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Hydra Update FAQ

Hydra Update FAQ

Hello, Raiders!

We know many of you have asked for clarification about the balance changes coming to the Hydra, Shield buffs, and Trunda Giltmallet. In response, our Community Managers have gathered up some of the most frequently asked questions and passed them to our development team, so you can get answers directly from them. We’ve compiled all their answers in a comprehensive Hydra Balance Update FAQ! Check it out! 

  • Hydra just seems to become a harder boss for everyone, especially due to the modified Devouring mechanic, 100% DMG decrease for the [Serpent's Will], and limited HP bar for Hydra heads. Why did you decide to increase the level of difficulty? - These changes are intended, first and foremost, to cap the performance of teams that endure very long battles by abusing specific Hydra vulnerabilities, especially by decapitating new heads as soon as they grow back. Also, we intended the battles to finish with all the Champions either dead or devoured instead of reaching the turn limit. Thus, avoiding Champion devouring becomes increasingly more difficult. By the way, the limited HP bar for an exposed neck creates a good opportunity for Champions whose DMG scales up based on the enemy's Max HP.
  • My modest Hydra teams might be severely affected. Will I be able to achieve even minimal Hydra rewards? - The changes are specifically designed to cap immense amounts of damage certain teams dealt by far surpassing 100 turns, roughly speaking. It is the competitive aspect of Hydra Clash that we aspire to make fairer with these rebalances. If your team manages to deal enough damage for a certain Chest, we expect it to continue doing so with minimal adjustments.
  • Why not just nerfing one single specific Champion instead? -  We consider the issue of overpowered Hydra teams a complex one. By changing the boss's mechanics, we want to prevent new overpowered teams from appearing in the future. We aim for a better balance in this game mode in the long term.
  • Will Trunda become useless? - We want Trunda to remain a good and useful Champion, but at the same time, we want to bring her damage output against Hydra in line with that of other Champions.
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  • Why change Shields? - We think that infinite Shields bring imbalance to the battle gameplay to such a degree that some cap is necessary. Still, we decided on a cap that would allow Wixwell to shine when fighting Demon Lord. However, we will be closely monitoring in case the Shield cap or any other change listed here needs any adjustments.
  • Why Change the way Taunt interacts with Mark of the Hydra? - As is briefly mentioned above, we intended Hydra battles to finish with all the Champions either dead or devoured instead of reaching the turn limit. That is why, for considerations of consistency, we are going to change the interaction between Taunt and Mark of the Hydra and also to make sure there are no specific strategies that provide a large advantage over the others or pave the way for abusing Hydra mechanics.
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  • We might need to readjust some gear on our Champions after the rebalance goes live on October 16. Will there be anything to help us with it? - Yes, we decided to reschedule this month's Free gear removal event to October 16-20 so that you will have an easier time tweaking your Hydra teams, if necessary.
  • Will you reset Badge achievements after the rebalance is activated? - No, all your badges and achievements will remain in place.
  • Will there be changes to milestones for Hydra Chests or Hydra Clash Chests? - Most of the changes are designed to make a larger impact on the later stages of a battle, so it is scoring hundreds of millions of damage that is going to become more challenging. We expect that securing Hydra and Hydra Clash chests won't become considerably harder for those who have already been able to earn them. However, we are ready to reconsider Hydra Clash point multipliers if necessary.
  • Will the excessive damage dealt to an exposed neck count toward the total score? - Yes, if you manage to deal more damage to an exposed neck than it has HP in one blow, all the damage will count toward the total score.
  • In light of new changes, some players think Trunda will remain overpowered. Alternatively, others presume she will become nearly useless. What fate awaits Trunda, actually? - We never wanted to make Trunda irrelevant, but instead, we wanted to make her DMG capabilities correspond to those of other Champions across the board. For instance, we expect her A3 to become more relevant against Hydra due to HP burn, not dependent on Stun, and also in PvP due to an increased effectiveness against Stone Skin. If her damage is still far beyond the reach of any other champion, we will take further action to rebalance her.
  • Will the rebalanced [Serpent's will] with 100% DMG reduction make it harder to cease devouring a Champion by a newly grown Head, especially considering that devouring becomes increasingly more difficult to stop over the course of battle? - No. The [Serpent's will] buff lasts only one turn, and swallowing a Champion requires the Head to make a turn, after which it loses the protection of the [Serpent's will].
  • If two new Hydra Heads appear at once, only one receives the [Serpent's will] buff. But what if I manage to kill more Heads at the same time? - If you cut down 3 exposed necks at a time, 2 of the 3 new Heads will have the [Serpent's will] buffs. If you dispose of 4 necks at once, still only 2 of the new Heads will have the [Serpent's will] buffs. If you kill exposed necks one by one, this rule doesn't apply, and they might all end up with the [Serpent's will] buffs. However, we expect that facing all the 4 heads at once with the buffs will be a rare occasion.

