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NEW MOVE

“Shield Uppercut” can do damage if the feat “Shield Basher” is active.

Has Immunity to Guard Break starting at 100ms into the strike.

All Heavies can be cancelled into the new move "Shield Uppercut".

Hit Recovery is 700ms (was 800ms), and you get Stance Change / Default Defense at 600ms.

Miss Recovery is now 700ms (was 600ms), and you get Stance Change / Default Defense at 600ms.

Developer Comments: Conqueror's Charged Heavies are easily dodged - but with this Melee as a Cancel option, it should help punish people who you correctly predict will do a side dodge. Hitting with this move guarantees a follow-up of a Light Attack.

Chains

Shield Bash can be followed with any Light or Heavy

Heavy can be followed with any Light, Heavy or Shield Bash Mix Up

Light can be followed with any Light, Heavy or Shield Bash Mix Up

Chains have been reworked. Now Conqueror can follow up any:

Developer Comments: Conqueror had a real problem where if you hit with a Basic Light Opener, you could only do another Light, but that hardly ever worked. Also, if Conqueror hit with a Heavy, you had to do either do a Shield Bash Mix Up or Heavy…but these had basically the same long timing.

Consequently, Conquerors mostly only took their guaranteed damage after a Shield Bash, but then stopped attacking. We don't want you to have to stop attacking because of how unlikely your options are to work – so we improved the chain rules to help Conquerors sustain their attack.

Light Attacks

Full Block Stance Cancel

Developer Comments: Cancelling the fastest attacks was causing Flicker and rollback issues, so this is why we removed it from the Light strikes. We kept the ability to enter Full Block Stance from the Heavy attacks, and from Light and Heavy recoveries.

Full Block Stance

Stamina cost for blocking an attack from Full Block Stance has been made 0, no longer regen stamina during these blocks, and Conqueror no longer is unbalanced when blocking and going out of stamina.

Stamina regen cooldown after Full Block Stance has been removed (was 4.0s).

Stamina cost for entering Full Block Stance is now 20 (was 6).

Conqueror no longer can Shield Bash Riposte, Dodge, or basic Attack during Full Block Stance, or Full Block Stance Exit.

When successfully Blocking an attack from Full Block Stance, Conqueror can now connect to new move “Flail Uppercut”.

Developer Comments: In keeping with the general philosophy of risk/reward on this character, now if you block something from Full Block Stance, you can punish them with a “Flail Uppercut” (see “Flail Uppercut” below). The intention is that this is now something you use to punish predicted attacks with rather than a safe way to turtle.

NEW MOVE: “Flail Uppercut” (replacing Shield Bash Riposte)

Developer Comments: This move is intended to be guaranteed after successfully predicting an attack from Full Block Stance.

We feel that since the Conqueror is taking a risk with Full Block Stance, Conqueror deserves to land good damage as the reward. Shield Bash Riposte did not do a good job to help Conqueror counter-attack so Flail Uppercut has been build specifically for that purpose.

Shield Bash Mix Up

Miss Recovery is now 700ms (was 600ms), and you get Stance Change / Default Defense at 600ms (before you could perform any action at 400ms). You do get the ability to launch Light Attack, Heavy Attack, and Full Block Stance at 300ms.

Hit Recovery is now 700ms (was 800ms), and you get Stance Change / Default Defense at 600ms (before you could perform any action at 600ms).

Shield Bash Mix Up is slightly better at tracking opponents who dodge sideways.

After a hit, branching to Heavy Attack and Full Block Stance are now at 400ms (were at 300ms).

After a hit, branching to Light Attack is now at 400ms (was at 0ms).

Developer Comments: After the Shield Bash Mix Up, you are still guaranteed the Light Attack - but no longer guaranteed the Heavy Attack unless you hit them into a wall.

Note that all the Shield Bashes on the Conqueror now do 10 stamina damage - this is to move Conqueror away from sapping the opponent's stamina, as the Conqueror is now better positioned as a mix of hard-hitting offense, and predictive defense with good punishes – rather than trying to be a stamina bully.

Shield Bash

After a hit, all branching’s start at 100ms (some were at 0ms, some 300ms, some 600ms).

Forward Dodge can now branch to attack options, including Guard Break, from 600ms (was 800ms).

Forward Dodge now branches to Full Block Stance from 600ms (was 800ms).

Forward Dodge now branches to Shield Bash from 100ms-500ms (was 300ms-500ms).

Hit Recovery is now 700ms (was 800ms), and you get Stance Change / Default Defense at 600ms (before you could perform any action at 600ms).

Shield Bash knockback reduced by 0.8m, to reduce the situations in which you whiff the following Light attack.

Reduced Shield Bash attack range on Front Dodge to 1.25m (from 1.5m), and from Side Dodge to 1.25m (from 2.0m).

Miss Recovery is now 700ms (was 600ms), and you get Stance Change / Default Defense at 600ms (before you could perform any action at 400ms).

Developer Comments: Light Attack is still a guaranteed follow-up if the Shield Bash hit. Heavy Attack is no longer guaranteed.

Movement changes should result in no significant change in function – we reduce part and increase another part so that it visually looks better, but reaches the same distance.

Charging Shield Crush

The Hit recovery no longer forces Conqueror into Out Of Lock.

Developer Comments: Before, the Conqueror was able to hit the opponent, but because the opponent was in the Get Up animation, the opponent does not react to the hit. The opponent could then get an Uncounterable Guard Break on the Conqueror.

Now, the Conqueror doesn't get any guaranteed damage after a Charging Shield Crush. With the new timing, opponents will be up in time to block. We want this move to be good in group fights, and in certain situations where the opponent is near a ledge, but not something Conquerors would want to rely on in duels.

Top Heavy

Developer Comments: Top Heavy is longer than Side Heavies and so isn't guaranteed on Guard Break or after a Flail Uppercut. To help the Conqueror earn the ‘Hard Hitter’ moniker, we also increase the damage on this Top Heavy opener.

