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PATCH SIZE:
Size without PTS build on Connect: ~100GB
Size if PTS build already is on Connect: ~17GB
Retaliation is a new permanent endgame activity built around territory control and faction conflict. By agitating enemy factions, you trigger large-scale counterattacks in Named Zones, and then fight back to reclaim them. This system offers high replayability and introduces a new targeted way for you to farm Exotics.
Retaliation takes place in DC, New York and Brooklyn, so you may be facing different factions depending on the location.
Each faction has its own Agitation Meter. You fill this meter by eliminating enemies, completing missions, capturing Control Points, and engaging in activities against that faction.
Once a meter reaches 100%, a Retaliation phase begins. The faction marks a Named Zone for takeover, with a limited time countdown before they secure it.
You can choose to engage by initiating Retaliation from the new Retaliation tab on the Mega Map. This starts a retake timer and teleports you (and your group) to the zone’s safe house.
Your objective is to reclaim all marked Control Points before the timer expires. Capturing Control Points extends the timer, but time is tight from the start, so every second counts.
You can also extend the timer in other ways, such as completing Maneuvers (not available during PTS) or taking advantage of other Retaliation mechanics, so plan your approach strategically.
Kill Squads can appear during Retaliation. Defeating them not only increases your timer but also gives you a chance to earn special Exotic blueprints.
You can abandon a Retaliation if you choose not to engage, which gives the zone to the enemy faction.
Retaliation Control Points are remixed versions of standard captures with altered rules. They feature three waves of enemies, with difficulty based on the global Alert Level:
Alert Level 1 - Normal
Alert Level 2 - Hard
Alert Level 3 - Challenging
Alert Level 4 - Heroic
Higher difficulty means better loot, including standard XP and Modifier XP. You can learn more about earning Modifier XP and how it upgrades your abilities in the Active Modifiers section below.
With Retaliation, you have a new way to farm Exotic items more directly than ever before. Each faction has its own unique pool of Exotic blueprints, and you can work toward these in multiple ways.
Defeating a Kill Squad gives you a chance to receive a blueprint from that faction’s exclusive pool. Kill Squads are tied to five factions: Hyenas, True Sons, Outcasts, Cleaners, and Rikers.
If you successfully complete an entire Retaliation, you have a chance to gain an extra blueprint from a separate pool. This success pool applies only to Hyenas, True Sons, and Outcasts, with each faction having its own pool.
The chance to receive a blueprint increases when you play on higher global difficulties.
You can craft Exotics by using Exotic Components together with Retaliation-specific materials. These materials have unique names and visuals themed to the faction they come from, and you earn them by completing Retaliation events.
If you want more flexibility in what you can craft, you can use the crafting bench to convert these materials into Broken SHD Watches. These can then be exchanged for Retaliation materials from other factions, allowing you to work toward Exotics outside of the faction you’re currently facing. The blueprints for material conversions, as well as the Exotic Cache blueprints can be purchased from Inaya.
Since Retaliation take place across both Warlords of New York and Battle for Brooklyn maps, you can also face Rikers and Cleaners during these events. To target Exotics tied to these factions, you can craft Exotic Caches for both the WONY and Brooklyn Kill Squads blueprint pools. This gives every player access to those blueprints, even without owning the corresponding expansion or DLC.
Maneuvers are optional challenges that you can take on between capturing Control Points during a Retaliation. Each Maneuver is the same for every player participating in that Retaliation, but you must complete it individually to earn the reward.
Completing a Maneuver adds extra time to your retake timer, which can make the difference between reclaiming the zone or running out of time.
Maneuvers change every time you capture a Control Point, whether or not you’ve completed the current one. You never have to complete them to finish a Retaliation, but they give you another way to manage the clock, especially if your group is cutting it close.
However, be aware that time can also work against you, if you go down during Retaliation, you lose some of the remaining timer, so every opportunity to gain more time matters.
This season’s Global Modifier empowers you based on your control over territory.
+X% Rate of Fire for each Named Zone that is contested, up to a maximum of 30%.
+X% Rate of Fire and +Y% Damage for each Named Zone under complete SHD control, up to a maximum of 30% ROF and +30% Weapon Damage.
Territory control bonuses apply to the two Named Zones in Battle for Brooklyn DLC, four Named Zones in the Warlord of New York expansion, and eleven Named Zones in D.C. The bonuses scale evenly based on the number of zones in each map, so you can reach the same maximum values no matter where you play.
This season introduces five faction-themed abilities, each with unique functionalities inspired by their respective factions. These are the main long-term rewards of the Retaliation gameplay loop. You can unlock them through the Seasonal Journey, and you can upgrade them by earning Modifier XP in two ways:
Completing a Retaliation against a faction gives Modifier XP for that faction’s specific modifier, even if you don’t have it equipped.
