Tribes Ascend (Game)

Tribes Ascend

GAME » on April 12, 2012

A 2010's free-to-play revival of the Tribes series of fast-paced sci-fi first-person shooters.

Game Images Reviews Tribes Ascend ReleasesRelated Pages

Overview

Tribes: Ascend is a free-to-play sci-fi multiplayer first-person shooter developed and released by Hi-Rez Studios for the PC (Platform) on April 12, 2012, with a Steam (Concept) release on June 27, 2012.

A revival of the Tribes (Franchise) series, released 8 years after Tribes: Vengeance, Tribes: Ascend builds on the jetpack/"ski" gameplay of previous games with an updated class-based weapon loadout system and a freemium system where players can unlock new classes and weapons using both by earning in-game XP and by purchasing a premium currency (known as "Tribes Gold").

The game originally received an open beta on February 22, 2012, and later received a premium "Game of the Year Edition" release in February 2013 with all content unlocked. It later received an "Out Of The Blue" update in December 10, 2015, reworking the loadout system and weapon rebalancing while removing the premium currency (with weapons and gear unlockable through either XP or a special "Ultimate Weapon Pack" DLC).

It was later discontinued and removed from Hi-Rez's website soon after its last update, with it being unlisted in Steam storefront sometime in early 2019. It is still playable with unofficial patches.

Classes & Loadouts

In the original release, the game had nine playable classes to choose from, each specialized to a particular playstyle with their armor class (Light, Medium, or Heavy) and their own customizable (and unlockable) assortments of primary/secondary weapons, belt items (grenades, mines, repair tools, etc.), unique "Packs", various perks and persistent upgrades, and cosmetic armor options. Only three of these were available from the start (Pathfinder, Soldier, and Juggernaut).

This was later reworked in the 2015 "Out of the Blue" update, removing specialized classes in favor of a more customizable loadout system based on armor class. It also replaces the Primary/Secondary weapon slots with a more free-form three-slot (four-slot for Heavy) "Weapon Class" system. Perks, armor upgrades, and some "non-essential" weapons were also removed.

Beta versions of the game had 12 classes, with each loadout being non-customizable (with the exception of perks).

Light Armor

https://www.giantbomb.com/a/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/3/31685/2437983-pathfinder_image.jpe

Pathfinder Light Armor

Despite their fragility and limited firepower, the Light class is designed with high mobility in mind. They also have the fastest health regeneration and smallest hitbox. While they are often suited for flag carrying and chasing after enemies, they can also be outfitted for sniping or stealth roles.

Prior to the 2015 update, the Light class was split into three specialized sub-classes:

Pathfinder focused solely on mobility, as players could hasten their energy recharge rate with the Energy Recharge Pack or make quick speed bursts with their Thrust Pack. Beta versions of the game also had a Jumper class variant.
Sentinel was the game's sniping class, with long-ranged (and often hitscan) rifles, a deployable Drop Jammer Pack to hide their presence from enemy radar, and different types of proximity mines to fortify their position.
Infiltrator was the game's sneaking class, with silenced weaponry and cloaking from their Stealth Pack and unique short-ranged weaponry and explosives to sabotage enemy lines from within.

Medium Armor

Soldier Medium Armor

Striking a balance between mobility and durability, the Medium class can fulfill a variety of offensive and defensive roles.

Prior to the 2015 update, the Medium class was split into three specialized sub-classes:

Soldier was the game's general anti-personnel class, with a versatile selection of weapon combinations, explosive grenades, and on-use resupply buffs (Energy Pack / Utility Pack). Beta versions of the game also had a Ranger class variant.
Raider was the game's disruption class with explosive firepower and the option for increased damage resistance (Shield Pack) or hide themselves from enemy radar (Jammer Pack). Beta versions of the game also had a Scrambler class variant.
Technician was the game's support class, able to deploy small autonomous turrets from their Light Turret Pack or EXR Turret Pack and use special parts of their kit to repair vehicles and base defenses.

