Daybreak Studios’ long running battle royal title H1Z1 (formally H1Z1: Just Survive) received a major update late last week that adds a brand-new combat focused map called Combat Zone, new daily challenges and a whole lot of miscellaneous bug fixes / quality of life improvements that may help players climb the ranks and be the last one standing. 

Combat Zone differs from the regular wide open forest area map in a number of ways: first and foremost there is no parachuting into position. Instead all players start already on the ground with a full loadout of equipment, so there’s no more rushing to find a shotgun, pistol or rusty work.. You know whatever happens to be lying around. Combat Zone also has a smaller size (2KM by 2KM) with a reduced player count of 56. 

Also added in the November 17th update to H1Z1 are daily challenges which provide players with tasks of varying difficulty. They’ll come in three different flavors – Easy, Medium or Hard. One challenge can be discarded per day and daily quests do not need to be completed within a single match. 

Read the full patch notes including details surrounding the quality of life improvements after the video break. 

New Feature: Combat Zone

This is an all-new game mode designed for practicing combat mechanics.

  • Spawn in with a full kit ready to go.
  • Respawn after death, no parachuting.
  • Game takes place on a small, more intimate map that highlights various elements of The Arena.
  • Max number of players per game is 55, and games end after one hour.
New Feature: Daily Challenges

We’ve added a Daily Challenge system to the game which primarily rewards Skulls.  You’ll be given three Challenges per day; one easy, one medium, and one hard (harder Challenges reward more Skulls). You’ll be able to discard one Challenge per day and get a replacement. Challenges don’t necessarily need to be completed in a single match and won’t be replaced until you complete or discard them.

A few examples of Daily Challenges:

  • Halfway There – Place in the top 75 of a Solos match (easy)
  • Domed – Destroy 10 helmets worn by other players (medium)
  • One Shot.  One Kill. – Kill an opponent with the .308 Hunting Rifle (hard)

With the introduction of Daily Challenges, the Bounty System has been removed and the Skull Store has been updated[www.h1z1.com] with several awesome new rewards including the first ever animated Helmet!

Combat & Gameplay Tuning

We’ve made a number of weapons adjustments based on player feedback.

  • Slightly decreased AR-15 recoil reset time to give the user more responsive 2-taps.
  • Reduced AK-47 fire rate to help alleviate close-quarters spammability.
  • Added a fixed, non-rotating pattern for Shotgun blasts including a center pellet.
  • Shotgun damage and fall-off damage have been increased to increase its close-quarters reliability.
  • Bullet drop has been reduced for pistols and rifles.  The values are now much closer to what they were before the Combat Update in August

In addition, there are several quality of life gameplay improvements in this update.

  • Fall damage should be significantly more consistent now.  Height is now the only determinant of fall damage, so forward velocity will not affect you.  You should also no longer take 1-2 points of damage randomly when running and jumping over small objects.
  • Explosive arrows are now very effective against vehicles.
  • It is now possible to loot while reloading.
  • The fifth passenger in a vehicle can now reload and shoot (careful!).
  • Fuel is now consumed slightly faster than before when using turbo boost.
Match Pacing & Tuning
  • First safe zone is now revealed after 45 seconds, instead of 2 minutes.
  • Gas begins moving after 2 minutes and 15 seconds, instead of 4 minutes and 30 seconds.
  • First phase Gas moves slightly slower over 5 minutes and 27 seconds, instead of 5 minutes.
  • The first phase will be 2 minutes and 30 seconds shorter but it should be easier to outrun the gas in a vehicle.
  • The toxicity mechanic has been removed.
  • The gas mechanic has had its damage retuned due to the removal of the toxicity mechanic.
  • The airdrop plane and drop itself now move slightly faster.
  • The loot distribution system has been tuned on a per mode basis. Item spawns have been increased in Duos by approximately 15%, and Fives by approximately 25%.
  • Slightly increased AR-15 spawn rate.
  • Slightly decreased AK-47 and Hellfire 4-6 spawn rate.
  • Slightly increased Medkit spawn rate in residential areas.
  • Increased crossbow spawn rate and decreased long bow spawn rate.  There will be roughly the same number of total bows (including both types) as before.
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