If you’ve been trying unsuccessfully to play the Anthem VIP demo, you’re not alone. As far as we know, all three platforms are suffering connectivity issues now, which BioWare says is not related to servers at all.

Now, if you did manage to connect, there’s another bug hindering you from playing, and it’s the Anthem demo infinite loading bug! From personal experience, I’ve encountered it  countless times regardless if I was trying to play an Expedition, Freeplay, etc. While no Anthem demo infinite loading glitch fix has been rolled out just yet, there is a workaround that I can confirm worked for me!

Executive Producer Mark Darrah shared the method on Twitter, and it involves hard quitting the game.

Not a fix, BUT:
If you are hitting the 95% load hang
Try quitting out and restarting. You may get a message, "Game server detected, do you want to rejoin?" say yes. That MAY get past the block.

Again, not a fix, but it may get you past.

— Mark Darrah (@BioMarkDarrah) January 26, 2019

Not a fix, BUT: If you are hitting the 95% load hang Try quitting out and restarting. You may get a message, “Game server detected, do you want to rejoin?” say yes. That MAY get past the block. Again, not a fix, but it may get you past.

By “quitting,” this means you have to stop the application and reboot the game. Once you’ve entered the servers successfully, you’ll be asked if you want to rejoin your recent Expedition, and picking yes will take you out of the infinite loading screen of doom. Again, it’s not a fix, but it is a workaround that has worked for lots of people (including me).

In related Anthem demo news, the official EA support page has listed down the known Anthem demo issues, and it’s not pretty.

We’re currently tracking issues for the Anthem VIP Demo and the team is working very diligently to quickly resolve them. 
Here’s the current list of the most reported and known issues affecting some players.

1. Infinite loading screens when launching the game or entering an expedition.
2. Unable to get past the Anthem title screen.
3. Some Xbox One players are unable to access the Anthem VIP demo.
4. Some players are unable to access their Anthem VIP demo friends codes.

At the time of this writing, over 11,000 people have reported to have encountered the same problems above, which isn’t something you want when you’re asking people to try your game out.

Have you managed to get into an Anthem game with a squad or randomly matched? What did you do to bypass the infinite loading glitch?

More Anthem Reading:

• Here’s the Complete Anthem Map Pieced Together
• Anthem Store Items First Look, BioWare Says These Aren’t Final Pricing and Will Balance It Almost Daily
• Anthem Will Only Have 3 Stronghold Missions Available at Launch With One Playable in the Demo

If you’ve been frantically trying to log in to the Anthem VIP demo since it went live earlier today, then you’re part of a large group of gamers (including me) that  are stuck watching a screen that tries and tries to connect to servers but fails constantly but fails to do so.

We’re a few hours in, and sadly, things haven’t improved. BioWare ia aware of the Anthem demo connection problems though, and studio boss Casey Hudson has went on Twitter to verify that it’s not a server capacity issue, but something else entirely.

Turns out to not be a server capacity issue. Seems to be a different issue that didn’t come up in previous scale testing. Teams are on it… https://t.co/nnDi2xK1s6

— Casey Hudson (@CaseyDHudson) January 25, 2019

If you fail to read the subtweet, the official EA Help support Twitter mentions that login issues are now happening in ALL of EA’s games and services, which includes the Anthem demo.

We're now also looking into login issues across all of our games and services, including the #AnthemGame demo. Hang tight–we're on it, and we'll share more info as we have it.

— EA Help (@EAHelp) January 25, 2019

As expected, the Anthem community is not happy with how things are going down for the Anthem VIP demo’s first day of availability. Over on the Anthem subreddit, fans are demanding that the Anthem VIP demo date be extended given the issues players have had connecting. While there’s no confirmation that we’ll get an extra day or two, a BioWare dev at least acknowledged that they want to fix the current issues first before they start talking about extending the current VIP demo.

Given that the Anthem VIP demo is exclusive to pre-order buyers and media, I shudder to think how this will all go down next week when the demo is open to everyone.

Have you been able to connect to Anthem? And do you think EA should issue an extra day or two due to the current outage?

More Anthem Reading:

• Here’s the Complete Anthem Map Pieced Together
• Anthem Store Items First Look, BioWare Says These Aren’t Final Pricing and Will Balance It Almost Daily
• Anthem Will Only Have 3 Stronghold Missions Available at Launch With One Playable in the Demo

Just last week, we posted our first look at the Anthem map, though it wasn’t the entire thing. Well, now, we have the complete Anthem map, which was pieced together by Reddit user SkrillRKnight.