The mentioned rebalances will be applied starting from the next Hydra rotation on October 16.

Thank you for taking a look! We hope that the introduced changes will make Hydra a fair mode in the long run. However, we are ready to consider further tweaks if necessary.

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Comments
108
Oct 11, 2024, 15:0910/11/24
Oct 14, 2024, 18:5410/14/24
06/05/19
2

Sorry guys but you went full silly on this. 

I don't care what you toss out ... it is simply excuses. One excuse after another. You try to mask excuses to exploit the player base with hollow reasoning. These changes will impact the damages a regular player (80%) does by a margin of 49-56.5%. 

Using 450 million damage as an example, with 33% fewer turns, we will lose roughly 33% of our total damage (150 million). The downtime reduction will lead to an additional loss of about 6-10% (approximately 27-45 million damage). Finally, with 100-135 turns out of 1000 resulting in no damage to the Serpents Will heads, we will experience an additional 10-13.5% reduction in damage output (about 45-60.75 million).

In total, the damage reduction will range between 49-56.5%, meaning the new damage output willl be around 195-229 million from the original 450 million over 1500 turns. 

All of that because you would not fix Trunda and Yumiko. Something that you milked for an exuberant profit amount and then after you were fat and happy - you found another way to milk Hydra by nerfing the mechanics in a way that will force the ENTIRE playerbase to use up resources and time to rebuild what they have struggled to build up for the last 2-3 years. Which resources and time both equate to dollar signs.

I am losing my love for this game and with all of the other greedy moves you have been pushing constantly - I honestly hope that Plarium sells you off with the other companies that it has on the chopping block. Many of us are starting to hate you. I am heading in that direction. There was zero reason for you to go down this route. 

I have little care for you and your team. 

Grumpy 

Oct 14, 2024, 19:4410/14/24
11/08/19
2

Demon Lord Wixwell teams seem to be affected as well according to CC's on the test servers.

What a shame...

Oct 14, 2024, 20:1510/14/24
09/02/22
1

I am 5 month into the game and a low spender. With my 1st team I managed to do around 2mil DMG to Hydra. Now I do only ca. 1/10 of the DMG I did before. That is hefty...

Oct 14, 2024, 20:1710/14/24
05/01/21
1

Dear developers, do I have a question? Will you return my personal and precious time? If not, for what reason? 

Oct 14, 2024, 20:4110/14/24
05/01/23
4
lucifer.lis

Dear developers, do I have a question? Will you return my personal and precious time? If not, for what reason? 

That is exactly why I'm very pissed by Plarium and very likely I will quit

Oct 14, 2024, 21:1410/14/24
12/18/22
2
LadyVirgo1978

I spent thousands of dollars to build up my champions like Trunda so I could maybe get into tier 1 of hydra and now not only are you nurfing her your making it harder to play hydra. I will not spend another dime on this game if you just waste my money. This is greed plain and simple. Who cares if these whales can play their teams forever what does it do??  Nothing!!! it is an excuse and everyone knows it. I am done with this. Seriously your losing my money.

@Olenka Read my edited comment . Its the 5th one down from your post. 

Yup. I went from spending thousands and thousands and thousands. most the time $1k plus a month MINIMUM  to spending maybe $250-$300 a month and thats getting even lower as of recent. If I dont pull some meta champions soon and if they dont at a MIMIMUM give us 2000 artifact and accessory spaces with all these new 9 piece sets...I will lkely be gone. I have never NOT cared so much about this game since I have been playing. 

Oct 14, 2024, 22:2710/14/24
Oct 14, 2024, 22:31(edited)
01/09/23
1

At least now, it's clear you no longer even care about the whales that spend a fortune on the game. I mean the rest of us are used to getting bent over the ol' table by Plarium... But now--- you just screw everyone equally. Just like the ridiculous 130 energy cap when the game is so much larger than it used to be.

Please, stop insulting us with more promises of "balancing" the game and fixing things.  You haven't done any of those things in the last two years.  

I used to think Primal Shards were the biggest joke to be added to the game. 

Oct 15, 2024, 02:1710/15/24
02/11/20
3

it takes month or years and more than 1000 millions of silver (or) to build a good functional auto hydra team - with one update for us u destroy our personal goals, trample on us and say lets doit again....

