Early Access Balance Patch v0.8.2 | Predecessor

Early Access Balance Patch v0.8.2

Following the arrival of our legendary Greystone, we have adjusted power curves and much more!

Patch Notes 26 giu 2023

Summary

Welcome to the v0.8.2 balance pass!

The arrival of Greystone has sent waves throughout the world of Predecessor, and we hope you’ve been enjoying his new look!

Of course, there’s plenty more to come, and rest assured, the chefs back at Omeda HQ are hard at work cooking up a storm as we look forward to v0.9 and beyond.

The primary theme of this balance pass is to smooth out power curves on many of our Heroes and underutilised items. Including follow-up adjustments to Greystone, broader shifts to Countess’ power curve, rectifying an issue with Rampage, and more significant changes to Infernum and Timewarp to help foster further build diversity.

As always, there is a myriad of other changes to be explored below, and we hope you enjoy this latest round of balance.

Much love, and see you next time!

-Rei, Game Designer.

NEW

NEW SKIN

Countess is getting plenty of love with this week's balance changes, so it felt right that this week's new skin was the striking Countess Punk skin!

BALANCE CHANGES

HEROES

Countess’ polarising power curve tends to leave her feeling extremely underwhelming in the game's early stages, but an unstoppable force should she ever get a lead. To help smooth her progression through a match, we’re bolstering her early game efficacy in the stats department, as well as shifting a portion of her damage profile back into her healing identity and away from her Blade Siphon to provide for slightly less burst-heavy gameplay in the late-game.

General:

Eventide ]:

Blade Siphon MB]:

Feast ]:

It’s still early days for the ‘Stone, but his ability to stick to a target with Sacred Oath has proven a little overbearing, especially if you’re the sort of pyromaniac that loves setting people ablaze with Infernum (more on that later). While we’re still monitoring his performance, we figured a few nudges would help move him to a happier spot.

Stoicism assive]:

Sacred Oath ]:

Stone Forged Soul ]:

Shadow Glide provides an often underappreciated (and powerful) source of bonus physical power after use. A quick hit to its duration ensures Kira must better commit to a fight post-dash should she wish to reap the benefit of the power buff.

Shadow Glide ]:

Much like Countess, Morigesh has proven quite divisive and often gets feasted on in lane before becoming a monster in the later stages of a match, should she weather that initial storm. Once again, we’re smoothing out this power curve with shifts to her general damage and healing profile to ensure Morigesh feels more engaging and fair to play as in lane, better rewarding her for a smart commitment of her body to a fight while stripping back the raw DPS threat of backline Mark spam.

General:

Hive ]:

Swarm ]:

Mark MB]:

Unfortunately, our change to Rampage’s Healing in V0.8 didn’t quite go as planned. It emerged that some dark magic (AKA: bugs _ ) had afflicted us at Omeda HQ, with previous presumed healing values acting as a false benchmark to balance and test against._

With the burning of some sage, we’ve cleansed the premises and rectified the issue. These new values should reflect the ~20% intended nerf stated in the last patch more accurately. Please accept our apology for not spotting it earlier!

King of the Jungle assive]:

Behemoth ]:

Revenant has been struggling lately, with half of the roster becoming better equipped to run him down in a slower TTK environment. A slight bump to his survivability and 4th shot should help level the playing field and have him cashing in those bigger targets in no time.

General:

Hellfire Rounds MB]:

While Sparrow generally has a solid lane phase, she sure is mana thirsty if she wishes to maintain a presence in the lane. An increase in her early threat and mana economy will better equip Sparrow to stand her ground and bridge herself into the late game, where she shines the most.

General:

Hail of Arrows ]:

Piercing Shot MB]:

Okay, hear us out… Ever wondered why Steel is orange?

It's a question as old as time itself. And what’s the opposite of orange? Blue! And lastly what’s blue that Steel lacks? Mana! Yep, the lore totally checks out.

Okay, but seriously, Steel’s Mana economy and ability to maintain shove in a lane is rather poor. It’s time he was thrown a blue bone or two.

General:

Bullrush ]:

Shield Bash MB]:

ITEMS

T1:

Potent Staff:

Living up to its name, Potent Staff is getting a slight increase in power to better reward those holding out for the purchase.

T2:

Blood Tome:

We’ve adjusted the power on the Tome to make it a more effective standalone item.

Brimstone:

More health is never a bad thing, so we've increased Brimstone’s overall health gain.

Chaotic Core:

Chaotic Core is no longer used in any Item Recipes, so we’re removing it from the Shop. Expect it to return as we explore further reworks and even brand-new additions… #spoilers.

Fortified Mantle:

Similar to Brimstone, Mantle could use a little help to feel worth the investment.

Assassin:

Infernum:

Infernum has seen a resurgence of play with the arrival of Greystone, and frankly, the item is a tad bonkers to anyone that can use it well. To help normalise it further and mitigate the more abusive cases (still looking at you, Greystone), we’re shifting its trigger condition and adjusting Cinder’s damage scaling to a healthier middle ground. This change should ultimately have Infernum feeling more reasonable to play with and against while also becoming more desirable for the likes of Kallari and Feng now that they can trigger it one attack earlier in their combos.

Fighter:

Basilisk:

Basilisk, at times, still doesn’t quite fit the brief of a strong spike you’d want on a Bruiser compared to other foregone options. A slight nudge in stats should help make its pick a more meaningful one for the buyer.

Citadel:

With the changes to Fortified Mantle, we’ve had to adjust and compensate Citadel to ensure it meets the boundaries of its component stats.

Legacy:

Legacy rarely sees play despite its otherwise significant effect, primarily due to the opportunity cost associated with its purchase. A quick lift to its Tenacity stat is our first port of call to ensure it can better compete with other Tenacity options, such as Salvation.

Salvation:

Speaking of…

Mage:

Azure Core:

Azure's shift away from Haste in prior patches has left it feeling like an undesirable completion, with many preferring to hold on to their Alchemical Rods for most of a match. A small bump in Ability Haste should help Mages feel better equipped to opt-in for scaling or mix up a build path needing some Haste.

Caustica:

Less raw burst against squishies, but at a discount!

Lifebinder:

Like many other changes in this patch, Lifebinder also stands out as an item that feels awkward to slot in due to its lack of power. By improving its recipe and giving it a little extra kick, some Mages (and Junglers ) may now consider it twice and slip it into their build.

Timewarp:

Mana Regeneration on a Mage item, you say? We hear you! We’re experimenting with Timewarp for this patch to help promote impactful options for Mages. The item now functions as a better bridging tool for those high penetration builds that formerly looked to Megacosm as their Haste stick or when looking to double down on low cooldown builds.

Tank:

Crystalline Cuirass:

Crystalline can feel awkward to stack up at times, unable to capture the same magical impact the Void Helm of Old could create with its movement speed condition. Allowing it to stack slightly faster in a brawl should leave it feeling closer to its former glory.

Fire Blossom:

We’ve slightly adjusted the health stats on Fire Blossom to bring back greater parity with other choices.

Flux Matrix:

Flux Matrix’s damage amp contributes to some pretty insane damage under the right conditions, and like many other amps in the past, it’s time to pull it back.

BUG FIXES

The following list of bug fixes may be updated after the patch is Live.

That's all this week! Let us know what you think of this update over on Twitter, the official Subreddit or our Discord server!