PTS is available: 1/10/2017

[Muzzy]

Brynn, The Skywarden is available on #PTS NOW! Go test her out and give your feedback here: http://forums.atlasreactorgame.com/f...blicTestServer

Yes, you can stream it. Yes, you can put up videos. Yes, you can share with the world how awesome Brynn is!

Something to chew on while you play:

Supports

Aurora
Aurora is a little too easy to be successful with right now. Primarily, these nerfs are to overwhelmingly popular (and successful) mods.

General

• Maximum health reduced from 160 to 155.

Shock Therapy
Vain Mod - Self heal reduced from 5 to 4.
Ion Cloud

• Invigorating Cloud - Healing reduced from 8 to 6

Healing Flare

• Surging Flare Mod - Additional healing reduced from 10 to 8.

Heart of the Storm

• Damage and healing reduced from 24 to 22
• Focused Radiance Mod - Additional damage and healing reduced from 8 to 6.

Helio
Helio’s combo was too swingy and has been adjusted. Scramble has been removed from Disruption Matrix and Weak added. Damage has been increased by 25%. Several mods have been adjusted to accommodate this change.

Echo Hammer

• Energy Conduit Mod - Has been removed
• High Amplitude Mod - Increases the damage initial hit from 2 to 3.
• Reverberation Mod - Increased point cost from 2 to 3.
• Sledge Mod - No longer increases initial hit damage but chain damage is increased from 3 to 4. Mod cost decreased from 3 to 2.

Black Hole Generator

• Gravity Well Mod - No longer causes weak, now causes slow next turn.

Disruption Matrix

• No longer causes scramble, now causes weak.
• Damage increased from 20 to 25.
• Gravity Warp Mod - No longer causes weak, now causes slow next turn.

Quark
Quark’s self-recover has been improved slightly, along with his dash. His max health has been reduced to compensate. We still want Quark to be susceptible to burst, and will be keeping a close eye on the situation.

General

• Maximum health reduced from 150 to 145
• New passive functionality - Gain 3 healing per turn for each bond attached.

Gamma Ray

• Anti-Matter Mod - Reduce damage from 10 to 8.

Radiate

• Gene Therapy Mod - Healing per active bond reduced from 3 to 1.

Quantum Collision

• Increase landing zone size by 1.

Orion
Orion has managed to carve a role for himself with his unique play style, but needs a boost in survivability to perform as well as the other supports.

General

• Maxmium health increased from 160 to 170.

Quantum Core

• New 2 point mod: Bow Down - Slow enemies hit until end of turn

Cosmic Flare

• Gain unstoppable until end of turn.
• Healing increased from 25 to 30.

Dr. Finn
Finn was being caught like a fish out of water, so we put him back in the tank.

General

• Maximum health increased from 160 to 165.

Refreshing Spray

• Self Fish Mod - No longer reduces the size of the arc.

Electrifying Eels

• Decrease the range that eels can jump from one target to another from 5 to 4.
• Increase number of times eels jump from 1 to 2.
• Damage decreased from 22 to 20.
• Energy gain decreased from 8 to 6.
• That Magic Eeling Mod - No longer increases the number of times the eels jump. Now increases the range of the jump by 1.
• That’s a Moray Mod - Can now directly target allies.

Maelstrom

• Can no longer be targeted over walls.
• Leech Infestation Mod - Mod cost increased from 2 to 3.
• Grand Finn-ale Mod - Mod cost decreased from 3 to 2.

Frontline

Asana
Asana was dealing too much damage for a frontliner, specifically due to mods which let her abilities hit extra targets. We’re tuning down the damage on these extra target mods across all characters.

Whirling Blade

• Leech Blade Mod - Heal reduced from 5 to 4.

Rebounding Charge

• Vault Mod - Damage on the second target is reduced from 25 to 12.

Stand and Fight

• Skewer Mod - Damage on the second target is reduced from 24 to 12.

Retribution

• Decreased energy gain from 8 to 6.

Garrison
Small tweaks to Garrison. We changed the template on his ult. We like unique templates, but the one on Garrison’s ult proved to be underwhelming.

Missile Barrage

• Now deals indirect damage instead of direct damage.

Heavy Metal

• In Pursuit Mod - Reduced the duration of haste from 2 turns to 1.