Zone Attack

Conqueror now can be Parried properly on the 2nd or later hit.

When activated from Full Block Stance, we removed a 100ms gap on startup where the Conqueror had no defense.

Developer Comments: Since this is considered Superior Block during the attack, the Zone Attack isn't stopped when blocking an incoming attack. Opponents are expected to beat it with an Unblockable, a Melee, or just walk up and Parry it on their Left side.

BERSERKER

Light Opener and Heavy Opener

Light Opener and Heavy Opener gain Uninterruptible Stance if used immediately after a Feint.

Side Light Openers are now 400ms if used immediately after a Feint.

Top Light Opener is now 500ms if used immediately after a Feint.

Light Openers’ damage reduced to 15 (from 17).

Developer Comments: At high level, Berserker needs to mix Feints into the Chains. But Feinting means the Berserker would lose the Uninterruptible Stance benefit, and often end up taking a hit. Now, if you attack immediately after Feinting, your basic Light and basic Heavy will have Uninterruptible Stance. This should allow Berserker more opportunity to trades in mid-chains, if the opponent misreads, and allows him to continue applying pressure.

Heavy Finishers

3rd Side Heavy Finishers are now Unblockable.

3rd Side Heavy Finishers now do 45 damage (were 30).

2nd Top Heavy Finisher is now Unblockable.

2nd Top Heavy Finisher now does 30 damage (was 55).

Developer Comments: Berserker has a hard time cracking dedicated turtlers, especially Warlords and Conquerors. This change will let Berserker force the opponent to act or be hit.

We have adjusted the damage so the Top Heavy Finisher is lower damage than the Side Heavy Finishers, because they are deeper in the chain and harder to get to.

Dance of the Paired Blades

Infinite Light attacks from 2nd strike onward durations are now 400ms (were 500ms).

Infinite Light attacks from 2nd strike onward now do 15 damage (were 12).

Infinite Heavy attacks from 2nd strike onward now do 25 damage (were 20).

Developer Comments: We want these lights to be hard to block, since blocking one ends the chain, and it's currently too easy. Speeding this up will make it tougher, and give a bit more contrast between choosing a Light or a Heavy. Note that this speed increase or damage buff does not apply to the chains openers - just to attacks inside the chain.

Bear Mauler

2nd Heavy attacks now do 35 damage (were 20).

Developer Comments: The Berserker’s chained attacks generally felt extremely weak. It was strange that Berserkers who did what they are built for, taking risks and relentlessly attacking, didn’t have a reasonable reward.

Head Slicer

Now has Uninterruptible Stance starting at 100ms (was 300ms).

Developer Comments: Head Slicer is successful when used to dodge forward and trade with an attacker, so this is meant to make that a little easier.

Deflect (and “Brute Force”)

Now requires the player to press the Guard Break Button during the Deflect to perform “Brute Force” (the new name for the quick Guard Break).

If no input is pressed, the Berserker will not attempt the quick Guard Break.

Developer Comments: Berserker's Deflect into Guard Break doesn't beat everything - it fails against actions that "force no reaction" on hit - and the case we were seeing most was against Shinobi's Top Light into Backflip. In this case, the Deflect into Guard Break would fail because the Shinobi won't play a hit reaction during the Backflip, and when the Guard Break failed it actually allowed the Shinobi to punish the Berserker. This is the worst likely case for Berserker at this time, but it's probable that over time, more scenarios could appear.

By changing the Deflect into Guard Break to now require a button press, we can retain Berserker's strong Deflect into Guard Break in most situations, but also allow Berserkers to elect not to perform the Guard Break portion in situations that would be dangerous (such as the Shinobi case, or group fights).

Zone Attack

Now moves the Berserker 1m further forward (extra distance is spread across all strikes).

4th strike now causes a Light hit reaction (was Heavy hit reaction), and the connection to Infinite Light Attack afterwards was made 100ms later.

When Zone Attack is parried, Berserker will now use the shorter “Heavy parried” reaction.

Developer Comments: Zone Attack had an issue where if your opponent dodged backwards, you'd spin while standing in place whiffing, and be completely vulnerable to attacks. Now, the extra distance allows the Berserker to have a better chance to catch up to a back-dodging opponent.

This change to the 4th strike’s timing is because we buffed the Infinite Light Attack speeds - without this change, Berserkers would be guaranteed to hit the Light Attack after the Zone Attack.

“Slashing Rush”

“Slashing Rush” is now much easier to perform.

When “Slashing Rush” is parried, Berserker will now use the shorter “Heavy parried” reaction.

“Slashing Rush” can no longer Execute.

“Slashing Rush” now costs 65 stamina (was 12 stamina).

“Slashing Rush” no longer has extra stamina costs when missed or parried.

Developer Comments: “Slashing Rush” is basically like a backwards Zone Attack, and there were a lot of times where it seemed you wanted the backward version, but got the forward version accidentally. This felt bad and is now fixed.

The reason that “Slashing Rush” can no longer execute and has higher stamina costs is to unify it more with the forward Zone Attack – and if you’re using Slashing Rush you probably are using it to escape, and don’t want to get locked into the Execution Window.

“Head Crusher”

“Head Crusher” no longer gets stuck in the run portion if the opponent is dodging backward.

To lessen the cases where “Head Crusher” whiffs, Short range leap now starts at 3.5m (was 4.0m). Medium range leap now starts at 5.8m (was 7.0m). Long range leap now starts at 7.8m (was 9.0m).



Developer Comments: Before the leap portion, there is a run portion that is meant to close distance - this run generally gets skipped because the opponent is close enough to start the leap. However, the leap could not start at all if the opponent was dodging backward, which caused the Berserker to run forward way too far and be vulnerable. Now, Berserker doesn't check if the opponent is dodging backward anymore, and will just start the leap if close enough.

