Hi everyone! I’m Paul Balon, Technical Director for H1Z1, the popular fast-paced, free-to-play Battle Royale shooter exclusive to PS4.
Welcome to Outland!
We’re incredibly grateful (and humbled!) by the more than 16 million players who have jumped into the fraught, chaotic spectacle that is H1Z1, and while we’ve regularly updated the game with new content and updates since launch, we’ve planned for some time to radically refresh the H1Z1 experience for our community. Enter the new Outland map.
Outland doesn’t just look new – it’s a fundamental redesign of H1Z1’s play space. Every inch and every corner of the map has been intricately designed to emphasize and amplify the fast-paced combat and tense decision-making that makes each H1Z1 match epic and memorable. Vast terrain diversity, increased verticality, and improved POI accessibility all complement a design philosophy intended to reward the adventurous and adaptable player willing to learn Outland’s secrets and alter their strategy accordingly.
From eerie locales like Deadman’s Swamps, where rolling fog and waste-high waters limit movement and visibility:
To the Pueblos, which favor fast-paced, close-range combat within and atop staggered huts that each offer unique lines of sight:
Or the epic Canyon bridges, where the confident sharpshooter willing to risk limiting their exit options can take up an aggressive, commanding position across the vista:
Every area, locale, landmark, and POI offers something new and different each match.
A lot of thought, experimentation, iteration, and testing went into crafting Outland; every decision we made was intended to create a new playground for our community that is authentic to the H1Z1 experience and also maintains its competitive balance, so no single playstyle, weapon, or vehicle choice breaks the gameplay.
Vehicular Mayhem & Weapons of Mass Destruction
The new map isn’t the only new content players will get for free when they download Outland: four new vehicles and two new weapons drop with this expansion!
The Commando: This automatic assault rifle offers a common/lootable mid-range alternative to the AR. It can’t match the AR’s precision, but its mobility and high rate of fire will make shottie rushers think twice before exiting cover.
The Heavy Assault: This powerful assault rifle offers a souped-up, fully automatic alternative to the KH and Marauder rifles that can be found in purple airdrops. It packs a big punch at mid-range, but watch the recoil; it’s a beast to handle!
The Untamed: This fast, stylish, and powerful muscle car tears up the terrain with off-road tires and boosted turbo! Complete with seating for up to five players!
The Torque: The quieter, classic sibling to the Untamed, the Torque barrels around enemies with little concern for what waits around the corner.
The Gazelle: This two-seat cousin to the ATV offers a quick, slick, and frighteningly exposed get-up-and-go option for quickly traversing the winding corners of Outland.
The Racer: Never one to be outshined, the five-seat Racer luxury sports car has speed and style in spades. First teased in last season’s Raining Racers Arcade Mode, this stylish sports car makes its full debut in all game modes.
The new map, new vehicles, and new weapons would be enough on their own, but they’re not the only highlights in this update; a new 100-tier Season Rewards (free, premium, and PS Plus lines), weapons balance changes, numerous bug fixes and performance improvements, and 11 new full outfits for players to earn or purchase are just a few of the other features coming with Outland!
We’re incredibly excited to bring this expansion to H1Z1 (free to download today!) and can’t wait to hear your thoughts about the new map and everything else in this update. Squad up and drop in; we’ll be waiting for you in Outland!
