The Finals Season 3 Patch Notes: World Tour, new map and weapons, balance changes and more

The Finals Season 3 just launched with the 3.0.0 update patch notes and with it came a new map, weapons, battle pass, new ranked mode, and more. The Finals has been growing ever since its launch in December 2023 with the developers at Embark Studios listening to the community closely and balancing the game. The Finals Season 3 update is one of the biggest the game has received since its launch.

Embark Studios has gone all in with its effort to put out quality content and marketing to make the game grow among the masses.

This article will list everything new in The Finals Season 3 Patch Notes, including the balance changes to the weapons, gadgets, and contestants.

Everything new in The Finals Season 3

World Tour

Embark Studios has introduced a new tournament-style format to play Cashout and climb a ranked ladder from Bronze to Gold. The Finals Season 3 World Tour Tournament will feature 24 players facing off each other in a 2-3 weeks cycle. The top five players will be listed on the front page of the World Tour. The first stop in the World Tour is the ENGIMO Open.

New Map: Kyoto 1568 in The Finals Season 3

Kyoto 1568 Map in The Finals (Image via Embark Games)

The Finals Season 3 is introducing a new map, Kyoto 1568 to the community which is themed around 16th-century Japanese temples, bamboo forests, and gardens. The map is unique in its own right due to its complex interwoven structures, layered buildings, and hidden passageways. All of which is beautiful yet destructible making it one of the best maps the game has ever seen.

Ranked Terminal Attack in The Finals Season 3

The official ranked mode in The Finals Season 3 is now the Terminal Attack Game Mode. Terminal Attack is a 5v5 attack and defense-style game mode that focuses on strategic and competitive gameplay. Embark Studios has revamped the complete Ranked System incorporating a new skill-based system. For more information on how this works, check out The Finals Season 3 Ranked Terminal Attack: Everything you need to know.

The Finals Season 3 Battle Pass

Battle Pass Level 72: Legendary Outfit - Arch Rival (Image via Embark Studios)

The Battle Pass in The Finals Season 3 has 96 rewards, of which 26 are free, and has 1575 Multibucks up for grabs. The theme of the battle pass revolves around Japan. For a detailed breakdown of the battle pass, check out The Finals Season 3: All Battle Pass rewards.

New Weapon and Tools in The Finals Season 3

A total of three new weapons and two gadgets have been introduced in The Finals Season 3. These are as follows:

Weapons

Recursive Bow
Dual Blades
Spear

Tools

Thermal Bore
Winch Claw

Text Chat and Carrer Circuit in The Finals Season 3

Dual Blades Legendary Skin - Real Robot Blades in The Finals Season 3 (Image via Embark Studios)

Embark Studios has listened to the community and finally added a text chat feature to let you talk to your teammates in the game without having to use voice chat.

They have also added a new career circuit incorporating Rookie, Challenger Circuit, Pro Circuit, and Masters Circuit. There are exciting rewards jam-packed into them making it worthwhile for everyone to finish the required contracts to gain XP to unlock them.

Also Read: Twitch Rivals for The Finals: Everything you need to know

Balance Changes in The Finals Season 3

Weapons in the Finals (Image via Embark Studios)

Builds

Light

Decreased health regeneration delay from 10 seconds to 7 seconds, meaning health starts regenerating sooner. Does not apply in the Terminal Attack game mode.

Dev Note: The dynamics of Terminal Attack mode, with its limited health regen up to 100 HP, means that the Light archetype with their precise and high DPS weapons, can be very effective later in rounds. For that reason, we’ve chosen not to extend these new health regen rules to Terminal Attack for now. We’ll monitor these changes closely, as the season develops and adjust where needed.

Medium

Decreased health regeneration delay from 10 seconds to 9 seconds, meaning health starts regenerating sooner. Does not apply in Terminal Attack game mode.
Healing Beam has been replaced with Guardian Turret as the default Medium Specialization
Defibrillator has been replaced with Glitch Trap as one of the default Medium Gadgets

Dev note: As Terminal Attack becomes the Ranked mode, we want to make sure new players have a loadout that works in all modes. Healing-focused items are still available.