The range reduction is to reduce the number of cases where the Berserker would whiff and land right in front of the target. While this does represent a slight range reduction, the improved likelihood of actually leaping at a time that this attack will hit the target should help the Berserker.

Out of Lock Attacks

Out of Lock Attacks now have Uninterruptible Stance and Unblockable properties to match the functionality of the Locked attacks.

Throws

Forward Throw now does 0 damage (was 8) and 20 stamina damage (was 40).

Side and Back Throws now do 0 damage (were 8).

Side and Back Throws still do the regular 20 stamina damage, same as all characters' throws.

Side and Back Throws no longer Unbalance the opponent if the Throw itself reduces them to 0 stamina. It now only Unbalances if the opponent was at 0 stamina before the Throw (this now makes it consistent with other heroes’ throws).

Developer Comments: Currently, the Berserkers have an extremely powerful Out Of Stamina punish (Throw Forward, Side Heavy, Top Heavy Finisher). Since we gave the Berserker better tools for regular combat, and Berserkers aren’t built to manipulate the stamina of their opponent, we feel this is an area Berserker is currently unnecessarily strong and can handle a nerf.

Parry’s Counter-attack Light (“Skilled Slash”)

Added Uninterruptible Stance to “Skilled Slash”.

Moved “Skilled Slash” timing to 400ms after the Parry (was 300ms), for improved ease of input.

Developer Comments: Giving it Uninterruptible Stance is mostly meant to continue the Berserker theme onto this move, and make it slightly more advantageous in-group fights.

Block Reactions

Removed an ability to counter-attack after blocking a light after 200ms. Now Berserker must wait for the end of the Block Stun before attacking, like every other character.

Developer Comments: Different block reaction timings have to be used with extreme caution – since this isn’t part of the Berserker theme, we standardize it.

Dodge Cancel

Removed Dodge cancel from Light Attack Opener strikes.

Removed Dodge cancel from Heavy Attacks starting from the 2nd in Dance of the Paired Blades.

Gave Light Opener's miss recoveries the ability to branch to Zone Attack (as other miss recoveries already have).

Dodge Cancels can now only be performed while Berserker has Stamina.

Developer Comments: The dodge cancels were removed because they were causing Flicker and rollback issues on the shortest attacks.

To compensate, we allow whiffed Light Openers to branch to Zone Attacks - an ability that Berserker already had on other attacks. This should allow the Berserker to continue to be unpredictable, while showing a clean and fair user interface to the opponent.

HIGHLANDER

“Celtic Curse”

The Top Strike can now be Cancelled into Fast Flow to Top Offensive Form, by holding the Heavy Input Button - shows the pink flash of entry in Offensive Form.

Slightly increased rotation of Top Strike to better track sprinting opponents.

Improved ability to acquire targets that are sprinting at the Highlander.

“Celtic Curse” can now switch targets when cancelling to the side attacks.

Developer Comments: “Celtic Curse” needs to be strong so that Highlander can initiate combat, and here the cancel into Offensive Form will make the real attacks much harder to identify, while protecting the Highlander from the Full Block Stance of Conqueror or Warlord.

Stamina

Removed the stamina cooldown for entering Offensive Form.

Can now regen stamina while dodging in Offensive Form.

Reduced stamina cost of “Balor's Might” to 24 (from 30).

Developer Comments: The Highlander has been heavily limited by his stamina consumption and regen. Often, the Highlanders would do a lot of work to only get one hit in, then have to back off. Now, the Highlanders should be more able to sustain their offensive.

Note that while Offensive Form's Enhanced Lights still cost 3 stamina when cancelled from “Balor's Might”, when accessed directly they are reduced from 33 to 27.

Damage

Increased damage on Offensive Form “Balor's Might” to 40 (from 30).

Increased damage on Defensive Form Side Heavy Openers to 35 (from 25).

Increased damage on Defensive Form Side Heavy Finishers to 35 (from 30).

Increased damage on Defensive Form Top Heavy Opener to 45 (from 40).

Increased damage on Defensive Form Top Heavy Finisher to 45 (from 40).

Developer Comments: Part of the Highlander's fantasy is to hit hard and now he finally can.

Defensive Form's 2nd Lights

Uninterruptible Stance is now applied to Defensive Form's 2nd Lights, starting at 100ms.

Interrupt Blocked reaction is reduced to 800ms (was 1100ms).

Developer Comments: This move no longer gives up a free Guard Break when blocked. Furthermore, the Uninterruptible Stance allows it to be used occasionally in-group fights.

“Caber Toss”

Improved rotational tracking.

Improved ability to move forward during the strike.

Developer Comments: “Caber Toss” is now better able at catching players who are attempting to dodge. The intention is to improve the “Fomorian Kick” and “Caber Toss” mix-up, especially against back-dodges (and diagonally backward dodges).

Offensive Form Dodge

Increased movement on Offensive Form's Forward Dodge by 0.25m.

Developer Comments: Small movement increase to help Highlander catch up to more opponents while holding the Offensive Form.

“Fomorian Kick”

[Bug Fix] Removed a loop of “Kick into Forward Dodge, repeat”, by removing the 100ms early connection from kick-to-dodge.

[Bug Fix] Reduced the knockback distance slightly on “Formorian Kick”, in order to reduce the situations in which you land the kick, but then whiff the Unblockable Heavy afterward.

Throw

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue where Stance Change prevented Highlander from Fast Flowing into Offensive Form.

Execution

[Bug Fix] The “No Mercy” execution now executes at 2200ms (was 4300ms)

SHAMAN

Predator’s Hunger

Reduced the knockback of Predator’s Hunger by 0.5m.

