Patch Notes (4/1/19)
Hi guys. This patch should be live on the PTS tomorrow (Tuesday). I’ll update with a link to the official thread shortly. No Torrid Take yet, as this is hot off the presses — just the patch notes, reproduced below, with notes from the devs. I’ll provide Tiggarius analysis later.
General
Oblivion and Hexcellence have been added to the pool of maps for Ranked.
Given the highly positive feedback on the latest iterations of these maps in PvP, we think it’s time for them to get some play in ranked.
Firepower
Gremolitions
- Splort! – new 4-point mod, Longester Fuse – your mines last 4 additional turns.
We (and the fine folks at EvoS) continue to experiment on Gremo with mod innovation. Here, we’re trying a new “4-point” mod on the PTS in the same vein as Long Fuse. We think mine-focused Gremo players will really have a “blast” with this one.
Lex
- Ground fire (created by a number of her abilities) now also Ignites enemies that walk on it, causing them to burn for 5 damage over the next turn (stacks with Superheated).
Lex has seen a sharp drop in play lately. To address this, we’re testing out this change where she’ll be able to do more of her iconic “lighting enemies on fire.” This should prevent her abilities from feeling like just another source of bland damage.
Lockwood
- Backup Plan – removed Tough Customer.
We view Lockwood as a slippery character, meant to be evasive. We found this mod to provide too much tankiness for Lockwood and enabled him to stand in and fight even after using his dash, with attempts to burst through the shield only reducing the cooldown on his dash further and exacerbating the problem. We expect that most Lockwood players will have no issue adjusting to a slightly safer playstyle, but will continue to monitor.
PUP
- Prowl Protocol – reduced cooldown by 1.
One of the most fun aspects of playing PUP is the ability to use his signature Walkies out of invisibility combo. With Prowl Protocol on a 6-turn cooldown, however, players could only pull this off at most 3-4 times over the course of a normal game. This change should allow PUP players to have a bit more fun messing with their enemies.
Tol-Ren
- Showdown – now refunds 100 energy on a miss.
We originally introduced the concept of a missed Showdown refunding energy because we felt that it was too punishing to a Tol-Ren player to miss the ability, and because the ability is extremely fun and we want players to be able to use it. Expanding the energy refund builds on these core ideas. Accordingly, with Tol-Ren’s recent nerfs and difficulty gaining energy as a melee character, we decided to try this change, which should allow Tol-Ren players to use their ultimate much more freely.
Vonn
- Cryo Core – no longer has a graphic.
The Cryo Core graphic was too prominent, obscuring and making it difficult to see the character beneath the core. Additionally, it made the Cryo Core effect too easy for opponents to notice and play around. We tried several changes to reduce Cryo Core visibility, but finally settled on making them entirely invisible.
Zuki
- Rocket Jump – base damage increased by 10.
- Sticky Bomb – new 3-point mod, Goose Trap – enemies hit are Scrambled next turn.
We felt Zuki was (still) too easily pressured by melee characters and decided to increase the damage on Rocket Jump to make frontlines think twice about chasing her. Regarding Sticky Bomb, players seemed to respond positively to the idea of Bear Trap, a previously tested 3-point mod. As we decided to remove that mod, we are introducing in its stead a new and flavorful mod that should provide Zuki players some increased utility on Sticky Bomb.
Frontline
Isadora
- Suit Up – new 3-point mod, Eat The World – 5 additional crystals are created when the Forceball is destroyed.
Isadora has been slightly underperforming in ranked lately, and, while we will continue to monitor, we think this change may be a step in the right direction. The “Extra Nibbles” mod previously tested on the PTS was underwhelming, so this is a much more impactful replacement.
Rampart
- Radamantium Flurry – new 2-point mod, Crippling Stab – adjacent enemies hit are slowed for the turn.
Given the popularity of Rask’s primary mod, Crippling Slash, we decided to try out a similar mod on Rampart and are curious to get player feedback.
Titus
- Dirty Fighting – new 2-point mod, Throwing Arm – increases the range of Dirty Fighting by 2.
When we last tried to spice up this ability with the PTS mod “Phase Blade,” you responded that it was important for opposing players to be able to hide behind walls. We listened. This mod does not negate the importance of walls at all. However, consistent with Titus’s overall theme of long-distance dashes, we thought a long-distance dagger would present new fun opportunities for Titus and new fun challenges for his enemies.
Support
Meridian
- Reforge – reduced base healing by 10, but now heals for up to 15 more based on missing health.
We wanted to emphasize the “low-health recovery” aspect of Meridian’s heal, and felt that the current heal didn’t accomplish this sufficiently. This change should also synergize more with the popular mod “Back from the Brink.”
Quark
- Gamma Ray – no longer breaks during dash phase.
We felt it was too easy for Quark’s enemies to dash out of range and break this tether. Accordingly, to limit this counterplay, Gamma Ray tether will not break until the end of the turn. This will allow Quarks to deal damage during Blast Phase for one final turn, or, if they are skilled, to move back into range of the enemy during Movement Phase and maintain the tether (as would occur with an Atomic Bond ally tether).
Su-Ren
- Martial Master – new 1-point mod, Frog Style – if you hit 4 (or more) enemies, gain 5 shields next turn.
We thought the previously introduced mod Toad Style was slightly too strong and could allow Su-Ren to play like a quasi-frontline. Accordingly, this is its next incarnation. We think it should still make for exciting PvP play, and could be especially fun in 5v5 custom games!