Anthem’s massive new update brings Cataclysms, Inversions and plenty of other changes to the yard

It has arrived.

Anthem’s long-awaited Cataclysm event has finally begun, and that’ll definitely show Jeremy in accounting how wrong he was about the game never getting any content ever again after it failed to stick the landing. Suck on that, Jeremy. After having done some testing on ye olde public test server, Anthem’s Cataclysm has rolled out of the proving grounds and brought with it a ton of extras in a massive update.

For starters, the Alliance System will now include your guild members whenever Social Rewards are being tallied up, while the newly released Guild app on mobile will let you chat to your club pals. Inversions are also making their debut, as this system radically alters how your Javelin operates in certain environments within the Cataclysm as your Javelin may be buffed by some of them and nerfed by others. Neat.

Javelins now also have two melee weapon slots, new weapons will feature exotic effects and support gear will also be dropped randomly in higher tiered versions. It’s almost as if Bioware is attempting to make Anthem fun again. There’s a ton more in the patch notes, but here’s the cliff notes version of what’s really important:

Anthem – Cataclysm update 1.3.0

New Story Missions 

Track Dr. Harken and unravel the mystery of the Cataclysm. Available to all players who have completed the “Incursion” mission in the main storyline.

Cataclysm 

Battle Vara Brom and her forces in a dangerous new game mode that evolves over time. Teamwork is heavily encouraged as you battle against the dangerous environment and time itself, unlock secrets, and master the Cataclysm to earn all new rewards and rank up the leaderboard. The Cataclysm is available on the Start of Expedition screen for all players who have completed the “Incursion” mission.

• Inversions – Sets of gameplay modifiers that impact how you face the challenges of the Cataclysm.
• Leaderboards – Finishing content in the Cataclysm mode adds to your score. Your score is updated to the leaderboard at the end of your run.
• Seasonal Currency – Complete challenges and content to earn Minor and Major Crystals. Spend that currency on the rewards in the Seasonal Store.
• Seasonal Store – A new store that features time-limited rewards for purchase with the seasonal currency.

Alliance System Changes

• The Alliance System now includes Guild members in addition to Friends when calculating Social Rewards. (You’ll be able to create, join and chat with guild members in a new guild mobile app.)

Inversions – With patch 1.3.0 we’ve introduced a new system called Inversions, which changes the way your Javelin interacts with the environment to various degrees. Some Inversions will hinder you, some will help. Ultimately, they should fundamentally change your experience within the Cataclysm and encourage some diversification to your playstyle. Here is a full list of the Inversions you can expect (two inversions will be active each week during the duration of the Cataclysm event):

• Ultimate Boost – Ultimate meter from kills is increased.
• Turbo Gear – Gear recharge rate is increased.
• Lightning Rod – Close-range kills chain lightning to nearby enemies.
• Close Encounters – Shotguns and Machine Pistols deal increased damage.
• Precision Operator – Snipers and Marksman Rifles deal increased damage.
• Immunity Pack – Ammo pickups grant brief immunity to damage.
• On the Edge – At low armor, damage dealt increases.
• Soldier’s Reward – Killing an enemy restores a small amount of shields.
• From the Skies – Heat build-up while hovering is decreased.
• Air Support – Defeating an enemy while hovering grants increased damage while on the ground for a short time; stacks up to 5 times.
• Broken Magazine – Weapons have no spare ammo, but enemies drop ammo more often.
• Running on Empty – Firing the last shot in a weapon’s clip increases all damage for a short time.

Luck Change

• Luck has been removed from all items and replaced with bonus armor. As a result, drop rates from Easy through Grandmaster 1 difficulty modes will be as if they had previously equipped maximumLuck before the update. Legendary and Masterwork drop rates in Grandmaster 2  and Grandmaster 3 difficulties have increased for all players, including those who equipped maximum Luck previously.

If you’re on PC, the new update will set you back 15.76 Gigglebytes, while the tens of remaining Xbox One and PS4 players can expect a hearty 12GB download on their side, give or take. I’ll give it a bash later today to see how it runs, and if the Cataclysm can give Anthem some much needed go-go fuel in its mostly empty tank.

Last Updated: August 7, 2019