Squad 7.0 Update: Turkish Land Forces, Weapon Skins, and Full Patch Notes

Another Squad update has dropped, and this one is heavier than usual. Players get a new playable faction with a serious appetite for infantry combat, plus a fresh cosmetic system, additional emotes, and a long list of corrections that touch nearly every corner of the game. Here is what landed in version 7.0.

Headline Addition: The Turkish Land Forces

Squad 7.0 introduces the Turkish Land Forces (TLF) as a playable faction. The TLF leans hard on infantry strength, supported by a respectable vehicle pool. Most of their equipment is sourced from older Soviet and Western stockpiles, which gives the faction a distinctive mixed loadout rather than a single national arsenal.

A few details set the TLF apart:

• They field a dedicated grenadier role, something no other faction has at the time of writing.
• Their raider carries a modern submachine gun.
• They lead the game in light anti-tank variety.

The catch: there is no heavy anti-tank role on the TLF. If your usual squad relies on serious armor-busting firepower, you will need to think tactically with what is available.

Weapon Skins Are Now a Proper System

Update 7.0 introduces a real weapon skin system. These cosmetics will not affect stats, recoil, or handling in any way. Two paid packs launched with the patch, alongside a rework of legacy founder and reward skins.

Three New Emotes (and Two More Gestures)

The gesture and emote roster also expands. Highlights include the Cut Throat, Fist Pump, and Finger Guns. Useful for celebrating a clean push, or for sarcastically congratulating a teammate who just stepped on their own grenade.

Notable Gameplay Change to Watch

One subtle but interesting addition is a new weapon punch animation that triggers when you change magnification on a variable optic. The sights briefly drift off center, which adds a layer of realism to fast scope adjustments mid-firefight. It is not a huge change on paper, but it makes scope-juggling feel less like a UI swap and more like a deliberate action.

The patch also brings backend and quality-of-life work: Steam backend calls have been replaced with Epic Online Services, Nvidia DLSS shows up as an upscaling option, and anti-tank arming distances were tweaked across the board.

Squad 7.0 Full Patch Notes (December 12, 2023)

The complete official patch notes live on Steam. The summary below covers everything that changed.

Turkish Land Forces (TLF)

Weapons

• SOR 109T Submachine Gun
• MPT-76 Rifle
• KNT-76 Marksman Rifle
• AK40-GL Underslung Grenade Launcher
• PMT-76 Medium Machine Gun
• MG3 Iron Sights Variant
• MKE MGL Grenade Launcher
• HAR-66 Light Anti-Tank Weapon
• SOR-9 Pistol

Optics

• A940 1-4x Optic
• KESKIN Marksman Optic
• HNA Red Dot Optic

Vehicles

• BMC 185-09B Truck
• Cobra II MRAP
• ACV-15 Tracked APC/IFV
• PARS III Wheel APC/IFV
• M60T MBT
• UH1H Helicopter

Kit Roles

• Squad Leader (3 variants)
• Medic (2 variants)
• Rifleman (3 variants)
• Light Anti-Tank (3 variants)
• Automatic Rifleman
• Jandarma
• Marksman
• Machine Gunner
• Crewman (plus Squad Leader Crewman)
• Pilot (plus Squad Leader Pilot)
• Engineer

TLF Gameplay Layers

• Al Basrah Invasion v9: TLF vs INS
• Anvil RAAS v5: TLF vs RGF
• Black Coast Invasion v6 (TLF vs RGF), RAAS v6 (TLF vs PLA), Seed v2 (TLF vs VDV)
• Chora AAS v7: TLF vs MEA
• Fallujah Invasion v7 (TLF vs INS), RAAS v8 (TLF vs INS), Seed v2 (TLF vs MEA)
• Gorodok Invasion v4 (TLF vs IMF), RAAS v13 (TLF vs VDV)
• Kohat Invasion v5 (TLF vs INS), RAAS v5 (TLF vs IMF), RAAS v11 (TLF vs RGF)
• Lashkar Invasion v5: TLF vs PLA
• Logar AAS v4: TLF vs IMF
• Mutaha Invasion v5 (TLF vs MEA), RAAS v8 (TLF vs USA)
• Sumari RAAS v3 (TLF vs INS), Seed v4 (TLF vs USA)
• Tallil Outskirts Invasion v6 (TLF vs MEA), RAAS v9 (TLF vs PLA)
• Yehorivka Invasion v5 (TLF vs RGF), RAAS v15 (TLF vs VDV)