Also read: The Finals: Best loadout for light, medium, and heavy builds

Specializations balance changes in The Finals Season 3

Goo Gun

Getting hit by goo will now block movement Specializations such as Evasive Dash, except Charge ‘n Slam

Winch Claw

Decreased max range from 20m to 17m
Increased cooldown when missing targets from 6 seconds to 7 seconds
Increased cooldown when hitting carriables or teammate’s statues from 6 seconds to 7 seconds
Increased cooldown when hitting players, Cashout Stations or Terminals from 12 seconds to 14 seconds

Gadgets balance changes in The Finals Season 3

Breach Charge

Increased ammo count from 1 to 2
Increased cooldown from 15s to 26s
Decreased player damage from 200 to 80

Data Reshaper

Increased ammo count from 1 to 2
Increased cooldown from 15s to 26s

Gas Grenade

Increased radius from 4.5m to 5m

Glitch Trap - ITEM REWORK

Glitch trap is no longer a proximity detonation device
Glitch trap now has a line-of-sight application. If an enemy player stands within range and in line-of-sight to the trap it will attach a tether to them. Tethered players have the Glitch effect applied to them, preventing them from using Specializations and Gadgets, and disrupting their HUD. Players will need to break the line of sight to the trap, destroy it, or get out of range of it, to remove the effect.

Goo Grenade

Increased the size of the goo wall created by the Goo Grenade from 2x4 to 2x6
Getting hit by goo will now block Evasive Dash and Grapple Hook

Guardian Turret

The cooldown regeneration on the Guardian Turret now starts when the turret is destroyed, not when it is deployed.
Added the ability for players to remotely destroy their Guardian Turret, allowing them to trigger the cooldown if their turret is not nearby. This is done by equipping the Specialization again and holding an interaction for a brief duration.

Motion Sensor - ITEM REWORK

Motion Sensor no longer sends out impulses at regular intervals for detection
Motion Sensor now has line-of-sight application. If an enemy player stands within range and in line-of-sight to the device, the sensor will attach a tether to them. Tethered players will be scanned by the Motion Sensor, allowing friendly players to see them through walls. Players will need to break the line of sight to the sensor or destroy it, to remove the scanning effect.

Smoke Grenade

Increased ammo count from 2 to 3
Increased cooldown from 45s to 50s

Sonar Grenade

Increased detection radius from 10m to 15m

Stun Gun

Players are now unable to use Specializations while the Glitch status is applied

Weapons balance changes in The Finals Season 3

93R

Updated recoil pattern, making the weapon much easier to control and hopefully making headshots easier to achieve

Dev Note: To increase viability for the 93R, we’ve made it considerably more precise but lowered the DPS slightly to offset that. Our aim is to make the weapon more effective when using precise aim and going for headshots, and we’ll continue to monitor its performance following these changes.

Decreased fire rate from 260 RPM to 210 RPM
Decreased automatic recoil recovery duration from 0.72s to 0.7s, making the weapon easier to control
Increased the damage fall-off start distance from 15m to 23m, meaning the weapon will do max damage at longer ranges now
Increased the damage fall-off max distance from 22m to 35m, increasing the range before damage fall-off is fully applied
Decreased the damage fall-off multiplier at max range from 65% to 45%, meaning the weapon will do less damage at longer ranges now

CL-40

Decreased damage from 110 to 93
Increased fire rate from 250 RPM to 275 RPM
Decreased pump-action duration from 0.7s to 0.65s
Decreased self-damage multiplier from 1 to 0.75, reducing how much damage the grenades do to the player using them

FAMAS

Decreased automatic recoil recovery duration from 1s to 0.8s, making the weapon easier to control
Decreased the delay before recoil recovery begins from 0.8s to 0.7s, making the weapon easier to control
Increased damage from 23 to 24

KS-23

Decreased pump-action duration from 0.7s to 0.575s

Lewis Gun

Further updated recoil pattern, making the weapon easier to control for the first few bullets in the sequence, but making the weapon recoil more the longer the trigger is held
Decreased damage from 25 to 22

LH1

Updated firing animation, which should make the weapon easier to use
Decreased fire rate from 300 RPM to 280 RPM
Decreased bullet dispersion when crouching and standing still, making the weapon more precise
Increased player damage from 49 to 52

