HAWKED: Early Access Patch Notes (Version 1.20)

Welcome to HAWKED Early Access! If you’ve dabbled in the Renegade life in previous playtests, there’s a veritable treasure trove of new features, improvements, and bug fixes to get your mitts on. If you’re new to the Renegade racket, GRAIL is happy to have you and hopes you enjoy the read! 

The following changes are available in HAWKED on Windows PC as of the Early Access release on Thursday, November 30, 2023. Update your game to the latest version on MY.GAMES Launcher or Steam to play HAWKED for free in Early Access.

NEW FEATURES

GAME MODES

Two core Game Modes are now available, including a newly added Solo Mode:

• Lone Hunter (Solo): Play by yourself and put your treasure-hunting skills to the test against 29 other solo Renegades.
• Treasure Hunt (Squads): Play in teams of two or three and race to the Artifact against other Renegade squads.
  • Fancy a challenge? Toggle the “Fill Squad” option to enter Treasure Hunt as a solo player or as a duo (find this option in the “Party” interface).
  • You will receive a random special augment when you pick up a Glyph in Squads. For example, you may be able to pick up more loot during your match. You will receive a notification about your augment when you collect a Glyph.

RENEGADE PASS #1

The Renegade Pass is a type of battle pass that allows you to earn rewards via regular gameplay. Every Issue (season-based event) comes with a Renegade Pass with Free and Premium tracks. You can purchase the Premium track to gain access to the whole pool of rewards while an Issue is active.

Rise through the Renegade ranks by completing Quests to progress the Free or Premium tracks of the Renegade Pass in Issue #1: Renegades. There are 64 rewards to unlock, including unique customizations such as Backpacks, Traversers, Color Schemes, Outfits, GRAIL+, currency, and more. 

Check out our dedicated article for more information about Issue #1: Renegades and the Renegade Pass #1.

GRAIL SHOP

GRAIL is open for business! As a newly contracted Renegade, know that GRAIL is here to handle your hot extracted merchandise and sell you items to aid your looting or brush up your style. 

GEAR

Gear (available as Exo Gear and Ward Gear) is a type of item used in your Renegade’s Loadout. They provide active skills that can make all the difference in battle and add variety to your standard-issue gunfights. You can equip a maximum of two pieces of Gear at any time (one Exo Gear and one Ward Gear).

Exo Gear allows you to activate a directional tactical ability, while Ward Gear provides you with a non-directional support ability. Each type of Gear is designed to support different playstyles. Certain pieces of Gear may be helpful for all playstyles.

In Early Access, you can experience streamlined Gear progression, more Gear available from the beginning of your Renegade career, simplified access to Gear, and improved presentation of your collection and options via the Loadout menu pre-match.

BOOSTERS

Boosters are a type of consumable item. You might notice they look a lot like comic books! They’re filled with marvelous tales of heroics, documenting the careers of GRAIL’s most legendary Renegades. As such, Boosters are capable of giving Renegades a morale boost that translates to in-match buffs. The passive skills they can provide you are much simpler than those from Artifacts. In most cases, they offer a tangible buff without additional conditions (there may be exceptions with specific Boosters).

Boosters come in three types that can aid you in different ways: Survival, Utility, and Hunt.

ARTIFACTS

Your ultimate goal on X-Isle. Once you’ve collected enough Glyphs, unlocked the Treasury, and made it out alive through an extraction point, an Artifact will be yours. Artifacts give you passive skills that trigger under certain conditions. Compared to Boosters—which also provide passive skills—Artifacts are much more effective, but you cannot use them at any time. When the effect of an Artifact is triggered, it is accompanied by sound effects and UI notifications.

COSMETICS

Complete work for GRAIL, cash in Artifacts and Trinkets, and spend the Hawks and Wonderium you receive to raise your Loyalty. Improve your standing with GRAIL to get your hands on a lovely set of cosmetics, including:

• Archaeologist Helmet Headwear (Masculine)
• Archaeologist Chestpiece (Masculine)
• Archaeologist Legwear (Masculine)
• Traveler Hoverboard
• Traveler Backpack
• Traveler Locker
• Epic Hoverboard
• Treasureseeker Weapon Skin
• Primal Pop-Up Souvenir
• Schoolyard Backpack
• Keystone Traverser
• Origami Backpack
• Fashionista Backpack

SHOP

GE-0 is ready to accept your GE-0 Cash at his shop downstairs in the Riftwake. GE-0 offers a wide range of services. Top up your GE-0 Cash in-game or on the official website to buy a wide range of items like Cosmetics, Renegade Passes, and GRAIL+.