Full disclosure though, BioWare has not mentioned if there are other areas, or how vertical the map is given that javelins can fly and submerge themselves underwater to traverse new areas as we can plainly see in some of the gameplay.

I don’t want to judge given we don’t even know the proportion of the arrow to actual player, but so far, it doesn’t look that big, no? Of course, if its teeming with wildlife and there are tons of activities to do in the game’s open world, the size itself shouldn’t matter, right?

Are you OK with the Anthem map so far or you think it’s a tad too small? Do you think BioWare will add new playable areas post-launch? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

More Anthem Reading:

• Anthem Will Only Have 3 Stronghold Missions Available at Launch With One Playable in the Demo
• Anthem Seasonal Events Confirmed, Microtransactions Still Planned to Be Cosmetics Only
• Anthem Social Hub Called Launch Bay, Will Allow Up to 16 People

In case you didn’t know, Anthem will have its own in-game currency system called “Coins,” which will be available in the VIP demo set to become playable tomorrow. If you’re curious how the Anthem store looks like, and what people can get from it, wonder no more.

Below, we see our first look at the Anthem store items, with the focus primarily set on cosmetics. There are different armor packs for what I presume will be for different shaders and materials for javelins, and emotes as well. Players will be able to buy these using the Coins or Shards.

BioWare has come out and touched on the Anthem store items, and has said that these aren’t the final prices. Here’s what BioWare Senior Systems Designer Chris Schimdt had to say about it:

Hey there! One thing to keep in mind is these don’t represent final, stamped for all of eternity pricing. We are iterating on our economy design and balance almost daily, so you’re seeing a snapshot of one iteration. This is why we tend to not discuss things like pricing, because it’s one of those iterative things that’s sure to change frequently right up until the day you play the game.

Again, Anthem store prices aren’t final, and will be balanced almost daily. And before anyone asks, yes, BioWare still intends to keep microtransactions in the game tied to cosmetics only.

Stay tuned for more Anthem coverage here on MP1st! Bookmark our Anthem game hub now so you won’t miss a thing.

Source: Reddit

More Anthem Reading:

• Anthem Will Only Have 3 Stronghold Missions Available at Launch With One Playable in the Demo
• Anthem Social Hub Called Launch Bay, Will Allow Up to 16 People
• Anthem VIP Demo Preload Is Live, Here Are the Demo and Friend Pass Download Links

Earlier today, BioWare showed off the Anthem VIP demo by doing a livestream on IGN. While playing BioWare Producer Scylla Costa mentioned that there’s going to be three Stronghold missions available in Anthem at launch.

Stronghold missions are team-based quests in Anthem that require teamwork, and will net the players excellent rewards. Think of them as the same as souped up version of Destiny’s Strikes, or a shorter version of Raids. According to Costa, the three Anthem Stronghold missions will be available once the main story is completed, and is a big part of Anthem’s endgame (it’s around the 23:30 mark in the video).

Over on Twitter, Lead Producer Michael Gamble also confirmed that there will be three Anthem Stronghold missions available at launch, with more presumably added post-release.

3

— Michael Gamble (@GambleMike) January 24, 2019

Before anyone panics, Strongholds can be replayable, and will have multiple difficulty settings, and from what we’ve seen so far, these quests will take a long time, with the latest gameplay of it taking 40 minutes, and they didn’t even finish it.

For those curious how it plays, BioWare has confirmed that there will be one Anthem Stronghold mission available in the VIP demo set to launch tomorrow.

Are you OK with this number? is it too few? Or are you confident BioWare will add more Stronghold missions consistently post-launch?

More Anthem Reading:

• Anthem Seasonal Events Confirmed, Microtransactions Still Planned to Be Cosmetics Only
• BioWare Outlines Differences Between Anthem Demo vs Launch Build
• Anthem Social Hub Called Launch Bay, Will Allow Up to 16 People

With Anthem entering the shared world shooter experience that was made popular by games like Destiny, and The Division, one of the main selling points here is that these titles are constantly evolving, and are frequently updated either for content, game balance, or just to add an event or two to keep players engaged.

For those hoping to see Anthem seasonal events like a Halloween event, and a Christmas one during the holidays, BioWare just confirmed the game will have these sort of stuff post-launch! In an interview, Lead Producer Mike Gamble confirmed this, and even compared it to Blizzard’s Overwatch.

So kind of a silly question here: my favorite thing in these kinds of games is seasonal events–Halloween events, Christmas events–are you planning on having those kinds of things in Anthem?

