The Finals Game Season 7: The Divide! Your Guided Overview to the Beautiful Free-to-Play Chaos!

Welcome back to the arena, Contestant! Season 7 of The Finals has landed, promising more mayhem, more gadgets, a deeper dive into the lore, and some truly hot new looks. Whether you’re rallying with the meticulous might of VIIYA, ready to embrace the wild energy of CNS, or still delightfully perched on the fence, The Divide is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious updates yet for this combat centered game show. It’s time for the players to gear up, explore the stunning new map, master some quirky new tools, chase those shiny rewards, and maybe uncover a corporate secret or two!

One of the first things players might notice is a subtle but welcome evolution in the game’s signature environmental destruction. Materials like wool or structures hit by things like the KS-23 or Minigun now crumble more dynamically, adding layers of realism as walls erode under fire instead of just collapsing instantly. This refinement to structure collapses, making buildings and large objects like cranes fall more realistically and potentially break through multiple layers, can create fresh, immersive, and sometimes surprising strategic opportunities mid-firefight! This level of visual upgrade and interactivity, brought to you by Embark Studios, is planned to be added to more objects over time, alongside rebalanced environmental damage values for weapons across the board to make breaking props more consistent. Plus, pesky environmental explosives like gas canisters and powder kegs now detonate from any damage, not just a big hit – boom! Get ready to send wrecking balls crashing and truly burn arenas with even more style!

The Grand Stage: New Map Nozomi/Citadel!

Possibly the most visually stunning and narratively resonant feature this season, the brand new map, officially named Nozomi/Citadel (often referred to as Nozomi Citadel, or simply The Rift map), is a true masterpiece! Not to be confused with the Kyoto 1568 map from Season 3 (that’s the one with the cool temples and bamboo!). Nozomi/Citadel is a fresh addition to the game’s newest dynamic arenas, inspired by modern Japan, adding to the game’s collection of carefully curated virtual environments. It joins the list of beautifully rendered arenas based on real-world locations, reimagined for chaos.

Developers at Embark Studios AB describe it as two maps merged into one, it’s literally split down the middle by a massive chasm called “The Rift”, with each half representing one of the season’s dominant, clashing sponsors:

• VIIYA‘s side (The Citadel district) is meticulous, clean, sterile, and visually reflects their commitment to order, digital security, and a zero-tolerance policy. It features brutalist architecture, sleek high-tech facilities, and tight indoor corridors, potentially favoring close-quarters combat and clean lines.
• CNS‘s side (The Nozomi district) is chaos incarnate – vibrant, neon-lit, overgrown in places, and unpredictable, embodying their rebellious hacker spirit. This half offers more free-flowing movement with jumpable routes among ruins and nature, and allows for creative approaches and different lines of sight.

The middle ground, The Rift, is the epic battleground where these vastly different aesthetics and ideologies collide head-on. The layout offers a mix of narrow corridors on the Citadel side and more open-area skirmishes on the Nozomi side, keeping players on their toes and forcing adaptation based on which side of the chasm you’re fighting on. And yes, there are confirmed slides for stylish traversal or quick getaways – because who doesn’t love a good slide in the middle of a firefight? It’s a visually striking map that looks almost surreal depending on which side you’re on! Devs even provided a full layout map to help players join teams and establish callout sections right away! Many players already argue this could be the best map in the game so far. Plus, unlike some previous beautifully rendered arenas, this one supports ALL core game modes (Quick Cash, World Tour, Ranked, TDM, etc.) from day one!

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Fresh Tools for Teamwork (and Trouble!): New Gadgets!

Each weight class gets a brand new, class-restricted gadget, promising to shake up playstyles, team dynamics, and potentially cause some delightful chaos:

• Heavy Class: Introducing the Healing Emitter! This is a throwable, deployable sphere that will heal all allies (and the user!) within a certain radius. It seems highly effective and can synergize terrifyingly well with existing Heavy tools like the Dome Shield or Lock Bolt, turning objective points like Cashout stations or the Power Shift platform into healing strongholds where opponents might struggle to get eliminations. There’s even a rumor circulating that it’s possible to actually get an elimination with the healing ball itself – if true, that’s some next-level chaos!
• Light Class: Get ready for the H+ Infuser! This gadget introduces a controversial but undeniably potent element: friendly-fire healing! Yes, the Light class can now provide sustain for themselves and their teammates… by shooting them with healing darts! This tool only heals allies when used on them – there’s no damage involved in the healing shots. Precision matters here, and it definitely adds a new dimension to the Light class’s potential team utility and abilities.
• Medium Class: Bringing the destruction and crowd control is the Breach Drill! This tactical gadget can be placed on almost any surface – even trees! It drills through obstacles, creates a passage, and here’s the spicy part: it blinds enemies on the other side with a flashbang effect as it breaches. This adds mobility via destruction and offers tactical blindness, making it perfect for flushing out campers from rooms! But beware – just like a real flashbang, it can definitely blind your allies too, so careful placement and communication are absolutely key! The sound it makes is noted by some players as sounding amusingly like a boat!

