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Gearing up for season 12, Embark has been really hammering home the idea that this chapter of The Finals, the world's greatest game show, is going to be the best yet, with trailers focusing on specific items being added, the new destruction mechanics, reworked sponsor systems and much more (which you can read about here).
And I have to give it to them; they have done a phenomenal job of getting me very excited for the season (although, if you know me, that is nothing new), and it feels like The Finals is going back to its game show-inspired roots this time around, which I am totally on board with.
Following these announcements, The Finals YouTube channel has posted a few new snippets of what's to come on the very swiftly approaching 20th of October, from expanding on the new sponsorship upgrades to a full trailer. So buckle up; there is a lot to go over.
Respec Order Changes
To start, let's cover the biggest change some people may not have noticed, since it was almost hidden in the UI overhaul trailer: the respec order changes are here to stay. I know that might ring alarm bells for some of you, and it did for me when I first discovered it, but I also think we should wait until the season actually comes out to make any final judgments.
If you don't know what the respective order is, it is the changing of light and heavy to have 25 more and 25 less health, respectively, while making light slower and heavy just that bit faster to keep teams closer together and avoid any lagging behind or running far ahead.
In my opinion, this change will also make it a little easier for Embark to balance weapons and will make weapons feel effective against every class a lot more often. This change also shouldn't change many weapon breakpoints or make any feel different from what they did before, so I am personally pretty excited about it.
However, I do have worries about this change. I would hate to see The Finals' class identity fall apart with changes like this, and I think it needs to be handled very carefully, with a lot of communication with the community. I do think it is a slightly weird choice from Embark, as the player base was very split on the respec order even when it was simply a limited-time mode, but I trust in them and will stand by what I said and wait until the full release; maybe it will be a great change!
UI & HUD Changes
Moving on from the respec order changes, while we are on the topic of UI and HUD, we may as well take a quick look at the amazing makeover Embark gave it for season 12. I can't stress enough how clean and sleek this new UI is, and how well it fits the theme of The Finals.
There are quite a few features added in this update; a couple include:
- New, glowing, scalable in-game UI. Quite similar to the original, but a great change nonetheless.
- New in-game sidebar for quick access to settings and the social menu.
- Customisable quick settings tab in this sidebar, letting you access your priority settings as fast as possible.
- Completely new (and much needed) lobby menu that looks sleek and clean, very on brand for The Finals.
I absolutely love these changes, and as someone who often got confused by the lobby and menu UI (even after almost 1000 hours), I think they are amazing.
Overhauled Sponsorships
Now, onto the thing I am most excited for going into season 12: the updated and overhauled sponsorship system. As someone who loved the early sponsorship system, signing with one sponsor and sticking with them all the way through, I can safely say the recent seasons have been, well, lacking.
I really dislike the way you can sign with any sponsor at any time with no sense of exclusivity, but this seems like it's about to change with the new sponsorship system rolling out this coming season.
Embark announced in the "NEW SPONSOR JOURNEY" YouTube video that instead of having all sponsorships available at all times, there will be a simple 3 at the launch of Season 12: Ospuze, Alfa Acta, and Iseul-t.
These 3 sponsors will come with their own unique rewards, like we know and love (I am particularly excited for the new Ospuze AKM skin that was shown), while mixing up how we earn them, along with many other rewards. These new additions to sponsorships include:
- Handlers: Handlers are sponsor agents assigned to stick with you through your journey, helping you through challenges and giving you more lore drops along the way.
- Sponsors now take you through their own "narrative journey".
- Sponsors now have more of an influence over how you play, giving you challenges and contracts to gain fans and rewards. Be a "good ambassador", and they grant you more to gain.
- Fans now progress your world tour rank, meaning sponsors really do have more of an influence over the game show.
- Gain a large amount of cosmetic rewards that shine even more than the last sponsor tracks
- Uncover more of the story through intercepted voicemails, in-world podcasts and secret correspondence that further builds up the world of The Finals.
This new sponsor system looks nothing short of phenomenal, and I can't wait at all to get my hands on signing the papers to be an Ospuze representative (I absolutely need that AKM skin!) I do think that this update to the system was much needed, and while we are trading the freedom to choose any sponsor, which I personally didn't like in the first place, it is a small price to pay for a deep and immersive version of the, quite frankly, barebones iteration we are so used to.
The Finals Season 12 Gameplay Trailer
And finally, last but certainly not least, what you have all been waiting for: The Finals season 12 gameplay trailer. This trailer is like any other The Finals trailer, and if you have any experience with them, you will know it's a great one.
The trailer showcases the new destruction perfectly and keeps that iconic The Finals momentum going throughout, with a great soundtrack punctuating the whole trailer from start to finish. This video also showcases one of the new light-class gadgets, the Mimic Device, in action: a contestant turns into a red barrel and gets lobbed into the enemy building, resulting in a not-so-sneaky (but equally effective, and cool) ambush.
I'm going to make a safe bet here and say that this season is going to be one of, if not the best, seasons of The Finals perhaps ever, and I think if you haven't played The Finals, or maybe are thinking of coming back after a long break, October 20th is the best time to start (trust me, the game has come leaps and bounds since launch).
Let me know how you feel about the many changes coming in Season 12 – good, bad, mixed – in the comments below. And with that, I'll see you in the arena, contestant!