The Finals Update Nerfs Strongest Class

The Finals has three different "classes" to choose from, each with their own unique loadout options as well as a few shared gadgets, but the consensus has so far been that the Heavy build reigns supreme. The health and destruction the class offers combined with a pretty negligible movement speed difference makes it a strong option with combat potential unliked what's seen in either the Medium or the Light classes. This is all great news for those who prefer playing the Heavy characters, but for those who take on the other roles in their team comps, the Heavies have probably been a source of frustration ever since the game released.

Fortunately, The Finals developer Embark Studios has finally heard players' pleas for help and has nerfed the Heavy class in a number of different ways. Those changes include nerfs for several different weapons and gadgets exclusive to Heavies like the RPG , Mesh Shield, and C4. Nerfs and buffs outside of the realm of the Heavies are in the patch notes, too, but it's that strong class in The Finals that's taken the biggest hit this week.

The full patch notes from the December 20th update for The Finals can be seen below. For those less familiar with Heavy loadouts, the Goo Gun, Mesh Shield, C4, Dome Shield, RPG-7, Flamethrower, and SA1216 are all items exclusive to the Heavy. The Flamethrower is the only one of those that got a slight buff.

Balance Changes

Abilities

Goo Gun

• Fixed an issue where goo could block the player

Mesh Shield

• Mesh Shield Health reduced to 1100 from 1250

Recon Senses

• Recon Senses activation cost reduced to 1 from 2

Gadgets

C4

• C4 max player damage reduced to 210 from 240
• C4 max damage radius reduced to 1.6m from 2.4m
• C4 self-damage multiplier increased to 1.3 from 1

Dome Shield

• Dome Shield health reduced to 300 from 350

Gas Mine

• Gas Mine arming time added (1.6 seconds)

Glitch Mine

• Glitch Trap arming time added (1.6 seconds)

Goo Grenade

Mine

• Mine max player damage reduced to 140 from 160
• Mine damage radius reduced to 3.5m from 4m
• Mine arming time added (1.6 seconds)

Pyro Mine

• Pyro Mine arming time added (1.6 seconds)

RPG-7

• RPG-7 max player damage reduced to 150 from 165
• RPG-7 min player damage reduced to 80 from 90
• RPG-7 damage radius reduced to 4.5m from 4.75m
• RPG-7 max damage radius reduced to 1.5m from 2.5m
• RPG-7 aim-down sights dispersion increased slightly
• RPG-7 hip-fire dispersion increased slightly

Stun Gun

• Increased Stun Gun range to 12m from 10m

Maps

Game Show Events

• Added a repulsor to the flying saucers in the 'Alien Invasion' event

Vegas

• Updated strain in various buildings, to give better destruction results
• Resolved an issue where cashout stations would become invisible before players finished the transfer

Modes

Bankit

• Disallowed Deathmatch game show event from occurring in BankIt game mode

Weapons

AKM

• Slight adjustment to AKM recoil pattern

Flamethrower

• Flamethrower fire rate increased to 170 from 160

LH1

• LH1 damage increased to 47 from 45

Melee Weapons

• Fixed an issue where melee hits didn't always connect with enemy players

M11

• M11 damage increased to 16 from 15

Riot Shield

• Fixed a bug where the shield would block bullets, while invisible, during interactions (e.g. reviving or stealing extractions)

SA1216

• SA1216 pellet dispersion increased slightly
• SA1216 damage per pellet reduced to 7 from 8

Movement

Vaulting

• Reduced instances where you unintentionally climbed on objects outside of the player's view.
• Fixed an issue where players could get stuck without being able to give input

Ziplines

• Prevented placement of ziplines on pickupables

UI

• Various fixes to contestant screens
• Polish to the social screen, which now hides the "Invite to party" button when you are not the party leader
• Added a warning to the UI that appears when players are in danger of being AFK kicked
• Player health bars now use the squad color when selected in the settings
• UI shows you as "unranked" unless you're among the top 500 on the leaderboards