Anthem has its official release on February 22nd. Then the launch for PS4 will take place. Find out everything about preload, release, and read first reviews here.
On February 15th, Anthem was released in Early Access for PC and Xbox One. PS4 players had no opportunity to participate in Early Access. So the first players of Early Access have a week’s head start.
When does the preload for PS4 start?
You can download Anthem at this time: The preload is expected to begin on February 20th at 00:01.
This is stated in the PSN, from which the download of a game is usually available 48 hours before release. You can buy and download Anthem in the PSN Store.
How large is the download? More than 40 GB according to the PSN Store.
When and what time is the release? On February 22nd at 00:01.
This release date and time apply worldwide for all platforms. From then on, everyone can play the full version of Anthem.
The first can already play: The PS4 servers of Anthem are already online, but not for everyone. For those who bought Anthem as a CD, the servers seem to already be online (as of February 20th, 09:30).
What do I need to know about Anthem as a PS4 player?
Do I need PS Plus to play Anthem? Yes. Anthem is a multiplayer online game. For most online games you need PS Plus and Anthem is among them.
Are there bonuses for PS Plus members in Anthem? No.
How many FPS does Anthem achieve on PS4? Anthem does not achieve 60 FPS on PS4. Neither on the standard version nor on the stronger PS4 Pro. The consoles achieve 30 FPS.
Transfer save data to the new console generation: When the new console generation is released, old save data can be transferred. This means you could continue playing on PlayStation 5 with your current save.
PS4 players cannot test Anthem for 15 euros: It is not possible on PS4 to subscribe to “Origin Access Premier” for a month. This costs 15€ and gives access to many EA games for 30 days, including Anthem. However, this is only possible on PC.
Buying Anthem: Pre-order bonuses and Special Edition
What editions are there?
- Standard Edition: 69.99 euros
- Special “Legion of Dawn” Edition: 89.99 euros
What do pre-orderers receive?
- Player banner for founders
- Cosmetic “Legion of Dawn” armor pack and weapon
What bonuses does the Legion of Dawn Edition have?
- An armor pack
- A legendary weapon
- A Javelin equipment extension
- The digital soundtrack
How to redeem and equip your bonus contents, we have outlined here for you.
Should I buy Anthem or not?
Anthem is for you if: You like loot shooters in the style of Destiny 2 or The Division. Additionally, you should enjoy the hunt for better gear, similar to the Diablo series.
However, it should be noted that Anthem is not a pure loot shooter. The game has strong RPG elements and fuses these two genres together.
If you like to have adventures with friends or also with strangers, Anthem might also be something for you. All activities have matchmaking, so you never have to play alone if your friends don’t have time.
Anthem is not for you if: You prefer to compete with other players rather than facing off against computer-controlled opponents in PvE. Anthem will not have a PvP mode at launch. Whether this will ever be added is uncertain; the developers want to wait for player feedback first.
You should also enjoy exploring together with other players, because BioWare is focusing the shooter on teams of four players. Although some missions can be completed alone, freeplay is always designed for four players.
Anthem vs. The Division 2 – Which game is right for whom? Anthem and The Division 2 are both cooperative multiplayer games with MMO shooter elements.
The Division 2 releases on March 15 and some players are still uncertain which title they should play. Therefore, we have made a comparison:
Advantages of the later start on PS4
At first, it is certainly frustrating to start later than everyone else. However, the late start also has its advantages.
Many bugs and issues have been fixed by the PS4 release: Anthem struggled with several problems during its Early Access. For example, there is a horror quest where an important component of the quest is bugged. The endless loading times also cause difficulties for players.
Many of these problems will be fixed with the big Day-One Patch on February 22nd.
There are already first guides to Anthem: Players from Early Access can currently examine Anthem closely. Some questions have already arisen, creating guides:
- Anthem: This is how you complete the Tomb Quest and open the 4 graves
- What you need to know about the combo system in Anthem
- What you need to know about crafting in Anthem as a beginner
- These 11 tips about Anthem I wish I had known beforehand
- What you need to know as a beginner about Ranger in Anthem – with build
Disadvantages of the later start on PS4
Since Anthem has neither PvP nor crossplay, the late start has only a few disadvantages.
Much is already known about Anthem: There is already a lot of information about Anthem circulating on the internet. For some, it may not feel like a truly fresh start.
It is difficult to avoid spoilers once you are on the internet.
First tests, reviews, and conclusions about Anthem
The Early Access players have formed an initial opinion about Anthem.
We have gathered the first impressions of Anthem:
- First reviews of Anthem: What players like, what the problems are
- These are the first impressions of the MeinMMO community about Anthem
- The first players are already in the endgame of Anthem – What do they say?
- Anthem has taken much from Mass Effect, but only the best
However, it should be noted here that many problems are expected to be fixed by release.
Is there already a rating on Metacritic for Anthem? No. This will only be available from February 22nd when Anthem has its official release.
Everything else you need to know about Anthem
What is Anthem? In Anthem, you take on the role of a Freelancer. Freelancers are brave warriors who protect the people of Fort Tarsis with their exosuits, called Javelins.
At launch, there will be four Javelins: Ranger, Storm, Interceptor, and Colossus, each of which plays differently. The Javelins all have different abilities that can be modified.
The story centers around the namesake “Anthem of Creation” – the Anthem of Creation. This powerful anthem causes chaos in the game world by creating or destroying new things.
These changes are constantly present in the game, for example through smaller events or massive cataclysms, which players got a taste of in the open demo.
This is the long-term motivation Anthem wants to offer: A major factor for long-term motivation in Anthem is the loot system, inspired by the Diablo series. Players will collect various pieces of equipment with random bonuses, which can also have different rarity levels.
For the endgame, various activities await, such as challenges, faction contracts, or strongholds, raid-like dungeons that can be tackled with a group.
These activities have six difficulty levels:
- Easy
- Normal
- Hard
- Grandmaster 1
- Grandmaster 2
- Grandmaster 3
The Grandmaster levels will only be unlocked when players have reached Pilot Level 30, the current maximum level. As the difficulty level increases, the loot also improves.
Furthermore, BioWare aims to pursue the approach of a TV series with Anthem: The world in the game should constantly change, and events like the powerful cataclysms could bring new details to the landscape or even make them completely disappear.
Useful information at a glance: Here we summarize some articles about Anthem that provide you with more background information.
Story of Anthem
- These are the enemies you fight
- Anthem explains where the name comes from
- These are freelancers and javelins
- This is Fort Tarsis, your home in Anthem
- There might be more behind Klauninchen
All about the Javelin
Gameplay and features of Anthem
- Anthem comes without PvP and focuses on PvE
- Anthem offers matchmaking for all activities
- This is how alliances work
- This is how the loot system in Anthem works
- Everything we know so far about the endgame in Anthem
- Can you also play Anthem as a single player?
Trailers and videos
- Gameplay trailer with a look at the endgame
- Check out the powerful launch trailer here
- Conviction, the Anthem short film by Neill Blomkamp