The Featured section shows sets and items available for a limited time, along with new items that have entered the Shop. Here are a few of the new Featured items:

• Rainforest Set (includes the Rainforest Headwear, Rainforest Chestpiece, and Rainforest Legwear)

• Gatorfolk Avatar
• Carved Perfection GARR 21 (SMG) Weapon Skin
• Ribbit Backpack
• Carnival Traverser

All items within the Shop will be available until the end of Issue #1 unless stated otherwise. New items will enter rotation on a regular basis. Individual items available as of the Early Access launch include:

• Rainforest Headwear
• Rainforest Body
• Rainforest Legwear
• Aztec Hoverboard Set (includes the Aztec Gold Hoverboard, Aztec Jade Hoverboard, and Aztec Stone Hoverboard)
• Merry-Go-Round Locker
• Knockout Weapon Pattern
• Half-Blood Color Scheme

GRAIL+

GRAIL+ is a subscription service that lets you maximize your looting. Benefits of GRAIL+ include:

• Colorful Name: Your name becomes orange with a lovely sheen.
• Daily Boosters: Boosters give you passive Skills. A maximum of five Boosters can be equipped at a time (you can also buy Boosters with HAWKS in the GRAIL Shop).
• Lockbox Slot: Allows you to carry one extra Trinket, which you can save between matches even if you don’t make it to extraction.
• Extra Quests: Unlock one additional Weekly Quest and two additional Daily Quests.
• 20% Experience: Experience lets you level up your Renegade for access to special cosmetic rewards.
• Three Emotes: Access additional Emotes in your Loadout, including Finger Shooting, Frustration, and Satisfaction. 

THE RIFTWAKE & YOUR PERSONAL QUARTERS

Your Quarters are your own personal space aboard the Riftwake. Get familiar with them to enjoy fun asides and a place of respite, with other distractions available elsewhere on GRAIL’s submarine:

• Shooting Range: Test your sharpshooting in this arcade-style shooting minigame.
• Personal Quarters: Gaze at your hard-earned treasures while your guitar gently weeps.
• Main Lobby: It’s time to face the music! Find musical plates behind Bodhi, and shoot at them to make sweet, sweet melodies.

IMPROVEMENTS & ADJUSTMENTS

CHARACTER CREATION

Renegades can now adjust their body size with new sliders for Masculine and Feminine Avatars.

SPLASH SCREENS

We’ve added splash screens that appear when you start up the game. They should help Renegades stay up to date with all the latest and greatest HAWKED news. The first batch includes:

• Renegade Rally
• Raider Packs
• Renegade Pass #1
• Twitch Drops
• Newsletter

Keep an eye out for new splash screens—they’re a great way to hear about the latest news, events, sales, and other special notifications!

SERVER SELECTION

Don’t know which server to pick? Don’t stress! We’ve added a new server selection screen that displays your ping relative to the available servers so you can make an informed choice before you choose which one to play on. Choose from:

• NA-West
• NA-Central
• NA-East
• Europe
• Brazil
• Asia
• Middle East

LOCALIZATION

GRAIL is expanding! Four new languages have been added to HAWKED in Early Access to make the game more accessible to players worldwide. Full localization is now available in:

• Polish
• Korean
• Chinese (Simplified)
• Chinese (Traditional)

These new languages join English, French, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Turkish, and Arabic as available language options.

Additionally, all GRAIL characters now have full voiceovers in the following languages:

• English
• French
• German
• Spanish
• Brazilian Portuguese
• Polish
• Korean
• Chinese (Simplified)
• Chinese (Traditional)

PINGS

The Ping system allows for more efficient communication between you and your squad. 

• Ping markers (such as encounters extraction points) to highlight goals to your squad.
• Spectators can Ping the map.
• Players can confirm other players’ Pings. 
• Characters use dynamic dialogue for different types of Ping. 
• Added the contextual action button ‘Revive Me,’ which can be used to attract teammates’ attention.

