Developer BioWare’s ongoing effort to improve the experience in its loot-based shooter Anthem has hit a new milestone thanks to the release of today’s Anthem update. However, the intent of the update and what has actually changed are not pleasing players, who are noting a dramatic decrease in the quality of Anthem loot.
To recap, today saw the launch of Anthem update 1.0.4, which was supposed to boost loot drops for Grandmaster 1 difficulty and “Apex creatures,” among dozens of other changes. It also introduced Elysian Caches for acquiring cosmetics at the completion of an Anthem stronghold.
Unfortunately, what players are noting is a lower quality in overall loot, despite claims from BioWare that the update was supposed to do the opposite. Stronghold bosses, for example, no longer drop a guaranteed Masterwork gear item, but instead can drop Epic and Rare quality loot. Even on Grandmaster 2 difficulty, where the time investment is higher, players are noting drops that are below expectations.
Similarly, Anthem has added embers (crafting materials) to the loot pool for Stronghold caches and other chests, so it is possible to complete a Stronghold encounter and come away with no physical gear. And in case that didn’t create its own problems, Anthem players can now pick up loot for other players. No longer will players be able to avoid the blue or purple loot that they don’t want; they are practically forced to pick it up.
While BioWare’s update notes for Anthem suggested that this new patch was going to improve the experience, many community members and players are finding things have gotten worse. To their credit, BioWare’s goal was to account for players wanting crafting materials and the ability of Stronghold bosses to drop Legendary gear but they took some other elements out in the meantime.
But perhaps the most frustrating element is that BioWare did not reveal all of these changes in its Anthem patch notes. The loss of the guaranteed Masterwork or the loot pickup change is not mentioned at all.
It seems the story of Anthem is meant to be two steps forward and one step back. While Anthem has made positive changes to the game and its loot, a promising update like today comes around and leads to frustration.
Anthem is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
