It’s that time again, mortals - patch notes time. No, don’t get up - we’ll bring them to you live tomorrow. In the meantime, you can see the menu ahead of schedule.
The TL;DR
One of the big things coming to this patch is our brand new revamped tutorial system! We’re super excited to be able to show it off, so please jump in and give it a go even if you’re well past the point of needing one. Our game designers would love to hear your unfiltered views, mainly because the onboarding tutorials are the first interactions new players have with the GU ecosystem. One of our top priorities is to make a lasting impression as they explore the game for the very first time because it’s at this critical juncture when players will decide if they’ll want to continue playing. Moreover, as we scale up, we want to create a fun onboarding player experience so players not only get a glimpse of the gameplay and lore that will unfold, but it entices them into coming back for more! The new tutorial system lays the foundation for our designers to teach players in-depth gameplay strategies by creating narrative-led game modes, which sets the stage for future possibilities across the board.
Part of our Building for the Future blog post the other week was a commitment to bring more transparency around patches, our reasoning, and overall methodology. This Wednesday at 5:30PM PDT, we’ll be holding an AMA stream with @Imbryn and @kindofsquishy to chat about all things game balance. You can submit your questions in the thread we’ve created in the #balance channel on Discord.
On the bug fixes end, we hope you’ve seen our renewed focus in action a little more. So much so that we’ve spun up an entire team dedicated to Player Experience. We’ve got a new Player Support Manager starting this week, whose entire role will be dedicated to improving our overall support experience across the board.
New Additions
- Deletions of legacy tutorial code
- Addition of new more simple tutorial nodes, designed to entice players with narrative-infused game modes that teach players in-depth gameplay strategies
- Updates to gain full control over the AI in tutorial
- Creation of a new tutorial card system to allow more customization for tutorial modes in the future
- New Mulligan System - we’ll now show you at the start of your turn who is going first or second. We know you’ve been asking for this one!
Balance Notes
From a balancing perspective, there were a couple of considerations from the balance team with regard to this patch. First and foremost, it was some tuning to magic decks and individual cards that are having a disproportionate impact on the outcome of games. While we are pleased with the feedback we received from the last patch, and we’ve come a long way, we know we still have a way to go.
Buffs
- Volkaaz, Master of Pain
- Stats Increased, change stats from 3/3 to 4/5
- Soldier of T'artess & Child of Parthon (Echo)
- Text Changed, add Frontline
Nerfs
- Academy Apprentice
- Mana cost increased, Stats Increased
- Change mana cost from 1 to 2
- Change stats from 1/1 to 2/1
- War’s Wake
- Mana Cost Increased
- Change mana cost from 2 to 3
- Staff of Roots - Text Change
- Change text from: Twin strike. Blitz.
- Roar: Summon a 1/1 Walking Plant if you control a Wild creature to Blitz. Roar: Summon a 1/1 Walking Plant if you control a Wild creature
- Unbound Flames
- Change Text from: Deal 5 damage. Empower 2: Deal 5 damage to each creature.
- to Deal 4 damage. Empower 2: Deal 4 damage to each creature.
Changes
- Inescapable Duty
- Card Changed
- Change mana cost from 6 to 3
- Change text from: Pull a creature from your void to your hand and give it +7/+7.
- Empower 1: Also, make it the Chosen One. To Pull a creature from your void to your hand, and give it +2/+2.
Empower 3: Pull another creature from your void to your hand, and give it +2/+2.
- Over the Line
- Text Changed
- Change text from :Each creature gains -1/-1. Your creatures perform an extra attack on your opponent's god. To Your creatures perform an extra attack on your opponent’s god.
- Lethal Prowler
- Change text from “Can’t attack. Once per turn, after a friendly creature attacks and the target survives, this creature also attacks that target.“ To ”Can't attack. Once per turn, after another friendly creature attacks and the target survives, this creature also attacks that target.”
Bug Fixes
The major bug fix coming this week is one that impacts Demogorgon - we picked up on reports that it was interacting incorrectly with Satyr Hypnotist. This one has been addressed, and we appreciate your understanding as we know bug fixes for locked card sets can sometimes be a tricky process!
- Council of the God: The godpower now cannot be used when interacting with Sign of Avarice.
- Animon, Pustulant Impslough: Now summons an imp after its summoned.
- Orfeo, Champion of Deception: Now correctly loses hidden from the opponent's perspective when played by its effect.
- Mimicus: When transformed into the creature copied by Patient Pickpocket now has the correct stats.
- Lightning Talisman: Fixed a vfx issue.
- Demogorgon: Now correctly interacts with cards that are given sleep at the end of the turn by Satyr Hypnotist.
That’s all for this week’s patch! Thanks as always.
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