Highlights

• New PvE-Mode: Crossroads
• Progression System Overhaul
• Crafting Overhaul
• Passive Skills
• Loot System Rework

Crossroad

You are now able to play the new PvE experience that is going to replace the Horde Mode.

Mission System & Victory Conditions
Complete 4 Missions

• You can receive a Gold, Silver or Bronze medal when completing a mission based on your performance
• A better score awards more supplies
• There are a number of different missions that will be randomized during a playthrough
• All missions scale in difficulty-level based on the infection level. There is a significant difference in difficulty between low and high infection levels

Secure Supplies

• Your game reward is primarily based on the amount of supplies you are able secure during the game

Day and night cycle

• Similar to Scavenger, you begin in the morning and the game ends during the night

Maps

• Crossroad maps are divided into themes. The first theme available is the Swamp / Lab theme
• There is a number of different map layouts available within themes

New Zombie Attribute System

• Attributes are permanent buffs that boost zombies
• Boosted zombies glow
• Attributes are more frequent on high infection levels
• Attribute List
• Deadly
• Damage output increased by 50%
• Tank
• Reduces damage taken by 35%
• Enraged
  Increased Attack Speed by 50%
• Speed
• Increased Movementspeed by 50%
• Projectile Resistant
• Reduces Projectile type damage by 75%
• Melee Resistant
• Reduces Melee type damage by 75%
• Area Resistant
• Reduces AoE type damage by 75%
• Plague
• Deals damage to players standing close to the zombie
• Unstable
• An infectious explosion does damage to nearby players 2s after the zombie is killed
• Amplifier
• Zombie standard attacks inflict Amplify Numbing
• Zombie standard attacks inflict Weaken
• Uncontrollabe
  Zombie cannot be stunned/incapacitated/slowed/feared etc
• Relentless
• Greatly Increases Max HP and Damage ouput
• Slaughterous
• An attribute placed only on Massives. It indicates that the boss will be using stronger versions of its abilities.

New Minimap Functionality

• Crossroads uses a zoomed-in minimap due to the large maps
• The fog of war is being lifted as you explore the Crossroad map

Respawn System

• In Crossroads players respawn at a respawn point close to the remaining players
• All players respawn simultaneously
• If all players die the group receives a respawn duration penalty

Doctor Bauer

• Doctor Bauer is a new narrator and the guy that is mainly responsible for coordinating missions in Crossroads!

Progression System Overhaul

• Levels for individual characters have been removed: there is now a global character level. Unlocks apply to each character once you reach a new level
• New account progression rewards have been added
• All permanent unlocks will be handed out to users who have already bypassed these rewards
• Reaching the late-game content will now be faster overall and you earn more Gear Points to spend on your new weapons!

Crafting Overhaul

• The weapon leveling system has been removed and is being replaced with a new modification system
• Modifications allow you to customize your weapons to better fit your needs and playstyle!
• The weapon tiers have been increased from 6 to 16
• Crafting weapons are no longer restricted by the workbench-level
• Loot drops are now based on your character strength. Increasing your character strength by leveling up your account and by crafting new weapons will lead to a higher infection level and thus better loot
• All weapon-stats have been rebalanced
• New weapons can now be dropped
• Almost all legendary weapons have a unique perk and a more defined role

Passive Skills

• The weapon expertise on all characters has been removed and is replaced by a passive skills
• You can now choose whatever weapon you like and customize it to your character and playstyle using the modification system

Loot System Rework

• Smarter drop system with guaranteed drops and less randomness
• The more games you play without receiving blueprints the higher the chance of receiving a loot-drop
• Weapon-types are also distributed more evenly. If you have not received a certain weapon-type for a long time you will have an increased chance to receive that weapon-type
• Duplicate blueprints are now transformed into account experience points
• The Gear Point income has been re-balanced to accustom the new progression

Compensation

• As character levels and weapon levels are removed we are also removing the unbound experience part of the game. Everyone who spent cash to unbind XP gets compensated with Cash
• With the big crafting rework and the many weapon changes we are also compensating all users who have converted Cash into Gear Points by giving back 50% of Cash spent on the Cash to Gear Point conversion

Updates

Scout Missions Rework

• All Scout Missions have been reworked into single player missions
• Each mission has a unique objective
• All three new Scout Missions are now part of the starter quest

New Enemy Types

• A new classification has been added: Infected. Infected-type zombies are stronger than Walkers but weaker than special-zombies.
• Elite Walkers are now named Veterans and their classification has changed from Walker to Infected
• The Suicider is a new Special enemy that will blow itself up along with you and your allies!
• The Runner is a new Infected enemy that will chase you down and whack you in the back when trying to flee
• The Spitter is a new Infected enemy that spits acid-goo (beware of large groups of Spitters!)
• All Massive zombies have been re-balanced and updated

Crafting Details

• All weapons have had their stats re-balanced
• Some weapons have a different rarity than before
• Several perks has been removed from weapons. These perks have been changed into modifications
• The required parts have been re-balance
• The amount of different parts have been reduced to 10
• Parts are reused over several weapon tiers
• Gadgets have their stats adjusted to fit the new crafting changes

Our patch notes are too awesome big for a Steam announcement! Read the rest of the patch notes here.