Dear The Finals developers: Fix these things ASAP

Olivia Richman Published 30/12/2023

The Finals is one of the newest shooters, a fast-paced game full of cash, flash, and explosions. It has been a big hit, reaching over 10 million players on Steam, thanks to its creative take on the genre, but there are some things that I think should be changed if the game is to stay popular and competitive.

Down with the Riot Shields

In The Finals, there are Light, Medium, and Heavy contestants, each with their own distinct abilities and weapons. One of those weapons is the Riot Shield, which allows players to block incoming fire while wielding a baton.

While playing The Finals with friends recently, we all came to the conclusion that the Riot Shield was a frustrating addition to a gun-focused game. The Riot Shield cannot be damaged, meaning incoming fire is basically worthless. Hitting feet barely does anything, and you’re forced to run away or find a better angle.

From Tylurr’s “The Finals: RIOT SHIELD IS OP!”

Riot Shields have no place in shooters — especially if they can’t be broken. Blocking all incoming fire defeats the purpose of a game focused on mechanical prowess and instead rewards players who are not using very much skill to have the upper hand. When a team of three Mediums holding Riot Shields was against us, my friend was almost driven to insanity over how few counters there were to this weapon.

Turn back the clock

In Cashout mode, your goal is to open the vault and race with the money to the Cashout. From there, you have to defend the Cashout until it counts down, and you ultimately get the money.

The issue is when you steal the Cashout, it takes about 10 seconds, but it doesn’t pause the initial countdown. This means that the original team could still win the Cashout even if you are mid-steal. This led to a lot of very frustrating moments and made it almost useless to chase down a Cashout that’s almost done with its initial countdown.

Heavy is too hefty

The Heavy contestants are focused on aggressive charging and defensive shields, making them a pretty well-balanced contestant type in theory. But the Heavy can actually feel pretty oppressive due to how much extra HP they have compared to Light and Medium contestants.

There were countless instances in my last few play sessions where a Heavy contestant survived due to extra HP alone. It takes way too much ammo to take a Heavy contestant down, especially when you have other enemies rushing at you and shooting at you.

In fact, all contestants should have the same amount of health in The Finals.

Invisibility takes it too far

The ability to be invisible is just not great for shooters, especially without any footprints or other giveaways. How is it competitively viable to allow players to rush at opponents without any detection and then let loose a barrage of bullets? It’s not the end of the world — especially when compared to Riot Shields — but this ability is just not suitable for a shooter if you want players to rely on skill and mechanical prowess.

Zero Gravity = zero sanity

The Finals tries to shake up each match with random events, and this includes Zero Gravity. And let me just say… I HATE Zero Gravity. I do not see the point of having an event where you are floating all over the place in a game that’s supposed to be focused on shooting. It really frustrates me when I’m trying to just quickly get to a location before time runs out, and I’m left floating in the air as enemies shoot at me from below. It’s so annoying and pointless.

Of course, all of these issues are not major issues if The Finals is not looking to be very competitive. At the same time, I think that players would have more fun with The Finals if it was focused more on shooting and less on flashy abilities and events.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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