Anthem is about to undergo some of its most drastic changes yet. A recent developer stream hosted by BioWare claimed that the next patch will host around 300 changes for the game, including one that will fix all instances of the PS4 hard crashing issue that has plagued the game’s console release.

Anthem is one of the early disappointments of 2019, a fact that EA and BioWare have been scrambling to massage away with a multitude of updates. The game has been riddled with issues from day one, including several notables such as the aforementioned PS4 crashing issue, dramatically miscalculated loot drop rates, and a weapon balancing system that has made a level one rifle the most powerful weapon in Anthem.

Anthem’s next patch, which is scheduled for March 12 according to the Twitch-hosted developer stream, will address many of these issues all at once. The patch is meant to fix the Level 1 Defender rifle bug, which is apparently an easy fix for the team at BioWare. While a full list of what the patch will address isn’t available yet, the developers hinted at a number of different solutions that should make Anthem significantly more playable.

No PS4s Were Permanently Bricked Due To Anthem; Crashing Problem Will Be Fixed

Naturally, this is the biggest headline from the developer stream, and with good reason. When rumors began circulating that Anthem was crashing PS4s, the situation for EA and BioWare was bad enough; when later reports suggested that Anthem was actually bricking PS4s and rendering them unusable, the companies had a full-blown catastrophe swirling around them.

According to the devs, in all instances of the PS4 hard crashing issue, they’ve discovered that PS4 consoles can be powered back on. BioWare says that no PS4s have been permanently damaged from the issue, which some people had claimed earlier this week, and that the shutoff problem should be fixed once the patch launches. While it’s the kind of issue that should never make it to a post-launch game, at least BioWare was quick to repair it, especially since players were convinced it could obliterate their PS4s if it occurred to them.

End-game Weapon Bug Is Going Away

Anthem made headlines earlier this week for its weapon damage being bugged. According to research done by a user on Reddit, Anthem’s Level 1 Defender rifle could outperform a Level 45 masterwork rifle. This is because Anthem scales based on the levels of players so that they can complete content together even with a massive level discrepancy. Obviously, that feature wasn’t functioning as intended.

The dev team was adamant that it was nothing more than a silly bug, and that it would be an easy fix. According to them, players will see their weapons performing as intended come March 12.

Other Patch Notes:

  • Added a 30 second respawn timer to replace respawn restricted missions so players can respawn themselves when teammates don’t. Added ability to launch missions from anywhere in Fort Tarsis rather than walking to the Javelin. Crashing into walls and overheating will have some reduction in animation time, especially for Colossus. Common and uncommon items will no longer drop after level 30. Probable fix for a lot of the bugs that deal with Quickplay mission issues. Added a “random Stronghold” option. Fixed many of the issues with sound cutting out. Server shutdown messages will no longer be as annoying. The glitches that locked people behind walls should no longer occur. Titans can now be primed, and they will absorb more damage overall. Visual bug that made players’ think their ultimate bar was full has been fixed. Mark of Ruin works as intended now. Gunslinger’s Mark works as intended now. Melees and Ultimates should now scale damage properly at higher levels. Ranger grenade cooldown components now work as intended. Wind wall and Ranger dome properly block damage at higher difficulties. Base damage of Masterwork weapons will be generally increased across the board.

Naturally, with a patch that will have around 300 changes, it was impossible for the developers to go into every single detail. What we know about Anthem’s March 12 patch so far, though, is that it will continue to improve the quality-of-life experience of Freelancers who remain enamored with the game’s best elements despite its many failings. But will it be enough to salvage Anthem? That’s tough to say. Typically, fans can only stomach so much incompetence before moving on to the next title, but Anthem has a certain allure to it that’s hard to ignore, and despite BioWare’s difficulties, it’s still one of the better studios in the industry.

One thing at a time, however. For now, let’s just make sure Level 1 weapons aren’t outperforming the rarest weapons in the game and that Anthem isn’t randomly shutting down consoles indiscriminately.

More: Diablo 3 Developer Perfectly Explains Anthem’s Biggest Issues

Source: Anthem Twitch Channel (via Reddit)