Shockpod

• Now deals damage in a 4x4 area.

Rask
My body rebuilds!

General

• Maximum health increased from 185 to 190.
• Energy gain from taking damage increased from 15% to 20%.

Uncontrollable Fury

• Bristled Fur Mod - Now heals for 10 instead of shielding for 10.

Titus
Titus is in a good spot, but his pierce dagger was overperforming just like the other pierce mods.

Berserker Charge

• Cleaver Mod - Mod cost decreased from 3 to 1.

Dirty Fighting

• Puncture Mod - Damage on the second target is reduced from 25 to 12.

Rampart
I think Rampart is more concerned with the fall of Warbotics than this little nerf.

Fusion Lance

• Radamantium Tipped Blade Mod - Damage on the second target is reduced from 25 to 12.

Firepower

Grey
We are bringing some of Grey’s mods in line with other Freelancers. Her drone energy gain was also a bit high for it’s size and duration.

Tracer Bolt

• Barbed Tip Mod - Reduced energy gain from 4 to 3.
• Hunt Them Down - Reduce damage from 4 to 3.

Hawk Drone

• Energy reduced from 5 to 4

Lockwood
Lockwood is looking for a bit more of a challenge.

Trick Shot

• Damage reduced from 34 to 32

Nix
Nix is outperforming a lot of firepowers. This small nerf is intended to limited his spikes in energy and mobility somewhat.

Headshot

• High-Energy Rounds Mod - Reduced energy gain from 4 to 3.

Stalker Suit

• Electromagnetic Aid Mod - Reduced duration from 2 turns to until end of turn.
• Disengage Mod - Reduced duration from 2 turns to until end of turn.

Zuki
Zuki is all about damage potential, but Mighted Sticky Bombs pays out a little too well. We also wanted other mods on Rocket Jump to be considered.

Sticky Bomb

• Damage reduced from 30 to 26
• Restrictive Glue Mod renamed to Shell Shocked

Rocket Jump

• Something Extra mod - Mod cost increased from 2 to 3
• Booster Jet Mod - Energy gain removed, now grants energized until end of next turn.

Oz
Oz buffs from a while back put him in a really competitive spot, but his damage output needs a bit of a shave.

Phaser Laser

• Potent Phasers Mod - Damage reduced from 4 to 3.
• Divide and Conquer Mod - Damage reduced from 4 to 3.

Photon Spray

• Energy gain lowered from 8 to 7.

Zap Trap

• Damage reduced from 25 to 24
• Dance Floor Mod - Damage reduced from 5 to 4.

Elle
We wanted Elle to feel more rewarded for hitting multiple enemies, rather than punished when only hitting one.

Plasma Volley

• Energy generation increased from 6 to 8.

Blackburn
Blackburn’s survivability is more limited than he lets on. This change should give him more options.

Blitz

• Base range increased by 1

Celeste
Celeste’s energy gain and resultant ult damage was a little oppressive.

Strong Arm

• For the Rush Mod - Decreased energy gain from 2 to 1.

Proximo Charge

• Contingency Plan Mod - Instead of 12 energy on cast now grants 6 energy on cast and 6 energy on hit.

Smoke Bombs

• Fog Cover Mod - Damage further reduced from 3 to 5.

Safecracker

• Assault and Battery mod - Mod cost increased from 2 to 3. No longer default.
• Second Story Job Mod - Decreased range from 2 to 1. Mod cost decreased from 3 to 2. Now the default mod.

Juno
Now Juno should be able to have more fun with her ult combo, and be less reliant on Shield Battery. We are working on some quality of life improvements to the ultimate, but that tech isn’t ready quite yet.

General

• Maximum health increased from 140 to 150.

Riot Shield

• Overcharge Mod - Instead of 1 energy per 8 damage taken now gives 1 energy per 5 damage taken.
• Hold the Line Mod - Mod cost decreased from 3 to 2.
• Shield Battery Mod - Mod cost increased from 2 to 3.

Lay Down the Law

• Initial width is reduced from 1.5 to 1
• Damage is increased from 35 to 38.

Kaigin
Kaigin is getting a boost to his first turn damage and ability to keep marks on targets.