Throw Left

Left Throws no longer Unbalance the opponent if the Throw itself reduces them to 0 stamina. It now only Unbalances if the opponent was at 0 stamina before the Throw (this now makes it consistent with other heroes’ throws).

NOBUSHI

Zone Attack

1st strike: Reduced to 20 damage (from 33 damage).

2nd strike: 1 + 20 bleed damage (from 6 damage+ 20 Bleed damage).

Total = Reduced to 41 health damage (from 59 health damage).

[Bug Fix] Added visual effect on Zone attack 2nd strike cancel.

Kick

Kick startup reduced to 600ms (from 800ms). On Heavy the branching to Kick was delayed by 100ms.

Updated the attack range to 3.5m (from 4m).

[Bug Fix] Reduced invulnerability to Guard Break by 400ms on Miss (was from 0 to 700ms, now from 0 to 300ms) and by 300ms on Hit (was from 0 to 600ms, now from 0 to 300ms).

Developer Comments: Now when the Nobushi misses her Kick, the opponent is able to Guard Break her.

Removed the stamina cost on hit (10 stamina points).

Kick trajectory has been updated.

Attack Post “Hidden Stance”

“Hidden Stance” Top Light attack startup reduced to 500ms (from 600ms).

“Hidden Stance” Top Heavy Feint: [Bug Fix] Defense was missing during the last 100ms of the Feint. It is fixed. [Bug Fix] Feints could be performed while Out of Stamina. It is fixed.



Side Light Finishers

Side Light Finishers startup reduced to 600ms (from 700ms)

“Swift Recoil”

“Swift Recoil” can now connect to the Viper’s Retreat (after 200ms)

Chains Top Light and Heavy

[Bug Fix] Inside chains, the Nobushi can move horizontally during all her Top attack startup, which allows her to dodge the Block into Shove for example. It is fixed.

Developer Comments: Now the Nobushi cannot move on side direction during her chain top attacks, she only move forward as the other chains in the game.

Side Dodges

Increased the Nobushi side dodge recoveries durations to 600ms (Before was 500ms).

“Cobra Strike”

[Bug Fix] Nobushi Cobra Strike can hit an opponent without any visual contact when opponent succeed a dodge. It is fixed.

Developer Comments: The trajectories were updated to be closer to the “Cobra Strike” animations.

[Bug Fix] Nobushi was unable to cancel the Cobra Strike’s Recovery into a forward Dodge. It is fixed.

Developer Comments: It was not allowed to make a forward dodge during the “Cobra Strike”, only side dodges were allowed. Now, the Nobushi can cancel “Cobra Strike” by a forward or a side dodge.

Sprint Attacks

[Bug Fix] The Nobushi sprint light attack allows opponent to go through the guidance while the Sprint heavy doesn’t.

Developer Comments: So we did the opposite for the logic:

Sprint Light no longer causes the opponent to be knocked off ledges.

Sprint Heavy now causes the opponent to be knocked off ledges.





[Bug fix] The Nobushi can perform “Slithering Thrust” and “Coiling Slash” while out of stamina with the “Iron Lungs” feat active. It is fixed.

Developer Comments: Now the Nobushi has the same behavior as the other characters which share the same feat. She cannot perform her sprint attacks.

Light Attacks post “Hidden Stance”

Reduced the damage to 8 damage (from 18).

Developer Comments: Light attacks post “Hidden Stance” into Light (combo) now confirms 34 (instead of 44) damage.

“Sidewinder Form”

Removed the ability to cancel “Sidewinder Form” recoveries by a back dodge. Can only be cancelled by a Front or a Side Dodge.

Developer Comments: Same behavior than the “Cobra Strike”, will avoid to be able to escape.

PARRY General You can now Counter Guard Break if grabbed during a Parry Reaction.

Parrying now moves you 1m forward (was 0m).

Controller rumble on parry has been fixed. Parried a Heavy Attack Heavy Parry Reaction is now 1500ms (was 1400ms), and now allows Stance Change during the last 100ms.

If you Parry a Heavy, now you get 600ms frame advantage in which your opponent cannot block, parry or dodge. Developer Comments: This means any hero can land a guaranteed Light Attack. Some heroes can also land certain other special moves. Parried a Light Attack Light Parry Reaction is still 1800ms but now allows Stance Change during the last 100ms.

If you Parry a Light, now you get 900ms frame advantage in which your opponent cannot block/parry/dodge. Developer Comments: This means most heroes can land a guaranteed Heavy Attack. Some heroes can also land certain other special moves. Added a Visual and Audio Effects to parrying a Light Attack, to indicate that your opponent will be vulnerable for a longer period than if you parried a heavy. Developer Comments: When Parry used to guarantee a Guard Break, it meant that the attacker had a negative expectation of the result: the amount of damage your original attack could inflict was usually less than the amount you risk to a parry, including scenarios such as: Thrown off a ledge (instant death)

Wall-Stagger punish

Out-Of-Stamina-Unbalance punish Now, if you are parried you can Counter Guard Break. The opponent will still be given a window to strike you, so you’ll still take damage, but the amount is much more reasonable compared to what the original attack that was parried would have done. We also think this will improve the pace of the Parry – before the Parry was usually followed by the Guard Break, which seemed to slow the pace of combat. Now, the Parry will be followed by an actual weapon-based attack and combat should feel a little more dynamic. Character-Specific changes based on the New Parry Vulnerability Timings: Berserker Removed early connections from Parry to Light Attack and Heavy attack. Developer Comments: We left Berserker’s dedicated Parry follow-up “Skilled Slash” as it was. We removed the specific early connections to attack because Berserker always got a Top Heavy, and now Berserker only gets a Top Heavy after Parrying a Light. This is more in line with the rest of the cast’s options. Highlander Fast-flow to Offensive Form from Parry now starts at 700ms into the Parry (was 600ms). Developer Comments: This change is so that if the Highlander Parries a Heavy, it does NOT guarantee a “Fomorian Kick”. Instead, Highlanders should use their Light Attacks against Heavies. If the Highlander Parries a Light, “Balor’s Might” will be guaranteed. Lawbringer Counterattack Heavy now starts at 500ms into the Parry (was 400ms).

