Update 7.9 shakes up The Finals with a fresh Limited-Time mode called Head 2 Head, an XP override to speed up progression, and the launch of Open Qualifiers for the upcoming Grand Major 2025 tournament. There’s also a bunch of weapon balancing, bug fixes, and a new Twitch Drop set. If you’ve been grinding or just looking for something new to spice up your matches, this update might catch your eye.
Head 2 Head drops you into a 3v3 showdown where respawns are unlimited and faster, creating a frantic, nonstop final round vibe. Plus, watch out for the new Nedstrike Gameshow Event, it’s designed to get your heart racing as you flee from this monstrous threat. You can earn free event rewards by completing Contracts and snag a full set of VAIIYA and CNS-themed skins. How’s that for a cool reason to jump back in?
XP gains are also boosted, with a 200% XP bonus for Daily Contracts and up to 150% XP and Fans for regular gameplay lasting until the season ends. so your grind just got a little less grindy, and maybe a little more rewarding.
Team chemistry matters more now. You can vote to Stay As A Party at the end of rounds, so if you find a squad you vibe with, you don’t have to break up just yet. Maybe you’ll form a crew that sticks around for good.
On the competitive front, the Open Qualifiers are live for teams wanting to make it to the Grand Major 2025 at Dreamhack Stockholm. This is the first step for anyone dreaming of esports glory in The Finals. Registration is open now at https://www.reachthefinals.com/registration. Will your squad rise to the challenge?
New Twitch Drops have also landed. Tune in to streams to grab the Broadcast Blaze set of equipment skins. Purple flames, anyone?
Some players have reported freezes and stuttering during gameplay. The devs finally managed to reproduce the issue, which means a fix might be on the way. Meanwhile, closing memory-heavy apps like Chrome can help smooth things out.
Check out the Store for the new Hammerhead Ned skin, complete with lightning effects and monstrous voice lines. It’s kinda wild and definitely worth a look.
Balance Changes
Gadgets
- Goo Grenade cooldown increased from 20s to 30s.
Dev Note: Goo was becoming a bit too disruptive, so this slows down its use.
Modes
- In Cashout (World Tour), Vaults/Cash Boxes not delivered by overtime no longer despawn, reversing a previous change. Ranked mode keeps the despawn rule.
Weapons
- 93R rate of fire decreased from 220 to 210 to balance its strength.
- Cerberus 12GA pellet spread tightened by ~10%, and heat applied to world objects increased to ignite toxic gas clouds in one shot.
- Model 1887 ammo capacity increased from 6 to 7.
- Sledgehammer secondary attack damage increased from 154 to 175; hit registration issues are being investigated.
- Sword’s secondary attack vertical rotation clamp increased from 40 to 90 degrees for better aiming up/down during lunges.
Content and Bug Fixes
Animation
- Fixed melee swings not playing when viewing other contestants.
- Sprint animations fixed after inspecting with certain skins.
- Jumping with Throwing Knives secondary attack no longer covers center screen.
- Riot Shield desync issues addressed, including collision and visual clarity.
Audio
- Improved announcer voice lines for quality and reduced repetition.
Contracts
- Fixed damage types not counting for Contracts on/from Power Shift platform.
Customization
- Fixed The Devourer eyes overlapping glasses.
- Corrected prints on older CNS items.
Esports
- Updated esports section with Open Qualifiers info and registration links.
Dev note: More details on format here.
Gadgets
- H+ Infuser no longer breaks weapon model if eliminated while aiming down sights.
- Healing Emitter now properly heals teammates even when holding an enemy’s emitter.
- Nullifier fix to prevent nullified opponents from dealing quick melee damage.
Gameplay
- Kill hitmarkers fixed to show correctly in all situations.
- Hit registration improved for KS-23 and SR-84.
- Respawn statue collision updated to reduce rolling on slopes.
Maps
- Larger trees now sturdier, requiring more bullets to destroy for better cover.
- Practice Range trophy leaderboard text fixed for readability; added Blast Off and Super Cashball trophies.
- Bernal: Fixed floating zipline, improved collision on metal modules, fixed railing movement issues.
- Monaco: Fixed visual gaps in ground meshes.
- Seoul: Raised vent path outside Apartments to prevent snagging.
- Skyway Stadium: Fixed grenades and bullets passing through back of Office building.
- SYS$Horizon: Updated Library destruction, fixed snagging step on voxel bridge.
- Nozomi/Citadel: Added trees to block sightlines near Cybercafe; fixed duplicate desk in Operations Center.
Private Matches & Spectator
- Improved match building screen layout and visuals.
- Fixed issue causing corrupted private match lobbies.
Rendering
- Added support for AMD FSR 3 Frame Generation.
- Paused DLSS Frame Generation in fullscreen menus to avoid UI artifacts.
- Updated AMD FSR from version 3.1.3 to 3.1.4.
- Fixed light leaking in fog.
- Optimized GPU performance with many visual effects active.
- Removed command line that lowered graphical fidelity unfairly.
Settings
- Fixed gamepads/controllers not working with Steam Input enabled.
Social
- Fixed mouse scroll wheel issues in text chat.
- Added Stay as a Party option at end of round screen.
Dev Note: Finally, you can keep your team together after a match!
UI
- XBOX avatars now show correctly as profile images.
- Fixed missing item descriptions in outfit customization.
- Corrected game mode name on tab scoreboard after reconnecting.
- Fixed new markers appearing on other outfits after deleting one.
- Contracts screen retains selected tab when navigating back.
- Fixed rewards flow screen blanking out when skipping too fast.
- Text chat no longer stays on screen after closing during gameplay.
Security
The Anti-Cheat team is testing Denuvo Anti Cheat on Xbox for Windows. If successful, it might be introduced on Steam during Season 8. Only the anti-cheat parts are used, no DRM involved. SteamDeck and Proton compatibility is confirmed. Player reports remain crucial to keeping The Finals fair.