The introduction of healing tools for both Light and Heavy classes has sparked significant debate within the community regarding the Medium’s traditional role as the primary support class. While the Breach Drill adds cool utility, questions have been raised about Mediums losing their unique niche, especially after previous adjustments to their own healing options. Expect ongoing discussion – and potential balancing tweaks from Embark Studios – as players explore these new dynamics in the live game. Mastering these abilities provides a significant advantage in the virtual world.

Under the Hood: Balance Changes and Bug Squashing

Season 7 comes packed with a wave of balance changes and crucial bug fixes aimed at refining the core gameplay and addressing frustrating issues for this first person shooter:

Arena Carryables: Their health has been significantly reduced across the board (standard: 50 HP down to 15 HP; Glitch and Goo barrels: 75 HP down to 50 HP). This makes them much easier to activate or destroy quickly mid-fight, as they now only require any damage to trigger, not a big spike! Goo puddles also saw a slight HP reduction (300 HP down to 240 HP) and a size reduction (from a 2×6 grid to a 2×5 grid), a bit of a nerf for the sticky stuff that could previously seal off areas.

Gadgets: Several gadgets got tweaked. A potentially massive quality-of-life change for controller players (especially on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series) is the addition of aim assist for enemy deployables (turrets, APS, mines), making them much easier to target and destroy with a gamepad – no more fighting the aim assist away from the gadget! The Anti-Grav Cube cooldown is shorter (35s down to 28s). The APS received a notable buff – it now protects against 5 projectiles (up from 4!) and is tougher to destroy per shot taken (health consumed per blocked projectile reduced from 25% to 20%), making the turret itself harder to destroy. Flashbangs are now less punishing if you manage to look away from the blast, as the effective cone for full blinding when not looking was tightened (from a 3m radius check to a 1m radius check) – far fewer “cheap” full flashes! Gravity Vortex cooldown is shorter (24s down to 20s).

Weapons: Some weapon tweaks include: the 93R pistol gets a magazine increase (21 up to 24 rounds) to make it more forgiving; the Cerberus shotgun has its pellet count reduced (10 down to 9) with a full burst now doing 99 damage total, aiming to slightly reduce its overwhelming close-range burst potential; the KS-23 shotgun’s environmental damage is increased (700 up to 1000), making it better at breaking walls (fitting with its new Breach Drill friend!) – it can now break a wall segment in one less shot; the LH1 rifle gets a small damage increase (40 up to 42 per shot) after being previously over-nerfed; and the Heavy Minigun also received an environmental damage increase (from 25 to 30 per hit, a popular community request!), allowing a full magazine to reliably clear roughly three wall panels, reinforcing the Heavy’s demolition role. Players can pull triggers with confidence knowing these fixes are in place.

Sledgehammer Nerf: Perhaps the most debated balance change is the iconic Sledgehammer nerf. Primary attack damage is down (115 down to 100), and the secondary (charged) attack damage is also reduced (200 down to 154). While the secondary attack still one-shots a Light player, some players aren’t thrilled about the damage reduction. The viability of melee weapons like the Sledgehammer and Sword in an FPS is seen by many as a cool and unique part of The Finals, and hopes are high for devs to find a balanced spot for them. Issues with sword “ghost hitting” and quick melee tactics were seen as needing change and potentially overpowered, but Embark Studios are generally good about monitoring data and potentially revisiting changes. Another related fix: you can no longer “backstab” inanimate objects – the bonus melee damage from behind now only applies to players! No more getting cheap shots on a wrecking ball!

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Game Mode & Progression Updates: Climb That Ladder Faster and Compete for Victory!

Season 7 brings welcomed updates to how you play and how you earn rewards, making the grind feel less… well, grindy, and pushing you to compete for that victory!