Counterattack Zone Attack now starts at 500ms into the Parry (was 400ms). Developer Comments: Although there’s a change here, Lawbringer has exactly the same parry rewards as on before. These timing changes are just a consequence of the general Parry changes made above. Orochi Reduced Top Light to 15 damage (from 17).

Reduced Top Light 2 nd Combo Strike to 7 damage (from 15).

Increased “Wind Gust” to 35 damage (from 25).

Increased “Riptide Strike” to 40 damage (from 30). Developer Comments: The Orochi’s Top Light into Top Light Combo damage output is reduced to 22 (from 32), so that it is in line with the rest of the rosters punishes when parrying a Heavy. Orochi is compensated with better damage on the special counter-attack moves. Shinobi Reduced backward movement during Parry Reaction to match other heroes. Developer Comments: This is so heroes with low range attacks can still connect, such as Warlord’s Top Light. Shugoki Reduced forward movement during parrying to 1m (from 2m), to match other heroes.

Shugoki used to be able to act 700ms into the 800ms Parry. Now, Shugoki can launch Light, Heavy or Zone Attacks at 600ms, but must wait until 800ms to perform other moves like Dodge, Guard Break or “Demon Embrace”. Developer’s comments: This means Shugoki can punish a Heavy Parry with a Light into Headbutt, and punish a Light Parry with a Heavy Attack as before. Shugoki no longer needs to switch stance to make this happen (he did before). IMPROVEMENTS BALANCING Skill-based team balancing is now live! After matchmaking completion, a new balancing phase is added to the game before the players join the lobby.

The teams will now be balanced towards the best composition through the players’ skill rating.

Note: in this first implementation, the balance is only based on the players’ skill, not their renown (or other parameters).

This will only affects new game sessions being created. Joining a game in progress or in the end lobby will not go through the team balancing phase. Developers comment: This is a highly anticipated feature and we’re happy to introduce it to you. It will help greatly to balance the teams composition, improve the fun and quality of the matches. Please note that this is the first version. We are already working on additional team balancing improvements to push the quality even further. Skirmish Skirmish now uses a pulse respawn mechanic. Developers comment: This means that all dead players will respawn simultaneously every 10 seconds, with a minimum of 3 seconds. This should make it much easier for teams to regroup after losing team fights, which in turn should make the whole game mode fairer. To supplement this change, executions will no longer inflict a respawn duration penalty and will instead give more hard points based on the duration of the execution (Short: 15 pts, Medium: 35pts, Long: 50 pts). This should ultimately create shorter and more intense matches that feel more like what a Skirmish should be. SPECIAL ORDERS RULE CHANGES Community Orders Community orders rewards will only be given to players participating towards the order’s goal upon completion.

Example: As a community, perform 10000 executions in Dominion matches. – The player has to execute at least one enemy in a Dominion match while the order is active to receive the rewards. Developer Comments: In order to encourage everyone to partake in the community orders, we decided to reward only those whose effort directly contribute towards the common goal. This was part of the original intents of the feature and we felt unfair for the players that did not participate in the community order just log in and get the rewards. This mean only players who participated by directly increasing the community order goal during its duration will be eligible for the reward, should it be completed. All actions taken before or after the completion of the order will not count as participation. All actions taken during the order that do not contribute towards the order’s goal will not count as participation. FACTION WAR Strategic Territories Strategic Territories are selected faction war territories giving a bonus to the Faction that controls them. The bonus given by the territory depends on its type.

There are 3 types of Strategic Territories (Mill, Forge, Castle). Each type gives a different bonus and is represented by a specific model on the world map.

Conquering an enemy Strategic Territory will transfer access to the Bonus to the new controlling Faction.

At the beginning of each Campaign, each Faction controls an even number of each type of Strategic: 2 Mills, 1 Forge, 1 Castle each. The type & positioning of Strategic Territories will not change during the season. Mill Each Mill controlled by a Faction gives a 5% bonus on the base XP at the end of matches. Base XP includes XP from Hero Actions, Match Completion, and XP Bonus if there’s any. Represented by a Windmill on the map. Forge Each Forge controlled by a Faction increases the Loot Rate of gear by 7% at the end of matches. Represented by a Forge on the map. Castle Each Castle Territory receives 10% more Troops from their controlling Faction. The bonus only applies to manually placed Troops, so Troops assigned by War Banner or by hand between matches. Each Castle Territory is independent and controlling multiple Castles territories does not increase their individual bonuses. Represented by a Faction-Themed Castle on the map. Developer’s comments: We want to give a new level of strategy to the Faction War by adding Strategic Territories. They give concrete mid and long-term objectives, as well as rewards to player’s participation during the Campaign. Mills & Forges give access to more resources, whereas Castles give important strategic footholds by making territories easier to defend. This is another step in improving the value and depth of the Faction War. [Improvement] Capital territories are now restricted to 1 territory per faction. All previous gain of capital territories are reverted to normal territories. Only remaining capital territory with statue cannot be taken. Developers comment: Following the addition of the strategic territories, we reverted the capital territories gained with Faction War Season victories to make sure the map stays balanced and fair. [Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused Territories to receive Troops from the wrong Faction after a specific Battle resolution. PROGRESSION UPDATE New Reputation Levels Max reputation level increased from 40 to 50. Each reputation levels come with an outfit as rewards. Developer Comments: With more people reaching the max reputation and new XP progression, we introduced more levels to bring a new objective to high-level players. XP Boost Players can now trade salvage for XP Boosts. XP Boosts can be used before the match to grant extra XP for the player and their teammates at the end of a match. An XP boost provides a flat value of 250 extra XP for the player and 50 extra XP for every teammates. Developer Comments: Since the different factions materials have been merged together, the community has been asking for another use of their salvage. We heard the claims and we believe that the XP Boost will not only help you with that but also with a faster progression. This allows players to control their progression; use high-level heroes salvaged gear to fuel low-level heroes progression and adds a social aspect with the shared boost. XP boost cost increments with each purchase to a ceiling. The XP boost cost resets every day.

