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PlanetSide 2's Escalation update introduces new Outfit Wars endgame

PlanetSide 2 is receiving its biggest update ever, with Escalation taking the game off-planet for the first time ever.

Ozzie Mejia

March 11, 2020 10:55 AM

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PlanetSide 2 has been around for a long time, going back to its November 2012 release on PC. The massive MMOFPS has undergone significant changes in the seven-plus years since its debut, but the game's biggest update looks to be deploying today. On Wednesday, after a few initial delays, Daybreak Games and Rogue Planet Games officially released Escalation, which offers a new light at the end of the tunnel for long-time players.

The biggest addition offered in Escalation is Outfit Wars, which Rogue Planet is billing as an all-new endgame instance for PlanetSide 2's most dedicated players. The top Outfits in the game will be eligible for special monthly tournaments that will take the action off-world for the first time. These tournaments will take place on Desolation, a map set on a giant asteroid, where three massive guilds will do battle in PlanetSide 2-style action. The first preseason cycle will launch this Friday, March 13.

For those still on Earth, they can look forward a new War Asset system. This allows players and guilds to collect resources that can be crafted into whole new assets. This includes a Bastion Fleet Carrier, a massive new vehicle containing mannable turrets, giant cannons, and mobile respawn points; Steel Rain, which organizes a drop pod deployment for a full platoon; a Citadel Shield, which deploys a bubble shield across an entire encampment; A.N.V.I.L. (Advanced Nanite Vehicle Insertion Logistics), which airdrops any ground vehicle to a specific point at any time; and an Orbital Satellite Uplink, which allows players to call in Orbital Strikes anywhere on the battlefield.

Other additions to the game include a new Outfit loyalty system, new bundles, and a new Sanctuary zone. This combat-free area will serve as a community hub where Outfits can recruit, players can shop for new items, or where anyone can simply take a break from the neverending action.

If you're looking to jump back into PlanetSide 2, now's the time. Or at least it will be when servers go back up in the early afternoon. There's a Double XP event going from now through Sunday, March 15 at 11:59PM PT. For more on today's Escalation update, be sure to check out the PlanetSide 2 website.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?