• Cashout & Terminal Attack: The reconnect window for these modes has been significantly increased from 210 seconds all the way to the end of the match for players in a full premade team! This means if you get disconnected from your party in Ranked Tournaments (if you’re a 3-stack), World Tour (if you’re a 3-stack), or Terminal Attack (if you’re a 5-stack), you have a much better chance of jumping back into the game you were in – a welcome quality-of-life change!
• Ranked Tournament Penalties: Stricter penalties for first-time quitters in ranked tournaments are introduced (a full ranked score loss). However, if someone leaves after the first leaver, they will not receive an additional abandon penalty beyond the normal match outcome. Also, a crucial fairness change: if a random teammate (not in your party) abandons, your eventual Ranked Score loss is automatically reduced by approximately 30%! This greatly softens the blow of losing rank due to others quitting and helps you compete more fairly.
• World Tour Maps: Huge news for variety! ALL maps have been unlocked for the entire season’s World Tour rotation, ending the weekly rotation system! Play what you want, when you want, across all available maps in the seasonal tournament mode. Explore these beautifully rendered arenas based on real world locations to your heart’s content!
• Progression & Points: Earning points towards your Quickplay rank and currency feels faster! Points gained for Quickplay placements are increased across the board (1st place: 10 points, up from 8; 2nd: 6 points, up from 5; 3rd: 5 points, up from 4). Winning or losing in Team Deathmatch and Power Shift also grants more points (Win: 10 points, up from 8; Loss: 5 points, up from 4). These changes mean climbing the Quick Play ranks to Gold should be roughly 20-25% faster! Time to advance!
• Emerald Climb: Climbing the Emerald rank in World Tour should also be faster, estimated to be about 25% quicker overall. This is because players now receive 2 Win Points even if they lose in the first round of a tournament (previously 0), ensuring you always make some progression even if you don’t win a tournament!
• VR Economy Updates: To help newbies jump in and quickly catch up with gear, the cost of older gear items (those released from Seasons 1-6) has been dramatically reduced to a flat 500 VRs each! New Season 7 gear still costs 2200 VRs. Furthermore, the VRs earned during a new player’s first three rounds have been significantly boosted from 2,400 to a substantial 5,000 VRs as a welcome starter boost! This gives you a financial advantage right from the start.

Level Up Your Style (Seriously): Battle Pass Bonanza!

Season 7 brings a brand new Battle Pass themed around the VIIYA vs CNS conflict, absolutely packed with stunning cosmetics for all classes. But the structure has a new twist with multiple tiers:

Free Tier: The standard free content track, offering 26 tiers of rewards obtainable just by playing, including 375 Multibucks and the final “The Devourer” Mythic outfit at Level 96!

Premium Tier: The traditional paid Battle Pass track (costs 1150 Multibucks, roughly $10), offering the full set of 96 rewards plus a bonus page (10 extra items) for a total of 106 rewards. This pass also lets you earn back 1575 Multibucks as you progress.

Premium Plus Tier: This familiar tier (costs more Multibucks than Premium) instantly unlocks 20 levels (boosting players to level 21 from the start) upon purchase, letting you jump-start your progress.

Ultimate Tier: This is a significant new premium tier, purchased separately with real money (around $29.99 USD), not with Multibucks. It includes everything in the Premium Pass PLUS:

• 10 exclusive elite items (these are often unique “dark mode” or visually distinct variants of other cosmetics, highlighted for their insane quality, VFX, and sounds).
• 1000 Multibucks granted upfront.
• A 20-level skip (included from the Premium Plus component).
• A 25% match XP boost to help you fly through the Battle Pass faster.
  If a player buys the Premium or Premium Plus Battle Pass and later decides to purchase the Ultimate Battle Pass bundle, developers have confirmed they will receive an instant refund of 1150 Multibucks – a nice touch! Some players compare the value of the Ultimate tier to other game’s elite passes, noting the quality of the exclusive outfits you get (for a total of 116 rewards and 2575 Multibucks if fully completed!).

Mythic Tier: A new highest rarity tier is introduced in Season 7 for the most outrageous, high-effort, and standout items in the game, sitting above Legendary. Mythic items often have unique models, elaborate VFX, or even sound effects! Some stunning Mythic skins are included this season, and surprisingly, not all are tied to the paid Ultimate tier – some, like “The Devourer” at the end of the Free track, can be found in the regular Battle Pass or potentially other methods! These are the items that help you seize everlasting fame and truly stand out!

