Major Game Balance Update Incoming

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. Here’s 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.

📆 When?

The first stage of rebalancing will take place 14 days from today, on the 27th of November.

🛠️ 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.

• Hemlock: Daze Duration (7s → 6s), Ability Cooldown (10s → 16s), Daze & EMP Duration Implant (45% → 30%)

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 “dazed”. 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 → 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 → 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% → 15%), Speed of projectiles inside one group of rockets (100ms → 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.

➡️ What’s 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.

That’s 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!

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