April 27, 2016 Update

The Planetside 2 PC servers will be coming down at 6am (Pacific) / 13:00 (UTC) for an update. The estimated downtime is 1.5 hours and will require a client download.

Below is a list of the additions/changes in the publish:

The Construction System has been released!
The battlefields of Auraxis are changing. Cortium, a powerful new mineral, allows for the near instantaneous deployment of player-built fortifications. This limited resource has prompted the deployment of Advanced Nanite Transports (ANTs), which harvest Cortium and convert it into battle-ready building material.

New Resource: Cortium
Appearing across the wilder areas of Auraxis, Cortium crystals can be harvested and used to create and power player-constructed objects, defenses, and fortifications.

New Vehicle: The ANT
ANTs are 4 man transports that have mining lasers for harvesting Cortium nodes. They can store Cortium in an on-board tank or drop it off at constructed Cortium Silos. The ANT can be deployed at any time, which will reveal access to a building terminal, from which you can equip and then place fortifications, at cost to Cortium.

With the right upgrades and a tank full of Cortium, the ANT has some other interesting abilities as well…
 * C300 Turbo Engine: The Cortium Turbo Engine grants powerful thrust by converting stored minerals into fuel.
 * Transport Cloak: While active, the Transport Cloak drains the ANT's stored Cortium in exchange for limited invisibility.
 * C-Barrier: While active, a barrier forms around the ANT, absorbing incoming damage at the cost of stored Cortium.

New Construction Objects

 * In order to place a construction object, you’ll need to first have access to its schematic. Once you own the schematic, you’ll be able to use the terminals on the ANT or Silo to deploy those items with Cortium.
 * These schematics can be obtained from either the Depot’s new Construction section, or directly from an ANT or Silo terminal.
 * Each item has a limited number that can be active at once, so keep an eye on the counter or you’ll end up deconstructing earlier objects.

All players are granted the following schematics/items for free with the release of the new system:


 * Cortium Silo
 * The heart of any large base, this silo stores large quantities of Cortium. ANTs can offload Cortium to Silos using the same method as harvesting minerals; just approach the Silo and hold the firing button.
 * Many objects require a nearby Silo (with stored Cortium!) to remain active, as the Silo acts as a fuel source for their abilities. Modules, for example, are constructs that can improve surrounding fortifications, but go offline if the Silo runs out of Cortium. While a module is near a Silo, Cortium will be drained automatically. The more objects that require power, the faster your Cortium Silo will drain.
 * They can store up to 50,000 Cortium at a time.
 * Claims the nearby area for you and your squad, which allows you to deconstruct (see Decon Tool) the fortifications of un-squadded allies near your Silo.
 * HIVE
 * Hardline Interference Volume Emitters or “HIVEs” are structures which can generate Victory Points over time.
 * The “chassis” is vulnerable when unpowered, but while housing a Victory Core, the chassis becomes indestructible, and a small, shielded area becomes the only point where it can receive damage.
 * Active HIVEs generate Victory Points based on their proximity to the enemy Warp Gate, and require Cortium from a nearby Silo to operate.
 * Players must be BR 15 or higher to place a HIVE
 * Rampart Walls
 * Long, horizontal wall with high health, and firing areas for infantry.
 * Bunkers
 * Small, durable fortification with firing areas for infantry, and an open area on the top.
 * Xiphos (Anti-Infantry) Phalanx Turret
 * Mannable turret which excels at taking down enemy infantry.
 * Deployable Decon Tool
 * Can be used to deconstruct misplaced structures.

Other available schematics include:
 * Sunderer Garage
 * Small garage with enough cover to house a single Sunderer, ANT, or perhaps some other things you’d want to keep safe.
 * Repair Module
 * Cortium-powered module which quickly repairs nearby structures. This is an extremely important component of any base, especially for keeping hard targets like walls and bunkers alive
 * Structure Shield Module
 * Cortium-powered module that creates one-way shields for most of the openings on Bunkers, Rampart Walls, and Sunderer Garages.
 * Skywall Shield Emitter
 * Cortium-powered module which projects a shield above, protecting from aerial bombardment and severely injuring enemy infantry which drop through it.
 * Turret AI Module
 * Cortium-powered module which provides nearby deployed turrets with automated tracking abilities, allowing them to fire on enemies who stray too close.
 * Spear (Anti-Vehicle) Phalanx Turret
 * Mannable turret which excels at destroying enemy vehicles.
 * Aspis (Anti-Air Phalanx) Turret
 * Mannable turret which excels at destroying enemy aircraft.

Construction Placement
Added a new system to help with construction object placement.

