The team is readying another balance update for Halo Wars 2 that is expected to go live today, 9/15. Please see below for additional details and context around what's changing. Note that this is a server-side adjustment that doesn't require a patch download but you may have to restart the game.



Balance Update Notes 9.15.17

Improvements to UNSC infantry and Tier 1 viability in the last update have proven to be stronger than intended and this update focuses on readjusting balance to give Banished leaders better counter options. In particular Hellbringers and Marines proved to be oppressive at Tier 1, pushing Banished out of the meta and making UNSC mirrors too linear. These buffs shook things up and helped bring UNSC leaders back up in competitiveness, but were too much. This update pulls back on some of those buffs, and adjusts some other knock-on issues.

Goals of this update:

- Ensure Banished Scouts and Suicide Grunts serve as adequate counters to the Marine/Hellbringer force.

- Make sure UNSC mirrors have more variety than Marine/Hellbringer builds.

- Increase Jackrabbit viability in UNSC mirrors and ensure that they can counter Marine/Hellbringers. Note that this will be dependent on player map and leader selection.

- Small adjustments to maintain balance across the Tier 1 triangle based on the above changes: Grunt Mines, Ram, and Scouts.

- Address some additional issues which are skewing the early-to-mid game: Heat of Battle, Raid, Jeromeâ€™s Mantis, and ODSTs.

- Adjust some other units to fit more effectively into the early game triangle: Elite Enforcers, Jump Pack Brutes



Damage modifier vs Buildings:

- Core Infantry increased +17%

- Scouts reduced -17%



Heavy Grunt

- Party's Over cooldown 50s -> 30s



New armor type for Jump Pack Brutes and Elite Enforcers. Altered damage modifiers:

- Jackrabbits increased +17%

- Grenade reduced -30%

- GruntMine reduced -23%

- WarthogRam increased +15%

- Gauss reduced -12%

- SuicideGrunt increased +11%



Heat of Battle

- Damage mitigation 90% -> 60%



Jackrabbit

- Damage vs rush units and Anti-Infantry units increased +75%

- Spotter Drone upgrade additional DPS increased +30%



Scouts (except Jackrabbits)

- Damage vs rush units and Anti-Infantry units increased +25%



Ram

- Reflect damage reduced -8%/-15%

- Damage vs rush units and Anti-Infantry units increased +8%

- Damage vs Scouts increased +13%



Suicide Grunts

- Speed increased +29%

- Has the armor type used by rush units and Anti-Infantry units

- Damage vs core Infantry reduced -21%

- Damage vs Infantry in cover increased +50%

- Damage vs rush units and Anti-Infantry units increased +67%

- Suicide charge distance increased +25%

- Cost 100/20 -> 80/40



Grunt Mines

- Damage vs core Infantry increased +30%

- Damage vs rush units and Anti-Infantry units increased +25%

- Damage vs Scouts increased +6%

- Damage vs Medium increased +25%

- No longer give unit XP when shot



Marines

- Partially reverted Marine buff

- Engineer HP reduced -10%

- Engineer Heal Value increased +30%

- Marine HP reduced -16% (reverted)

- Marine Heal Value increased +20%

- Marine DPS reduced -19% (reverted)



ODST

- Partially reverted ODST buff

- HP reduced -20%

- Heal Value increased +30%

- DPS reduced -15%



Raid

- Speed bonus 12%/20% -> 10%/17%

Jerome's Mantis

- Speed increased +10%



Elite Rangers

- Reverted DPS changes

- DPS increased +14% (reverted)



Elite Enforcers

- Cost 130/75 -> 110/60



Jump Pack Brute “ Countermeasures mine-laying ability

- Damage reduced -13%

- Removed outer AoE