Dev Note: Overall the effective damage of the LH1 should remain roughly the same, but it should now be easier to use, less nauseating, and more precise when standing still, as well as incentivizing headshots. The lower RPM should help make it feel distinct and make it easier to maintain targets in sights

M60

Updated recoil pattern, making the weapon recoil more during the first few bullets, but making it easier to control for the rest of the sequence
Decreased damage from 22 to 19

SH1900

Increased damage from 10 to 13 per pellet
Decreased fire rate from 100 RPM to 80 RPM
Increased the size of the pellet dispersion pattern, making the weapon less accurate at range

Dev Note: We've wanted for a while to make the SH1900 more effective against Heavies without making it oppressive for Lights. With higher pellet dispersion the SH1900 is now optimized for very close range only, which has allowed us to buff the damage, hopefully making Heavies easier to kill. This is a change we will be monitoring closely to measure its impact

Sledgehammer

Updated camera animation when sprinting, which should reduce motion sickness for some players

Throwing Knives

Decreased projectile speed of primary attacks from 16.5 m/s to 14.75 m/s
Decreased projectile air drag of primary attacks from 7.5 to 7, allowing the projectile to travel farther
Increased projectile speed of secondary attacks from 13.8 m/s to 18.5 m/s
Increased projectile air drag of secondary attacks from 4 to 5.5, increasing the speed at which the projectile slows down

Dev note: Our last balance changes on the Throwing Knives pushed them in the right direction but ultimately felt too powerful, changing the weapon's character too much. We have here dialed down the velocity of the regular projectiles so that leading your throws becomes a requirement again, but not to the same extent as before the last changes. Similarly we sped up the secondary projectiles so that they become a more long-range option with a focus on timing rather than leading.

V9S

Increased damage from 36 to 37

Also read: The Finals best weapons tier list

Carriables balance changes in The Finals Season 3

Glitch Barrel

Decreased radius from 6m to 3.5m

Goo Barrel

Decreased the size of the goo wall created by the Goo Barrel from 2x6 to 2x4

Toxic Gas Barrel

Decreased radius from 5m to 3.5m

Dev note: Overall, we’ve seen a low use of certain gadgets when there are overlapping items available in the arena. Therefore, we are swapping some values around on arena items and gadgets to ensure the latter have a stronger effect while still ensuring players can adapt to different situations even when out of gadget charges.

Game Mode changes in The Finals Season 3

Terminal Attack

Players must now interact with the terminal in order to deliver the decryption key, rather than throwing it into the terminal

Dev Note: It was too easy for attacking teams to rush a terminal and throw in the key to start a decryption, without needing to secure the objective first. This change should force attacking teams to seize the area around the terminal to start decrypting.

Increased the throw distance of the decryption key now that it cannot be thrown into the terminal, allowing for more passing of the key
Added ‘warm-up zones’ to Terminal Attack, limiting where players can move to for the first 25 seconds of the match. This provides more time for the defending team to prepare
Carriable canisters now respawn at the start of each round in Terminal Attack, making sure each team gets access to the same amount each round
The specific combinations of team and objective spawn locations in Ranked Terminal Attack now occur in the same sequence in both halves of the match, making matches fairer.
Added unique names to all terminal locations in the arenas, these are displayed when looking at the terminals and in the lobby screen
Added a player count notification when contestants are eliminated
Added icons in the arena and to the HUD to highlight eliminated teammates and their location
Added Ranked Terminal Attack mode with a best of 13, first to 7 format
In Ranked Terminal Attack, if the match starts without full teams, the game will be automatically abandoned early and players will return to the queue. This is done to ensure games start in a good condition
Added a half-time reset of destruction to Ranked Terminal Attack mode, so that both teams have the same starting conditions as their opponents when defending or attacking

Map changes in The Finals Season 3

Las Vegas

Updated Terminal Attack spawn scenarios

Monaco

Updated Terminal Attack spawn scenarios

Skyway Stadium

Added to the Terminal Attack map pool
Tweaked the Power Shift related spawn points inside the Construction area so that players are better oriented toward the platform’s path

SYS$Horizon

Updated Terminal Attack spawn scenarios

Also Read: "Review bombing is not the answer": A fan pleads with The Finals community to stop trying to kill the game

Content and Bug Fixes in The Finals Season 3

Animation

Added inspect animation for carriables
Blocked left arm gestures in third-person when riding ziplines
Fixed an issue where bullets clipped with the mesh when reloading XP-54
Fixed an issue where the first throw animation on Gateway sometimes didn't play properly
Fixed an issue where an immediate melee attack was not properly displayed after using a Mesh Shield
Fixed an issue where your contestant was not centered during the “tunnel run” match intro
Fixed an issue where melee animations were sometimes not shown when exiting the emote camera.

