Anthem (New Game Build)

In February 2020, Bioware unveiled that they were working on a new build of Anthem and stop updating the current build. The current build will not receive any more major updates, but will continue to get small events, store refreshes, and revisit past seasonal/cataclysm events.

This new build is tentatively called **Anthem 2.0** or **Anthem Next** or even **Anthem Beyond** by fans and media. It will be updated when more news is received.

In the blog post of October 28th, 2020, it was confirmed that Anthem would continue using Frostbite as its engine.

**On February 24th 2021, the development of rework of Anthem Next was stopped. But the game would continue to exist with the current version of the build (1.7.0).**

***Note:** Everything mentioned in the blog post are works in progress and may not end up in the final game.*

## Ending the Development

On February 24th 2021, the new development work of Anthem (a.k.a Anthem Next) was **stopped**.

## Story

It is currently unknown if the new build will be a complete rework of the original released game or a completely new game. But the blog post hints towards a rebuild.

The 5th Stronghold called Longfall Ruins was confirmed with new concept arts on November 20th, 2020.

## Gameplay

Bioware General Manager, Casey Hudson explained in the blog post  that gameplay mechanics such as combat and flight will be preserved. The new core gameplay loop will involve clear goals, motivating challenges and progression with meaningful rewards.

Loot and equipment system will be more rewarding and have a change. Current loot system will be replaced by a primarily skill-tree focused game, with emphasis on the player's choice of play style.

## Development

In November 2019, an article was published saying that Anthem was getting a major overhaul at the end of the Season of Skulls . At this point, there was no update from Bioware since the Icetide update would be released in December, which would last all the way through February 25th, off shooting the February 22nd, the anniversary of Anthem. During the Anniversary Event, special cosmetics were rewarded to anyone who simply logged into the game, which would be the last cosmetic updates the game would receive.

On February 10th, Casey Hudson revealed that the team was working on a new build of Anthem, so the first build will not receive an major updates, adding that that team worked hard on stability, performance and general quality of life for that build.

On May 15th 2020, in another blog post, Christian Dailey, the studio Director of Bioware Austin revealed that Bioware Austin was leading the production of the new build of Anthem. It was also revealed by Community Manager Caden House, that the development of the new build was happening since 2019, confirming the November article.

In the blog post, Christian Dailey explained that the incubation team (prototyping team) comprised of 30-ish people who would be working on the new build, but the process will be longer, yet the team will be agile, which a large team cannot. He mentioned that they have been reading through social media and forum posts made by the players on Anthem to get a better feedback.

Finally, it was confirmed that the team is ready to be more transparent and they would like to communicate better through blog posts, live streams (when necessary), and concept arts on social media.

On July 31st 2020, Christian Dailey uploaded a new blog post on the Bioware Blog detailing goals for loot and Equipment changes. And showed some new weapon concepts of different factions. The post also showed a small clip on how they wanted the loot drops to be revealed immediately when they are collected. Other areas of exploration were also discussed and new faction based weapon concept artwork was shown. Again, these concepts are work in progress and do not constitute the final in-game content.

Another blog post with updates on skill trees was supposed to be coming in September 2020. But it was delayed due to unknown circumstances. This blog post finally came on October 28th 2020, and provided more details on Skill Trees, play style and builds. It also confirmed that Components will be replaced by a new item called Artifacts.

## Goals of the New Build

***Note:** These concepts are work in progress and do not constitute the final in-game content. The content below is taken from the Bioware Blog**. Click on Expand/Collapse to reveal/conceal the content.*

### **Loot and Equipment Changes**

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#### **Respect Your Time**

* Increase the frequency of Loot Drops
* Loot is viable more often; All items are better and more competitive, but there’s still a chance of getting something exceptional
* All loot rarities have strategic value throughout progression

#### **Embrace Choice**

* You can pursue specific loot without relying on randomness alone; Quests; Specialized Vendors; Unique Loot Tables
* Modify your loot, including rerolling inscriptions and leveling up items

#### **Create a Rewarding Loot Experience**

* Loot feels exciting and more noticeable when it drops, and is celebrated when collected
* Rare enemies (aka “walking treasure chests”) create exciting moments to get a burst of loot all at once

#### **Keep it Accessible and Immediate**

* Reveal and equip loot right away
* Complete revamp of the equipment sheet – including a detailed stat sheet (not shown)
* The equipment sheet can be accessed from anywhere, allows you to easily see what you have equipped in each slot

