Ho Ho Ho Fighters! In all it’s glory, we’ll be bringing you some festive cheer with our new Frosty Fest event, Payload Extraction, seasonal leaderboards, profile customization and 2 new weapons hitting the shelves to dabble with! Let’s have a gander in more detail at what’s coming up: [h2]Frosty Fest Event[/h2] It’s holiday time! We're unwrapping some tasty treats for SquadBlast with our first game event - FrostyFest! 'Tis the season of goodies in SquadBlast! Join in the fun over the next few weeks until the end of January, collect special candies in your regular matches, and splash out on cool stuff from our new special Shop Section. Keep an eye out for the special FrostyFest Case in your battle drops – it's loaded with both weapon and fashion items. Don't miss the festive treats! We've sprinkled a bit of holiday magic around your favourite locations in SquadBlast. Can you spot all the festive decorations? Don't forget to check www.squadblast.com every day for the next 7 days, pop open the Frosty Fest Advent Calendar, and scoop up those daily rewards! [h2]Maps and modes[/h2] [b]New Mode - Payload Extraction[/b] What's better than one Payload mode? You got it – two! Introducing the latest addition to our mode lineup – Payload Extraction. It's like a classic concept with a shiny new twist. In a nutshell: Two rounds, one goal! Attackers need to haul the payload across the map to the extraction point while defenders attempt to stop 'em. Round two? Teams swap sides, and victory goes to whoever gets that payload moving faster or closer to the extraction point. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42660749/d888c6874c213c71528a04338fede1167e15cd39.gif[/img] [b]New map - Brooklyn Rush[/b] The first mission available to participate in the update takes place not that far from the New York’s Hideouts - just across the river in Brooklyn with views of the iconic bridge. There is something very attractive about this city. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42660749/18b1ff7a06fc41adaf25359016ebb48b2a987903.jpg[/img] [b]Changes to Matchmaking[/b] We've tweaked the matchmaking rules. Now, when you hit that Battle button, all maps for all modes are 3v3, except for the first match on the Underfoot map. Plus, the party size limit has shrunk to 3 players. so get your trio stacks ready! [h2]Seasons & Leaderboards[/h2] We've been cooking up some changes, and now it's time to say hello to Seasonal Leaderboards in SquadBlast! We hit the reset button on the Leaderboards, and now we've placed them into seasons! Every few weeks, we're shaking up the schedule, resetting the scores, and dishing out rewards like candy based on where you're positioned. The Leaderboards itself has undergone a facelift. Now, your rewards are clearly displayed on the right side. So you always know what's up for grabs. And the icing on the cake? A snazzy timer to keep you posted on when the season's wrapping up. Plus, information in the archives, check out past seasons, and discover the legends and their epic weapons. The current Season 1 will continue for a little while after the release of the update, and Season 2 will start soon! [h2]Profile customization[/h2] Picture this – you're cruising the new Leaderboards, and those default player icons are a bit meh. Not cool, right? Well now you can pimp your profile with the first batch of vanity items – Profile Pictures and Frames. You can unlock new swag from Hero Masteries, pick from a bunch of awesome base options, and level up in the game to unlock even more. We've got some special seasonal ones dropping real soon! Oh, and to make life easier, every profile picture and frame comes with a little note telling you where to grab them. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42660749/2d635d1d591b6906bfaf06e708f3c1b1982424a5.jpg[/img] [h2]Weapons[/h2] [b]Gumball[/b] Now, everyone can snag a sweet Level 2 treat from the main Account Progression – the Gumball It's here to sprinkle some elemental mayhem and give newcomers a taste of what's coming their way. Slow down your opponents, stick 'em to the ground, and seize that advantage! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42660749/c70f54612b0c8fe7f3e4f7ad2117342b1008ccb1.gif[/img] [b]Labyrinth[/b] This secondary smoke grenade launcher deploys a smokescreen, decreasing visibility, concealing your exact location, whilst turning the map into a tactical playground. The labyrinth can be a game changer for setting up battles which can work in your favour by creating sneaky plays in both slaying power and objective efficiency. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42660749/20f015952b7fd531592b8e10ea147e8418a943ac.gif[/img] [h2]UI Changes[/h2] - You can now equip fashion items right from the Inspection preview screen with a dedicated button - Label new now disappears from item cards after 1 second of hovering a cursor over it instead of a press [h2]Other Changes[/h2] - Pause menu button is now available on screen during the respawn sequence in battle - If you have any fashion item equipped, dance animation will be different - Improved haptics for iOS devices in battles to provide a better understanding of what’s happening on the battlefield [h2]Bug Fixes[/h2] - Blackhole sound is back - Touch controls are not present on the screen when you open the scoreboard anymore We’ve made quite a lot of new additions and changes this time round! Dish out your thoughts and findings on our Discord. This update should keep you all pretty busy over the Christmas period! Enjoy and see you all next year!