Twisting Blades

• Increased damage from 30/15 to 34/17
• Focused Assault Mod - Damage decreased from 5 to 4.

Razor Tempest

• Cooldown decreased from 2 to 1.

Void Strike

• Increased damage from 30 to 34
• Deathmark Mod - damage reduced from 5 to 4

[Kerodon]

Pretty much a lot of the things I've been hoping for. Happy to see the great development direction as always

But Kaigin? You're taking him from already great but very difficult to play to 1.5 pre-nerf Asanas.
The shuriken CD is the big offender, the rest are fine, he doesn't need to make it easier to keep marks, he should have to be persistent to kill someone on his own in 3 turns. His risk reward is just low risk high reward now as opposed to mid risk high reward. He already has some of the best mobility in the game, the highest dmg potentials. And now he can basically kill someone alone in 3 turns.

I think Kaigin got too much, and Celeste got kinda pounded on further than was necessary. She definitely needed a nerf, but more incrementally than this.

[inflatable fish]

the lowered cooldown on Kai's shuriken means he has no downsides even if you fail to position yourself tactically. equip the reveal mod and people will have a really really hard time getting away from you, which means they'll be taking 40+ damage almost every turn without even blowing significant cooldowns.

and the damage increase on the dash just baffles me. with might, against a marked target you deal 56 damage that ignores cover and can be targeted through walls, and then you can just autofollow. that kind of pressure is just ridiculous.

[Naidai]

This is the massive balance patch? Seems anti-climactic.

[aacey]

Kaigin
Kaigin is getting a boost to his first turn damage and ability to keep marks on targets.

Twisting Blades

• Increased damage from 30/15 to 34/17
• Focused Assault Mod - Damage decreased from 5 to 4.

Razor Tempest

• Cooldown decreased from 2 to 1.

Void Strike

• Increased damage from 30 to 34
• Deathmark Mod - damage reduced from 5 to 4

shouldnt that mean Flurry of knives mod will get some love. either make it a zero cost . or something else (just gonna say this in case people question a zero cost mod. you Still have to Choose it over other mods its not really free)

[trij]

Hi,

regarding the balance changes, I think there are a number of very good changes there especially the ones for Asana and Lockwood.

I have some concerns though:
Juno & Finn:
according to statistics from November https://www.reddit.com/r/AtlasReacto...1111_data_day/ (I am not aware of newer statistics, if you have newer statistics please share), Juno & Finn are underperforming in terms of win rate, and Juno is rarely picked. Thus (if the statistics are still valid) these two are in need of a buff rather than a nerf.

The changes you are proposing for Juno and Finn can be consider strong nerfs: (even though there are buffs as well) :
Juno:
The higher costs on the shield battery mod is a significant nerf. The mods which are buffered here, are in my opinion still rather poor choices (getting 0-8 energy for 2 mod points) or situational 10 additional shield.
The smaller ulti initial width may make a difference and result in hitting one freelancer less (i.e. -35 damage) where increasing the damage by 3 is less than 10 percent of this loss.
I am unsure how much compensation 10 extra health is here.

Finn:
The change that the ulti can no longer be targetted over walls is a significant nerf, it can make the difference between hitting 4 enemy freelancers or nobody.
Also the leech mod was the most popular mod and considered to be the strongest.
There are also some buffs here but unsure how much this will help fin compared to the nerfs.

Kaigin:
While I see your point in buffing Kaigin , the changes are really extremely strong , especially the cooldown reduction on razor tempest as well as the 4 more damage on the primary are really devisive. I would recommend to start with smaller buffs for Kaigin and monitor performance.

[kaid]

Hi,

regarding the balance changes, I think there are a number of very good changes there especially the ones for Asana and Lockwood.

I have some concerns though:
Juno & Finn:
according to statistics from November https://www.reddit.com/r/AtlasReacto...1111_data_day/ (I am not aware of newer statistics, if you have newer statistics please share), Juno & Finn are underperforming in terms of win rate, and Juno is rarely picked. Thus (if the statistics are still valid) these two are in need of a buff rather than a nerf.

