Shuttered Studio Arkane Austin Releases Ambitious Final Patch For Redfall

The final patch for Redfall–the much-maligned co-op shooter from Arkane Austin–has arrived, and it brings a large number of new changes and systems to the game. These include a “Community Standing” mechanic that rewards you for completing objectives, a new type of vampire nest to take down, and the introduction of an offline mode.

Community Standing is arguably the biggest addition here, as it affects many aspects of Redfall from the ground up. Players will now earn this reputation by unlocking Safehouses, completing Safehouse missions, rescuing civilians, and killing an Underboss. You can then spend this reputation to unlock rewards from the Safehouse Skill Tree, which has 39 different rewards that are tiered through six different ranks.

The new Elder Nest is the other headline inclusion, which are boss-focused encounters that challenge players to defeat particularly difficult vampires. Once you defeat the powerful boss within, you’ll receive big rewards, as well as a temporary buff called a Heart Shard, which gives you and your party members a randomized bonus, like holstered weapons regenerating ammo.

This update also brings a number of quality-of-life changes to the game, including the inclusion of offline mode, which allows you to play the game without being connected to the internet. It adds single-player pausing, so that players no longer have to find a safe corner to hide in to adjust their kit.

Notably, there are no full patch notes for Update 4, and that the update text states that it has other additions for players to find. This makes sense, given that this is the final patch for Redfall due to the closure of its developer Arkane Austin. Microsoft shuttered the studio as part of a wave of closures that included Hi-Fi Rush studio Tango Gameworks. Arkane Austin was reportedly pitching an “immersive sim” similar to its previous game Prey before the hammer dropped. Microsoft has stated that Redfall will remain online.