Explorers! The wait is almost over! Ludia has just released the notes for the upcoming 1.4 update, and luckily, we were able to get a sneak peek recently when we visited them in their studio (more about that right here). We will be focusing on the important changes of 1.4 and will provide further details in this article. For the complete release notes, check it out here. Without further ado, let’s dive into our in-depth analysis and explanation of the 1.4 release notes!

Editor’s notes (09/17/2018): Some changes were made to Abilities and those known by Metahub go as follows:

Ankyntrosaurus no longer has a SIA with Invicibility;

Alankylosaurus now has a SIA with Invicibility.

1. New Dinosaurs

We all knew it, but we are finally getting the first peek of the new Dinosaurs to be introduced in update 1.4: Pterosaurs!

Hatzegopteryx – Common

Quetzalcoatlus – Rare

Arambourgiania – Rare

Tupandactylus – Rare

Dsungaripterus – Rare

Alanqa – Epic

Pteranodon – Epic

Alankylosaurus – Legendary Hybrid (Alanqa + Ankylosaurus Gen 2)

Monolometrodon – Legendary Hybrid (Monolophosaurus Gen 2 + Dimetrodon Gen 2)

Nodopatotitan – Legendary SuperHybrid (Nodopatosaurus + Giriffatitan)

Diloracheirus – Unique SuperHybrid (Diloranosaurus + Deinocheirus)

We have yet to obtain the stats for these Dinosaurs, but one thing is certain, flying creatures will significantly affect the meta as they will introduce a brand new ability: Swap-In Ability!

How can I get these Dinos?

As of right now, there is no information available as to where these new Dinosaurs will be available. Some might be available exclusively in the wild, others exclusively through Battle Arena Incubators, or others even exclusively as Featured Dinosaurs. Worry not, Metahub will make sure to inform you once we know for sure!

Other important details

Let’s talk a bit about Monolometrodon because if you had not noticed, this Legendary will be created from two Common Dinosaurs! This Dinosaur was specifically designed to make it easier for players from all rankings to have access to a Legendary on their team! Monolometrodon will be the most accessible Legendary in the game! Get ready to see it regularly in the Arena!

One thing we should mention in advance, since we had the opportunity of testing the Drone Sequence on these flying bad boys (Boon, talk like a gentleman, please…): Pterosaurs are quite difficult to dart! It will require people some adaptation before being as good as they were for other creatures!

Furthermore, 1.4 will certainly bring a wind of change in spawn mechanics, but do not worry, Metahub will figure these out for you quickly and update our spawn mechanics guide!

2. Swap-In Abilty (SIA)

As the title indicates, this ability will take effect when Dinosaurs with SIA are swapped-in! Pterosaurs will have this ability, as well as some other creatures. When swapped into battle, your Dinosaur will automatically perform a move! Forget about losing a turn! “It’s so 1.3!”, people will say. With SIA, you’ll benefit from saving one of your Dinosaurs, and performing an offensive or defensive move simultaneously! Below is the complete list of Dinosaurs with SIA!

Let’s go one step further. This implies that in the Arena will require even more strategies, and so will your roster selection and it could cause some insane chaining actions! For example, let’s take Stygimoloch or Diloranosaurus, which can use Impact and Run. Well, say you use this move, and a Dinosaur with SIA jumps in, well now you just used two moves in one turn! People will soon forget about being stunlocked, and worry about being chained into SIAs!

Some important details about SIA:

When a creature has a SIA, it performs it before any Priority Ability has the chance to act, because all swaps are done beforehand;

Creatures with SIA are bound for 1-2 turns when SIA is used (even if immune) so that players cannot swap at every turn. This is called binding and it can be cleansed through any cleansing moves;

If the two players decide to swap at the same time, things will proceed in this order: All swaps will be performed; All Swap-In Abilities will be performed according to each Dino’s speed ; Priority Abilities will be performed; Things continue in their usual order.



3. Scent Capsules

Finally, a new item that will improve the hunt for Dinosaurs! Scent Capsules can be used to attract more creatures to your location for a limited time (anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes). Of course, only the player using the Scent Capsule will be able to see and dart the Dinosaurs it attracts!

Where to obtain Scent Capsules?

One can obtain them through Supply Drops (maximum of 1 per day) or through the Store. We suspect that the drop rate will be similar to Cash, but that remains to be confirmed.

What Dinosaurs will it attract?

There will be various types of Scent Capsules. The main ones will based on the Dinos’ rarity tiers (Common, Rare, and Epic). Each tier will guarantee a minimum of 1 Dinosaur from said tier, but obviously might attract more! 😉

There will also be Scent Capsules based on creatures typing (such as Stegosauridae, Dromaeosauridae, Ceratopsians, Theropods, Ankylosauria, Hadrosaurs, Sauropods, etc.). These will most likely be available in the Store for special events or at specific times. Metahub will keep you posted on those.

Are they worth it?

