It’s fairly safe to say that Anthem hasn’t enjoyed the kind of first year its developers – or players – might have hoped. Its post-launch roadmap was scrapped in the face of a host of problems when the game first came out, and key personnel on the Anthem team have left the company since the troubled launch. But this weekend you can take a peek at a bit of upcoming content for EA’s looter-shooter.
Owners of Anthem and Origin Access subscribers can download the Anthem PTS in the Origin Client. Until November 11, that will provide access to Anthem’s upcoming winter holiday event, called Icetide. The world of Bastion will be covered in snow and ice, and new challenges and trials are scattered throughout freeplay.
BioWare says the Tyrant Mine Stronghold is available to complete, and includes “timers, score multipliers, Inversions, and leaderboards.” Finishing with a high score will earn you crystals to spend on special winter-themed rewards.
Out in Freeplay, you’ll find Freelancer Time Trials that respawn every five minutes, plus ‘Snow Globe Storms’ that sound like a new spin on public events. And of course, Fort Tarsis has had its halls decked with holiday regalia to mark the occasion.
The Anthem PTS is a separate client from the live server version, and your progress from either of these will not transfer over to the other. However, BioWare says you will begin playing on the PTS at level 30, with all four javelins unlocked.
The whole idea behind opening a PTS, of course, is to collect player feedback ahead of content going live. To do that, EA has established a special PTS forum where players can report and discuss issues they run into with Icetide.
As rocky a ride as Anthem’s had, it’s also managed to be one of the top-selling games of 2019. Perhaps a fun holiday event could draw some of the lapsed players back into the fold and breathe new life into the game.