Konami has issued a software update for the PlayStation 4 and PC versions of its desert espionage thriller Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, fixing major issues that prevented some players from progressing the game’s story. An Xbox One patch is currently in development.
Previously, players who partnered up with the sniper character Quiet for in-game missions 29 and 42 ran the risk of corrupting their save data. As a result of the bug, corrupted saves would resume at a black screen, halting all possible progress. Affected players needed to restart the campaign from scratch in order to continue playing Metal Gear Solid V.
Workarounds for the issue included picking a different partner character and ignoring Quiet altogether. This results in increased difficulty, as Quiet’s unique skills as a sniper make her an ideal pick for Mission 29, in particular.
Konami launched a 435 MB patch addressing the issue on September 13. After installing the update, players are able to choose Quiet as a buddy for any mission without fear of triggering the glitch.
The Version 1.03 patch for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain also addresses a rare bug players discovered during the game’s tutorial. Previously, using the game’s selection controls during an early scene involving troop training resulted in a crash that halted story progression.
Konami’s online servers for Metal Gear Solid V have weathered their own issues in the days following the game’s launch, leaving many players unable to connect. Frequent downtime and maintenance periods also slow in-game loading screens. Konami recommends affected players to play in offline mode, to reduce load time.
Issues affecting data installation have also cropped up in the weeks following Metal Gear Solid V‘s release. Players who see a lingering “data installing” message on-screen with no obvious signs of progress are advised to reset their consoles in order to restart the data installation process.