YES! The intent behind providing through Supply Drops is for people to use them at any time, rather them holding onto them and only using them during events. Spawns will be very frequent! In the span of 1 capsule, you will see a lot of Dinosaurs and they will spawn frequently! From what we saw from the Beta Build, Scent Capsules will be worth using daily (since you are at least getting one per day, technically). Whether it’s on your way back from school/work, on your lunch break, etc., up to 20 minutes of Dino attraction is so convenient!

4. Damage Over Time (DoT) Overhaul

This change had been mentioned some time ago on the forums, but few people had noticed it. Damage Over Time was never really meant to be the way it is (before 1.4). While, as indicated by the Developers, DoT is a work in progress (i.e. it may be adapted based on performance and feedback). As of 1.4, DoT will be calculated based on a percentage of the opponent’s maximum health! This is meant to prevent a tank meta (as we saw happening in 1.3). As Ludia points out in their notes: “no matter what your health is, you will be defeated within X turns”.

Some important details about DOT in 1.4:

DoT effects can stack and are not modified by damage increases or decreases (this includes Vulnerability) ;

and are (this includes Vulnerability) DoT will bypass Armor and Shields (even Invincibility) ;

; As with other status effects, DoTs can be removed through Cleanse moves or by swapping out;

As usual, this does not affect Immune creatures.

If your strategy was to always go all in with tanks, well, you will have to modify your strategy if you want to survive in the Arena as of 1.4!

Just to clarify DoT, let’s borrow Ludia’s perfect example: Spinosaurus vs Apatosaurus!

Spinosaurus can use Exploit Open Wound which inflicts DoT of 0.2 for 3 turns, but it can, on the next turn, also use Gashing Wound which inflicts DoT of 0.3 for 2 turns. At level 26, the Apatosaurs’s health is 6,000. On turn 1, the Spinosaurus uses its Exploit Open Wound on the Apatosaurus: The Apatosaurus is affected with DoT 20%. This means that it will receive 0.2 x 6,000 = 1,200 damage at the end of the turn for the next 3 turns, including this one (unless the Apatosaur swaps). On turn 2, the Spinosaurus uses its Gashing Wound. The Apatosaurus will now receive DoT 50% (0.5 x 6,000 = 3,000 damage!) for the next 2 turns, since the DoTs stack.

As you can see, if the Apatosaurus does not swap, it will be defeated in 3 turns regardless of its HP. Swapping will become a very important mechanic in 1.4. Worry not, we’ll have guides to help you better understand how to use it effectively!

5. Daily Battle Incubator

We’ve all been through times where we lose 10-15-20 times in a row and cannot see a day when we’ll get another Incubator. Well, Ludia knows the feeling and found a solution: Daily Battle Incubator!

In the Battle section of the game, a new counter will appear above your trophy count and will (sadly) count the number Dinosaurs you have defeated. Every Dinosaur you defeat will count as 1 Victory Point. Once you have collected enough Victory Points (10, if we remember correctly), you will be allowed your Daily Battle Incubator. Your Victory Points do not expire, they simply roll over onto the following day, and so on.

6. New Arena Tiers

Ludia sees that some players are progressing rapidly, and they adapt! For that reason, two new Tiers will be introduced in the Arena:

Lockwood Estate (Tier 9)

Aviary (Tier 10)

Lockwood Estate is a wink to the most recent movie in the franchise, Fallen Kingdom. You know, where all the Dinosaurs get loose, where Stygimoloch breaks through a wall, where Indoraptor goes on a killing spree only to face Blue in an epic fight!

As for the Aviary, well, it’s also a wink to the older movies in the franchise, but also in relation to the newly introduced Pterosaurs with 1.4!

7. Other minor changes

“Act First” becomes “Priority”;

Defense Shattering will now work against Immune Creatures (to fix the issue with Ankylocodon);

Auto-Swaps (from moves like Strike/Impact and Run) will now swap to the next non-defeated creature in your roster of 4 rather than a random one amongst them to avoid surprises and allow more strategy into the Arena;

Social: Logging in via Facebook will add your friends automatically if they also play the game . You will also be able to share the game with your friends using SMS, email, chats, etc.

. You will also be able to share the game with your friends using SMS, email, chats, etc. Tired of people sending friend requests over and over again? (I know the feeling) You can now block them!

Many creature/moves balancing which will all be incorporated into the Dinodex throughout the weekend in preparation for the upcoming release of 1.4! We’ll prepare an article highlighting the most important changes in moves/creatures! Stay tuned!

Ludia will be looking into the randomness aspect of the game in the Arena (Yes, they heard your feedback on RNG!);

Other connectivity/miscellaneous improvements.

Parting Words

While these are just words, we hope that this in-depth analysis and the fact that we provided some more details to the notes will make you excited about this upcoming update! We cannot wait for you all to put your hands on it and we’ll make sure to let you know as soon as it’s rolling out!

In the meantime, make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest Jurassic World Alive news and join the discussion on our Discord (4,000 active members!)!