On the Mech Arena dev team, we're always striving to make the game an engaging and fun experience for all players.
For a while, some Mechs and Weapons have stood out as being more effective than the rest. Your feedback, and our in-depth analysis, has helped us to create a multi-phase plan focused on one goal: creating a dynamic battlefield that allows a diverse range of content and playstyles to shine.
Our goal is not to weaken your current favorite builds, but to raise up the rest of the roster so you have more choices in every match. Hereβs what you can expect:
Step 1: The 4-Stage Rebalance
We're announcing a four-stage rebalance that will span November to February and target Mechs and Weapons.
More buffs than nerfs: This is a rebalance, not just a nerf fest! Expect a ratio of approximately 4 buffs for every 1 nerf over this four-month period. We are focusing on revitalizing current, underutilized content to make it feel powerful and fun.
Iterative adjustments: The nerfs will focus on tweaking overperforming Weapons and Mechs to bring them in line with other content, without simply just making them weaker. We will use careful, iterative adjustments and monitor every change, so we can react accordingly if needed. That's why some content may require more than one tweak along the way.
Transparency at every stage: We will inform you two weeks ahead of each wave, detailing exactly which items will receive buffs and which will receive nerfs.
We are committed to an approach that encourages you to try something new and provides you with more options on the battlefield, without driving out any of your existing, hard-earned content.
π When?
The first stage of rebalancing will take place 14 days from today, on the 27th of November.
π οΈ What?
Two pieces of content will be nerfed:
Revoker: Damage (-15%), Optimal Range (-23%)
Dev Note: Revokers have long dominated the meta, preventing other weapons from fully realizing their potential. To finally give them a chance to shine, we are taking away a bit of damage and range from Revokers, making them a truly close-range weapon that requires better planning to close the distance to the target.
Dev Note: Hemlock has long been an unrivaled controller, at times completely preventing players from taking action, especially in 2v2 and Hangar Showdown modes. To allow other Mechs a chance to contend with its charms, we've made it so that Hemlock cannot constantly keep a target βdazedβ. This doesn't kill its potential, but now it will need to better calculate whom to target with the ECM shot ability and when.
Four Weapons will be buffed:
Howler: Damage (-18%), Reload Speed (5.7s β 3s)
Dev Note: Howler's main problem was the insufficient amount of ammo/charges. We decided to allow it to shoot more often by significantly reducing its reload speed. Now it will be more like a hit & run weapon, and closer to our initial vision for this weapon.
Hellfire: Damage (+18%), Optimal Range (0-30m β 0-40m)
Dev Note: Hellfire has good damage, but its main problem is range. Since we cannot increase the maximum range due to technical complications, we have increased its optimal range and damage, making it lethal at distances up to 40 meters.
Suppressor: Damage (+40%)
Dev Note: Applying Damage Drain status effect to enemies is good, but you also need to be able to outshoot those enemies. Initially, we intended Suppressor to be more of a support weapon, but it wasn't very popular with players in that role. So, we are adding a lot of damage to it to see how it will fare among other brawl weapons.
Savant: Damage (+82%), Double Damage Chance (50% β 15%), Speed of projectiles inside one group of rockets (100ms β 150ms)
Dev Note: Savant had great potential, but also a few significant drawbacks that overshadowed its advantages. It relied too heavily on double damage chance for dealing damage, and Mods negated this advantage. Therefore, we are transferring the damage from the double damage chance into more straightforward damage-per-magazine. Also, Savant's projectiles were fired too quickly one after another, often hitting a single layer of a Mod instead of destroying several. We solved this problem by changing the speed at which projectiles leave the magazine one after another, and now Savant will be significantly more effective against Mods.
β‘οΈ Whatβs next?
We will announce the second stage of the rebalance 14 days in advance.
Step 2: Introducing Seasons
Once all four stages of the planned rebalances are complete, we will launch a new Seasons system in early Spring to keep the game feeling fresh year-round!
Temporary Boosts: Each Season will feature content that will receive temporary, transparently displayed Modifiers for the Season's duration.
Slowed Content Release: To support this plan, we are slowing the introduction of brand-new content and instead focusing our development efforts on refining the existing roster.
Thatβs all for today! We believe these changes will smooth out the current power gaps and ensure a constantly shifting, skill-based meta. Please feel free to ask any questions and leave your feedback!
I hope this doesn't make the wepons that I and a ton of other players who spent time, money and effort into acquiring obsolete. I know this has happened to others that had a nerf in the past. It's always frustrating when a wepon like revoker is all you find yourself facing to pulling the trigger and purchasing a pair or several so that you can compete for them to then get a nerf and collect dust after. We shall see what happens I hope they stay relevant yet give other wepons a chance to shine.