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Blast from the Past: Legacy Battle Passes Are HERE!

A highly requested feature has finally arrived! Players can now purchase and progress through Legacy Battle Passes from previous seasons!

• At launch, Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4 Legacy Battle Passes are available. Season 5 is planned to unlock with Season 8, and Season 6 with Season 9, maintaining a two-season delay between the original season and its Legacy version becoming available.
• These Legacy Passes are unlocked using Show Tokens, a new currency players earn simply by playing matches (rumored to be 1-2 per match, though exact numbers might vary). You cannot buy these passes outright with Multibucks or real cash!
• Similar to the standard Battle Pass, you must unlock previous pages to access later rewards.
• Important: Legacy Passes do not include Multibucks or the original bonus pages (those elements remain exclusive to original owners).
• Players who owned the original Premium passes but didn’t complete them can now purchase the Legacy version and pick up where they left off!
• Notably, the Season 1 Legacy Pass includes the Crimson Point Set, a unique red recolor of the black outfit from the original Season 1 Battle Pass! Anyone who purchases the Season 1 Legacy Pass will get this new outfit, regardless of whether they were an original owner.
• There’s a bonus for players who purchased the Santa’s Little Helper cosmetic bundle – you receive free access to the Season 1 Legacy Battle Pass! Time to complete that collection and snag those classic looks! This is something many fans have been waiting for! You could imagine the excitement!

The Lore Deep Dive: The Divide Between VIIYA and CNS

The narrative in The Finals takes a sharp and engaging turn this season, focusing on the escalating conflict between the two main sponsors whose struggle is mirrored in the very map! At the start of Season 7, every player is prompted to choose one of two sponsors – VIIYA or CNS – to support for the entire season. This choice is purely for flavor, lore, and potentially ties into future challenges, but you have to live with your choice until the season ends! It adds a cool theme to the season.

• CNS: They are the rebellious hacker collective, explicitly fighting to expose Multicorp’s secrets and impose their own vision for the combat centered game show. They were never invited into the arena; they forced their way in, known for hijacking broadcasts and corrupting systems in the virtual world.
• VIIYA: They are the cybersecurity titan, led by CEO Salascory, presented as the virtual world’s first and last line of digital defense. They embody order, security, elite firewalls, neural implants, and zero tolerance for compromise.

Interestingly, Multicorp seems to be manipulating the situation, having intentionally opened the door for CNS for unknown reasons – perhaps to defeat them on their own territory? Meanwhile, previous sponsors like Engen and potential new players like Hydrok (who seems to have transformed into or been replaced by CNS) are also caught in the crossfire of this escalating corporate chaos. Which side will you choose in “The Divide”?

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Sharpen Your Skills: The Training Range & Recruit & Rise Program!

That mysterious door added to the Practice Range in Update 6.9 is no longer a mystery – it’s wide open and leads to the new Training Range! This area features different modes to help players practice and learn against “reactive dummy targets”:

• Meet the Mannequins: Practice solo combat against these dummies.
• Shooting Range: Hone your aim with moving targets across adjustable difficulties – a decent mini-aim trainer right in the virtual world!
• Boxin’ Arena: Survive waves of bots in a contained environment. These bots can be quite tough, and in a quirky twist, they have a habit of emoting after they eliminate a player!
  Players can access these modes solo or with friends, with stats and performance records tracked. Developers have noted this is a step towards potentially adding full bot matches and better, more guided onboarding processes for new contestants. This helps new players compete effectively.

Speaking of new players, the Recruit & Rise Program (sometimes referred to as the Apprenticeship Program) is introduced to help them integrate! This system connects veteran players (Mentors, those with 20+ rounds played) with new contestants (Recruits). Mentors guide Recruits, and earning progress in the program is faster with more Recruits in your party (up to five!). As Mentors and Recruits reach milestones together, they earn exclusive rewards, including cosmetics like a unique helmet, an animated charm, a recolored skin, and a player card background. Mentors also earn multiple tiers of special Recruiter badges on their profile for successfully guiding multiple Recruits! Recruit players also become Mentors themselves after playing 20 rounds, creating a delightful cycle of guidance within The Finals. You can also join teams with your Recruits directly in the Training Range to practice!

Quality of Life & Other Cool Stuff!

