EA has announced a new update for Anthem, which also launches a brand-new winter-themed season called Icetide. The update adds several new pieces of content to Anthem, including environmental changes, world events, challenges, cosmetics, and ways to unlock legendary gear.

"Shaper devices have brought localized ice storms into Bastion, bringing excitement with every glittering snowflake across the region," EA writes in the update's full patch notes. "Ice is rare here, but when it arrives, people know that Icetide celebrations will soon follow. Holiday lights shine throughout Fort Tarsis, their bright colors sparkling on blankets of snow."

Throughout Icetide, new seasonal strongholds will unlock each week--presenting ways of acquiring large amounts of crystals and unlocking Icetide's seasonal in-game items. Icetide also adds new freeplay time trials, a legendary world event, challenges, cosmetic items, and collectibles.

If you're hoping to expand your arsenal and unlock more legendary gear, the update makes it easier to do so. Completing daily and weekly challenges will now earn you guardian tokens, which can be offered in tribute at one of the Tombs of the Legionnaires to automatically get a random legendary item that has +5 gear score. The type of item you earn from each tomb is listed below. Additionally, in Grandmaster 3, all legendary loot drops will now begin with a +5 gear score.

New Tomb Of Legionnaires Offerings

• Tomb of Artinia: Legendary Weapons
• Tomb of Cariff: Legendary Gear
• Tomb of Yvenia: Legendary Melee Weapons and Javelin-Specific Components
• Tomb of Gawnes: Legendary Support Gear and Universal Components

The remainder of the update is bug fixes, with most geared towards improving Anthem's overall stability. Some of the bug fixes are designed to better balance Anthem as well, such as a fix for the issue that was causing the Rainmaker to occasionally deal out damage almost 200% stronger than intended. If you were relying on certain bugs to help you overcome troublesome bosses, you may want to check the patch notes and see whether that option is still available to the build you're using.

Anthem Update 1.6 Patch Notes

New Features

• Seasonal Themed Strongholds - Each week a different featured seasonal Stronghold will unlock for players—now including score leaderboards. If you're up to the challenge, compete with other Freelancers for the highest score. Visit the Seasonal Store to exchange your Crystal for War Chests.
• Freeplay Time Trials - Have you ever wanted to put your javelin flight and navigation skills to the test? Join Freeplay, and race through eight time trials that can be found in Bastion. Try to beat our Gold times!
• New Legendary World Event: Icetide Coolant Harvesting - Help the Arcanist harvest precious coolant resources while fighting off the outlaw forces that are trying to steal it from you.
• New Challenges - Explore the Challenges to see vanity rewards! Gain new armor sets, special time trial wraps, and more.
• New Hidden Collectables - Explore the region to find all Festive Wreaths.
• Icetide Cortex Entries - Explore the region to find new story entries to add to your Cortex.
• More Powerful Drops in Grandmaster 3 - All Legendary loot drops on GM3 now drop with +5 Gear Score.
• New Tomb of Legionnaires Offering - New Guardians' Tokens are granted through daily and weekly challenges. Freelancers can make offerings of a Guardian Token and additional crafting materials within the Tombs of the Legionnaires to gain a random Legendary item. Each tomb grants different items, but all items have a +5 gear score.
• New Seasonal Cosmetic Items - Visit the Featured Store throughout the season for new Icetide-themed cosmetics.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed various crashes to improve stabilization.
• Fixed various texture and lighting scenarios.
• Fixed various art collision issues that allowed players to access unintended areas.
• Fixed various audio issues.
• Fixed multiple breadcrumbing trails appearing in Freeplay. Fast Travel to the Tomb of Legionnaires is now enabled. Map pins have been updated to better communicate the ability to fast travel.
• Added new options to disable various parts of the UI
  • These options are visible under Settings -> Interface -> HUD
• Added a tutorial for the self-respawn feature.
  • You can respawn yourself closer to your squadmates by holding down the R3 button
• The Colossus can no longer become stuck in cages within Temple of Scar.
• The Sunken Cell stronghold mission now correctly appears above the Heart of Rage mission in the journal.
• Resolved an issue causing the Forge Menu to not appear while in the Forge Screen.
• Fixed an issue that allowed the Synchronized Frame to trigger without an enemy being hit.
• The Ranger Combo Augment component craft recipe now displays "Impact Combo Damage".
• Fixed an issue causing Incremental Archives to not spawn as often as expected.
• Fixed an issue preventing the fog wall from vanishing after the objective is completed in Temple of Scar.
• Forge Icons for Barrage, Garroter, and Stampede have been updated to match the default color scheme of the javelin.
• Increased the health of the generators for the Sleeping Titan event.
• Legendary Fortress of Dawn now spawns its chest and finishes appropriately.
• Fixed an issue where Balm of Gavinicus was incorrectly dealing damage on impact.
• Fixed an issue causing Rainmaker to fire more projectiles than intended.