ARMA Reforger Update 1.7 Has a Corruption Problem Right After Launch

Rebels. Insurgents. Freedom fighters. Whatever you want to call them, the Freedom and Independence Army has been a staple of the ARMA series since its introduction in ARMA: Cold War Assault (née Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis).

Up until now, the FIA's presence in ARMA Reforger has amounted to little more than a speed bump. If you've ever played a round of Conflict from the beginning, you're familiar with the flow: drive up to an objective, fight the FIA manning a roadblock, maybe eat an RPG or ten in the process, and never hear from the rebels again.

It took a lot of requesting and even more testing in the experimental branch, but update 1.7 for ARMA Reforger has finally changed this by giving you the ability to play as FIA fighters.

Now, last time I checked, the whole plan was for the FIA to work as a third force opposing both the United States and the Soviet Union. However, corruption has reared its ugly head, and the once-respectable partisans have been caught collaborating with occupying armies time and again.

The FIA Brings Chaos to the Battlefield

There was nothing inherently wrong about rolling up to an objective in a Humvee and melting the defences away with the .50 cal, but it's hard to deny that the 'Old Testament' FIA in ARMA Reforger was formulaic even in its best days. Adding player control to the local rebels was always a popular request for this reason, as the unpredictability of the human element is always preferred to ones and zeroes.

Bohemia Interactive obliged, and after a robust testing period in the experimental branch, the final version of the player-controlled FIA made it to the release version. Now, players instigating chaos is nothing new, and despite some teething issues, the addition of a third faction has made matches a lot more dynamic, but what's caught my eye is the number of reports of rebels collaborating with foreign armies.

In some cases, this has taken the form of a simple marriage of convenience. You know the drill: two factions happen to be attacking the same objective, and put their differences aside to overwhelm the defenders. After that, they're back to being enemies.

However, more entrepreneurial military commanders seem to have decided that the bloodbath isn't worth the trouble, so long as you can buy off the rebels. Thus began the era of warlords and guns for hire in ARMA Reforger.

The FIA has plenty of style and bravado, but that alone does not compensate for its critical shortage of supplies, especially in a game so popular with tactical Barbie players who like their toys a little too much. Preying on this weakness, Soviet and American players have started dealing with individual FIA units in arms, and sometimes even vehicles.

One such exchange I witnessed involved the exchange of M16A2s with grenade launchers, ammunition, and a handful of LAW disposable rocket launchers. In return for the gear, the FIA guys were willing to run a diversionary attack on Soviet troops while the Americans advanced on their real objective.

There have also been reports of the Soviets working with local forces, as documented by a Slovakian war correspondent.

The nature of such dealings remains episodic for the time being, but have we really reached a world where even ARMA's freedom fighters can be bought for a few guns and a smile?

This piece is not meant to slander the brave warriors who have been wreaking havoc across the islands. We know that the sellouts are a minority, but we're also aware that this kind of rot spreads. If you can't trust your brothers in arms to stand and fight against the Soviet and American invaders, then you also can't know they won't turn on you later once a lucrative offer comes along.

You can find the full patch notes for ARMA Reforger 1.7 here. The game is currently available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Released November 16, 2023

ESRB M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Strong Language, Violence