The changes you are proposing for Juno and Finn can be consider strong nerfs: (even though there are buffs as well) :
Juno:
The higher costs on the shield battery mod is a significant nerf. The mods which are buffered here, are in my opinion still rather poor choices (getting 0-8 energy for 2 mod points) or situational 10 additional shield.
The smaller ulti initial width may make a difference and result in hitting one freelancer less (i.e. -35 damage) where increasing the damage by 3 is less than 10 percent of this loss.
I am unsure how much compensation 10 extra health is here.

Finn:
The change that the ulti can no longer be targetted over walls is a significant nerf, it can make the difference between hitting 4 enemy freelancers or nobody.
Also the leech mod was the most popular mod and considered to be the strongest.
There are also some buffs here but unsure how much this will help fin compared to the nerfs.

Kaigin:
While I see your point in buffing Kaigin , the changes are really extremely strong , especially the cooldown reduction on razor tempest as well as the 4 more damage on the primary are really devisive. I would recommend to start with smaller buffs for Kaigin and monitor performance.

I do like the Finn change to self-fish I tend to use that a lot because then you are at least pretty much guaranteed to get 24 health on at least two targets but losing a big chunk of the targeting cone hurt. This change is nice but I am curious if it just winds up making that mod nearly mandatory.

The juno changes I am less certain of but overall I have had pretty solid luck with her so if she is off it is not by much.

most of the changes to front liners using piercing/extra target mods make tons of sense . They in effect nearly doubled the damage of the power they were used to mod which was just a huge boost over any of the other options.

[inflatable fish]

I do like the Finn change to self-fish I tend to use that a lot because then you are at least pretty much guaranteed to get 24 health on at least two targets but losing a big chunk of the targeting cone hurt. This change is nice but I am curious if it just winds up making that mod nearly mandatory.

Heal in One is another very good choice that gives you some more spot healing, and it only takes up 1 mod point.

[Sepheal]

Ooooh these notes make me so hyped!! Especially the Finn changes, going to be having a lot of fun with these eel changes <3

[Nales]

I agree with most of these changes, but here are my thoughts on some of them:

Quark
I play Quark a lot, and I’m worried this might make him too durable. With the self-heal mods on 1 and 2 he’s already hard to take down when positioning well. If the new +3 is also applied on hit (I didn’t test it on the PTS) it could be too much.


Dr Finn
Looking at the changes, it certainly feels more like a nerf than a buff. Eels are unlikely to jump much with a range of only 4, if the enemy team has decent positioning. And if you pick the +1 range mod, you lose the very useful “hits invisible foes” one. Plus the general nerfs to the ability.
The ultimate nerf I really don’t understand. I consider Finn’s ult to be rather mediocre as it is. It’s quite predictable, and even if it hits you can simply dash out on the next turn. Its only saving graces were the ability to use it through walls, and the heal from Leech Infestation. Both nerfed.


Rampart
The minor nerf isn’t a big deal, but I thought Rampart would get buffed instead. Specifically, I thought his shield would begin stopping more stuff. There are too many attacks that ignore it, and that makes Rampart very dependent on enemy composition.


Elle
I don’t find energy generation to be an issue. If you want to buff Elle a bit, look no further than Lurker Drone. It really pales in comparison with Celeste’s Proximo Trap.
Proximo Trap ignores cover without requiring a mod, does more damage, lasts longer, triggers automatically (helps with dashes or if the user is dead), generates more energy (unless you hit multiple targets with Lurker Drone, which is unlikely), and most importantly has a much shorter cooldown (3 turns, while Lurker Drone has 5). The only advantages of Lurker Drone are the slow and the larger area.


Celeste
I guess her energy gain can be an issue, but I thought it was more that her cooldowns were a bit low. (3 turns for both her trap and smoke bomb, 5 turns for her dash)


Juno
It seems the intent behind the ultimate change is to prevent Juno from hitting multiple targets initially, and instead encourage teamwork with knockbacks, Pup’s leash, etc. Fair enough, but then I think her difficulty bar should be higher. In fact, this applies to her in general - surviving without a dash is difficult, even with a self-shield.


Kaigin
As others have said - this is far too much. Kaigin is not weak right now. His winrate might be low, but that’s only because tons of people think “OMG ninja, must play!” without looking at (or caring about) his difficulty rating. I’ve seen a lot of bad Kaigins, but also some really good ones that were incredibly effective.