The Finals made a big splash when it launched at The Game Awards 2023, and it has maintained a healthy player base in the months since. Tomorrow, The Finals Season 2 begins and it brings new weapons and gadgets, another battle pass, a new map, and the Power Shift mode with it. Although I dropped from off playing The Finals a few weeks after its release, my early taste of Season 2’s new content was more than enticing enough to draw me back in.
New season, new content
As expected, The Finals Season 2 offers up another 96-level battle pass for players to make their way through. This season is themed around a hacker group called CNS and all things digital, so many of the cosmetics are inspired by that faction and video games like Street Fighter and Minecraft. During a presentation prior to Digital Trends’ Season 2 playtest, Embark Studios confirmed it does not plan to change the battle pass’ pricing, nor put any new gameplay-related content behind a paywall.
It also teased a new Career Circuit challenge-based progression system that will give players more specific goals to work toward throughout the season and a new matchmaking system for The Finals’ ranked mode. Like any lasting live service game, The Finals is offering new ways to keep players engaged as the game gets further out from release. I’m glad it is because The Finals Season 2 introduces a new map and new weapons and gadgets that will shake the game up.
SYS$HORIZON is a new map with an intentionally glitchy look and feel. It’s one of the most colorful maps I’ve seen in a mainstream first-person shooter, but it still features the intuitive, yet destructive level design that makes The Finals flourish. Of the new weapons (the Light build’s 93R machine pistol, the Medium build’s FAMAS assault rifle, and the Heavy’s KS-23 shotgun), the FAMAS became my favorite to use.
What I liked even more were the three new gadgets and new specialization that The Finals Season 2 brings. Medium-build characters can now have the Dematerializer specialization, which allows them to erase almost any physical surface on the map. If you don’t have the explosives to destroy a wall or ceiling, using this ability does the trick just as well. A nail-biting last-minute win happened because I used this ability to drop my team’s cash-out station several floors, and I can see how plenty of other entertaining and emergent moments could arise from the use of the Dematerializer.
On the gadgets front, the Anti-Gravity Cube creates a zero-gravity space, and anything within that space slowly floats upwards. Although I initially thought this gadget would be best for traversal, it was a fantastic defense utility. Scared about an enemy stealing your payload? Drop an Anti-Gravity Cube, and it’ll float upwards and become much tougher for enemy teams to steal while hampering your opponent’s ability to escape.
For fans of Splitgate, The Gateway lets players set down two portals and travel through them, opening up more escape options in tense situations. Finally, there’s the Data Reshaper, which removes fortifications placed down by enemies. Although I found it tough to use in a firefight, it’s nice to finally have a better counter to players who lay down a bunch of mines and make it as tough as possible to get anywhere near where they’re cashing out. All of those additions add enough new variety to the experience that I’m sure The Finals’ community will have plenty to enjoy upon Season 2’s release tomorrow.
A welcome power shift
As a more casual player, I’m most excited to hop back into The Finals’ new 5v5 mode Power Shift after playing a few matches. At its core, Power Shift is The Finals’ take on Overwatch 2’s Push, with teams competing in a tug-of-war to get a platform as deep into the opposing team’s territory as possible. What makes this mode thoroughly entertaining is how the platform will just plow through any buildings in its path, highlighting The Finals’ impressive emergent destruction system and constantly terraforming map.
You can also change your character build and loadout between deaths too, which isn’t possible in The Finals’ other modes. Because there are five players on each team, there’s less of a burden on individuals to play flawlessly. Instead, experimentation is encouraged as players can change loadouts with every death and approach the platform from any direction. By my third Power Shift match, I’d made it my life’s purpose to wreak havoc as a heavy build with a grenade launcher, mines, and an RPG. Anytime the enemy team crowded on the platform, I could cause them to disperse with a flurry of explosions. When I was on the platform, I could use these explosives to destroy the rooftops my opponents were standing on.
This is some of the most fun I’ve had with The Finals since I first played a prelaunch build over one year ago. Although The Finals is a refined shooter, it can be difficult to enjoy at times if you aren’t playing with a highly coordinated squad of skilled first-person shooter players. Power Shift provides dumb, explosive fun that leans into The Finals’ strengths and encourages exploring every corner of all its character builds. Because of that, I’m sure The Finals will find its way back into to my multiplayer game rotation when Season 2 launches.
The Finals is available now for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Season 2 begins on March 14.