Eliminating enemies while the modifier is equipped grants a smaller amount of Modifier XP for that modifier.
Leveling up a modifier improves its stats, adds new functionalities, and can unlock powerful abilities.
All of your Armor is stripped.
For the duration of this modifier, you cannot aim down sights or repair armor.
In return, each successful hit on an enemy adds a stacking Weapon Damage bonus and recovers some Health.
You also gain a boost to Health, Reload Speed, and Movement Speed.
Upgrades:
Level 5: When you press the input again, or when the timer ends, replenish Armor proportional to your current Health.
Your Skills gain extra Skill Tiers, and your Signature Weapons gain a Weapon Damage boost against regular enemies. This boost multiplied by 1.5 against Named Enemies.
Additionally, Signature Weapons gain a Rate of Fire boost and a Reload Speed boost, and while the effect is active, every reload automatically refills the magazine to full.
Kills with Signature Weapons or Skills add 3s to the modifier’s duration.
Upgrades:
Level 5: Specialization Skills are Overcharged while the ability is active.
On activation, gain 15 stacks of Zealot, each one granting Weapon Damage and Damage Reduction boosts.
After 10 seconds, you begin losing 1 stack per second, and the stack consumption rate increases every 10 seconds. Eliminating hostiles restores Zealot stacks.
Upon reaching 0 stacks, a damaging EMP explosion is triggered at your location, leaving you at 1 Health. For each enemy hit by the explosion recover Armor and Health.
Upgrades:
Level 5: For each stack consumed, the EMP explosion’s damage increases by +2%.
Blind hostiles in a cone in front of you.
Holding a shield when triggering this modifier increases the range and radius of blinding effect.
Eliminating Blinded enemies reduces the cooldown of the modifier.
Upgrades:
Level 3: Eliminating hostiles while using a shield reduces the cooldown by 1s.
On activation, set enemies within a radius on fire.
While the modifier is active, each unique enemy set on fire adds 1 stack of Sanitation, which grants extra damage to Burning enemies, up to a maximum.
2+ stacks: For each enemy currently Burning, repair Armor every second.
3+ stacks: Critical hits inflict Burning on enemies.
Upgrades:
Level 3: Each kill on a Burning enemy adds 3 seconds to the duration.
Passive Modifiers are archetype-based bonuses and debuffs designed to counter specific enemy types. There are ten in total: five universal and five faction-specific, and you can equip up to three at once.
Assault - “Stepping Stone”: Killing an Assault archetype enemy with a headshot instantly refills your magazine with Hollow Point Ammo.
Thrower - “Batter Up”: Any time a grenade lands within 5 meters of you, it is destroyed automatically. This effect has a 45 second cooldown. While on cooldown, the explosion radius of your grenades is increased by 100% (doubled).
Sniper - “Compromised”: While you are in cover, your headshot damage against Snipers is increased by +100%. If you hit a Sniper while they are in cover, they are forced to leave cover.
Tank - “Rupert’s Tear”: Breaking any piece of a Tank’s armor causes all other armor pieces to break instantly. For each armor piece broken this way, enemies within 15 meters are inflicted with Bleed for 2 seconds.
Rusher - “Keep Out”: Rushers are staggered if you shoot them from within 10 meters. When this happens, you gain +20% Movement Speed for 10 seconds.
Hyenas Shield - “Unfriendly Fire”: Shooting a Hyena’s Shield deflects your bullets, dealing 50% of the damage to each enemy within a radius around the shield user.
True Sons - Immobilizer: Breaking the Immobilizer’s weak point applies foam to enemies within 20 meters, immobilizing them temporarily.
Outcasts - Scorcher: Breaking the Scorcher’s gas canister ignites enemies within 7 meters. These enemies burn until they die.
Cleaners – Controller: Destroying the Controller’s drone automatically breaks its user’s weak point and shocks both the Controller and nearby enemies.
Rikers – Leader: When the Leader is killed, all enemies benefiting from their bonus health receive a Bleed effect. You also gain +20% bonus armor when this happens.
Three new hostile modifiers affect enemy behavior:
“Out of Mind”: Speed and ROF boost that increases over time if the enemy is not damaged.
“Wedge”: Boosts damage for the enemy and nearby allies, scaling with ally count.
“Overwatch”: Grants Overheal to the affected enemies while their gadget is deployed.
Talent “High Priority Target” - Amplifies Weapon Damage by 125% to the highest ranking enemies within the Tier hierarchy:
Tier 1: Hunter, Rogue, Leader, Tank, Shield, Heavy Weapons, RPG, Medic, Controller, Warhound, Marauder.