Weapon Skins

Woodland Warfare Pack ($4.99 USD)

Three cosmetic items for Woodland maps:

• Rainforest: Factory camo for the QBZ95-1 Assault Rifle and the QBZ95B-1 Carbine (PLA and PLANMC).
• Shade: Spray paint for the M4A1 and M4 Carbine (USA and USMC).
• Tree Line: Trusty camo paint for the AK74M Assault Rifle (RGF).

Desert Warfare Pack ($4.99 USD)

Three cosmetic items for Desert maps:

• Gobi: Special camo order for the QBZ95-1 Assault Rifle and QBZ95B-1 Carbine (PLA and PLANMC).
• Black & Tan: Classic color scheme for the M4A1 and M4 Carbine (USA and USMC).
• Dust: Slightly worn camo paint for the AK-74M Assault Rifle (RGF).

Legacy Weapon Skins

• Existing founder and reward weapon skins now use the new skin system.
• Legacy skins moved from the Steam Inventory section in Settings to the new Weapon Skins tab on the Customize screen.
• Legacy skins keep their lack of biome restrictions, as before.
• Several existing skins were added to faction loadouts where thematically appropriate.
• The RPG7 Veteran can now be used by VDV.
• The RPG7v2 Veteran can now be used by VDV, MEA, and the new TLF faction.

Emotes

Stand Off Pack ($3.99 USD)

• Cut Throat (Gesture)
• Fist Pump (Gesture)
• Finger Guns (Emote)
• Can't See Me (Gesture)
• Stop (Gesture)

System and Gameplay Updates

• Steam backend calls have been replaced by Epic Online Services. Authentication still uses your Steam account.
• Nvidia DLSS is available as an upscaling option in the settings menu.
• Pressing the VOIP key without a connected audio device now shows a "no input device" notification.
• All LAT minimum arming distances adjusted to 15 meters.
• All HAT minimum arming distances adjusted to 20 meters.
• Helicopter pilots are no longer affected by suppression.
• A weapon punch animation now triggers when changing magnification on variable optics, briefly throwing off the sights.
• Land speed increased for PLANMC ZBD05 chassis vehicles.
• BMD wheels and the BTR-D chassis were tuned to feel better during speed turns and to reduce nose dips at top speeds.