#### **Reliability of Equipment and Rewards**

* Each item has an inscription “budget”, based on its Power and Rarity
* No more useless items because they were missing must-have inscriptions (see “Increased weapon dmg by +225%”)
* Exceptional items are about getting the exact types of bonuses you want, instead of maxing values on every bonus

#### **Scale for the Future**

* Your power cap can be easily increased, and the loot system scales accordingly
* Advanced telemetry data allows us to identify trends and make meaningful balance changes

### **Javelin Gameplay and Builds**

As we’ve spent time engaging with all of you, and avidly playing the game, we’ve seen and heard a common theme: “Anthem doesn’t offer satisfying Javelin Builds!” We want to improve this too, so we’re excited to hear what you think about the changes we are trialing around the concept of “builds”

#### **Choice and Experimentation in your Loadout**

* All items are categorized to one of the 11 available equipment slots
* Weapons are either Primary or Secondary, allowing distinctiveness in their role
* Mods and Artifact slots replace Components
* Manage Equipment and Abilities in your Loadout Screen

#### **Reliably Create Builds**

* Abilities are unlocks, not drops! Play with the Abilities you want, when you want
* Empower your Abilities by equipping them with Mods
* Builds are defined by the synergies of Specializations, Abilities, and Equipment
* Inscriptions improve build synergies, but are no longer the primary factor

#### **Provide Choice and Progression through Skill Trees**

* Each Javelin can level up, awarding Skill Points
* Skill points can be spent to unlock Abilities, Passives, and Stat Boosts
* Each Specialization has its own Advanced Skill Tree

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#### **Expand on the Fantasy and Playstyles of Each Javelin**

* Javelins have access to multiple specializations that cater to different styles of gameplay
* Each Javelin now wields a powerful Artifact that can be customized

#### **Exploring Skill Trees**

When considering how you grow and become more powerful in Anthem, we observed that Pilot Level isn’t a satisfying measure of your progress, so we set out to answer the question, *“What would it look like for Freelancers to become more skillful at piloting each Javelin?”* We’ve been exploring the idea of Javelin experience and levels which allow you to permanently unlock Abilities for your Javelin that you can then customize further with Mods.

We’re currently testing these ideas via a new skill tree system. In this system, each Javelin would have a “basic” skill tree where all the baseline Abilities, Passives, Triggered Abilities, and Stat Boost for your Javelin can be unlocked.

We would like you to be able to focus on the specific style of gameplay you like best about your Javelin, so after the basic tree is completed, we’re also testing the concept of Specializations. Each Specialization would have an Advanced Skill Tree where you’ll unlock Specialization-specific Abilities, Upgrades, and more.

### What is an Artifact?

We’ve heard from you that Components feel like nothing more than stat modifiers. With that in mind, we’re also experimenting with a new Artifacts system to replace them. Artifacts are pieces of super powered tech that set your Javelin and Freelancer apart. Each Javelin type would have a distinct Artifact catering towards its class fantasy. For instance, your Ranger’s rocket pod would be upgraded into the Skyfell Launcher Artifact, a pair of back-mounted pods that transform into powerful rocket launchers.

These Artifacts would change in appearance, depending on what parts you equip. There’s also an opportunity to allow for more interesting decision making. The parts you equip would contribute to a powerful passive ability generated by the Artifact.

## Gallery

These images were shared by Christian Dailey since June 2020 on twitter and used as his twitter banner. These are pre-release artworks and may not be represented the final in-game design obtained from Dailey's weekly twitter posts, where he shares a concept art every Friday.

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## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://blog.bioware.com/2020/10/28/anthem-update-javelin-gameplay-builds/
2. ↑ https://blog.bioware.com/2021/02/24/anthem-update/
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 https://blog.bioware.com/2020/02/10/anthem-update-february-10/
4. ↑ https://kotaku.com/sources-bioware-plans-a-complete-overhaul-for-anthem-1839892415
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://blog.bioware.com/2020/05/15/may-anthem-update/
6. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/AnthemTheGame/comments/gkcib9/may\_anthem\_update/
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://blog.bioware.com/2020/07/31/anthem-update-loot-equipment-goals/
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 https://twitter.com/ChristianDailey/status/1289247578681294849?s=20
9. ↑ https://twitter.com/ChristianDailey/status/1299110968073555968?s=20
10. ↑ https://twitter.com/ChristianDailey/status/1309598506647203848?s=20
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 https://twitter.com/ChristianDailey