Tier 2: Support, Engineer, Bodyguard, Immobilizer, Bomber, Mini Tank, Drone Operator.
Tier 3: Any other enemy or skill proxy.
Exotic Mods:
Optics: +25% Headshot Damage.
Magazine: +20% Reload Speed.
Muzzle: +20% Headshot Damage.
Underbarrel: +5% Crit Chance.
Talent “Restrained” - The pistol is fully automatic and deals +25% Amplified Damage for 20s after your Shield gets broken.
Exotic Mods:
Magazine: +50% Stability
Muzzle: +15% Crit Chance
Talent “Weakest Link” - Amplifies Weapon Damage by 30% to the lowest ranking enemies within the Tier hierarchy:
Tier 1: Hunter, Rogue, Leader, Tank, Shield, Heavy Weapons, RPG, Medic, Controller, Warhound, Marauder.
Tier 2: Support, Engineer, Bodyguard, Immobilizer, Bomber, Mini Tank, Drone Operator.
Tier 3: Any other enemy or skill proxy.
1 Piece equipped: +10% Accuracy
2 Pieces equipped: +5% Skill Efficiency
3 Pieces equipped: +30% MMR Damage
Named Gear Pieces:
Named Chest Piece “Sleight” – Talent “Perfect Protected Reload”
Grants +40% bonus armor while reloading.
Grants 0-30% of your armor as bonus armor to all other allies when they are reloading, based on your Blue core attribute.
Named Holster “Spot-on” – Perfect Attribute
+38% Accuracy
2 Pieces equipped: +30% Mag Size
3 Pieces equipped: +30% LMG Damage
4 Pieces equipped unlock a new unique Talent.
Talent “Throttle Control”
Shooting builds stacks to a max of 50. Each stack provides +0.5% Weapon Handling and +2% Critical Hit Damage.
Lose 6 stacks per second while not shooting. No stacks are lost if an enemy is Suppressed.
Chest and Backpack Talents:
Chest – Talent “Sustainability”
Increase the maximum number of stacks from 50 to 75.
Backpack – Talent “Snowball”
Increase the Critical Hit Damage received per stack from 2% to 4%.
Talent “Perfect Soft Spot”
Destroying a Weakpoint grants 24% Weapon Damage for 15s.
Talent “Perfect Soft Spot”
Destroying a Weakpoint grants 24% Weapon Damage for 15s.
Destroying a Weakpoint grants 19% Weapon Damage for 15s.
The maximum Expertise level has been set to 30.
This change ensures you don’t outpace the challenge level the game currently offers, provides a clear upper limit for your gear’s power level, and makes it easier to invest in a wider variety of items - allowing you to explore different playstyles and engage with the game in new ways
During the PTS, all modifiers will be unlocked from the start.
Adam Shipley’s Inventory:
PTS Cache: Y7S2 Gear - Contains all upcoming Gear (including the Climax Exclusive), their blueprints, their respective materials, and all other materials used in the Expertise system.
PTS Cache: Blueprints - Contains all blueprints currently in the game.
PTS Cache: Materials - Contains Brand and Gear Set materials not included in the Gear cache, as well as all other materials used in the Expertise system.
Journey Build Caches - Five caches from the Seasonal Journey, each highlighting one of the five Active Modifiers.
Inaya’s Inventory:
12 conversion blueprints for the Retaliation materials.
NY Kill Squad Cache Blueprint.
The event timer starts as soon as the Initiate Retaliation button is pressed, causing time to be lost before Agents spawn on the map.
Capturing Control Points, Hostage Rescue LWAs, Supply Drop LWAs, and the Alani Kelso Climax mission on Master difficulty do not increase the Agitation Meter.
Accept button unresponsive when confirming NY Kill Squad Cache creation.
The Alani Kelso Climax mission on Master difficulty does not increase the Agitation Meter.
Global Modifier bonuses do not apply on offsite maps (only DC, WONY, Brooklyn).
Spiced Up Modifier stacks do not count toward M3 Obj. 4; leveling it counts toward M4 Obj. 7 and 8.
Allies in different sub-groups do not benefit from Protected Reload or Perfect Protected Reload Talents.
Throttle Control stacks give less Weapon Handling and Swap Speed increase than other stats.
M2 Obj. 6 and 8 do not increment after all Named Zone Control Points are captured.
M3 Obj. 1 increments even if Hyena shield is not broken.
M5 Obj. 5 does not increment after 1M damage with Zealot Modifier active.
M7 Obj. 4 does not increment, Obj. 6 requires Sanitation Modifier at level 3.
Dead NPCs count toward M6 Obj. 3.
