Metal Gear Solid V Adds More Guns and Gizmos

Half-way through Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain [official site], I had enough swanky guns and gear that most challenge was self-imposed as I toyed with weird strategies. So how come a new update has just added a load of new Grade 7 and 8 tech? Forward Operating Base invasions, innit. (Also, dang, they're pretty cool.)

It's interesting to see development shift focus now many will have moved on from singleplayer, trying to keep folks interested through multiplayer FOB invasions. We still haven't even received the full multiplayer side, Metal Gear Online, on PC yet.

Today's update has brought a few dozen new upgrades for weapons, gadgets, and base security devices. The new Grade 8 tranq pistol, for example, is crawling with scopes and cruft now, and can be slapped onto other guns as an underbarrel attachment so it's easier to cover all your tactical needs with one loadout. You'll also find upgraded security devices like cameras with attached guns and nastier drones.

These swanky items are clearly made for folks busy invading other players' bases, not least of all because of their high costs - you'll likely need a well-staffed FOB or two to even develop some, let alone use them regularly. While the campaign's difficulty escalation slows, FOBs continue to scale fairly well as you're always placed against players of a similar level. If you're invading (and some of you say you are), you now have some new toys.

The new tier 8 tech is also 'Online Development' gear, meaning research will continue in real time even when you're logged on (and can be sped up with that Mother Base Coin microtransaction currency, bleh). It's a recognition of how the playerbase changes after release, once people stop playing in long stretches and are now more likely to be FOB invaders popping in every now and then for mischief.

Speaking of, if you want to get into FOB antics and stock your base up with better staff, one of TPP's current events is offering loads of S and S+ staff as rewards for special online combat deployments. If you want to get 20 S-rank staff, for example, you can chuck 60 disposable A++ people at the deployment for a 100% success chance with 27% predicted losses, which comes out as a respectable upgrade.

As for Metal Gear Online, Konami did recently close the Kojima Productions Los Angeles studio, who worked on it, in their ongoing Kojima purge. However, Konami say MGO is still coming to PC, and it's still being updated - a patch hit consoles today and they've recently added a load of goofy costumes.