A series of highlights and rings that appear when you are holding a construction item should help you determine what objects are affecting/being affected by other construction objects.
 * Red highlights/rings show no deploy areas and objects that are creating that conflict for deployment
 * Blue highlights/rings show active repair modules and their radius of effect
 * Green highlights/rings show the things in the radius of effect of the object you are currently trying to place and/or objects other than the repair mod that will affect what you’re placing
 * Orange ring shows the range of what can be powered by a placed Cortium Silo

These effects should only appear when relevant to keep the display from becoming overly cluttered.

Victory Cores
With the HIVE, we’re introducing the concept of Victory Cores. These cores are shared across each faction and can be viewed in the VP UI.

When a continent unlocks, each faction has a certain amount of cores available. By default, each faction gets 2 cores, with an additional core given to whichever faction unlocked the current continent. Cores are automatically placed in HIVEs the system thinks are the most viable every 180 seconds, with the following rules:
 * The closer the HIVE is to an enemy Warp Gate, the faster it will generate Victory Points. HIVEs that can generate more VP are prioritized over those generating less
 * If your active HIVE is in a contested area, your core can not be relocated.
 * If you overextend into enemy territory without enough support, the system will determine your HIVE to be too dangerous to provide a core too. If you’re setting up in enemy territory, bring some significant backup or you won’t get a core.

When an active HIVE is destroyed, the faction who destroyed it will steal that core for their faction, and it will then automatically activate the most ideal HIVE, provided another empty HIVE exists.

It’s worth noting that Silos must be restocked with Cortium constantly, as HIVEs, like modules, require an active power source to function. If a Silo runs out of Cortium, an active HIVE will no longer generate Victory Points.

VP Scoring Changes
Additionally, the overall VP scoring has been updated as follows:
 * All continents now require 15 Victory points to capture (including Indar)
 * Indar alerts are now worth 5 VP
 * Linking a single warpgate VP reward has been increased to 2, from 1
 * Linking both warpgate simultaneously VP reward has been increased to 4, from 3
 * Capturing all of any facility type VP reward has been increased to 3, from 2
 * Capturing all facilities VP reward has been increased to 15, from 10
 * VP reward has been increased to 2, from 1

Continent Faction Population Queue
Any player trying to zone into a continent where their faction has 10% more population than the lowest populated faction will be placed into a queue.
 * At least one continent must have over 150 players on it for the queue to be active
 * The target continent must have at least 50 players on for the queue to be active
 * If the player’s faction is severely overpopulated on all unlocked continents, they will be able to play on the continent where their faction has the least population advantage

New Weapon: NS-20 Gorgon
Developed as a more mobile version of the M20 Basilisk, the NS-20 Gorgon provides MAX units with a balanced mix of anti-infantry and anti-vehicle firepower. Gold and Black variants are also available.

Welcome to New Indar
Massive changes have been made to the continent of Indar. The terrain, lattice, and bases have all received revisions to facilitate better gameplay and a fresh experience.

Warpgates:
 * All warpgates are now updated using the newer updated Koltyr style layout.
 * Moved ocean WG over to the west slightly, added bridge crossing chasm that leads to the Ocean WG’s next lattice base, Indar Waste Treatment

Small Outposts:

