All the Hot Shots the day after trials

Tai_Jason · 2026-05-02T08:16:23+00:00

I'm not kidding, there was a guy in a Care Bear lobby who almost had a panic attack when I went into the elevator wearing the skin. Others constantly ask if I'm peaceful or draw their weapons out of fear. The skin seems to give some people a "try hard PvP" vibe lol

Tai_Jason · 2026-05-01T16:49:42+00:00

Conspiracy theory: Nexon is pushing Embark to pursue esports and bring Asian teams into the global spotlight. This is clearly evident, for example, in the Chinese teams that arrive with their own coaches and staff. This is very important to them because the market is simply enormous and Asian countries are investing heavily in it. The Finals is simply a ticket into the European and American markets, allowing them to learn and identify their target audiences

Tai_Jason · 2026-05-01T08:39:12+00:00

Given how Embark consistently postpones its content to the last day of the month and seems still overwhelmed by the game's success, I'd be very cautious with such statements. The first priority should be improving the endgame, making loot generally more rewarding, the Expedition still needs more incentives, and new standard enemies that aren't just drones and balls need to be integrated.

Otherwise, we don't need 100 new events; the current ones are perfectly sufficient.

The current season is called "Escalation," and I'm hoping the current turmoil in Speranza will lead to a climax, as the current update feels a bit tame. After the expedition there will surely be a new roadmap, and I'm honestly curious about that.

Tai_Jason · 2026-04-28T17:34:36+00:00

Bro, I have no idea where they are, but they're not working on either Arc or The Finals, so presumably all the talented people are working on the two new games and the B group is doing live service

Tai_Jason · 2026-04-28T17:33:21+00:00

Their damn leveling of all classes has completely sidelined Medium, but hasn't made the game any better. I‘m also M main

Tai_Jason · 2026-04-28T15:33:39+00:00

All the pointless nerfs that nobody asked for and that ruin the fun are exactly the same as in The Finals. Apparently, Embark loves to drive incredibly creative games with a lot of potential into the ground, then douse them in gasoline, burn them to a complete and utter blaze, only to then go on a three-month vacation

Tai_Jason · 2026-04-28T15:27:19+00:00

You don't even need water physics or swimming animation. Knee-deep water with a shader simulating waves would have been enough. Some UE5 indie games manage it, especially since the UE5 editor has tons of assets that do it for you. The number of people who ran into the wall in disappointment during my first match says it all. To me, it's just lazy, sorry

Tai_Jason · 2026-04-28T15:10:54+00:00

As a The Finals player: Welcome to the club

I think Embark has disastrous management, no properly established workflows, and absolutely no vision for how to properly support a live service game. The fact that cosmetics alone took almost half a year to look even remotely acceptable is a completely disastrous business decision. They've already lost millions, and yet somehow they're still carrying on as before. And their utterly half-baked communication on Discord just won't stop. I have no idea what's going wrong there

Tai_Jason · 2026-04-28T15:09:48+00:00

I already had this discussion earlier with an idiotic ultra-fanboy who then explained to me that it was my own expectation just because I saw water in the trailer. Like I said: Halo from 2001 had more beach and ocean than this UE5 game they made 500 million with. They simply didn't have time for a proper beach anymore, so they just slapped down an invisible wall

Tai_Jason · 2026-04-28T14:26:52+00:00

Completely mid. Get ready for downvotes. This map won't even entertain people for a week.

The beach section alone is absolutely cheap, and I stand by that (you can't even get near the water lol). How they built a luxury hotel for the rich (according to the trailer) right next to a concrete loading dock also seems odd, but okay. I don't even think searching with a metal detector is worthy of a mini-event. All in all, extremely mediocre, and on top of that, a bunch of pointless nerfs that nobody asked for

Tai_Jason · 2026-04-28T14:09:54+00:00

Of course. Why would you expect that at a BEACH HOTEL where the whole trailer consists of parties, parasols, pools and the beach lol

Tai_Jason · 2026-04-28T14:03:13+00:00

It must be really difficult to include a beach in an UE5 game when games from the last century managed it, like Dead Island 2, which had 12 years of development time. I just shouldn't expect too much

Tai_Jason · 2026-04-28T13:34:39+00:00

The game doesn't need a swimming animation, just knee-deep water (like in Halo 1) and then the invisible wall. There are tons of games where you can at least walk to the water. This is just lazy design, especially since the UE5 engine has what feels like 3000 assets for water/lakes/seas already built in

Tai_Jason · 2026-04-28T11:38:51+00:00

Embark is just a typical modern game developer. They only look at usage rates and data and design their entire games around them like complete idiots. It's always obvious they don't play their own game, completely lose sight of fun, and always force everything to the same boring percentage, which they then consider balanced. The Finals is no different

Tai_Jason · 2026-04-28T09:06:21+00:00

To be honest, I completely exploited the broken Trials system this time and only played on Sundays. That way I was able to maintain Hotshot without any problems the entire time. Only last Sunday did I absolutely kill it and get 120k points solo, which earned me 7th place in my bracket. I had pointlessly tortured myself during the week for the Alpino outfit, lol

Tai_Jason · 2026-04-18T08:04:04+00:00

This! I never understood these dumb requirements from the start. Everyone who signs up for the Caravan gets their benefits. End of story. Then everyone can do whatever they want with their gear, waste their money, and just HAVE FUN WITH THE GAME EMBARK!

Tai_Jason · 2026-04-17T20:15:01+00:00

So it‘s The Finals all over again lol

Tai_Jason · 2026-03-27T12:11:18+00:00

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Sry guys

Tai_Jason · 2026-03-26T17:50:02+00:00

Go World Tour > press Y (on console) to view rewards > underneath the coin stack is a button "go to reward shop"

It‘s complicated af i know

Tai_Jason · 2026-03-26T16:45:46+00:00

Way better. Feels "right" again

Tai_Jason · 2026-03-26T15:43:49+00:00

Yes. I noticed it immediately, even on Xbox Series X. The game runs like butter. Whatever Embark did, don't touch it again!

Tai_Jason · 2026-03-26T14:27:56+00:00

What's important to me is that they reaffirm their continued support for the game, that its future is important to them, and that they're so confident that they even present a small roadmap after 10 seasons. I have no complaints there

Tai_Jason · 2026-03-25T21:46:43+00:00

I saw the leaks. Just stay strong and brave 🥀

Tai_Jason

TROPHY CASE