Season 7 throws in a bunch of smaller but welcome QOL changes and extra goodies that polish the arena experience:

• Cosmetic Randomizer (Deep Shuffle): Feeling indecisive or just want to show off your collection? Players can activate this feature, officially called Deep Shuffle, to have the game automatically select a random weapon or gadget skin from their owned items before each round! It’s a fun way to see your collection in action!
• Sticker Placement: Get quirky with it! Players can now place stickers directly onto cash boxes and cashout stations in the game world. Clarification: This is an automated feature – the first player to interact with a Vault or Cashout station will automatically apply their pre-selected signature sticker to it, you don’t manually place it anywhere! This is where contestants plug their signature logo onto their conquest!
• Chat on Consoles: A much-requested feature is here! The text chat feature is now fully functional on consoles (Xbox Series X, Xbox Series, PlayStation) – a welcome addition for easier team communication! (Voice chat was already possible). It was previously added accidentally but is now a permanent addition!
• Esports Tab: A new tab has been added to the main menu ahead of the Season 8 tournament (which will feature a $100,000 prize pool!). This allows players to easily track escalating tournaments and updates. Get ready to compete on the big stage!
• Future Teasers: The Divide launch trailer subtly hinted at potential future content and Limited Time Modes (LTMs). Keep an eye out for a Soccer LTM (suggested by a large rolling ball teaser!) and potentially a Creature LTM (showing a Godzilla/Hammerhead-like monster near the Heavy Hitter stadium!). A teaser for a new Game Show Event involving “Wall Hack Activated” suggests seeing players through walls might be a future mechanic! Many players are excited to see the game potentially lean more into LTMs.

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• Twitch Drops: Season 7 launch Twitch Drops are live, offering exclusive cosmetics like Nullifier skins, the infamous “Lemon on a Stick” charm (a fun callback to a specific streamer!), and a “Stream Supreme” item. Check official channels for current drop campaigns! Great for fans who enjoy watching the show!
• New Bundles: The shop has been updated by the studios with new bundles, including platform exclusives like a PlayStation “Wireframe Record set,” aiming to provide exclusive cosmetic options across different platforms.
• Customization: Players can now change their personal player number that appears on certain cosmetics and their profile, found in the social settings.
• Mythic Cosmetic Tier: We mentioned this in the Battle Pass, but it’s worth repeating as a QoL/Cosmetic highlight! Season 7 brought in the highest rarity tier, Mythic, for truly standout items with unique VFX/SFX. These cosmetics truly help you stand out!
• Community Creations: While “Star Models” isn’t an official feature name, the game does have impressive player-created cosmetic builds showcased in community spaces, allowing players to recreate characters inspired by real world locations and characters using in-game items – check out the community for these remarkable cosplays and earn some virtual fame!
• Audio Improvements: Less flashy, but crucial! Developers did a pass on sound prioritization, so important sounds like enemy footsteps or nearby gunshots should be easier to hear over the general chaos in Season 7.
• UI/UX Polish: Various interface bugs were fixed, leading to a cleaner experience – things like flickering HUDs, ammo counters blinking red when low, and proper scaling for long player names on billboards! This polishes the game’s title.
• Private Match Improvements: QoL for custom lobbies! You can now promote other players to admin and change the game mode on the fly without recreating the lobby.

Final Verdict: A Bold, Beautiful, and Chaotic Evolution!

Season 7 is shaping up to be a bold, beautiful, and incredibly packed entry into The Finals game. With major visual upgrades to destruction and a stunning, lore-infused new map (Nozomi/Citadel!), alongside new gadgets that promise to shake up the meta and extensive changes to progression and onboarding, it feels like a significant evolution for the combat centered game. The updates seem aimed at making the game more accessible and rewarding for players of all experience levels, while still offering plenty of depth and high-level play opportunities. The fact that Legacy Battle Passes are here is a huge win for collectors looking to seize everlasting fame through their cosmetic collections!

Whether players are here to dive deep into the corporate conspiracies between VIIYA and CNS, master the new gadgets, chase those revamped ranked rewards, collect stunning cosmetics (including those Legacy Battle Pass items!), or simply enjoy the core chaotic fun of this free to play combat, “The Divide” offers something exciting for everyone. The Finals, in the opinion of many, remains one of the best and most underrated first person shooter titles out there, and Season 7 seems poised to reinforce that.

So gear up, Contestant, choose your side (or don’t!), and dive headfirst into Nozomi/Citadel—because the arena is calling louder and more beautifully chaotic than ever before!