General Bug Fixes

• Fixed a rare client crash tied to taking damage.
• Fixed a rare client crash tied to stamina debuffs on modded clients.
• Closed an exploit related to server security.
• Fixed an issue that allowed non-admins to use announcement features.
• Fixed two separate "running man" infinite loading screen bugs: one on modded servers, and one after joining a server and selecting a team.
• Texture optimization pass to reduce VRAM use, improving performance especially on lower-VRAM GPUs.
• Fixed a bug that prevented mic use after switching or reconnecting audio input devices.
• Fixed picture-in-picture scope views occasionally rendering at a very low, pixelated resolution.
• Corrected the zeroing on the QBZ95-1 scoped grenadier variant, the DZJ08, and the F89 Minimi with Specter.
• Fixed part of the BAF Elcan LDS scope appearing to detach when aiming down sights.
• Fixed several issues that could block crouching after using menus.
• Fixed equipped weapon sway while using freelook.
• The soldier sensitivity slider now properly affects both weapon and screen movement.
• Suppression now functions correctly for players in vehicles and emplacements.
• Improved muzzle flash effects for vehicle-mounted infantry weapons.
• Anti-tank rifles can no longer fire before being fully aimed in.
• The Z-point reticle no longer breaks when FOV is set to 120.
• Fixed AS-VAL single-fire audio being louder than its auto-fire audio.
• The "falling" gun animation no longer plays when the player gets stuck between two objects.
• Fixed the "falling" animation continuing after the player lands.
• Fixed soldiers briefly appearing to disappear when climbing high walls.
• Fixed the soldier's hand clipping into the FN FAL Rifle (grenade variant) at certain FOV settings.
• Fixed the M3 MAAWS eye cup clipping into the camera when aiming.
• Fixed the US Army medical bag appearing brighter than the rest of the uniform.
• Fixed the camera getting stuck inside the soldier model after exiting Admin Cam.
• Fixed an animation issue when exiting vehicles.
• Fixed a bug that allowed players to zoom out and rotate their weapon by spamming ADS.
• Smoke from Commander Barrage Abilities no longer flickers.
• Improved memory usage when changing maps.
• Fixed helicopter instrument panels occasionally rendering blank for the pilot.
• Fixed a bug where spamming lean inputs let players zoom out and adjust weapon orientation drastically.
• Fixed a bug that prevented drowning if a player had already drowned and been revived earlier in the match.
• Players no longer get stuck after exiting the commander seat of the ZTZ99A MBT.
• Players no longer get stuck after spamming "swap seat" inside a vehicle.
• Fixed a bug that let players reload and fire the main turret of the Sprut, BMD1, BMD4, and ZTD05 while the ammo rack was cooking.
• Fixed BTR-D PKM APC SFX and damage values being mistakenly copied from the BTR-D KORD APC.
• Fixed the veteran weapon skin rendering incorrectly when using the IMF HAT role.
• Underbarrel grenade launchers no longer show a visible round in the chamber.
• Improved the appearance of the ZiS-3 Field Gun Emplacement.
• Filters no longer apply to the Favorites or Recents server browser pages.
• BRDM-2 Armored Car passengers in seats four and five can no longer see outside the viewport while driving on uneven terrain.
• The RGF Kornet ATGM emplacement is no longer indestructible.
• Pressing escape to exit the Customize menu while disconnected no longer triggers the "quit game" prompt.
• Vehicles destroyed by IEDs now properly remove from the map and respawn.
• Fixed helicopter passengers floating in the air after taking damage.

Map Updates and Bug Fixes

• Al Basrah Invasion v8: All RHIB boats are now reachable from the dock.
• Belaya: Fixed a bug that prevented IMF-specific fortifications from being placed on Belaya layers.
• Black Coast Invasion v4: All RHIB boats are now reachable from the dock.
• Jensen's Range: BAF-IMF fixed a pre-placed M2HB emplacement that appeared with an identical M2HB stacked on top of it. CAF-INS fixed LUV-A1 vehicles spawning upside-down.
• Tallil Outskirts RAAS_v3: The USA's M1A2 tank now spawns correctly after the spawn timer ends.
• Pacific Proving Grounds: USMC-PLA fixed an unusable ammo crate at F7-3-9. USMC-RGF fixed an unusable ammo crate at F7-3-2.
• Mod SDK Update: SDK and mod versioning updated to v7.0. All mods must be re-cooked with the v7.0 SDK to be compatible with the updated game.

Known Issues

• Players can "aim down sights" while holding a melee weapon. A fix is in the works. While that is unresolved, note that the emote and interaction wheels are not accessible when aimed down, so plan around it if you run into it.
• The "Find Match" feature is currently not working. A fix is planned for a near-term update following the 7.0 release.
• Servers that are not live can occasionally appear in the server browser. This affects Windows-hosted servers that have been restarted recently and resolves on its own within a couple of minutes. Linux-hosted servers are not affected.
• When DLSS Frame Generation is enabled, the `stat fps` command will not report accurate FPS, because it counts CPU-requested frames. The Nvidia Overlay shows true FPS. A fix is scheduled for a future release.