 * NS Salvage Yard
 * Removed outpost from the Lattice
 * Indar Waste Treatment
 * Added additional sunderer cover
 * Added larger CyA bldg on south side
 * Added hackable equipment terminal to CyA building
 * Redirected flow from warpgate, now uses a bridge going over the oceanbed chasm
 * Briggs Laboratories
 * Added additional sunderer cover
 * Replaced Mini Spawn with Main Spawn
 * Adjusted cap point area, cover
 * Indar Comm. Array
 * Lowered top of mesa approximately 20-30m~
 * Added small Sunderer garage
 * Added better cover for attackers coming from Dahaka Southern Post
 * Increase pain field size on spawn
 * Moved vehicle spawn to front of base (goodbye ridiculous vehicle pads!)
 * West Highlands Checkpoint
 * Removed outpost from the Lattice
 * Replaced with Large Sunderer Garage
 * East Canyon Checkpoint
 * Removed outpost from the Lattice
 * Replaced with Large Sunderer Garage
 * Sandstone Gulch Mining
 * Removed outpost from the Lattice
 * Replaced with Large Sunderer Garage
 * Blackshard Iridium Mine
 * Removed outpost from the Lattice
 * Abandoned NS Offices
 * Removed outpost from the Lattice.
 * Moved the buildings about 200m east and added an additional road around it.
 * NS Secure Datalab
 * Added Sunderer Garage
 * Increased spawn room area defensibility
 * Severed Vanu Archives link.
 * NS Research Labs
 * Removed outpost from Lattice
 * Peris Field tower will now link to Vanu Archives with an Outpost Garage replacing NS Research Labs approximately 200m to the northwest.
 * Galaxy Solar Plant
 * Upgraded spawn room to Barracks.
 * Replaced CyA cap point building with new BldgP.
 * Added a Sunderer Garage for attackers, as well as an extra road that properly reflects the lattice connection with Ceres Hydroponics.
 * The Palisade
 * Lowered height of the Palisade’s plateau as well as its static AV turrets
 * Added Sunderer Garages.
 * Upgraded spawn room to Barracks and removed the SCU.
 * Added 1-way jump-down platform allowing defenders to better access to cap point from pedestrian bridge.
 * Lowered height of high road leading to Crimson Bluff.
 * Red Ridge Communications
 * Removed outpost from Lattice.
 * Added Outpost Garage on opposite side of road.
 * Reduced grade of road from Tawrich Recycling to Scarred Mesa slightly.
 * The Old Stockpile
 * Upgraded spawn room to Barracks + aligned it with lattice.
 * Added Sunderer Garages
 * Improved the attacker’s approach from Feldspar Canyon.
 * NS Refinery
 * Upgraded spawn room to barracks.
 * Replaced CyA cap point building with BldgP.
 * Added Sunderer Garage and adjusted flow in core of base.
 * Removed teleporter in Med-Wing building.
 * Scarred Mesa Skydock
 * Upgraded spawn room to barracks.
 * Lowered height of mesa significantly.
 * Entrances are now accessible primarily by foot.
 * Moved Vehicle Term up onto Scarred Mesa.
 * Added Sunderer Garages and battlefield cover.
 * Highlands Solar Station
 * Upgraded spawnroom to barracks, moved to ‘rear’ of base
 * Added Sunderer garage
 * Adjusted capture point area cover
 * Ayani Labs
 * Added Sunderer garage, bridge for attacker path
 * Upgraded spawn to Barracks
 * Replaced large building with a non-roof accessible variant
 * Vanu Archives
 * Readjusted cap point locations
 * Added gravity lifts to ease attacking the base
 * Added a sunderer garage, footpaths to attacker launch pads
 * Howling Pass Checkpoint
 * Added additional sunderer cover on the eastern side to support attackers
 * NS Material Storage
 * Revamped base to be more defensible + align with a lattice better

Large Outposts:

 * Camp Connery
 * Moved Cap Point out of Tower into nearby building
 * Added additional road on north side
 * Added additional cover + sunderer spots
 * Indar Excavation Site
 * Moved Cap Point out of Tower into nearby CyA building
 * Added additional road on north side
 * Added additional cover + sunderer spots
 * Redid B Cap point to be covered
 * Added equip term in J Building
 * Indar Bay Point
 * Moved cap Point out of Tower into newly designed BldgO
 * Moved cap point into CyA building near Tower
 * Added extra roads to reduce chokepoints
 * Made it easier for attackers to progress over the vehicle bridge
 * Added under-truss maintenance bridge under vehicle bridge
 * Added additional roads to reduce chokepoints around base
 * Quartz Ridge Camp
 * Removed teleporter building
 * Replaced MiniSpawn with Barracks
 * Added stairs to allow Infiltrators to hack vehicle terms, but not up to spawn plateau
 * Camp Waterson
 * Aligned spawn room with Lattice and moved it to the back.
 * Moved shooting range cap point to old spawn location.
 * Reduced number of AV turrets.
 * Added Sunderer Garage and additional cover in battlefield.
 * Regent Rock Garrison
 * Moved Cap Point out of Tower into nearby BldgP.
 * Added Sunderer Garages.
 * Added additional road + routes when attacking base.

Facilities & Facility Satellites:

