4th July 2025 FBC: Firebreak Receives New 1.3 Update [Perk Economy, Menu Upgrades, & Reward Tallies]

The FBC: Firebreak team has rolled out a new update this week, focusing on perk economy rebalances, menu upgrades, and reward tallies. 

After player demand, the dev team has also introduced the Surviving The Workplace series to the game. Originally designed for post-launch marketing, Surviving The Workplace is a six-part video series starring Jerry Standish in puppet form. In each episode, he guides potential Firebreakers through what they should do and shouldn't do on various Jobs. The well-received series has been a regular on the Remedy YouTube channel with new episodes released every Thursday. 

Though not officially part of the new patch, Remedy has also fixed the Twitch Drop bug, which prevented players from unlocking The Overseer Armor Set. The set consists of three items, with one unlocked each hour of watching a partnered FBC: Firebreak Twitch channel. With the bug now fixed, the studio has extended the campaign from July 8th to July 22nd. You can learn more about the Twitch Drop, HERE. 

Those are just some of the changes that Remedy has brought in with their latest patch, you can read the full list below or on their Steam page, HERE! [Archived]

PlayStation 5: 1.003.000
Xbox Series X|S: 1.3.0.0 
PC: 1.3.0
Windows PC: 1.3.0.0 

Overview 

Patch 1.3 includes numerous bug fixes as well as quality-of-life updates. 

We are targeting another patch (1.4) for the third week of July.  

• We have added the “Surviving the Workplace” series introductory video to the game explaining the Firebreaker’s mission. For both current and prospective players! 
  
  
• New unlockable items in the Requisitions and Perks menus are now visually highlighted.
  
  
• Lost Assets (unlock currency) and Research Samples (used to unlock higher-tier Perks) players are carrying are now shown as a number in the HUD. 
  
  
• Perks economy rebalancing 
  
  
• Our statistics show that slightly less than 5% of our player base owns a Level 3 Perk. That is a different stat from actually equipping it. For a variety of reasons that we need to address, players are not using higher-tier Perks, and this is not just due to their unlocking costs. This economy rebalancing is just one step we are taking to improve. Please read our blog post about how the Perks system and economy HERE!
  
  
• New patch coming next week with Perk economy rebalancing and more.
  
  
• The Twitch Drops issue has been resolved on the backend. It is not part of the patch, but we figured this is a good place to communicate this.
  
  
• The Overseer Armor Set (Threshold Revision) that is part of our Twitch Drops launch campaign has now been granted to all players who connected their Twitch account to their FBC: Firebreak account but didn't receive the armor set.
  
  
• Anyone who connects their account after today's patch will also be granted the items automatically at the end of each day until July 22nd 

Patch Notes 

General 

• Added the “Surviving the Workplace” series introductory video explaining the premise of the game. 
  
  
• Localized subtitles are missing from the video; they will be added in a later patch. 
  
  
• Updated PS5 Cloud Streaming to the latest version 
  
  
• Fixed the outdated descriptions for “What a Day” and “OSHA Compliant” Achievements/Trophies to actually describe what players have to do. 
  
  
• Fixed an issue with “Veteran” and “Firebreaker” Achievements/Trophies, which prevented them from unlocking. 
  
  
• Improved the in-game notification messaging for when maintenance happens. 
  
  
• Previously, players only received the maintenance message if they were in the main menu. Now, if you are playing a match and go back into the main menu, the message will be resurfaced to you, so you don’t miss it. 

Network 

• Various fixes and performance improvements for backend and online services. 
  
  
• Improved backend connection stability so that players disconnecting from a match happens less frequently. (Error codes 22001 and 22002) 
  
  
• When backend maintenance happens, players can now finish the Job they are currently playing instead of being disconnected from the game.  (This one needs a bit more time in the oven.)

Economy Changes 

• Perks economy rebalanced.  

Balancing 

• Swivel Cannon (Fix Kit Improvised Device) now has 3200 health (up from 1000).  
  
  
• As the cannon does splash damage, it damages itself when shooting nearby enemies and was destroying itself too often. This change should make it more durable and allow it to make a few more shots at close range before being destroyed. 
  
  
• Improved enemy behavior 
  
  
• Enemies rush less into areas their compatriots got killed in making enemy behavior a bit more exciting.  

Audio 

• Updated the idle sounds of all Corrupted Items to make them more identifiable and easier for players to pinpoint by sound.  

