A new update to legendary developer Remedy’s FBC: Firebreak has just dropped, and boy is it a big one. Rogue Protocol – a free update to the existing game, contains ‘Endless Shift‘ which is a roguelite game mode that fundamentally changes the way you play and progress in the game.
So, what exactly does this update involve? Keep reading to find out all about it.
The latest major update for FBC: Firebreak, Rogue Protocol, is out now for free on all platforms! This update includes the new rougelite game mode, Endless Shift, weapon inspect animations, new cosmetics, and many bug fixes.
— Remedy Entertainment 🔻Wishlist CONTROL Resonant! (@remedygames) January 19, 2026
Read our latest blog post for the details:… pic.twitter.com/7K7K9NLwcF
Rogue Protocol was announced in the above post on social media this morning. Per Mike Gayatta, Game Director of FBC: Firebreak “Firebreakers risk their lives with each deployment but never has that risk been so extreme as it is in Endless Shift, the most dangerous (and most important) work a Firebreaker can do.
In Endless Shift, you’ll be tasked with descending into abandoned areas of the Oldest House so infected with Hiss that the zones themselves, along with all who dare enter them, become distorted over time.
During a Shift, your and your crew’s job is to clear as many waves of enemies as you can before becoming overwhelmed, collecting a new currency called Corruption for every kill along the way. Corruption can then be spent between waves to gain powerful new Enhancements for your Firebreaker and their equipment. The longer you survive, the more Enhancements you’ll collect, allowing you to create wild new builds on the fly each time you play.
Once a Shift is complete, you’ll earn exclusive cosmetics based on your lifetime kill count as well as over one hundred new Enhancements that can appear in future Shifts.
Ready to return to your favorite Crisis? Completing an Endless Shift will also allow you to retain some of your earned Enhancements for your next Crisis deployment, granting you powerful but temporary benefits for a single session outside of the mode.
How to play guide
To help you along your way in Rogue Protocol, Steam have provided a super handy ‘how to play Endless Shift‘ guide. Here are some of the main points:
Combat:
Each Endless Shift run takes place in a closed arena designed for constant pressure and limited resources.
- Enemies arrive in waves that grow harder over time
- Later waves introduce new enemy types, Corrupted Items, and Powerful Enemies
- Resources are scarce:
- Only one healing shower, with limited uses
- No ammo dispensaries – ammo can only drop from enemies
- Players can be downed and revived during a wave
- If a downed player bleeds out, they’re out for the rest of that run
- If at least one teammate survives the wave, fallen players respawn at the start of the next round
Team coordination and positioning become more important the longer your Shift lasts.
Weapons:
Endless Shift uses familiar weapons from FBC: Firebreak, but they’re introduced gradually as the difficulty increases.
- Round 1: You start with SMG, Double Barrel Shotgun, or Revolver
- Round 9: You can choose Machine Gun, Bolt-action Rifle, or Pump-action Shotgun
- Round 19: You can choose Scattergun, Rotary Cannon, or Semi-Automatic Rifle
You’re never forced to switch – sticking with a weapon that fits your build is always an option.
Shop and Upgrades:
After each wave, you’ll enter the shop phase, where your build starts to take shape.
Each player is offered three randomized choices, which can include:
- Enhancements (passive upgrades)
- Tools
- Neutralizers
- Grenades
- Weapons
Enhancements come in different forms:
- Unique – powerful upgrades that can only be acquired once
- Leveled – upgrades that scale from Level 1 to 5
- Stackable – single-level upgrades that can be picked multiple times
You can reroll your choices for a Corruption cost, but each reroll becomes more expensive. Once everyone has locked in their selection (or the timer runs out), the next wave begins.
There is a lot more information on all of this and more at the full blog post which can be found here.
Patch Notes 1.8.1
New Content & Gameplay
Endless Shift
- A new roguelite game mode focused on escalating waves, powerful builds, and high-risk survival.
- Accessible from the Main Menu via Play → Endless Shift
- Can be played solo, via matchmaking, or in a private party
- Features its own currency, upgrades, and in-battle power-ups
- Some Enhancements earned in Endless Shift can temporarily carry over into other Crises
Weapon Inspect
- Weapon inspection animations are now available for all weapons
- Triggered by pressing the reload button when your weapon is already fully loaded
Double XP Event
- All XP gains are doubled
- Active from 10am EEST January 23 – 10am EEST January 26
New Requisitions (Cosmetics)
- Nahti Armor Set – 3 variations
- Ranger Armor Set – 3 variations
- New Sprays:
- Moptical Illusion
- Hold Your Fire
- Early Riser
- New Exotic Helmets:
- Biker
- Errant
- Hypnotist
Objective Randomization
- New objective randomizations have been added to certain Crises:
- Ground Control (Kill Leeches)
- Paper Chase (Clear Sticky note nests)
- Outbreak (Kill Mold Walkers)
Improvements
Crisis Board
- Added new visuals and additional information about active Crises for easier planning and access
Grenade Visual Updates
- Updated visuals for grenades introduced in the Breakout update:
- Freeze Grenade
- Healing Grenade
- Black Rock Grenade
Faster Trace acquisition
- Getting Trace now feels less grindy
Bug Fixes
Gameplay, Kits & Perks
- Fixed an issue where the Splash Kit’s Teapot Altered Augment could vibrate indefinitely after firing a singular fire blob.
