Anthem: update news, DLC, tips, patch notes and more

Anthem, BioWare's cooperative, team-based shooter is a change of pace for the makers of Dragon Age and Mass Effect. With a focus on cooperative PvE combat popularized by the likes of Destiny, it landed amid a swirl of hype and expectation, which it has so far failed to meet.

Anthem had a big challenge in front of it then – with arguments that its endgame content is weak, its loot system broken and its story not up to scratch when compared with previous narrative-driven BioWare RPGs, it's fighting to win back the hearts of those who were initially in awe of its promise.

With EA backing it and BioWare's heritage at its heart, there was hope that Anthem would be redeemed given behemoths such as Destiny and Fortnite all went through rough launches before becoming gaming juggernauts. In February 2020, BioWare announced a dedicated team was working on an ambitious overhaul that would effectively relaunch the game at some point in the future.

Sadly, that dream seems ended: BioWare officially cancelled the planned overhaul in February 2021, instead focusing on upcoming Dragon Age 4 and new Mass Effect projects.
That means no more new content beyond Anthem Cataclysm and whatever else came out. BioWare has pledged to continue live service of the game for its players, but didn't say for how long.

So read on for everything you need to know about the Iron Man simulator and how we got to this point.

Anthem update news and Anthem patch notes

    What's new? Cataclysm is now live

It's finally here! After months of delays, Anthem's Cataclysm event is now live on all platforms.

The new season-long event brings with it a bunch of new features including new enemies, rewards, in-game currency, story missions and much more.

Here's EA's explanation of the Cataclysm event:

"The people of Bastion have much to fear – malevolent creatures roaming the wilds, fanatical Dominion forces testing their strength and fortitude – but nothing inspires as much terror and dread as a Cataclysm. They are one of the most destructive and chaotic manifestations of the Anthem –  leaving devastation and death in their wake. And now, Freelancer, it’s your turn to face the chaos head on and do your best to end it."

Essentially it seems like we're going to be venturing into a chaotic, black portal of death. Sounds good.

Cataclysm and arenas
First things first, you don't need to be a certain level to jump into the new Cataclysm map area.

To enter the Cataclysm, you select the 'Cataclysm' option from the Game Modes menu and wallah! You're be in the swirly area of possible death. EA warns that it's probably not a great idea to immediately start exploring as the storm will damage your javelin when you're out in it. Instead, you should look to close rifts inside the new arenas.

Arenas are scattered throughout Cataclysm, if you close the rifts inside them then you will be able to "find temporary shelter from the storm, complete tasks, increase available mission time, and engage in combat for loot, in-game currency, and scoring opportunities". Seems like the safest option.