Planetside 2 test server unveils the Harasser buggy, previews MAX tweaks

Planetside 2's test server has been updated with some big additions and overhauls, ahead of their eventual introduction into the main game. It's good news for fans of tooling around a battlefield on bouncy buggies, with the introduction of the three-man Harasser. It's also good news for fans of giant stompy robots: MAX suits are being buffed with faction specific abilities. And that means bad news for fans of not getting blown up by giant stompy robots.

The Harasser buggy supports a driver, gunner and third "rumble" seat big enough to carry a MAX suit - making it perfect for small-team missions. See one in (brief) action below:

Meanwhile, the MAX suit rebalancing aims to make them an even more frightening presence on the battlefield. NC get a riot shield, TR can lockdown - boosting fire rate and projectile speed - and Vanu receive an increase to damage and movement speed, but take more damage with each hit. For an idea of just how much the damage has been increased, the video below shows a TR MAX taking out a Reaver in four seconds.

Full test patch notes below:

The Harasser buggy - a three person vehicle with a driver, a gunner, and a (MAX capable) rumble seat - is now available to all factions on test server
The map and minimap should now respect your empire color selections
VR zone consumables no longer eat your resources when resupply them
Explosives that are set to auto resupply will now attempt to purchase up to the max equip count for an item based on your available resources
Placed deployables should no longer disappear (to your client) when a you travel 300 meters away from them
Added a toggle for the empire-colored explosion animations on the map
Single Use Camos are being hidden in the marketplace. Very few people use/purchase them and with the recent loadout changes that show unpurchased items they are bloating the UI.
Refactored the Map UI so it's performance should be significantly improved with the new hex system
The new MAX abilities didn't make this build but they are super close to hitting test, so keep an eye out over the next few days – it shouldn't be too long.

Thanks, The Mittani (via PCGamesN ).

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.