REALLY? serious to think we have all one pixel more satisfaction on this game left...  deck of fate with freya incl. then this was a psycholigical experiment  - thx for this experience

all fine things are ruined -- no one will play a game with killing of fun

Oct 15, 2024, 02:3410/15/24
10/01/23
1

Wow, I feel like I'm being bullied for my money.

Oct 15, 2024, 02:4110/15/24
01/11/20
20

Except that a lot of us that haven't dropped tons of money on the game, and despite years of playing don't have the insane god level gear and all to make some of this work - are getting screwed across the board too, especially when 'war of attrition' was basically our only recourse. I couldn't even make the damn Hydra team, and using the budget version of Wixwell where I HAVE to have High Khatun in and as speed lead just to manage anywhere from 115m to 150m per key (depending on boss, affinity, and which of the two accounts). And basically the gear all but Geomancer has is just whatever can get them to speed it's otherwise junk, Geo is probablly one of my better geared champs in terms of overall stats. And so far - all the CC testing is showing a decent shot at me being screwed in CB - and understand I'm sort of the 'big fish' in my small clan when it comes to CB where I toss a key at UNM - but come in to clean up NM or lower with a key or two depending so that the rest of my clan can get double chests and so maybe advance a little more. So even if you aren't screwing them directly cause none of them have Wixwell teams setup, you are by making it that I can't just use the 1 key team I finally made thanks to that fusion since didn't get Brogni - thanks to you people making fusions unnessecarily more difficult, or anythign else to make the more insane teams. And I actually spent money on that fusion for a change, even if not much, to make sure I got it to FINALLY not have to waste however long my damn Helicath team took every time and instead actually use auto battle and do other things in game. Frankly the level of anger I'm at is 'I wish I had a solid case for legal action on basically bait and switch'. Especially cause I can't use my Helicath team anymore - things were changed so I'd have to rebuild it, from scratch, and likely screw up a bunch of other teams I've made since. 

And then there's the other changes to hydra like the 2 turn devouring and all. It's not often - but using a team that uses champs like helicath - I do occasionally last that long, and have managed 15-20 million damage when I do, if geomancer lands his burn to help them get out before their even eaten because I do not have champs or gear to have a super high damage team - even against the normal starter level hydra. And that and some of the other changes - now absolutely screw what I damn well could do against it in those cases where I'm not gonna be able to last cause I can't do massive damage like that as it is - let alone now having to double it but oh wait now a head can potentially take 0 damage after eating the damn champ. 

I'm going to be brutally blunt - this entire freaking farce, this overcomplicated, short-sighted BS, is EXACTLY the kind of thing I was taught NOT to do in GAME AND SIMULATION DESIGN 101. The problem is billions of damage in Hydra because of Hydra clash - there's what, one champion that's the issue, maybe two - and it's an issue with at least one of them you had to solve before I believe and the solution was - oh right - CAP THAT CHAMPIONS DAMAGE BASED ON SHIELDS. And if Trunda has her own issues in terms of damage dealt - FIX THOSE. But don't screw around with all the rest because 'oh all these 1% players are doing billions of damage by lasting a long time' where A: some of the rest of us on the lower end are using lasting a long time to do enough to get stuff from Hydra but not even enough on normal to get any reward for Clash and more importantly B: CHANGES THAT SCREW UP OUT ABILITY TO ACTUALLY DO AND SUCCEED IN OTHER CONTENT YOU AREN'T EVEN TRYING TO NERF

The nonsense with fusions and a bunch of your other missteps the last few years is why I basically never spend money on this game - with this change, I won't spend a dime again, ever, on it, and frankly - if your going to make the same stupid mistakes the World of Warships dev team made - a game where I invested far more money, and time both as a player and as a Alpha, Beta, and Volunteer tester - then I have no problem bailing on this game and telling everyone I can to stay the hell away from it. 

Oct 15, 2024, 02:5910/15/24
Oct 15, 2024, 03:01(edited)
01/10/23
1

The taunt nerf is extremely unnessasry, a taunt loop team can reach turn limit but it can still fail to RNG, difficulty to build and tune, it also takes up two spots with champs that doesnt do damage and literally just tickles hydra. We spent time and resources on very very hard fusions like Emic and Shyek then they are now made useless? just like that?


Oct 15, 2024, 03:3510/15/24
01/03/22
1

@Olenka As a free to play player of 2 years i finally get lucky one day and pull one of the best champs in the game trunda finally start building a decent little hydra team and feel good cause im getting chest finally and now you go and make is so much harder than ever before you are screwing the free to play base 100% im so mad i wasted so much of my time with this game if this is how you treat your low spending players thanks alot ill take my buissness else where.