1 st activation 500 salvage

2 nd activation 1000 salvage

3 rd activation 3000 salvage

4 th activation 8000 salvage

5th+ activation 15000 salvage Developer Comments: We settled on an incremental price to make the XP boost accessible for a multitude of players while safeguarding against excessive usage, which would have created a groove in the player base’s progression speed. We want players with a low amount of salvage in bank but with one or more high level heroes to easily access a few XP boost per day with their loot while also giving an interesting option for those with huge amount of salvage to gain advantage from their resource. Having an incremental cost protects us from people simply consuming a huge amount of XP boost using scavenger crates to bypass the progression and getting too much of an advantage from the feature. Just like Orders, the objective is to reward player commitment and those who play everyday should get the most of the XP boost feature. End of Match Rewards Rebalancing Following the addition of the strategic points, end of match rewards were rebalanced to give value to the Mills while keeping same or better default XP income. All base XP gain reduced to give same base XP value with base strategic territories Mill: Base value before update: Dominion win = 500 XP Base value after update: Dominion win = 460 XP Received XP on game completion with default strategic territories: Dominion win: 460 XP + 46 XP (starting strategic territories) = 506 XP

Full base values updated below, with default strategic territories value: PvP XP gained on a Dominion (PVP) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 500 XP to 506 XP.

XP gained on a Tribute (PVP) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 400 XP to 396 XP.

XP gained on a Skirmish (PVP) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 500 XP to 506 XP.

XP gained on an Elimination (PVP) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 400 XP to 396 XP.

XP gained on a Brawl (PVP) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 300 XP to 297 XP.

XP gained on a Duel (PVP) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 260 XP to 264 XP.

XP gained on a Duel Tournament (PVP) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 360 XP to 363 XP.

XP gained on a Dominion Ranked (PVP) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 500 XP to 506 XP. XP gained on a Dominion (PVP) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 380 XP to 385 XP.

XP gained on a Tribute (PVP) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 300 XP to 297 XP.

XP gained on a Skirmish (PVP) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 380 XP to 385 XP.

XP gained on an Elimination (PVP) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 300 XP to 297 XP.

XP gained on a Brawl (PVP) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 220 XP to 220 XP.

XP gained on a Duel (PVP) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 190 XP to 187 XP.

XP gained on a Duel Tournament (PVP) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 260 XP to 264 XP.

XP gained on a Dominion Ranked (PVP) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 380 XP to 385 XP. PvAI XP gained on a Dominion (PvAI) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 400 XP to 396 XP.

XP gained on a Tribute (PvAI) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 320 XP to 319 XP.

XP gained on a Skirmish (PvAI) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 400 XP to 396 XP.

XP gained on a Elimination (PvAI) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 320 XP to 319 XP.

XP gained on a Brawl (PvAI) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 240 XP to 242 XP. XP gained on a Dominion (PvAI) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 300 XP to 297 XP.

XP gained on a Tribute (PvAI) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 240 XP to 242 XP.

XP gained on a Skirmish (PvAI) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 300 XP to 297 XP.

XP gained on an Elimination (PvAI) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 240 XP to 242 XP.

XP gained on a Brawl (PvAI) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 170 XP to 165 XP. PvAI (Matchmaking Off) XP gained on a Dominion (PvAI - Matchmaking Off) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 250 XP to 253 XP.

XP gained on a Tribute (PvAI - Matchmaking Off) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 200 XP to 198 XP.

XP gained on a Skirmish (PvAI - Matchmaking Off) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 250 XP to 253 XP.

XP gained on an Elimination (PvAI - Matchmaking Off) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 200 XP to 198 XP.

XP gained on a Brawl (PvAI - Matchmaking Off) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 150 XP to 154 XP.

XP gained on a Duel (PvAI - Matchmaking Off) match win at the start of the Campaign changed from 130 XP to 132 XP. XP gained on a Dominion (PvAI - Matchmaking Off) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 190 XP to 187 XP.

XP gained on a Tribute (PvAI - Matchmaking Off) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 150 XP to 154 XP.

XP gained on a Skirmish (PvAI - Matchmaking Off) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 190 XP to 187 XP.

XP gained on an Elimination (PvAI - Matchmaking Off) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 150 XP to 154 XP.

XP gained on a Brawl (PvAI - Matchmaking Off) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 110 XP to 110 XP.

XP gained on a Duel (PvAI - Matchmaking Off) match lost or tied at the start of the Campaign changed from 90 XP to 88 XP. Developer Comments: With the introduction of the Strategic Points, we had to rebalance the rewards to take in account the points that each faction has on its territory at the start of the season. This does not decrease the XP income; it, at the minimum, matches the rewards that we had in the previous season or improves them. Example: Before update: Dominion win = 500 XP After update: Dominion win: 460 XP + 46 XP (10% coming from the initial 2 XP strategic points) = 506 XP After update: Dominion win: 460 XP + 69 XP (15% coming from the initial 2 XP strategic points + 1 conquered strategic point) = 529 XP But beware! If your faction lose a territory, you will have to live with the consequences: After update: Dominion win: 460 XP + 23 XP (5% coming from the initial 1 XP strategic point) = 483 XP Note that the Strategic Points bonus (and other percentage bonuses, like XP Fest and Champion Status) are applied after the calculation of the match XP. Example: Dominion PVP win: 460 XP (From Dominion match) + 250 XP (From XP Boost) + 50 XP (From teammate XP Boost) + 100 XP (Player performance) + 100 XP (Game Mode actions) = 960 XP + 96 XP (10% from the initial 2 XP strategic points) + 960 XP (100% from XP Fest) +240XP (25% from Champion Status) = 2256 XP GEAR Refine Gear Refinable gear are new pieces of gear, not updates on current weapon and armor parts and must be looted.

