previously, if players wanted to upgrade a weapon, perk, support item or piece of armour, they’d have to pony up a chunk of hard-earned XP. Now though, all slot upgrades are tied to actual equipment use, saving currency to spend on brand new item unlocks. You can of course chose to instantly ‘master’ the proficiency of your chosen equipment, but that (thankfully) requires a hefty XP investment.
The new weapons themselves don’t offer up any new mechanics, but instead provide altered properties to suit different combat styles. For example, the ‘Dust Devil‘ is a variant of the Arx Buster that does slightly less damage but has a wider area-of-effect; hinting at increased effectiveness near flag stands or indoors. Most of the new armaments have been given a visual changes too, the variant on the infamous Fractal Grenade now has an orange rather than green tint for example. (If you’d like to see the full range of new weapon unlocks, check out the handy reddit link at the bottom of the page.)
Accompanying the weapon and XP changes are two new Capture and Hold maps (Tartarus and Sulfur Cove) as well as spread of balance fixes that cover everything from UI issues to map exploits. Oh, and to celebrate over a million players signing up for the game since launch, Hi-Rez have created a charming set of paperkraft models for fans to download. What better way to show your Tribes allegiance than with scissors and glue?
Check out a video overview of the new patch below.
Screencaps of all new weapon variants and prices (via Reddit)