Heavy Armor

https://www.giantbomb.com/a/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/3/31685/2437982-juggernaut_image.jpe

Juggernaut Heavy Armor

Despite their slow mobility, the Heavy class is designed with high durability and strong firepower in mind. They can carry fourth weapon into combat and damage enemies by body-blocking them.

Prior to the 2015 update, the Heavy class was split into three specialized sub-classes:

Juggernaut was the game's artillery class, able to rain explosive bombardments with its weaponry and regenerate health with its Health Regen Pack.
Doombringer was the game's area defense class, with various anti-personnel and anti-vehicle weaponry and a deployable energy shield with the Force Field Pack.
Brute was the game's heavier anti-personnel class, with a versatile selection of weapons and the option for increased damage resistance (Shield Pack) or a resupply buff (Survival Pack).

Weapons & Gear

Prior to the Out of the Blue update, each class had their own assortment of primary and secondary weapons to choose from. This was later changed so that players can choose from an assortment of "Weapon Classes" per slot, restricted so they cannot take multiple weapons of a similar class at a time (preventing annoying loadouts).

Impact

Explode on impact.

Timed

Fuse-timed explosive.s

Specialty

Armor specific weaponry.

Automatic

Rapid fire weaponry.

Short Range

High damage short range weaponry.

Sidearm

Small backup weaponry.

Vehicles

There are three available vehicles, all can be purchased from a Vehicle Station once enough credits have been earned, as long as the generator is online. Vehicles can receive increased health and energy, and reduced cost and damage received, through perks such as Wheel Deal, Pilot, and Mechanic.

Grav Cycle

Cost: 500 credits

A two-man hover bike, equipped with an 8 round automatic grenade launcher and whatever weapon the passenger is holding. Equipped with a boost for gaining speed and air. Excellent for chasing light units and fast transport.

Base Health: 1400
Base Energy: 100

Shrike

Cost: 4000 credits

Aerial one-man vehicle. Armed with a 4 round plasma cannon and an afterburner for hovering and boosting. Cannot be purchased by heavy classes.

Base Health: 3200
Base Energy: 70

Beowulf

Cost: 2500 credits

Hover tank where the driver can control the main cannon and a second player uses the machine gun turret. Driver can also boost, and one player can switch between seats with F1 and F2.

Base Health: 8000
Base Energy: 70

Maps and Mods

Ascend launched with seventeen maps, a few of which are as follows: Crossfire (inspired by Broadside), Katabatic (remake), Arx Novena, Sunstar and Temple Ruins, with future maps being released for free. Ascend does not feature any community map-making or mod tools at release because Hi-Rez states that their main focus is building a large community of players first, and then supporting the game themselves. While a significant blow for the Tribes modding scene, Hi-Rez haven't ruled out the possibility of releasing mod tools sometime in the future.*

Community members themselves have been reverse-engineering the game to create their own SDK for modding and mapping, as Hi-Rez's Todd Harris has stated that they will be stopping continuous development of Tribes: Ascend, in favor of SMITE.

Credits

Credits are earned throughout matches by completing certain tasks, such as capturing the flag, destroying an enemy turret or killing an enemy. Players can then use those credits to purchase vehicles like the Shrike or Gravcycle, to upgrade base structures like turrets or the generator, or to use several call-in abilities including a supply drop and orbital strikes.

System Requirements

Minimum

OS: Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista or Windows 7
Processor: Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or Althon X2 2.7 GHz
Memory: 2GB (XP), 3GB (Vista, Win7)
Hard Disk Space: 10 GB free
Video Card: ATI or Nvidia graphics card with 512MB video ram or better and Shader Model 3.0+ support. (ATI Radeon 3870 or higher, Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT or higher).
DirectX®: 9.0c
Sound: DirectX compatible sound card

Similar Games

No games found

Contents