Welcome Gizmoneers and Gadgeteers!
Most of our larger balance changes for patch 12.3 were delivered early last week in our 12.2 mid-week patch, so be sure to check those out if your looking for nerfs to Imperial, Swain, Talon, and more. That said, here are some light patch updates in preparation of Neon Nights next week!
PATCH HIGHLIGHTS
NEON NIGHTS
Light as the patch notes may be, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to bring a progress-fueled mid-set with over 20 new units, over 80 new Augments, and a whole lotta content to bring your cosmetic loadout into the future. Check out the articles below for more information.
- Neon Night Pass and More: All the Tacticians, arenas, and more coming in the new G&G Pass II.
- Neon Nights Gameplay Overview: Our largest roster swap to date shines in the latest mid-set update.
- Augments Augmented: New Augments, items, and interface updates coming in Neon Nights.
SYSTEM CHANGES
Tome of Traits previously utilized a confusing “tailored” trait system, a system that offers you emblems based on traits (both active and inactive) you already have, that could be manipulated by those willing to learn the convoluted system. We’re changing the rules to make the Tome of Traits more intuitive while simultaneously making it less abusable.
Tome of Traits
- Tome of Traits now offers you “tailored” Emblems based upon your total active and inactive traits in the previous combat round.
- 0 to 4 inactive or active traits = 0 tailored emblems
- 5 to 6 inactive or active traits = 1 tailored emblem
- 7 to 8 inactive or active traits = 2 tailored emblems
- 9 to 10 inactive or active traits = 3 tailored emblems
- 11 or more inactive or active traits = 4 tailored emblems
Prismatic Trait-linked Augments
Sometimes you’ve already committed to a strategy by the second or third Augment and you get offered a Crown or Soul (trait-linked) Augment that is effectively a dead choice. This can feel especially unfair when your opponents are offered three options that all make sense with the direction of their composition. But fret no more, we have a solution.
- Prismatic Crown and Soul Augments are no longer offered as second or third Augment choices unless you have the first trait tier active (e.g. Arcanist 2 must be active to be offered Arcanist Crown). There are 2 exceptions.
- Exception: You can be offered Mutant Crown with 2 Mutant in play
- Exception: You can be offered Mercenary Crown with 2 Mercenary in play
LARGE CHANGES
Large like the changes coming in Neon Nights.
Augments
By removing the confusing and abusable use cases of Tome of Traits (see above), we have lowered its power and bumped it down to a Silver Augment accordingly.
Universally good health regeneration and shielding Augments are too strong for their ‘one Augment fits all comps’ usability. And yet despite its more universal appeal, Thrill of the Hunt has been struggling to succeed compared to other Augments. We’re giving it a much needed buff, but I’d recommend running it with comps that fight fast, as it works well as a “defensive fourth item” for your glass cannon (high damage and low defense) carries.
Sunfire Board is putting out the same heat, but now longer, giving it an additional 4% max health burn if the fight lasts 10 seconds.
- Ancient Archives (Tome of Traits): Gold ⇒ Silver
- Exiles I and II percent Health Shield: 35/50% ⇒ 30/45%
- Featherweights Attack Speed: 30/40/60% ⇒ 25/35/55%
- Shrug It Off percent Health regen per second: 3 ⇒ 2.5%
- Sunfire Board burn duration: 8 ⇒ 10 seconds
- Sunfire Board max burn total (over the course of 10 seconds) Health percentage: 16% ⇒ 20%
- Thrill of the Hunt I and II Heal on Kill: 300/600 ⇒ 400/700
- Underdogs percent Health regen per second: 10% ⇒ 9%
Traits
Mana regen is a powerful stat, so we’re taking small steps to push Socialite (2) back into viability.
- Socialite (2) Mana regen: 3 ⇒ 4
Items
Runaan’s Hurricane is overperforming in our data and we believe it to be the source of overperformance for some AD comps reliant on it.
- Runaan’s Hurricane additional bolt Attack Damage scaling: 75% ⇒ 70%
SMALL CHANGES
Small like this patch.
Augments
Small changes ranging in price from 1 to 4 gold, or 5 AD.
We have to balance Knife’s Edge around its best case scenario, a mostly melee board (Assassin, Challenger/Imperial) that can ignore the risks associated with the positioning demand of the Augment.
Windfall is feeling more like a breeze-fall early in the game where more situational or scaling Augments are the default choice. We’re adding a bit of gold to make it feel like less of a low roll in early Prismatic lobbies.
- High Roller bonus Gold: 4g ⇒ 8g
- Knife’s Edge Attack Damage: 25/40/55 ⇒ 25/35/50
- Mercenary Heart no longer grants 1 Gold
- Socialite Heart no longer grants 1 Gold
- Windfall Gold: 15/30/45 ⇒ 18/30/45
Traits
My Poppy carry comp is about to be Poppy-ing off! Please don’t contest me.
- Bodyguard Armor: 75/150/250/450 ⇒ 80/160/250/450
- Innovator (7) Mechanical Dragon bonus Critical Strike Damage buff: 40% ⇒ 30%
Champions: Tier 2
We’ve been cawght off guard by Swain’s early game power despite his recent nerfs. As an abundance of cawtion, we’ve got a microw nerf to slow down his casting.
- Swain max Mana nerf: 0/80 ⇒ 0/85
BUG FIXES
- The doctor is not in: Innovator Heart no longer incorrectly states that it grants a Singed
- High End Shopping unit odds now reflect the Level 8 and Level 9 changes from patch 12.2
- Talon will no longer instantly kill units if his bleed triggers the Smoke Bomb Augment on an enemy unit