Refined gear parts has a potential extra crafting level, available only on rare Legendary gear stat bundles. Meaning some Legendary gears can be Refined after they hit their maximum crafting level.

The bonus gained from Refining is different from normal crafting and varies per bundles.

Refining decreases penalties and only increases small bonuses while normal crafting increases all bonuses and penalties at the same time.

Refinable gears have a chance to drop whenever you loot a Legendary gear for a Hero of Reputation 9 or higher. The chances to gain a Refinable gear increases with their reputation level.

Refinable gears do not affect gear score, so the gear score cap is not be affected.

Refined gear is instead displayed as diamonds above gear icon. When a full set of gear is refines (all weapons and all armor pieces), the diamond is displayed in the character overall gear score. Developer Comments: We added a new option of gear progression for the players who reached high Reputation levels on their Heroes without impacting negatively the progression when starting an Hero from scratch. New Legendary Weapons 4 new Legendary Weapons visuals have been introduced for all Heroes. USER INTERFACE Multiple Effects Players are now able to equip a different effect to each execution and emote slot. Developer Comments: Continuing with the hero improvements, we added more options for you to further customize the executions and emotes, and rock those effects on the battlefield. Improved visibility of non-Playable Heroes in the Heroes Grid Non-playable Heroes (locked Heroes) are now greyed out in the Heroes Grid to increase the visibility on which heroes can be picked in the current match. Improved Player Reporting Dialog Added more granularity to the Player Reporting Dialog, now players can be reported for the following categories:

Abusive Chat (PC Only)

Inactivity / AFK

Cheating / Botting

Offensive Emblem

Offensive Name (PC Only. On Console, please contact Sony or Microsoft.)

Griefing

Spam

The Reporting dialog also includes the “Do and Don’t” of reporting in a selected category.

Reports are reviewed on a daily basis, and we will continue to monitor For Honor for inappropriate behavior, as well as take action as needed to preserve the integrity of game. You may refer to our code of conduct here: Code of Conduct.

Please Note: Abuse of this feature can lead to Sanctions against the Reporter. Furthermore, the ability to report each player is now limited to once per match. Developer Comments: Thanks to this, players will be able to report toxic behaviors more accurately. It’s crucial for us to have a safe and fun environment when playing For Honor. We are committed to continue fighting against toxicity in our game. Faster Access to the “Interactive Scoreboard” Players can now access the Interactive scoreboard faster by using the following Shortcuts:

With a Controller: While Holding (View/Share) press (Menu/Options) to switch to the Interactive Scoreboard.

With Keyboard & Mouse: Press F5 to access the Interactive Scoreboard directly. Developer Comments: Now players will find it easier to interact with a specific player name during a match. PC SPECIFIC Decoupled Rendering Improved multi-threaded rendering which allowed us to fix a number of issues related to display mode changes (e.g. transition from fullscreen to minimized).

Additionally the command line /nothreadaffinity is enabled by default, which solves the stutter issue some players encountered that forced them to disable a CPU core. Added the ability to Rotate Heroes in all Customization Menus using a Mouse Heroes can now be rotated in any Customization menu screen while using a mouse. To do so, players need to click and drag the Right Mouse Button on the Hero.

Please note: The previous rotation in the “Preview” screen was achieved with the Left Mouse Button; this is now changed to the Right Mouse Button for consistency. Added an option to enable/disable Adaptive V-Sync The Current V-Sync selection box has been extended to include “Adaptive” as a separate entry. Available options now are: Off, Double Buffering, Adaptive, Triple Buffering. Uplay notification for Memory & Virtual memory usage Added new Uplay notifications to warn players when the PC is about to run out of memory or virtual memory Improved crash messages by specifying the Crash Reason if known, e.g. (Out of Memory, GPU Crash, etc…) Improved driver compatibility checks for Intel HD Graphics systems Added Focused state to Scrollbars BUG FIXES AND IMPROVEMENTS FIGHTERS All Heroes [Improvement] Updated the camera orientation control to provide a better control to the player.

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that allowed the player to teleport to his target after launching an attack during the Snowball emote. Warden [Improvement] Zone Attack recovery is now 900ms (was 1000ms).

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the Warden weapons pop after Guard Break into Push Forward.

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the right arm of the Warden to pop during “Hilt Strike” execution. Peacekeeper [Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that cause the Peacekeeper weapons are incorrectly synced with the opponents movements during the “Instant Regrets” execution Conqueror [Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the execution 'Dislocator' to be offset while performing on the female Conqueror. Raider [Bug Fix] Updated the move set page of the Raider in the Campaign. In the campaign, you can cancel heavy attack with a light attack but you cannot cancel “Raider Fury” with a Light attack it is only possible in PvP, so we have removed this false information. Shinobi [Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the Shinobi to be interrupted by a Guard Break from an external attacker during the teleport behind his opponent after a deflect. Developer Comments: This was inconsistent compared to other characters deflect. Now, a Guard Break cannot interrupt the Shinobi during all his teleport (when he is invisible) and during the 1st part of his recovery (before he starts to turn in the direction of his target). [Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that cause the Shinobi to send the opponent in the wrong direction after performing Charged Kick mix up while he is not locked to him. Developer Comments: The rotation speed of the target was too slow and do not have time to face the Shinobi when he hits him. Now the rotation speed is changed to allow the target rotation to face the Shinobi. [Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the Shinobi Guard Breaks to sometimes affect the opponent behind his targeted opponent. Centurion [Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the Centurion to be bumped when using his “Jab” on an opponent from behind.