MOVEMENT

Enjoy improved movement and traversal around X-Isle:

• Reworked camera behavior while sprinting and sliding.
• Improved Traverser visualization when traversing across X-Isle.
• Improved the camera display with regard to speed perception when using the Hoverboard.
• Added auto-disembark feature when using the Hoverboard.
• Fixed sliding visualization.
• Fixed a visual issue when jumping while aiming down sights (ADS).

CONTROLS & GAMEPAD SUPPORT

Play with new and improved control schemes:

• Reworked the default control scheme.
• Added different control schemes.
• Added Dualshock and Xbox Controller vibration support.
• Added support for DualSense Adaptive Triggers.
• Rebalanced aim assist when using a controller.

OTHER CHANGES & IMPROVEMENTS

• Added a way to preview Gear during character creation.
• Added the option to “Sell All Loot” in the Trinkets interface at the GRAIL Shop.
• Inactive (AFK) players will not receive shared rewards when in a squad.
• Adjusted the functionality of the “Collector Coil”:
  • Previously: Collector Coil gains a charge that increases your maximum shield for each treasure (Artifacts/Trinkets) you carry in your Backpack.
  • Now: Collector Coil gains up to 2 charges that increase your maximum shield by 9-15 points for each Trinket carried in your Backpack. Collector Coil becomes fully charged if you hold an Artifact.
• Adjusted the visuals of the resurrection point within X-Isle.
• Added ultra-wide monitor support.
• Improved the visualization of the quest interface.
• Improved the display of in-game surveys so we can gather feedback and make adjustments based on community sentiment.
• Updated the way the in-session shop currency CRED (formerly called HYPE) works. It is now persistent between sessions.
• Improved the visual display of the CRED Store on X-Isle.
• Updated the introduction comic sequence that plays when you first start the game.
• Added a way to replay the Tutorial from your Personal Quarters.
• Updated the HUD to include clearer statuses for teammates in the Squad interface (Disconnected, Left, Dead, and Knocked Down).
• Updated settings algorithm to better auto-detect setting options upon first startup.
• Improved the minimum graphics preset.
• Added more input binding options.
• Added more camera and sensitivity options.
• Updated the dynamic difficulty scaling of encounters on X-Isle.

BUG FIXES

• Improved client stability and optimization by resolving reported issues of crashing, freezing, and low performance.
• Fixed an issue with lip-syncing. Previously, some characters' mouths did not move correctly with their dialogue.
• Fixed an issue where the Caravan did not spawn correctly under certain conditions.
• Fixed issues with gameplay on the island where terrain was unable to be traversed correctly, and objects and item locations caused some players to get stuck.
• Fixed the display of character levels within the Party interface.
• Fixed an issue where the screen would freeze when opening the Loadout interface.
• Fixed an issue where Quest markers were not displayed correctly within specific interfaces.
• Fixed an issue where players could fall through the floor when spawning in the Riftwake.
• Improved UX bugs in many interfaces.
• Fixed an issue when equipping cosmetics, where they would not display correctly after character creation.
• Fixed an issue where certain keys couldn’t be rebound when using a keyboard.
• Fixed an issue where tips would not display based on the relevant experience for users in the loading screen. 
• Fixed an issue where buff timers for the Inner Power Booster were incorrectly displayed.
• Fixed display of Gear not scaling correctly on debriefing screens such as the Tutorial and Renegade Pass.
• Improved the behavior and movement of bots.
• Improved the lighting in the final phase, night, and evening on X-Isle.
• Fixed collision issues that caused players to get stuck on objects.
• Fixed collision and hit registration issues that led to players having trouble hitting enemies.

KNOWN ISSUES

HAWKED is now available in Early Access. That means that development is still ongoing and is reliant on your feedback to help improve and polish the overall game experience before the full launch in 2024. As such, you may encounter gameplay and technical issues while playing. We are aware of several issues as of the launch of Early Access, and are closely monitoring gameplay sessions and your feedback to find and take action against them. 

HAWKED will undergo regular maintenance to deploy patches and hotfixes to resolve issues. Please keep an eye on Discord and future patch notes for more updates. 

If you need troubleshooting for common technical problems or account-related queries, or if you can’t find a solution to your issue, please visit our Support page.

Play HAWKED for free now on PC via MY.GAMES Launcher and Steam!

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All details in this article are accurate as of the time of publication. Follow HAWKED on Discord and via social channels for up-to-date information.