BioWare is redesigning Anthem, which was one of the biggest flops of 2019.

For a looter-shooter, having reasonable loot is essential, and having reasonable shooting is also a make-or-break factor. Anthem didn’t hit the sweet spot for either (perhaps because the game was rushed, and Electronic Arts wanted this game to be a cash-cow for that quarter), so BioWare shortly announced that they will take Anthem back to the drawing board to try again with the new version.

Anthem 2.0 is handled by BioWare Austin, and their website details the plan on how to make the 1.5-year-old looter-shooter playable (or be played more than before). The devs behind Star Wars: The Old Republic say that they will „increase the frequency of Loot Drops, the loot will be viable more often, too. 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 as well. You can pursue specific loot without relying on randomness alone; Quests; Specialized Vendors; Unique Loot Tables. Modify your loot, including rerolling inscriptions and levelling up items.

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. Reveal and equip loot right away. [A] complete revamp of the equipment sheet – including a detailed stat sheet. The equipment sheet can be accessed from anywhere, allows you to easily see what you have equipped in each slot.

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. 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,” their post says. (Telemetry is also a reason why the game is always online.) What do they mean loot „is celebrated when collected?” Do they expect us to do that in real life, or will the game have some animations regarding what they said? We have no idea.

Regarding the shooting, BioWare made the gameplay more responsive, as enemies are „reacting to hits near instantly.” They are also trying to make the melee attacks more useful. They are also working on new weapon concepts, which you can see below.

Let’s hope that Anthem 2.0, which will launch in 2021, will not be a disappointment. However, by that time, we doubt that the game will be exclusive to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. At this rate, they might be developing a PlayStation 5 and an Xbox Series X version as well.

Source: WCCFTech

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