Yesterday Gearbox Software showcased some upcoming content during a live stream. With the broadcast Mode, they showed off the new maps for each of the PvP modes.
- Meltdown – Outskirts (Jennerit home planet Tempest)
- Capture – Snowblind (UPR Base on bliss)
- Incursion – Monument (Eldrid home planet Ekunar)
Each map is built with the feedback from the community in mind. Gearbox also watched the other maps to see what the players liked in these maps. All new maps have a higher standard for unwanted collisions. This next level of detail is also being applied to the old maps and those are getting fixed.
Broadcast Mode
Broadcast mode lets 2 additional players sit in a private PvP match and spectate the match. They are given a free camera and the ability to follow the players across the map. This should bring eSport shout casting to the next level. The broadcasters can get full insight into the player’s helix choices and the gear they are running.
Balance fixes
With the upcoming patch, Gearbox is also adjusting the heroes. Some got slight tweaks and others have gotten a more interesting helix choice. Full patch notes will be posted but here is some of the stuff they talked about:
Ambra
Ambra‘s Sunspots get increased healing capabilities. She also gets a game mechanic that increases her sunspot cooldown. By using her heat gauge during a melee attack the cooldown time on the sunspot skill gets reduced. This creates some interesting gameplay for her as he now has increased territorial capabilities. Ambra can put down a sunspot and claim the area, melee some minions, and place another sunspot to push the team’s comfort zone forward.
Kelvin
Kelvin‘s stun capabilities will be reduced, and the duration of the stun as the speed of his sublimate skill. Wall cast time reduced.
Attikus
Attikus is getting more health and he can sprint while using his charge punch. Attikus has a lot of crowd-control abilities. But with these knocks up or pushback on enemies, it actually makes it harder for Attikus to deal damage to his targets. So these crowd control abilities are getting changed. Pounce now does a higher base damage but its pushback effect is getting replaced by the silence status effect (~1sec). Pounce is now a bit slower and in 3rd person more. His ultimate skill, Hedronic Eruption, now slows enemies instead of knocking them up when fully charged.
Marquis
Marquis‘ passive skill will get a reduction from +50% to +25%
Oscar Mike
Oscar Mike’s Level 2 Nades on Nades skill gets a buff as the cone in which the smaller nades will drop is reduced. Shooting a frag on target will result in more damage than the fragcendiary grenade.
Alani
Alani has gotten several tweaks with the hotfixes. But a small tweak that might go unnoticed is that her sprint speed is getting an increase
Orendi
Orendi’s LVL1 skill that reveals cloaked enemies around her shadow pillar is being changed. Cloaked enemies around Orendi herself are now revealed as it was pretty hard to detect an enemy with the shadow pillar.
Rath
Rath is the top killer at the moment and he is in line with his character profile. His double jump does get some improvement. The recent change to gear with the hotfix does impact Rath as the attack speed on gear is reduced.
Kleese
Kleese’s Health gauge will almost be double the amount. This way he can set up his pylons instead of running away after taking a hit setting up his first pylon. Kleese’s charged shot mutation damage was toned down.
ISIC
ISIC’s ultimate is no longer unlimited. It’s now 40 seconds online and 40 seconds cooldown. Isic’s LVL 5 skill Stopping Power now lets overcharge shots wound enemies instead of slowing them.
Miko
Miko could easily escape a fight when getting damaged. The LVL 7 Left Helix skill that increased movement speed is being reduced. The movement speed buff goes from +30% to +15% and now has a 1.5-second cooldown. This way Miko can’t run fast all the time when getting hit.
Whiskey Foxtrot
Whiskey Foxtrot’s Scrapcannon is now an instant skill instead of having to aim it. Scrapcannon is now bound to the crosshair. The LVL 2 helix 2 additional scrapcannon charges are the no-brainer option at the moment. So the other option gets an increase from +15% to +25% damage increase from Whiskey Foxtrot’s Tactical Rifle.
Ghalt
Ghalt’s LVL 3 slug rounds skill is getting replaced. This skill was very powerful and made Ghalt a sniper. This didn’t fit the hero’s profile and what you expect from a shotgun. The new LVL3 skill will increase Ghalt’s shield capacity & shield recharge rate. This makes it possible to spec him more into a tank.
Mellka
Mellka’s venom time was reduced from 8 seconds to 4 seconds. It was an annoyingly long time for the status effect to last. That’s why it got reduced in half, but it also got a damage increase. So you just die faster when hit by the venom.
Reyna
The push-back effect on Reyna’s ultimate skill has been increased.
Toby
Toby’s ultimate skill has been increased and his triple shot has gotten a boost to 25%.
Off-hand melee
The fast off-hand melee strikes that allowed you to juggle an enemy in the corner now lose their pushback effect after 3 strikes.
Wound
Would is a “new” crowd control status effect indicated by red medical crosses that move downwards. This reduces the amount of healing on the affected hero. It’s a counter to teams that double up on healers during a match. They were able to patch up injured heroes with ease. ~60% healing reduction from the wound affects healing received, health regeneration & life steal. Basic attacks have a short duration while skill attacks have a longer (2 – 4 seconds) duration. This status effect was first a Galilea exclusive and it was one of the things that made her stand out. The team at Gearbox noticed that they had something special here and saw greater potential to balance the game. The following heroes are getting this crowed control status effect to their arsenal:
- Attikus – Hedronic Arc
- Caldarius – Base Melee attack
- Whiskey Foxtrot – scrapcannon
- Deande
- ISIC – lvl5 mutation: Overcharge now wound instead of slow.
- Phoebe
- Mellka – spike with venom