User Interface and HUD 

• The exact number of Lost Assets and Research Samples that the player is carrying are now displayed in the HUD during a Job. 
  
  
• Added tutorials for the secondary function of each Crisis Kit Tool (activates when the Tool is level 2 or 3). 
  
  
• Added the player’s Reputation Level indicator to the bottom of the Research menu. 
  
  
• Added visual notification to the Main Menu when players have new items or Perks that they can unlock in the Requisition or Research menu. 
  
  
• Also added visual notifications to new items in the Requisition menu and Perks in Research menus that the players can afford to unlock. 
  
  
• Fixed an issue where turning off the camera shake from the menu didn't actually turn it off. 

Gameplay & Performance 

• Fixed an issue where the Hunter Gatherer Perk didn't pick up Research Samples. 
  
  
• Fixed a crash which could happen when the Night Terrors Perk is activated. 

Visuals and Rendering 

• Fixed an issue where the Lost Asset and Research Sample visual highlight only disappeared for the player picking them up and remained visible for other players. 
  
  
• Fixed an issue where the “Jasper Post Box” Corrupted Item could spawn inside other objects. 

List of currently known issues not related to this patch here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/2272540/discussions/0/500576489694044746/

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3rd July 2025 New FBC: Firebreak's Training Video Warns of The Glow [Episode Four: Ground Control]

And if yoooou can believe it, it's Thursday once again! Which means a new instalment of Firebreak Auxiliary Safety Training demonstration...

Remedy is back with their fourth Surviving The Workplace video, this time looking at FBC: Firebreak's Job, Ground Control. In the mission, Firebreakers are tasked with extracting highly radioactive pearls from Astral Leeches. These pearls will need to be collected from different areas from the Black Rock Quarry before being packed away inside a rocket and safely deposited. 

For today's video, Jerry takes players through the dangers of befriending the pearls and the importance of showers.

Surviving the Workplace is a new six-part video series published on the Remedy YouTube channel. Centred around their latest launch, FBC: Firebreak, the series is hosted by the Operations bureaucrat Jerry Standish, whose training session takes the form of puppets. It's like a less intense Threshold Kids. You can catch up on the series, HERE. 

Watch the full video below or on the Remedy YouTube channel, HERE. Plus scroll down for a transcript of the video!

Surviving the Workplace | Hot Fix (FBC: Firebreak) Transcript

(A board with a piece of paper dangles from a set of two wires. The paper reads, “Surviving the Workplace and You, #201 Glow to the Shower Already!”)

Jerry Standish: In today's Firebreak Auxiliary Safety Training, we'll be taking a tentative step into the wild world of glow. A radiation like condition that isn't actually radiation!  For reasons that have been... severely redacted in our briefing paper work.

Jerry Standish: But first, three F.A.S.T. facts about Glow! F.A.S.T. fact one! Glow emanates from spheroid masses of Black Rock sand, condensed by secretions within an astral leech. Eurgh. F.A.S.T. fact two! Glow passes freely and easily between people, Hiss and objects. F.A.S.T. fact three... oh-

(Curtains are drawn suddenly)

Jerry Standish: What are you doing?

Alex: I thought we were done.

Jerry Standish: Literally every time it's three...

Alex: Yeah, but that was-

Jerry Standish: It was two. It was two. Okay, I'll say it! You'll hear me say it!

(Jerry sighs as the curtains open again.)

Jerry Standish:  F.A.S.T. fact three! The first symptom for most people infected with glow is death. It may or may not get worse from there. That part is also classified. Okay. Nooooow, let's head to the Black Rock Quarry, where a certain crew of Firebreakers is about to come face to face with a key jobsite safety decision.

(The curtains close and reopen to a different scene. Three Firebreakers are surrounded with black balloons as they take on a cardboard cutout of The Hiss.)

Alex #1: Whoa, I've sure been holding this leech pearl a long time. I should probably put it down and take a shower before continuing to transport it to the rocket, where we will shoot it into space. Don't you think, Alex?

Alex #2: Boy howdy, Alex. It's a bit more work, but like Jerry always says, 'better safe than sorry'.

(The curtains close as there's a triumphant sound.)

Jerry Standish: Haha, you're right, Alex. That is what I always say. Now let's watch what could happen, had a different Firebreaker been in charge.

(The curtains close and reopen to a different scene. One of the Firebreakers is holding one of the black balls, with the other two backing away from him.)

Dave: Oh, I feel sort of energy from this thing. Like, maybe it's my chi or something.