- Fixed the Piggy Bank Augment dealing incorrect damage on hit and no damage on return.
- Fixed the Piggy Bank Augment failing to replicate correctly when removed in multiplayer.
- Fixed the Electro-Kinetic Charge Impactor secondary charge and recoil not cancelling sprint correctly.
- Fixed the Jade Casings Gun Mod to return the ammo to current magazine instead of reserves.
- Fixed the Recoil Accelerator Gun Mod description incorrectly stating that it pushes enemies instead of the player.
- Fixed Hunter Gatherer Perk (Levels 2–3) unintentional behavior allowing players to collect ammo or grenades from closed Shelters through the walls or floor.
- Fixed the Night Terrors Perk preventing flashlight use after being revived.
- Fixed equipped perks and gun mods incorrectly carrying over from the Tutorial Jobsite.
Weapons, Tools & Items
- Fixed Swivel Cannon missing sound effects when it gets destroyed.
- Fixed Crank-Operated Fluidic Ejector charge audio not matching updated charge timing.
- Fixed Swivel Cannon failing to target flying enemies at higher elevations.
- Fixed BOOMbox placement issues. It should now work more consistently without the animation being cancelled.
- Fixed enemies becoming unresponsive when a BOOMbox is placed in unreachable locations.
- Fixed Sticky Ricky not playing immune impact sound effects when shot in Paper Chase while being dry (immune to damage).
- Fixed Demolition Expert enemy rocket explosion sound effects failing to replicate to peers.
Enemies & AI
- Fixed enemy melee attacks not triggering explosions for players with Pink Miami Vice status in Frequency Shift.
- Fixed missing audio when the Hiss Elevated enemy performs its slam attack.
- Fixed multiple issues with enemy behavior across different Jobs and modes.
- Objectives, Jobs & Modes
- Fixed objective tracking issues related to randomized objectives.
- Fixed Healing Showers and Ammo Dispensers failing to randomize correctly.
- Fixed an issue where enabling Corrupted Items leads to a duplicated Astral Spike enemy in Ground Control.
- Fixed Job completion sometimes granting no XP, Loot, or Lost Assets. Work is so unrewarding sometimes.
- Fixed Ramen Lantern Corrupted Item failing to turn off lights on Jobsites.
- Fixed an issue in Hot Fix where the Ammo Dispenser’s generator was unresponsive to the Electro-Kinetic Charge Impactor charge in Zone 2.
Levels, Movement & Environment
- Fixed camera clipping and player movement issues when crouching while climbing ledges.
- Fixed Electro-Kinetic Charge Impactor jump not functioning correctly while sliding.
- Fixed missing zipline lines in Outbreak Zone 1.
- Fixed opened Shelters sometimes appearing incorrectly foamed and taped for peers.
- Fixed Crowbar Corrupted Item flying into walls or becoming stuck in the elevator in Paper Chase.
- Fixed stationary Corrupted Items spawning behind closed gates in Paper Chase.
- Fixed various environmental collision and navigation issues.
Audio
- Fixed Wrench impacts sometimes producing no sound.
- Fixed triggering downed player / injured player voice line when pinging healthy crewmate.
- Fixed missing or incorrect sound effects across tools, enemies, and augments.
- Fixed several multiplayer audio replication issues.
- Fixed “The Dave” voice pack being too quiet. Let your voice be heard, Dave!
UI & Menus
- Fixed UI showing a full health bar for downed players. Maybe explains why you werent getting helped back up smh.
- Fixed the Threat Level prompt in the Main Menu always displaying “Easy”.
- Fixed XP and reputation progression briefly displaying as 0/0 on the results screen.
- Fixed Requisition placement and pricing of outfits and sprays being swapped on the Firestarter Requisition page.
- Fixed players getting stuck in lobbies when quickly selecting a Jobsite from the Crisis Board.
- Fixed players being able to leave the Loadout menu during the tutorial, blocking further menu access.
- Fixed experience and reputation UI updating incorrectly before showing earned XP.
Online & Multiplayer
- Fixed players sometimes failing to connect when hosting games on PS5 or Xbox Series consoles.
- Fixed players getting stuck when joining active sessions or lobbies simultaneously.
- Fixed players failing to see the host or late-join active sessions.
- Fixed Quick Play rejoin failures due to ‘You have been kicked from the part’ message when using party codes after disconnecting.
Achievements
- Fixed “All-Rounder” achievement failing to unlock when charging electrical devices with Shock Grenades.
Stability
- Fixed crashes occurring after loading into Jobsites on Xbox and Windows PC platforms.
- Various stability fixes.
Blimey, that’s a lot of information! How do you feel about FBC: Firebreak Rogue Protocol? Let us know in the XboxEra Forums or make some noise in the lively XboxEra Community Discord Server. If you’re looking to be a bigger part of an amazing community, then either choice is a good one!
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