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the Centurion to be unable to change stance during the end of Hit and Block Recoveries. Gladiator [Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the Gladiator Sprint Attacks to misses when the opponent is standing against a wall.

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the Gladiator "Fighting Dirty" execution to allow the Player to rotate camera throughout execution.

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the Gladiator to go through ledges when a “Skewer” or a “Skewer Deflect” is performed against a wall

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the Gladiator shield to go offset when countering Guard Breaks. Shaman [Improvement] Modified Guard Break entry animations, as well as added a new repulsion animation for shoulder tackles on unbalanced opponents.

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the Shaman to be able to cancel “Mountain Lions Power” with a dodge or soft cancel it into a Guard Break when out of stamina.

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the “Pounce” to not connect on an Out of Stamina opponent that has his back against a wall. Aramusha [Improvement] Aramusha’s Throw will now be able to go in diagonal direction depending on the input.

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the Aramusha to automatically block an Unblockable attack after a Deflect.

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the move set description of the "Twin Vipers" to refer to “Push Back Kick” input. FEATS [Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the “Tireless” feat to not work. This feat now provides the player with 10% Stamina Cost Reduction on all stamina requiring actions. Developers comment: The 10% stamina cost reduction does not apply to stamina damage received by other entity such as players and traps. It should be noted that this value effectively permits the player to feint moves like "Raider Fury" one more time before running out of stamina. This is true even with max gear. [Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the Samurai Bow feat would not face the target if the opponent dodges too early. MAPS General

[Bug Fix] Fixed a lot of Level of Detail issues across all maps

Citadel Gate

[Improvement] Moved the Duel location from the Bridge to the Courtyard Platform.

Tower Ruin

[Improvement] Tower Ruin, in the Tribute game mode, has been changed to provide a more interesting experience. Respawners, Offerings and Shrine placements have been moved and Ziplines were added at the top of the tower.

Shipyard

[Bug Fix] Fixed many issues regarding the navigation of the Shipyard map.

Zipline

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused a conflict in between Ziplines and other interactive objects such as Offerings and Revives.

TRIBUTE

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the player to be unable to interact with Shrines while an Ally is standing in front of it.

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused Ziplines to become unusable if an Offering is dropped in front of it.

DUEL TOURNAMENT

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the Duel Tournament menu to sometimes become unusable.

USER INTERFACE

[Improvement] Orders are now refreshed within 5 minutes after the previous ones closing time or after playing a match.

[Improvement] Updated Map Overviews for most Skirmish and Elimination to better represent the placements of the Boosts.

[Improvement] Prevented the player idle detection from triggering while the game is paused in menus during PvAI duel or PvAI with “No Matchmaking”.

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the player to sometimes remain stuck in Tactical View for the whole game.

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the Emote symbol to be displayed instead of Outfit bundle on all Legacy Outfit bundles in the store.

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the user interface to display that Bots are “On” while playing PvP Duels.

CUSTOMIZATION

[Improvement] After the community request, The Frost Wind Festival Viking Mask has been reworked and improved visually.

[Improvement] Did some changes to the characters' facial system. Everybody should look more lively!

[Improvement] The coin toss emote of the Aramusha can now be properly cancelled.

[Improvement] Reseting the pitch camera angle to default position when locking on no target while performing an emote.

[Bug Fix] Fixed various clipping issues with emotes and executions

[Bug Fix] Fixed material change on various arms (Gunteric, Procyon, Theudis, Fury, Stalkers) of the Berserker.

[Bug Fix] Fixed missing paint pattern (Heat Waves 1) on the Berserker outfit Reputation 31.

[Bug Fix] Fixed various symbols and paint patterns on the Warlord outfit Reputation 4.

[Bug Fix] Fixed wrong paint pattern (Fire Eye, Target) on the Warlord outfit Reputation 6.

[Bug Fix] Fixed missing paint pattern (Vertigo 1) on the Warlord outfit Reputation 35.

[Bug Fix] Fixed the thumbnail of the Bone Reign Hatchet Blade of the Shaman is that was misaligned in Barrack.

[Bug Fix] Fixed the clipping issues of the Hatchet Blade with some chest (Nightfox, Tundra Warrior, Forest Mystic) for the Shaman while in the barrack.

[Bug Fix] Fixed the outfit thumbnail for the Orbital Vortex battle outfit for the male Conqueror.

[Bug Fix] Fixed the unlock condition for the outfit Reputation 36 for the Vikings.

SOUND

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the sound of the weapon clashing to be lower than expected.

BOTS

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that would cause the bots to fail using “Marked for Death” and “Chilling Stare”. This affects the Kensei’s and Raider’s Bots.

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the Aramusha’s Bot chained Side Heavies to not flow into Side Heavy Finishers if they Hit.

[Improvement] Improved bot defense efficiency against Shinobi Heavy Full Charged Attack.

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the Valkyrie Bot to initiate Sprint Attack too early.

PC

[Bug Fix] Improved check for outdated Intel drivers. This is also used to notify users to update their drivers.

[Bug Fix] Fixed the description of the "Quick Chat” option which was not clear enough on the actual purpose of the option.

[Bug Fix] Fixed Multiple Crashes Happening on Shutdown

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue where certain steam controller actions were not remappable in Steam Big Picture

[Bug Fix] Removed duplicate loadouts boxes while hovering over the Boxes in the Hero Selection menu.

[Bug Fix] Fixed an Incorrect button depiction is shown for 'LT/L2' and 'RT/R2' buttons when toggled to PS4 in 'Control icon display' option while an Xbox 360 controller is connected

[Bug Fix] Fixed an issue that caused the game to sometime crash on Windows 8.1 after Quit To Desktop via Menu or Alt+F4.

For additional patch notes, visit www.forhonorgame.com/patchnotes