Thank you to everyone who participated in the PTR! In the coming week, we will close the PTR and patch the live game. Based on feedback given during the PTR (as well as some of our own observations), we’re making the following additional changes:
Crypt Lord
Unit cast point increased from 0.4 to 0.5.
Carrion Beetles ability cooldown increased from 6 seconds to 9 seconds.
Additional developers’ notes: There is some concern that Crypt Lords may be able to reach maximum beetle count a little too quickly, especially during combat. We’re increasing the cooldown of the ability to slow this down a bit. The new Impale is also now so responsive that it can be difficult to discern when the ability actually casts. Increasing the casting point makes the ability fire roughly when the Crypt Lord’s talons hit the ground. Additionally, for high-micro players who enjoy mindtricks, this allows more time to try and ‘false’ cast the ability though a Stop command mid animation.
Pendant of Energy
Mana provided decreased from 150 to 100.
Additional developers’ notes: Alongside the Greater Mana Potion, the Pendant of Energy often gets feedback that it provides too much mana for where the item shows up on the item drop table. With feedback regarding the Greater Mana Potion change being favorable, we feel that we can also address this item by reducing the mana provided.
Breath of Frost
Size and shape of the ability altered to match Breath of Fire.
Additional developers’ notes: This ability is solely used by the Blue Dragonspawn Overseer. In the past, this ability’s visual looked like a cone, just like Breath of Fire, but was actually using the size and shape of Shockwave. This has now been adjusted to use the same size and shape as Breath of Fire.
Breath of Fire (Brewmaster)
Starting projectile size increased from 120 to 125 at level 2, matches level 1 and 3 starting size.
Additional developers’ notes: This legacy bug has not caused any observable issues, however we wanted to clean up the discrepancy between levels.
We’re editing the PTR Patch Notes to reflect the above adjustments, and again, THANK YOU!
So no late game compensation for the rifle nerf means HU vs UD will be more lop-sided than ever. More than that, it means that the trend towards tank play will continue even further. Nobody likes playing against tanks, and nobody likes playing as tanks, but if you don’t give human the opportunity to fight fair army vs army, then it’s their only option. Gonna be a pretty toxic meta.
This is pathetic, you know I think kaivax, the problem is anything but this, if the game were without bugs or errors, without such an abusive editor, and everything they had promised, this would be great news, but it is just rubbish.
How are you not rolling back any of the changes by any degree? Isn’t that the point of a PTR, to see which changes are too far/not enough? One hero (Crypt Lord) should not be able to solo creep an orange camp expansion on such a large map like Twisted Meadows. Think about what other races need to creep that same spot and consider the imbalance in early game power this will create.
Not to mention, no consideration of feedback about how certain changes are going to affect a race in all matchups not just the one you write a cute little developer note about. If rifles are too strong in HU-NE, add more than 1 damage to bears. NE could certainly use the help against Undead as well, where bears melt to Fiend/Destro and Coil/Nova.
How are you going to nerf rifles and buff anti rifle Undead hero? Human already struggles in this matchup. Is the goal, like Xolo pointed out, just to make human play TANKS TANKS TANKS? Because that is what you are accomplishing. At least until you roll out the next super awesome balance patch where impale works on mechanical units too now.
One final point. Are you not going to listen to the feedback of many streamers that 1 SECOND ADDED TO THE COOLDOWN DOES ALMOST NOTHING TO NERF STOMP AND CLAP. CHANGE THE PERMASTUN TIME AND PUT A DAMAGE CAP ON CLAP.
I don’t understand what the point of rolling out a PTR is if you’re not going to listen to any of the feedback about the changes.
Still not bug fixes…? When is SD going to get bug fixes? I have been testing since the initial beta came out, all the way till now, I have reported 4(now 5) bugs in my latest thread, 4 which I have reported since the release of Reforged, no bug fixes… what is going on?
I must say that I love these patches. I still keep saying that they cheated us cheekily.
But see the leveling patches. of the many fun things that can be added to the game. Imagine an RTS but looking to compete against the LoL. It is updated and modernized.
Good direction Blizzard but nerf pendant from 300 mana to 200 and rework POTM plz its one of the most requested hero for buffs! I think elf needs a little help in lategame especially vs ud. Reworked POTM could help to be a viable 2nd hero.
Wow, you listened to the feedback from Grubby and allow players to cancel the animation and faint casting the spell!
And you listened to the community feedback about Pendant of Energy aswell. Awesome!
Now changes like big Mana or Pendant of Energy were quite obvious things for a long time, but the “old” blizzard balance team didn’t even adress them. However this change does look like it was worked on by an actual competent balance team. Whoever you guys are, thanks a lot for listening to feedback and doing a better job than the last patches.
Please keep working on the balance and figure out tweaks/ changes for the remaining units and heroes who still need them:
Gargoyle AI fix which you promised we would be getting with Reforged
Firelord rework which you promised we would be getting with Reforged
Tweaking Frost Wyrm into a viable unit (more attack range!) and making them more accessible like what you did with Taurens and Chimeras and Mountain Giants
Giving Necromancers a proper rework and allow for viable strategies in 1vs1 with them
Small changes to Ghouls which have been walking exp tomes ever since the big powercreep to all the other unit and hero changes.
I hope that Crypt Lord Spiked Carapace will get an update/rework in the next patch.
It is by far the worst passive in the game and compared to the newly buffed Rings of Protection it is really lackluster.
Also if you could please consider making Gargoyles prioritize air targets when attack-moving it would be a great quality of life improvement.
I dont see a problem, as i can do the same thing with DL at level 1 or any hero with a disable ability.
As much as i agree with this sentiment, I still think we should wait first before changing it again. Nonstop changes dont help, and one week of ptr play aint enough to go on. Many players stop playing the game and thus the numbers and data for these changes are not sufficient yet to make more changes.