MG: Definitely. I love that stuff too, that’s one of the reasons I’m still playing Overwatch so many years out is because of the events and the effort that they put into those.

In the same interview, Gamble was asked about Anthem’s microtransactions, and whether anything changed regarding its direction or if it’s still cosmetics only.

So then I guess the question is–in a game like this, you [usually] have to monetize it usually to keep it sustainable. What’s the plan there, is it cosmetics only…?

MG: It’s still cosmetics, yes. We feel that if people are interested in playing the game, that they’ll want to express themselves through cosmetics, and that there’s enough there in the cosmetic system, and enough customization for them to really dig into it. 

Note that BioWare has confirmed that all story-related DLC will be free, which might, and should, further entice the Anthem player base to spring for cosmetics with real world money.

In other Anthem news, the VIP demo is starting tomorrow, and if you’re a part of it, go check out how to download the client, as well as the Friends Pass right here.

Source: WeGotThisCovered

More Anthem Reading:

• Anthem Social Hub Called Launch Bay, Will Allow Up to 16 People
• Anthem Glow in the Dark Steelbook Is Exclusive to Amazon UK and It Looks Awesome
• Anthem Will Have Purchasable Emotes, We’ll See How Currency Works in the Demo

With the Anthem VIP demo set to kick off in less than 24 hours, BioWare is readying the ship, and is seeking feedback from the community.

Over on Reddit, BioWare Director of Audio Jeremie Voillot has posted a message asking the community for Anthem audio feedback, and confirms that the demo won’t include optimizations or the “final polish pass” gamers will see from the launch day build.

Anthem Weekends Audio Feedback Thread
by inAnthemTheGame

Hey fellow Freelancers! The demo is going to go live soon (stoked!), myself and the audio team are looking for feedback. We welcome any positive or constructive feedback from all of you!

The demo doesn’t contain our final polish pass or optimizations, but we are still hard at work on the numerous future patches that are coming trying to fine tune your audio experience.

Our goal was the deliver the most visceral, dynamic and responsive audio experience for our fans. We firmly believe iteration is the key to quality, so please tell us about your experience, and how we can make it even better!

Strong alone, stronger together!

I’ve played betas and demos before, but this might be the first time that a studio has requested feedback for the game’s audio, which is refreshing, to be honest.

More Anthem Reading:

• Anthem Social Hub Called Launch Bay, Will Allow Up to 16 People
• Anthem Glow in the Dark Steelbook Is Exclusive to Amazon UK and It Looks Awesome
• BioWare Outlines Differences Between Anthem Demo vs Launch Build

While BioWare has talked about and showed off Fort Tarsis for Anthem as the game’s “hub” where quests are snatched up, and the story can be moved forward, some might assume that it’ll work like the Tower in Destiny where you could interact with other online players, which isn’t the case.

But those looking forward to an Anthem social hub, don’t fret! BioWare has something in mind, and here’s our early look at the “Launch Bay,” where players can hang out, dance with their emotes, grab a new contract, and more! We get our first look at it via Lead Producer Michael Gamble.

After a mission, you can head back to Tarsis and catch up with some of the amazing characters we've created for you…OR…head back to the brand new Launch Bay, hang out with your friends, use the forge, reload and grab a new contract. Yeah, we listened to you… details soon! pic.twitter.com/m5sp96IpDh

— Michael Gamble (@GambleMike) January 23, 2019

For those curious, the Anthem Launch Bay will have up to 16 players in one instance, though the feature won’t be available in the demo.

16 https://t.co/yMY9HnIIBm

— Mark Darrah (@BioMarkDarrah) January 23, 2019

The launch bay is disabled in the demo, though 😎. Gotta save some stuff for Feb 22 after all…

— Michael Gamble (@GambleMike) January 23, 2019

What’s interesting here is, this Anthem social hub wasn’t something the studio was planning on doing, but was implemented due to community feedback. This was revealed by BioWare Development Manager Camden Eagar over on Reddit who shared that this was a reaction to “community feedback.”

I have to admit, this is damn impressive that BioWare has seemingly added a feature in the game that was requested by the community even before the game launched, and not patched in post-launch.

In other Anthem news, don’t forget that the VIP demo pre-load is now live, and you can check out the download links here. BioWare has also outlined how the demo is different from the launch build, which you ought to give a read as well.

Stay tuned to MP1st for the most comprehensive Anthem coverage leading up to the February 22 release date.