It is very pleasing to see changes will be made. All of this will surely improve the longevity of the game and stop it becoming a source of anger for many. A lot of players have been close to giving up on the game totally so this will hopefully stop the rot.
This is all very much appreciated and as long as the developers keep this attitude the game should thrive.
I like the fact that you guys are trying to fix balance issues, but the Hemlock one is questionable. Hemlock is good in hangar showdown no doubt, but hardly usable in 5v5 or CPC because some bot will almost immediately shoot the mech that is dazed, wasting the ability. Now imagine that and a 16 second cooldown! The daze and duration nerf is also bad, but more so because many of us spent 3000+ acoins on it because it was worth the investment at the time.
I don't know what the right solution is, but my feedback to you is to not make the change solely based on its hangar showdown performance.
I like the fact that you guys are trying to fix balance issues, but the Hemlock one is questionable. Hemlock is good in hangar showdown no doubt, but hardly usable in 5v5 or CPC because some bot will almost immediately shoot the mech that is dazed, wasting the ability. Now imagine that and a 16 second cooldown! The daze and duration nerf is also bad, but more so because many of us spent 3000+ acoins on it because it was worth the investment at the time.
I don't know what the right solution is, but my feedback to you is to not make the change solely based on its hangar showdown performance.
Everything looks ok except a couple things I see might or will suck. The Hemlock nerf will make him utterly useless with a 16 second cooldow, plus the massive reduction time of the ecu shot and also its implant. Only the few who actually play 2v2 and hanger showdown because they actually like it, and not because they are forced to because of needing resource, will like this. Hemlock wasn't a problem in cpc and 5v5. But now he will likely be worthless in all 3 modes, 16 second cooldown is way way too long for any mech realistically. Hence why Vortex sucks by most standards. Hemlock was fine, this should have been a Eclipse, or nomad nerf instead, like everyone has been asking for. A 40% increase in damage for Suppressors without reducing the damage reduction amount might also be a big issu.
Seriously, what the hell is this? After all this damn time the Revokers have been in the game β and after so many players busted their asses and wasted all their resources to max them out β now you decide to nerf them?! What a freaking joke. This is pure robbery. Shame on Plarium for pulling this crap after so long.
The best thing to do is: one mech, one weapon, no upgrades required, and let everyone play at the same level.ππππππππππππππππππππππ
Seriously, what the hell is this? After all this damn time the Revokers have been in the game β and after so many players busted their asses and wasted all their resources to max them out β now you decide to nerf them?! What a freaking joke. This is pure robbery. Shame on Plarium for pulling this crap after so long.
These are just words, and as always, it will turn everything upside down, always in a negative light. After years and years, they will do it in four phases. Another six months to see what happens. yes because they don't know what to do, the first phase will be of STUDY, as always, to our reactions to the first rebalancing step.. all the hype that seemed to be for this summer, flaunted with great fanfare, has led to nothing, indeed it has led to the collapse of HANGAR S. and the 2vs2 mode only for rich spenders...... but perhaps the players are decreasing and are running for cover, but mech arena is destined to die, because it is ALREADY DEAD, since they decided to give priority to their AI, neglecting the needs of the real player.. THE FUN... Now those who used REVOCKER will start to complain, realizing that without revocker, THE GAME WILL NO LONGER BE fun for them... all this will inevitably also be the excuse to NERF, what they have sold to everyone... but surely the revocker's place will be taken from another weapon, which LOGICALLY, EVERYONE WILL WANT AND IT WILL BE YET ANOTHER RACE TO EMPTY THEIR WALLET..
Everything looks ok except a couple things I see might or will suck. The Hemlock nerf will make him utterly useless with a 16 second cooldow, plus the massive reduction time of the ecu shot and also its implant. Only the few who actually play 2v2 and hanger showdown because they actually like it, and not because they are forced to because of needing resource, will like this. Hemlock wasn't a problem in cpc and 5v5. But now he will likely be worthless in all 3 modes, 16 second cooldown is way way too long for any mech realistically. Hence why Vortex sucks by most standards. Hemlock was fine, this should have been a Eclipse, or nomad nerf instead, like everyone has been asking for. A 40% increase in damage for Suppressors without reducing the damage reduction amount might also be a big issu.
Good analogy with the Vortex about excessive cooldown times. I put Vortex in my squad yesterday only because of the temporary 50% ability cooldown modifier that's currently active. Once that finishes, out it goes again.
To be fair, I'm one of the people who has invested lots of acoins on revokers, but I am happy they are trying something to nerf it because of how crazy dominant it is in the game, in all modes. It's also one of those rare weapons where it outperforms everything else even without implants.
Whether or not its the right nerf will only be known once the change actually happens.
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