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Hands On: In Its Eleventh Season, The Finals Is Better Than Ever
Push Square's hands-on feature argues that The Finals, Embark Studios' free-to-play team shooter, is in the best shape of its life following the launch of Season 11. The writer credits Embark's responsiveness to community feedback for a series of substantial changes that benefit both newcomers and competitive players, positioning the update as a strong stepping stone before the larger Season 12 release the studio has hinted at.
The season's headline additions include a new cashout arena called Galaxy Estates, a Gundam-esque space colony featuring zero-gravity towers and novel "speed floors" that let players build momentum for advanced movement. The melee system has also been reworked, adding a universal "lunge" gated by a new stamina bar, revised damage values that exceed those of Season 10, and a reticle that rewards accurate direct hits while reducing damage for off-target strikes. Ranked play now factors in individual performance when calculating gains and losses, which the writer says makes solo queue more viable, and players can now practise cashout against bots to learn the game without facing skilled opponents.
In short
- The Finals Season 11 is called its best update yet.
- New Galaxy Estates arena adds zero-gravity towers and speed floors.
- Melee rework, skill-based reticle and improved ranked solo queue land.
Explained simply
The Finals is a free-to-play team-based shooter developed by Embark Studios, meaning anyone can download and play without paying money. Groups of players compete against each other in matches where they work together to achieve specific objectives. The game lets players destroy parts of the environment, which affects how they approach combat and where they take cover.
Embark Studios regularly updates the game with new content and adjusts how weapons and abilities work based on what players request. The studio supports both casual players who play for fun and competitive players who want ranked matches that track their performance. This approach to listening to the community and updating the game accordingly has been important to keeping players engaged through multiple seasons.