New Patch Notes Out 11-21-17! Takes below!
Graphics:
Full set of VFX for Aurora — SO MUCH HYPE FOR THIS.
Boxing Glove on Khita — this is going to get old fast. Everyone is going to be boxing gloving you. On the bright side, it means they have to play Khita, so you can at least, you know, win the game when you’re against the boxing glove.
Necrolancer Blackburn — this is a definite buff to Blackburn’s playability, which was at an all-time low. If the special Contender VFX for his ult is released, I may even consider playing him, despite his C-tier rating on my latest Tier List.
PuP: Playtime range nerfed from 3 to 2. Subwoof damage reduced from 45 to 40.
The Playtime nerf is long overdue, but it’s a pretty minor nerf in the scheme of the insanity that is PuP. The Subwoof damage nerf is also pretty reasonable. That said, these barely scratch the surface of why PuP is good, so expect him to see just as much play as ever.
Quark: Tether healing reduced by 2. Might mod gives 2 less shields than before. Ultimate healing reduced by 4.
These changes do provide a welcome nerf to Might Quark, but don’t really destroy his viability, Might or no. His energy gains are unchanged, and it’s still a bad idea to focus the tethered target. I think he will still be a high-priority pick or ban.
Zuki: Area damage on primary increased from 22 to 25. Extra Shrapnel increases it to 28. Peekaboo mod is now baseline on The Big One. Shock and Awe gives you exactly the same Big One as before (with the same slow, too).
Oh my god stop the presses. Zuki becomes INSTANTLY S-TIER with these changes, and possibly even S+.
> If you liked Shock and Awe Zuki, your lancer is unchanged, except that she does 3 extra damage on her primary for free (two if you take Extra Shrapnel). (Many folks, myself included to the extent I play her, play her for the splash damage as it can avoid cover and is generally insane.)
> If you liked Peekaboo Zuki, you get an extra 3 mod points to spend, which is insane. There are SO MANY good mod options that were never taken before, so welcome to Buffsville, population you.
> Do you take Extra Shrapnel on primary still? I think I would. 28 is pretty nice, up from 26. But it feels less essential, especially at 3 points. I think Mr. Punch is a solid option, and I’m going to experiment with an energy build.
> Will Zuki replace PuP or Quark as a “must-ban” in SoloQ? Maybe temporarily, and don’t forget there’s Magnus to contend with as well (see below). But I think PuP and Quark are still the top dogs there (no pun intended). This should bring her up to at least Lockwood status, though.
Magnus available in Ranked.
When he was announced, I said I thought he’d tear it up (i.e. do really well), and I still think that. I have played no PvP the past two weeks and have absolutely no idea how he has been performing in practice, so this is a super hot take.
Bug Fix: Celeste “Cover of Darkness” mod does not reveal location.
Whoa — that’s huge. I’m going to experiment with this mod for sure.