Oct 15, 2024, 05:3510/15/24
Oct 15, 2024, 05:36(edited)
02/25/19
154

Hopefully all of you are writing your comments concerning this topic into the discord channel of RSL/Plarium as well. 


Oct 15, 2024, 06:0110/15/24
01/10/23
1

This is such a nonsensical decision to me. I don't understand. I am not a whale by any means, but I have spent hundreds of dollars on this game. These changes that quite literally no one asked for is crazy to me. Especially after people spent money and grinded to improve their teams by chasing these champions. 

I am quitting this game as of today. I will not spend money, time, and energy on building champions only to have Plarium make changes no one asked for AFTER every one spends endless money and time. 

It has been done before. They are doing it today. They will do it again tomorrow. I am out!

Oct 15, 2024, 06:1410/15/24
02/28/20
1

Well I just want to make clear that I'm not happy with this new changes, I'm really not, and I know that many of you will hate me for what I'm about to say but someone has to do it.

first I have to have credit and congratulate Plarium, they have made the right decision, maybe they have gone to far but you all are guilty, you guys have started to crying and screaming and asking for a nerf, you have made it in the past and you have made it again, sure Plarium could manage this in another way, but they have take this route, and the same ppl that has screaming for a nerf are the same that are now complainin.

sure Trunda was doing absurd numbers but at the end of the day this is only a game, and if someone spend 50x more many than me then I can't blame him to have better results as me.

i just hope you guys have learn the lesson and stop asking for nerfs or rebalancing because in a few weeks krakens will find a way to keep doing insane damage compare to other, and then you will start asking again for a nerf and make think even worst.

and for those saying that godforge will be better, I really hope they do thing diferent, but I can't imagine that the developers of godforge are spending so much money only to make they players happy, maybe at the beginning sure but sooner or later it all comes down to profit like it is with every other company 

Oct 15, 2024, 08:1810/15/24
04/11/20
5

Even now most F2P players (and even most of the paid ones) are struggling to do the minimal damage! With those changes you will make us skipping completely this part of the game. And if you continue in that way, soon we will do just few daily activities and will probably leave the game.

Oct 15, 2024, 08:4110/15/24
Oct 15, 2024, 08:44(edited)
03/27/22
1

Really??? we make fusions for an information, we spend money and resouerces and then you change our vote result like this??? this is theft PLARIUM!!!

I really consider to quit this game!

Oct 15, 2024, 11:0610/15/24
03/07/20
1

Рад, что ни копейки не вкинул в эту игру. 

Спасибо, Плариум, за ещё одну причину, чтобы не играть в "это".

Oct 15, 2024, 11:1610/15/24
Oct 15, 2024, 11:17(edited)
06/17/20
1

You make a game with rules for everyone, if someone cheats it, is banned or punished.

Now, you put Hydra with som rules, but it has leaks, not our fault. Your solution? To punish everyone changing your own rules to avoid your errors (not our errors) and reduce Trunda damage.

Which champion wil be the next? All the efforts of average players to achieve a good champion and raise it to the max for nothing.

To change the rules when you want at your convenience is like cheating. 

There is a large list of champions that won't worth any more thanks to you.

You have achieved something unique, the most of players of Raid are becoming to hate the game and seeking the succesor to change to it.

Thanks for nothing Plarium.

OlenkaAdmin
Oct 15, 2024, 12:3210/15/24
10/31/22
467

Thank you all for your feedback and for sharing your thoughts and concerns about the upcoming changes to Hydra and Hydra-related Champions. We’ve made sure your feedback is forwarded to the developers, and they will continue monitoring how these adjustments affect the mode. Your input will be taken into account and as soon as the changes go live, we will be also all ears to listen to your further feedback.

The goal of this rebalance is to make the Hydra mode more dynamic and rewarding for everyone, while encouraging team strengthening for higher results in a shorter time frame. This rebalance targets teams that were doing massive amounts of damage, reaching billions of points in Hydra Clash. The changes are meant to create more balance without diminishing the value of Champions like Trunda, who will still remain a strong Damage Dealer. However, teams using her won't reach the previous levels of billions in damage, allowing for more opportunities to outperform these setups.

It’s important to note that long-enduring teams will feel the impact of this rebalance more than those with shorter battle durations. This is aimed to give mid-game players a more favorable position compared to late- and end-game players. Early testing suggests that the changes will significantly reduce the damage output of those overpowered teams we targeted, while more typical teams that hit the necessary damage for a Chest should see minimal impact.

Thanks again for your input! Let’s wait for the update to go live, as your feedback will be really valuable moving forward.