Total War: Arena's Patch 3.1 Live Tomorrow, Brings New Map, FF Changes, And Melee Strikes; Ranked Battles Later

Creative Assembly's got a beefy new patch coming to Total War: Arena tomorrow. There's a new desert map, Oasis, friendly fire tweaks that should help make team chat a little less heated, and a much-requested feature is currently in development for a later update.

The new map, Oasis, is for Tier V-X battles, and draws its inspiration from the Battle of Cirta in the Second Punic War. It features a striking archway in the center of the map, and, with no watchtowers, maneuvering around the rocky outcroppings unseen could be the key to victory.

Also in this patch, friendly fire -- which players have complained about for years, through alpha and beta -- finally "has been revamped across the board, from hoplite phalanxes to projectiles, resulting in a less frustrating experience for all." There's also a new ability for all melee units, strikes, meant to "make the melee grind more dynamic." You can read about these, and other aspects of the update on the TWA site.

For the future, the team is hard at work on implementing ranked battles. These will require T5 units and commanders, and a minimum player level of 20. They'll be 5v5 affairs, taking place over seasons. You can read the developer diary on ranked battles here.