Dev Note: This was a purely visual error, melee timings were not affected by this bug.

Audio

The audience has been reworked and will now be more responsive to various events in the arena and cheer for the contestants

Career Rank

Added 10 new Career ranks with associated rewards

Fire Propagation

Added a distance limit to all fire sources, to prevent fire from spreading infinitely

Gameplay

Made it possible to skip the elimination camera after a short while and go directly to spectating teammates

Game Modes

Added a dedicated Spectator slot to Private Matches
“Terminal Attack” remains as a base mode
Added “Terminal Attack - Ranked”
Added “Terminal Attack - Tutorial”
Added “World Tour” mode
Removed “Single Round Cashout”
Added more info to the game summary screen: Team name and Game mode
Disabled the Deathmatch game show event as it was not working as intended

Maps

New map: Kyoto

Available in Quick Cash, Tournaments, Bank It, Power Shift and Terminal Attack game modes
Features shallow water that will slow the player’s movement speed, making it risky to cross large open bodies of water
Shoji paper walls that allow bullets to pass through easily

Settings

New volume slider in settings for changing the commentator dialogue volume separately from the in-world dialogue

Store

Enabled single-item purchases for bundles from previous seasons

UI

Text chat added to the PC version
Player cards: Added background customization and added badges that display your rank in World Tour and Ranked Mode
Updated the end-of-round screen to include player cards and to highlight stats
Added a shortcut button to the Play menu from the Career screen
Added a cooldown for the event log when spamming pings and voice lines
Updated event log messages for various types of pings
Updated event log messages related to Cashouts and Terminals to be consistent and always include information about which objective was pinged
Added missing event log messages for certain pings on various objectives, like Cashboxes and Decryption Keys
“Attacking here” ping wheel action was renamed to “Attack here”
“Defending here” ping wheel action was renamed to “Defend here”
Updated “Attack Here” and “Defend Here” event log messages to match the character voice lines
Added event log message when pinging ziplines
It’s now possible to zoom in on pets in the Battle Pass and Store screens
Temporarily disabled the re-rolling of Daily Contracts

Dev Note: We currently have a very small pool of Daily Contracts and felt it was unfair for players to spend VRs to re-roll a contract to only keep getting limited options in return. We hope to introduce more Contracts during the season and then re-enable re-rolls at some point when they offer more value.

Weapons in The Finals Season 3

Added Season 3 items

Dual Blades - Medium Weapon
Recurve Bow - Light Weapon
Spear - Heavy Weapon
Winch Claw - Heavy Specialization
Thermal Bore - Light Gadget

Updated several Equipment HUD Icons

All Grenades
All Mines
C4
Breach Charge
APS Turret
Barricade
Motion Sensor
Thermal Vision
Riot Shield

Miscellaneous Weapon Updates in The Finals Season 3

Added 1 more progression level, with associated reward, for all weapons and gadgets. All item-based Specializations (e.g., Guardian Turret or Goo Gun) also received this.
Fixed an issue where equipped charms would disappear when standing close to walls
Fixed an emote animation exploit with the Sword

Dev note: While these moves discovered by players increase the effectiveness of some melee weapons, they are ultimately exploits and ones that most players find hard to use or unintuitive, adding confusion to the game (especially for those on the receiving end). Since there’s been many changes to melee recently, we believe the viability of melee has been increased and that exploits shouldn’t be needed to compete, but we’ll continue to monitor how the meta develops during Season 3 and will be listening closely to your feedback!

Security updates in The Finals Season 3

Updates to our Aimbot detection system
In-game reporting feedback - We'll inform players who report unfair gameplay when appropriate actions have been taken.

That covers everything in The Finals Season 3 Patch Notes. For more news and guides on The Finals, check out our other articles below: