Anthem's Cataclysm update has arrived

EA has been rather quiet about Bioware's Anthem recently, as the game was mostly absent from the company's E3 showing after less-than-ideal critical and fan response following launch, but now the 1.3.0 patch notes have revealed that the Cataclysm update is finally here, tasking us with tracking Dr. Harken and unraveling the puzzles around the Cataclysm.

All players can enjoy this content, provided they've completed the Incursion mission in the main story, and you'll need to take on Vara Brom in a new game mode that evolves over time. Of course new rewards await those who complete the challenge, and you can get access to Cataclysm from the Start of Expedition screen.

Inversions are gameplay modifiers included with this, changing how you play (full details can be found here), and leaderboards are featured for those who do well in this mode. You can even earn Minor and Major crystals from challenges, available to spend at the Seasonal Store, a new shop that features time-limited rewards.

There are plenty of other features included in the update notes, including the release of the Guild App to chat with Guild members, and the Alliance System being updated to include Guild members as well as Friends when calculating Social Rewards.

Weapons have been tweaked as well, adding uniqueness to their behaviours, including three new classes of weapons with three new Masterwork/Legendary only variants:

Pulse Accelerators use seal technology to generate destructive energy.
"Bad Omen" - Charges to fire a burst of energy projectiles.
"Rain Maker" - Fires an energy burst that explodes into smaller projectiles.
"Grave Digger" - Fires an increasingly powerful stream of energy.

Volt Casters use seal technology to focus ambient electricity
"Jarra's Wrath" - Blasts a short-range lightning arc.
"Lightning Rod" - Calls down lightning on a specific location.
"Flashfire" - Fires a lightning attack that jumps from enemy to enemy.

Blade Slingers charge a circular projectile with dynamic force.
"Razorwing" - Launches a heavy blade that bounces between targets.
"Riza's Ripper" - Fires a barbed blade that inflicts ongoing shrapnel damage.
"Shard Storm" - Launches experimental crystal projectiles across the immediate area.

We have difficulty changes with the update too, with non-boss enemies inside Grandmaster 2 having health reduced by 50%, and Stronghold bosses getting reduced by 65%. The amount of shields for all enemies in Grandmaster 3 has also been knocked by 35%, with Grandmaster 3 players having all non-boss enemies reduced by 50%. Stronghold bosses are lowered by 75% on top of this, with the amount of shields for all enemies decreasing by 20%.

For more on the changes that have arrived, check out the full patch notes above. Will you be heading into the Cataclysm content?