🛠️ Major Game Balance Update Continues: Wave 2 Details Revealed!

We are continuing to roll out the planned four-stage rebalance and it’s time for the second phase. After carefully analysing the results from Wave 1, the next set of changes will go live in two weeks.

As promised in our original November announcement, this rebalance continues to prioritize buffs to make a wider array of content competitively viable, while applying careful adjustments to overperforming content.

📆 When?

The second stage of the rebalance will take place 14 days from today, on the 12th of January.

🛠️ What?

Two Mechs will be nerfed:

• Eclipse: Phase Cloak Duration (12s → 10s), Ability Cooldown (8s → 9s)

Dev Note: Eclipse managed to dodge our radar for a long time thanks to its stealth ability. But we’ve spotted it now, and we don’t plan on losing sight of it again ;) Eclipse is an awesome mech that we all love, but the amount of time it spends in stealth is a bit much. We aren't touching its other stats, but we want to make using stealth feel more tactical, rewarding, and situational rather than just a routine habit.

• Surge: Ability Duration (4s → 3s), Stealth Buff Duration (5s → 2.5s)

Dev Note: Surge has been one of the undisputed kings of the meta for a long time now. But even kings lose their grip on power eventually :) We love this agile little guy, but its mischief goes unpunished far too often. We want the decision to dash into an enemy - or a whole group of them - to be more calculated. Reckless moves made in the heat of the moment should come with actual consequences!

Four pieces of content will be buffed:

• Oracle: Drone Magazine (39 → 45), Optimal Range (0-55m → 0-80m)

Dev Note: Oracle is a great weapon with a really interesting mechanics, especially when paired with certain mechs. Yes, Gatecrasher and Volti, I’m looking at you ;) However, in the current meta, it’s hard to compete for player attention - even if you can see through walls. That’s why we’re shifting the point where Oracle’s damage ramp-up kicks in to an earlier stage. We’re also increasing its effective range, meaning it will now deal even more damage up to 80m!

• Dreadshot: Damage (+63%), Optimal Range (0-70m → 0-100m)

Dev Note: Dreadshot, our reliable and slightly heavy-footed friend! We love the sheer impact of firing this weapon so much that we want as many people as possible to experience it! To give you a real reason to keep it in your Hangar and bring it into battle, we’re giving it a boost to direct damage. We’re also slightly increasing its optimal range, which won't just make it more effective, but much more comfortable to use.

• Volti: Ability Cooldown (12s > 13s), Aiming Timeout (2s > 1s)

Dev Note: Volti is a classic case where we have to be extremely careful with balance, as its ability is essentially 'free damage' - the kind of damage you deal without fear of retaliation :) While we’re eager to make this lord of lightning more effective and user-friendly, we do have to slightly increase its cooldown. You won’t feel it much in the heat of battle, but it gives us the room to make Volti’s targeting twice as effective! Now it’ll be even harder for your enemies to hide, and finishing off opponents as they duck behind cover will feel better than ever. Just make sure to pick the right weapons to complement those lightning strikes!

• Hornet: Venom Damage (+8%), Venom Duration (3s → 2s), Venom Application Speed (+90%)

Dev Note: We admit that the situation with Hornet hasn't been ideal. It’s a solid weapon that feels good to fire, but we want it to be even better. We believe the core improvements should focus on its status effects so that Hornet plays exactly how we originally intended: a peek-a-boo style from behind cover, relying heavily on DOT (Damage Over Time). Applying DOT - and more importantly, re-applying it (!) - is now much smoother, as it won't interfere with one another as much due to duration overlaps. The overall damage cycle is now more effective and satisfying, so everyone will have to take you seriously if you’ve got a Hornet in your Hangar!

➡️ What’s next?

We will announce the third stage of the rebalance 14 days in advance.

⚡️ Looking Ahead: Waves 3 & 4 and Seasons

We appreciate your patience during this four-month process!

• We are halfway through Step 1. Waves 3 and 4 will continue the buff-focused approach outlined in our initial plan.
• Remember, this leads directly to Step 2: the introduction of seasonal content boosts starting in Spring 2026! Get ready for a constantly shifting meta.

Learn more in our big post here: https://forum.plarium.com/mech-arena/854_news/43477_rebalance-announcement/.  

i