Planetside 2 Is Bringing New Content Yet Again, With Outfit Wars And Flying Fortresses

Planetside 2 Is Bringing New Content Yet Again, With Outfit Wars And Flying Fortresses
Credit: Planetside 2 via YouTube

Planetside 2 went from a fascinating title of massive warfare to stagnant, as the developers shifted from supporting their title to attempting to bring the battle-royale fanbase into the Planetside franchise, and back again.  Now that Planetside Arena has officially been announced as dead, and with studios being stood up for the purpose of solely supporting Planetside, many are presuming that we can get back to what the title was known for; massive battles.

It seems bizarre how a title known for massive FPS battles attempted to switch from that into yet another battle-royale, and it didn’t work with the established fanbase that Planetside once had.  Analysts will likely be puzzling over that well into the future.

It seems as though the new studio charged with caring for Planetside (Rogue Planet Games) is wasting no time in bringing the series back to its core, and it’s doing so in a decidedly Battlefield 2142 fashion.

This upcoming patch is called Escalationand features flying juggernauts that act as mobile spawn points for troops and air vehicles, along with hosting a tremendous slew of firepower.  Much like the Titans from Battlefield 2142, their aerial deployment can shift the tide of battle, and suffocate even the most stalwart of defenders.

These interplanetary airships, called Bastions, take quite a bit of resources to pull into battle, and each Outfit has its own destroyer.  They can be brought down by destroying multiple weak points across the gargantuan craft, but it doesn’t seem to be the easiest task;  Bastions seem to add to the zerg-like tactics that Planetside 2 has become known for.

Still, let’s not call it overkill before we get to see the bad boy in action.  Along with Outfits being able to call down these high-powered ships, they’re also getting a few more goodies to play with that can help soldiers in the field.

The Steel Rain ability allows Outfits to call in a coordinated drop pod assault on target locations, bringing reinforcements at clutch moments.  The Citadel Shield allows builders to craft massive shields that can encompass entire bases, blocking enemy projectiles.

When the building-centric roles came into play in Planetside 2, it appeared to be a misguided attempt at breathing life into the title, and many were frustrated with the options suddenly granted.  It seems as though Escalation will bring those mechanics to the forefront, allowing them to craft and call both offensive and defensive support.

The patch goes live today on Planetside 2’s PTR, allowing users to experiment with what the studio is envisioning as the near future of the massive war title.  Time will tell if this is enough to pick up the fledgling numbers that are left in the title.

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