Remedy has released a final major update for FBC: Firebreak. Despite being the end of an era, Open House introduces a wide range of improvements, including a new Friend's Pass system, five new Endless Shift locations, gameplay enhancements, weapon system rebalancing, and a major overhaul of the Perk system, among other changes. The update also includes a permanent price reduction, alongside a Steam sale. All of this is to ensure that the game is left on a high note and a complete package for new firebreakers jumping in.
While the game is not going anywhere and will remain online, the studio is moving its efforts to its other projects. Mike Kayatta, Game Director, wrote about the decision on Steam, stating, “FBC: Firebreak was built by a team fueled by passion and experimentation. That spirit shaped the game, but the moments that brought it to life were the ones that players created together. We want to make sure those moments can continue for the players who are already here, and for anyone else looking for a high-energy, low-pressure game night with friends. That's why the relay servers are staying up, the price is going down, and a Friend's Pass is going in. From all of us on the team, thank you for your own passion and experimentation, and we'll see you in there.”
You can see the Patch Notes for 1.9.1 below or on the game's Steam page, HERE.
PlayStation 5: 1.009.001
Xbox Series X|S: 1.9.1.0
PC: 1.9.1
Windows PC: 1.9.1.0
Patch Notes
New Feature: Friend’s Pass
Added Friend’s Pass
- Players who own FBC: Firebreak can now invite friends using the free Friend’s Pass version (Free Trial on consoles) to join their sessions and experience the game together.
- You can find detailed instructions on how to access Friend’s Pass here.
New Maps for Endless Shift
- Added five new Endless Shift arenas inspired by locations from Control:
- Cafeteria, Aircon Room, Ranger HQ, Turntable, and Ritual Lobby.
Gameplay Changes
Harmful Conditions and Healing Improvements
Harmful Conditions have been adjusted to make them clearer, less frustrating, and easier to manage during combat.
Harmful Conditions
- Burning, Glowing, and Shocked now linger on the player for a much shorter duration.
- HUD indicators for all Conditions (Harmful and Beneficial) have been moved from the bottom corner of the screen to a more visible location.
- Damage values for Harmful Conditions have been rebalanced, so they remain dangerous but easier to manage due to the shorter duration.
- Glow buildup speed has been significantly reduced.
Leech Slime (Infestation)
- Leech Slime is now treated as a proper Condition with its own HUD indicator.
- The Condition now lingers significantly longer.
- Water no longer removes Leech Slime.
- Reminder: Being covered in slime protects players from Glowing. Slime is good for you!
Papered and Moldy Harmful Conditions (Paper Chase and Outbreak)
- When these Harmful Conditions reach maximum intensity, the screen will now gradually fade to black.
- This provides a clearer warning that the player must remove the Harmful Condition before it becomes fatal.
Pink Harmful Condition (Frequency Shift)
- The Pink Harmful Condition has been made significantly more dangerous.
- When affected, being hit by gunfire or melee attacks will trigger small explosions.
- When the Harmful Condition reaches maximum intensity, it will detonate in a powerful explosion, damaging enemies and downing players.
Healing Changes
- All water sources now restore a tiny amount of health, including sprinkler water.
- Showers still remain the primary healing source.
- The health bar now displays a more visible effect when the player is being healed.
Heat Conversion Gun Mod
- Healing provided by the mod has been increased.
- The mod now builds Fire status faster when used.
- The effect of this mod doesn’t kill you as easily anymore, but players must still be careful when using it at low health and catching fire.
Hot Shot Perk
- Now better indicates the [sic] that the enemy killed by the Cold Harmful Condition transfers the heat as Burning to the enemies around it.
Asbestos Hands Perk
- The perk has been updated so that pressing the wrong button during Emergency repairs still progresses the repair. (The in-game description still reflects the old functionality.)
Perk Equipping Overhaul
The Perk equipping system has been redesigned to simplify loadouts and allow more build flexibility.
- Players can now equip only one instance of each perk.
- Each perk automatically activates at the highest level the player has unlocked.
Example:
- If you have unlocked Sprinting Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3, equipping the perk now automatically grants Level 3 and takes only one Mod slot.
Note: Because Level 3 Perks can resonate their effects to other players, up to 18 Perk effects can now be active simultaneously. The HUD can display only six of these effects at a time though.
Developer Note:
This is a significant change to how Perk builds work.
Previously, players had to equip lower-tier versions of a perk in order to access higher-tier ones. This limited how many high-level perks could be active at once.
With the new system, players can equip up to nine Level 3 perks simultaneously, enabling much stronger and more flexible builds.
We’re looking forward to seeing the new combinations players come up with.
Weapon Balance
Heavy weapons (Rotary Cannon, Scattergun and Semi-automatic Rifle) were previously outperforming other weapon types, particularly on higher difficulty levels. We have rebalanced weapons and adjusted enemy scaling to create a more consistent experience across the arsenal.
Changes include:
- Buffs to several underperforming weapons
- Adjustments to enemy health, armor, and difficulty scaling
- Improvements to grenade damage and utility, particularly Gunpowder grenades (it got a big buff, try it out!)
The goal is for all weapons to feel viable across all difficulty levels, while still maintaining their unique identities.
Quality-of-Life Improvements
- Closest Neutralizer is now always marked in the HUD
- Crawling speed while downed has been significantly increased
- Revive time reduced from 5 seconds to 3 seconds
Bug Fixes
Gameplay
- Fixed an issue where Hot Fix Recovery Objective heaters could set players on fire while appearing invisible.
- Fixed an issue where players could not start certain Emergency minigames while holding a carriable object.
- Fixed an issue where holding LMB or RMB prevented Emergency minigames from starting.
- Fixed an issue where Blackrock grenades sometimes failed to destroy Corrupted Items.
Perks and Abilities
- Fixed an issue where players could become unable to move and lose their character model after being revived by the Night Terrors perk while transforming into a Mold Walker or a Shuffler.
- Fixed an issue where the Hunter Gatherer perk gathered ammo faster from broken stations than repaired ones.
Endless Shift Mode
- Fixed an issue where equipped weapon skins did not carry over into Endless Shift sessions.
- Fixed missing UI elements when players joined a Endless Shift session during the “Prepare for Wave” phase.
Equipment, Tools, and Altered Augments
- Fixed an issue where the Teapot Augment timer stopped running when switching weapons.
Tutorial and Progression
- Fixed an issue where task progress did not update when repairing the Gamma Emitter with the Wrench in the tutorial.
UI and Visual Fixes
- Fixed an issue where placing Sprays on bullet holes could produce corrupted textures.
- Fixed an issue where equipping augments caused the “Next Item” prompt and toolbelt highlight to disappear.
Menus and System
- Fixed an issue where intro videos could not be skipped when booting up the game on PlayStation 5.
- Fixed an issue where grenades were not centered in preview/inspect mode.
Achievements
- Updated outdated description criteria for the Steam achievements “What a Day” and “OSHA Compliant.”
- Corrected incorrect distance information in the description for the “Hands-Off Approach” achievement.
Cosmetics
- Fixed an issue where character fists could clip through armor while using certain poses in the customization menu.
Additional Fixes
- Various minor localization fixes.
List of currently known issues not related to this patch here:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/2272540/discussions/0/500576489694044746/
