New Off the Grid patch introduces ranking system, many gameplay updates

Off the Grid Update: Ranked Protocol

Titled "Ranked Protocol", the latest major update for Off the Grid has officially gone live, introducing new ranked and casual modes, custom servers, a new Cyberlimb, item recycling, and many significant changes to gameplay mechanics.

What's New in Ranked Protocol?

Ranked and Casual Splits

The most significant addition in this update is the debut of Ranked Mode. Players can now compete in a structured tier system, climbing from the rank of Zero up to Icon. This mode is designed to offer high-stakes gameplay with "consequences" for each match, alongside an improved matchmaking algorithm intended to group players of similar skill levels. To incentivize the challenge, unique seasonal rewards will be available based on a player's final rank.

Along with this, the standard gameplay experience has been rebranded. The classic mode is now titled Casual Extraction Royale, offering a more relaxed atmosphere for those not looking to focus on rank progression. Both Solo and Trio play options remain available.

Custom Servers

Players can now host their own custom game servers! Players with an OTG Pro subscription can host private matches, selecting specific game modes and modifiers. While hosting requires a subscription, any player can join a custom server regardless of their subscription status, making this feature ideal for community scrims, guild or team training, and strategy testing.

Item Conversion

A new Item Conversion feature has been added to the inventory system. Launching with seven initial recipes, this system allows players to trade in older or unwanted gear for a chance to receive new items, providing a use for all of that surplus inventory that gathers over time.

Arc Dome Cyberlimb

A new defensive tool, the Arc Dome Cyberlimb, has been added to the arsenal. This limb deploys a large protective shield around the user. The dome acts as a solid barrier to projectiles and utility items—nothing can enter or exit the shield except for the players themselves. This is specifically designed to provide cover during high-risk activities, such as HEX extractions or teammate revivals.

Gameplay Rebalancing and Loadout Changes

Tons of gameplay updates are included with this latest patch. You can read the full patch notes on this Twitter post, but here are some of the highlights.

• Removed third weapon slot: Pistols no longer have a dedicated weapon slot. Instead they are equipped in the normal slots and all pistols have been buffed to make them more viable. As a side note to this change, players will no longer begin the game with a pistol.
• Backpacks and Armor Plates have been removed from the starting loadout options. These items must now be scavenged as ground loot during the match.
• Redeployment backpack removed from the game. The number of redeployment terminals has also been reduced, so staying alive (and not relying on redeployments) has become even more important!
• Improved bullet penetration system, even allowing for some shots to pass completely through other players!
• Legendary Cyberlimbs! New, high-tier, legendary level cyberlimbs can now be found during a match (and only during a match). Examples include a Ghost arm with permanent uptime and a Grappling Hook with a near-instant cooldown.

And as part of this update nearly all of the cyberlimbs have undergone changes with a focus on making cyberlimbs more utility oriented rather than being used as a primary weapon. For example, the Phosphor Fury arm now only holds one charge at a time (down from two), but the cooldown for reusing the arm has been significantly decreased by about 25%.

All of these changes are pretty significant and will shake up the game meta for some time to come.

New Battle Pass

The Ranked Protocol update was timed to release with the latest Battlepass and Content Pack. The Content Pack (which is given to anyone with a paid subscription) features "Mrs. Crackhead Santa" the game's first female, full-body skin! Players could always customize their characters with female bodies, but now they can also acquire the limited edition, Mrs. Crackhead Santa skin. Pair this with Crackhead Santa from last year's Winter Content Pack and deploy the ultimate power couple!

All players can earn some rewards through the Battlepass, but only paid subscribers can claim the new Tweakle Toes and Black Friday customization items. Unlike the Content Pack, the skins from the Battle Pass are individual customization parts that can be freely mixed and matched.

New Narrative: Organ Harvesting

The lore of the game expands with a second story/narrative campaign titled Organ Harvesting. This new campaign does not require the completion of the previous prologue. Players can choose which campaign to progress through at their own pace.

What is Off the Grid?

Off the Grid is a 60-player extraction royale shooter that see players equip various cybernetic limbs and weapons as they battle to the last breath across a massive cityscape under a quickly shrinking zone of death.

The game economy includes GUNZ, a token that can be bought and earned in-game or transferred in from the GUNZ mainnet, and game rewards such as weapons, Cyberlimbs, weapon attachments, and player customization items. Players acquire these items by extracting HEXes in-game, or as rewards from regular logins and completing various stages of the Battlepass. Using GUNZ tokens, players can mint in-game items as NFTs onto the GUNZ blockchain (though many jurisdictions, including the U.S., are still blocked). These items can be traded freely on NFT markets such as OpenSea.

But the game is self-contained as well, and players can enjoy it just like any regular game without ever needing to deal with wallets or NFTs or blockchains.

Only paid subscribers can export game items, but if you play regularly, you can use your in-game GUNZ tokens to renew the Battlepass every month (though the initial subscription requires a cash/card payment). But the game is free to play, and quite fun once you get the hang of it (I found that it had a very steep learning curve, but perhaps veteran shooter players will pick it up more easily).

Off the Grid is currently still officially in a 'beta' state, but the game is fully playable, features a working game economy, and the servers are up 24/7. The game is available through Epic Games and Steam for PCs, and in the game stores for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S,