Mixing modern weaponry and a fantasy world is always an unusual sight and yields chaotic results. If you enjoy the fantasy setting (or miss Highguard), THE FINALS‘ latest season takes the competition to the world of magic, knights, and castles.
Last week, on March 18, I had the chance to play THE FINALS Season 10 early and try out the new map, gadgets, and a weapon. On paper, it seems like a traditional season in terms of content, but every addition felt like exactly what the game needs right now.
What’s new in THE FINALS Season 10?
- New fantasy-themed map, Starlight Hollow, designed for Point Break.
- New weapon, gadget, and Specialization for the Medium build.
- Technical improvements, including controller rework and Match Recap 2.0.
The highlight of the new season is the map, Starlight Hollow. It takes us to a medieval village, with flower fields and wooden houses, all while snowy peaks and a mighty castle loom in the background (although it’s a shame the castle isn’t a part of the map).
Starlight Hollow is designed specifically for Point Break, the 8v8 attack and defend mode similar to Rush from the Battlefield series. The mode was introduced in Season 9 and quickly became a fan favorite. So far, it has taken place on regular THE FINALS maps, which were initially designed for Cashout.
The new map is more linear, with a clear path for the front line to move as teams capture objectives, making for more coordinated gameplay, unlike, for example, SYS$HORIZON, where fights and objectives sometimes feel all over the place.
To immerse yourself in the fantasy world, the new season introduces a new Medium playstyle, the Aerialist. It features the Chimera-XB Crossbow, a semi-automatic crossbow that has great hip-fire but can also melt enemies when aiming down sights. Then there are a few less-thematic gadgets, with a new Shockwave Specialization and a Hover Pad to create platforms mid-air.
The Hover Pad felt a bit too situational. But the Shockwave is a fantastic Specialization to use as a mobility tool or to disorient enemies, similar to how you would in Fortnite. It also acts as a great counter to mines and traps set on the Cashouts, as the Shockwave displaces them without triggering.
Apart from playable content, there’s a battle pass filled with fantasy-themed cosmetics, from undead gunslingers to summoners, goblins, jesters, and knights, on top of a bunch of other smaller things that build the theme, like the music and even the spawn animation.
When it comes to quality-of-life and technical changes, in Season 10, Embark reworked the controller input and built Match Recap 2.0 as a part of an ongoing goal to reach new audiences. Later, Embark will unveil a 2026 roadmap, detailing the long-term vision for THE FINALS and building momentum toward Season 12.