 * Hvar Tech Plant
 * Greater Hvar Region – Lowered the height of Hvar plateau significantly
 * Disabled AV turrets from the flight deck
 * Moved superstructure farther back on plateau, opening up more space for fights between the Tech Plant and its satellite bases
 * Hvar Northgate Garrison
 * Renamed to Hvar Databank.
 * Complete redesign
 * Pulled much of the fortification (walls, gate shield) out of the base to better balance its defensibility (still has a big height advantage)
 * Added sundy garages out front to allow fights to stick better
 * Hvar Southgate Garrison
 * Renamed to Hvar Physics Lab
 * Complete redesign
 * Added sundy garage
 * Hvar Western Post
 * Complete redesign
 * Added sundy garage
 * Tawrich Tech Plant
 * Removed unintuitive road between Tawrich Depot and Tawrich Tower
 * Disabled AV turrets from the flight deck
 * Tawrich Depot
 * Readjusted base to better fit Lattice
 * Moved gate shield gen building in front of gate
 * Changed cap point building from CyA to BldgP
 * Widened road that leads to Tawrich tech plant
 * Adjusted spawn room platform and vehicle spawn
 * Added additional cover; should be easier to defend the base now.
 * Tawrich Tower
 * Can now attack Stronghold and Gravel Pass directly from Tawrich Tower
 * Added additional buildings and cover leading to Tawrich tech plant
 * Tawrich Recycling
 * Switched positions of spawn room and generator building.
 * Added better Sunderer cover at entrances to outpost from both sides.
 * Mao Southwest Gate
 * Switched spawn + cap point locations
 * Increased size of base
 * Added extra gate shield facing Tech Plant Mao
 * Moved Gate Gen outside of base
 * Mao Watchtower
 * Aligned base with lattice & roads
 * new cap point BldgO, Sunderer
 * Added Garages
 * Added extra roads.
 * Peris Amp Station
 * Added Sunderer Garage to eastern side of base.
 * Peris Eastern Grove
 * Revamped base entirely expanding on original concept/feel.
 * Moved spawn room to back side of base
 * Added Sunderer Garages
 * Improved under-truss service bridge to Peris.
 * Peris Field Tower
 * Added Sunderer cover
 * Added additional cover and buildings.
 * Allatum & Rashnu
 * Added Sundy Garages next to the lift platforms
 * Allatum Botany Wing
 * Adjusted vehicle pad road to not be part of the main route when attacking the base
 * Closed off the road leading to Snake Ravine, players will need to route around the rock to get there
 * Added better cover for defenders to exit spawn
 * Rashnu Watchtower
 * Redid layout to be less funnely for attackers. Tower & cap point swapped, added an extra route from Rashnu to its watchtower

Battlefields:
Howling Pass <-> NS Material
 * Quartz Ridge <-> Hvar Databank
 * Should now be much easier to fight from Quartz Ridge up to Hvar now due to the hill being less steep.
 * Added additional road to the east.
 * Hvar <-> Hvar Satellites
 * Much more room between all of its satellites now, should be better fights here as a result
 * Quartz Ridge <-> Indar Comm Array
 * Added road that was missing to better reflect its lattice connectivity
 * Mao Southwest <-> Briggs Labs
 * Added additional roads + cover between these bases
 * Redid roads leading to base, now has one road that splits, but does not surround the base as before
 * Snake Ravine <-> Vanu Archives <-> Allatum Botany
 * Area received a road to better direct players/vehicles into the fight
 * Ti Alloys <-> The Crown
 * Added vehicle and infantry cover on the bridge between Ti Alloys and The Crown
 * Added additional rock cover on the rock arch between Ti Alloys and The Crown
 * Added a few extra trees to deter the west AV turret on the Crown from shelling Ti Alloys
 * Ti Alloys <-> Ceres Hydroponics
 * Added a low road under the rock arch to Ceres
 * Added additional cover to the field between Ceres & Ti
 * Ti Alloys <-> Allatum Botany Wing
 * Redirected road to Botany Wing to not pass by the veh pad

Even More Updates!

 * The Squad browser now shows a squad’s “cohesion” level. Higher cohesion means squad members are playing more closely to one another; squad leaders are weighted more heavily than other squad members.
 * NS Annihilator, NS Decimator, and The Kraken have received updated models and textures.
 * Map tactical overlays (map drawing) are now available for personal use
 * Map tactical overlays are now visible at the highest map zoom level but at a higher transparency
 * Hold when viewing map to disable indicator interactions. This will allow players to click through to place waypoints without the indicators getting in the way.
 * Vehicles/MAX at low health will see nearby engineer callouts on the minimap / HUD indicators
 * Outfit “invite all to group” functionality now will only send invite to outfit members who are not in a squad already or if they are a squad leader
 * Squad center of mass distance metric shown in the squad browser. The leader is weighted higher than other squad members.
 * Squad cohesion metric (average inter-member distance) shown in the squad browser.
 * Deployable status indication on the HUD
 * Green IFF on main weapon reticles
 * HUD loadout UI polish and update: equipment slots with timers on them ( e.g. squad beacon ) now persist on the HUD until the timer is complete.
 * Fix for vehicle turbo bars not functioning when first entering vehicles
 * Fix for overlapping deploy ability indicator with implant icon on the HUD vitals
 * Fix for deployment spawn indicators intermittently appearing on the wrong continent and becoming stuck
 * Fix for damaged squad vehicles not showing up on minimap at close distances to the vehicle
 * Speculative fix for the “spawning at wrong location than what I clicked on” bug
 * Speculative fix for bug where minimap indicators, esp. vehicles, intermittently do not appear
 * Hydroponics Lettuce Shelf Prop can no longer be seen through or shot through to fix occlusion issues related to the small opening.
 * Change wield knife hotkey to from