May 19, 2021 Update

All PC servers will come down for the following changes on Wednesday, May 19, at 6:00am PT (3:00pm CEST). Downtime for this update is expected to last up to 2 hours.

Note: Much of the content in this update becomes active on the 20th, despite the update's release on the 19th.

Celebrating 18 Years of PlanetSide
On May 20, we commemorate the 18-year legacy of PlanetSide from its initial release in 2003.

Double Experience Event
ALL PLAYERS will receive DOUBLE EXPERIENCE from May 20 - May 23.

A relic of the past?
FL-34 ran across some old equipment while cleaning out his shop. Make sure to visit him on Sanctuary.

NS Scorpion - 1000 Certs / 799 DBC
Over the past few years we've been integrating classic weapons and armor from the original game into the world of PlanetSide 2. This year brings another new (old) weapon to the fore.

The NS Scorpion rocket launcher fires a distance-detonated airburst that rains explosive bomblets upon enemy infantry and vehicles below. This weapon will require the user to learn the feel and timing of each shot, and has a high skill cap to get the most use out of it.

New items in the Depot
From May 20 - May 31, you can also visit the Depot for classic weapons and armor, solid faction camos, limited-time bundles, and a sleek new Punisher variant.

NS-66 Punisher SE - 1499 DBC
This gold-trimmed NS-66 Punisher also comes with gold optics and attachments, and contributes to Exceptional IV directive progress.

More in the Depot
Offerings from previous years will also be available in the Depot.

The Bending Bundle - 2499 DBC
Heavy Assaults in throwback Rexo armor and helmets available in The Bending Bundle.
 * Solid Gray Camo (TR only)
 * Solid Yellow Camo (NC only)
 * Solid Cyan Camo (VS only)
 * NC Rexo Armor (Heavy Assault)
 * NC Rexo Helmet
 * VS Rexo Armor (Heavy Assault)
 * VS Rexo Helmet
 * TR Rexo Armor (Heavy Assault)
 * TR Rexo Helmet
 * PS1-AV Suppressor (MKV-Suppressed Variant, Common Pool SMG)

PS-1AV Suppressor - 1499 DBC
This retro throwback of the "Suppressor" automatic rifle from the original PlanetSide is brought back as a cosmetic variant for the MKV-Suppressed SMG, and contributes to Exceptional II directive progress.

NS-03 Thumper SE - 1499 DBC
This special edition NS-03 Thumper has gold stylings with red emissives, and contributes to Exceptional III directive progress. There are even more in the Depot than is listed here. Go take a look!

Misc. Changes, Fixes, and Additions

 * Citadel Shield now has two-way projectile collision, and the visuals have been adjusted slightly for better visibility.
 * Speculative fix for Flash and Concussion Grenades disappearing after they're thrown.
 * Changed the color of the Concussion Grenade model from pumpkin orange to light grey.
 * Additional improvements to the Containment Site, this time centered around how quickly collision is rendered within the facility.

Looking Forward
Smallish update here (yet still loads of work,) with the big NSOverhaul update being slated for the next major release. The tech developed for the Scorpion's airburst is pretty powerful, and gives us a lot of room to do cool things with in the future. During the development of the new tech, the team was able to refactor old code that was either messy, or engineered to be overly explicit in its function, and also brought to light some low key issues that were addressed at the same time. These sorts of things aren't likely to be noticed in normal gameplay, but matter behind the scenes when it comes to overall health of the code base. Anywho, looking forward to see what craziness you all can pull off with the new weapon. -Wrel, Lead Designer