Alex #1: Wow. Dave, I don't know what that means, but I do know you've been holding that pearl a long time.You need to drop it.

Dave: Not yet. I'm too close to opening the seventh chakra.

(A radiating glow appears around Dave.)

Alex #2: Errr Dave, you're going to want to stay over there.

Dave: Embrace me, like I have embraced my inner self. Come, let us join in spirituality.

(Dave gurgles and falls out of shot as the curtains close. Jerry is back when they reopen.)

Jerry Standish: You know a better way to improve yourself? A decontamination shower. So remember, everyone, when...

(A sign appears reading, “The Bureau shall not be held liable for any life insurance claims, personal injury claims, or related liabilities arising from or associated with conduct classified as “being a Dave” as defined by applicable Bureau standards and guidelines.”)

Jerry Standish: When a jobsite danger calls: be an Alex, not a Dave.

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2nd July 2025 Behind The Voice's Abhi Jha to talk to Courtney Hope in Upcoming Episode

Behind the Voice's Abhi Jha has announced that he will be speaking to the wonderful Courtney Hope in an upcoming podcast episode exploring her career.

Hope made her video game debut in Quantum Break portraying Beth Wilder, a Monarch-infiltrator determined to avert The End of Time. Though, she is perhaps best known for her later role as Jesse Faden in Control, a woman looking for her missing brother who stumbles in the role of Director.

While talking about her career, it would be amiss to not mention any of her vast acting roles beyond the world of videos games. Since 2017, she has portrayed Sally Spectra in The Bold and the Beautiful and then in The Young and the Restless. At the time of writing, she has appeared in a staggering 786 episodes over eight years, and, last year, won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

Over the past couple of years, Abhi has spoken to an array of Remedy actors and developers including Ilkka Villi (Alan Wake, Mr Scratch, Thomas Zane), David Harewood (Warlin Door), Matthew Porretta (Alan Wake, Dr Casper Darling, Mr Scratch) Sam Lake (Alex Casey and Creative Director), Christina Cole (Christina Cole) Janina Gavankar (FBC Agent Kieran Estevez), Kyle Rowley (Game Director), and recently Shawn Ashmore (Jack Joyce, Tim Breaker).

If you have any questions for Courtney Hope, make sure to leave them in the comments on Twitter. (We're not sure when the deadline is, so make sure to get them submitted as soon as possible!)

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28th June 2025 Remedy Breaks Down FBC: Firebreak Perks in New Steam Blog & Teases Patch v1.3

Need a refresher on some of FBC Firebreak's mechanics? In a new blog post published on Steam, Remedy has revealed the timeline for their next couple of updates, and provided a break-down of FBC: Firebreak's Perk system. 

Before we jump into the details, make sure to mark your calendar to early next week when patch 1.3 will be out, with patch 1.4 set to launch later in July. 

Now, let's get to the blog post! In next week's update, the dev team will be revising perks allowing players to “reach their builds faster, experiment more freely and make more meaningful choices with their Crisis Kits.” But in order to make sure players will know how the changes will benefit, they first need to go back to the start and explain how Perks work already in the title.

We won't bore you with a full recap of everything that's mentioned in the Perk break-down, particularly as the studio does a great job at exploring all of the elements. Instead, we'll include a brief description of what the system does.

In short, Perks allow you to improve your setup, and gameplay. The higher your Firebreaker rank, the more Perks you will be able to unlock. Perks can be purchased with Lost Assets (which should appear more brightly in the game following the previous update) and Research Samples (more commonly found in Corrupted Jobs). There are three upgrade tiers; level I (basic effect), level II (stronger effect) and level III (strongest and shared using the Resonance System).

That latter part had a sweet mention in the blog; “The Resonance System allows fully upgraded Perks (level III) to benefit nearby teammates. This means that by sticking close to your squad, you can tap into each other’s loadouts, whether you’re the one with the boost or simply standing near someone who is. It’s our way of closing the gap between seasoned players and newer Firebreakers. Just being part of a team gives you a leg up.” With community and collaboration at the heart of the core gameplay experience, it makes sense that older players would be able to support those new to the adventure.

The blog post closes out with a number of teasers; that some Perk sets will become cheaper, whereas others (particularly high level-Perks) will be increased. The team makes a note to players on the verge of unlocking them, to try to get them before next week's update. Though overall, they tease that the new patch will bring “more agency, more variety, and more ways to make your Firebreaker your own.”

You can read the full Steam blog post, HERE! 

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