Predecessor News

◆ Added the missing Season 2 Ascension Reward skins for The Fey, Narbash and Sparrow.
◆ Fixed a rare issue that was causing Murdock's Shots Fired ability to skip its cooldown.

Patch releasing 12.00 GMT September 12th, 2023

You've read the roadmap. You've waited patiently. Now it's finally here. Season 3 begins now!

Welcome to the first Game Update of Season 3, Champions!

We're kicking things off with a powerful new Hero - one with a storm inside her that blurs the line between good and evil!

That's not all however! We're finally pushing live our new user interface - a complete visual overhaul of how you navigate and interact with Predecessor outside of gameplay, as well as sharing the new ways in which you'll acquire Heroes now that Season 2 has ended.

No more delays - let's jump right in!





[h2]Serath wages war on evil![/h2]

The steely soldier Serath joins the conflict, wrestling with darkness on the battlefield as well as within her own heart.



Serath may appear angelic at first, but don't be fooled! She hides a ferocious dark side that if unleashed, can burn anyone to the ground!



[h2]Watch Serath In Action![/h2]

Want a head start before jumping into the battlefield? Check out how Serath plays in our latest Hero Ability Overview video.





[h2]Abilities: [/h2]

[h3]Fallen Grace [Passive]:[/h3]

Taking down an Enemy Hero will spawn a demonic visage that lasts for 10s at the site of execution. Serath can step through it to consume it.

Upon consuming the visage, Serath activates her Heresy ability (regardless of cooldown or level) and reduces her current basic ability cooldowns by 75%. This does not affect the cooldown of Heresy.

[h3]Angelic Smite [LMB]:[/h3]

Cleave: 25%
BAT: 1.15
Effect: Melee basic attack dealing 58 (+90% Bonus Physical Power) physical damage.

[h3]Heaven's Fury [Q]:[/h3]

Cooldown: 16/15/14/13/12
Cost: 50/55/60/65/70
Effect: Serath marks a Target and vanishes, striking Enemies at the Target's location 5 times, with the first and final strike guaranteed to hit her mark. Each slash deals 45/65/85/105/125 (+60% Total Physical Power) physical damage and applies on-hit effects at 75% effectiveness. Additional strikes against the same Target deal 20% damage.

On her final strike, Serath will teleport to the marked Target's location based on her current position.

If the marked Target dies, Serath teleports immediately.

[h3]Ascend [E]:[/h3]

Cooldown: 18/17/16/15/14
Cost: 80
Effect: Serath rises into the air and hovers for 1.8s. During this time she can target an area up to 1350 units away. Upon confirmation or at the end of this time, Serath dives down and deals 80/115/150/185/220 (+60% Bonus Physical Power) physical damage in the area.

[h3]Chastise [RMB]:[/h3]

Cooldown: 10/9/8/7/6
Cost: 50
Effect: Serath claps her wings in front of her, dealing 80/120/160/200/240 (+80% Bonus Physical Power) physical damage and applying a 35% Slow for 1.25s.

Chastise cast speed increases with additional attack speed and resets Serath's basic attack cooldown on use.

[h3]Heresy [R]:[/h3]

Cooldown: 90
Cost: 100
Effect: Serath takes on a demonic form, dealing 60/110/160 (+50% Bonus Physical Power) and setting them ablaze.

For the next 7s, Serath gains 15% movement speed, 20/30/40% attack speed, and empowers her basic attacks with Infernal Strikes.

Infernal Strikes sets Enemy Units ablaze on-hit, dealing 30/45/60 (+30% Bonus Physical Power) true damage over 4s. Stacks with successive applications.






[h2]Morning Star Serath[/h2]

Things aren't always as clear as night and day. Wield your weapon and conquer the crimson skies with Serath's new Morning Star skin [Common]!



Crack skulls at the crack of dawn, available from V0.11!






[h2]User Interface (UI):[/h2]

You've waited patiently and we're pleased to finally deliver it. Our new user interface is here!

As already discussed in a number of other blogs (check out July's Predecessor Report or our more recent Season 3 Roadmap blogs for more), the user interface reflects the visual identity of Predecessor. It dictates everything from menu layout to colours, store functionality to Hero Acquisition

As with all things during Early Access we'll be reviewing and building upon this first implementation of the new UI, tweaking and polishing with every passing update. We're excited to hear your feedback as we cross this massive milestone in our development!



[h2]Hero Acquisition:[/h2]

Speaking of Hero Acquisition, we're implementing a new system through which you'll permanently unlock Serath.

That's right - Serath is the first Hero that won't be included for free in your Early Access Bundles, meaning if you want to keep her after V0.11 you'll need to unlock her!

All new Heroes will be unlockable in two ways, either by earning XP towards their unlock requirements or by purchasing them outright with Platinum. You can do either of these options at any time and with any locked Hero, regardless of who's currently on free rotation.

Free rotation is what we're calling the period during which a Hero will be freely available to everyone, regardless of whether they're unlocked. We'll change up which Heroes are available for free every now and then to ensure everyone gets a chance to play with a variety of Heroes, helping you narrow down which ones you might want to work towards unlocking.

Serath will be on free rotation for two weeks following the V0.11 game update, meaning everyone can try her out without needing to purchase or earn her.

To reiterate, you can unlock any locked Hero regardless of whether they're currently playable for free or not.

The amount of XP needed to unlock a Hero varies, with some (like Serath) having multiple 'unlock stages'. These are mini milestones that you'll need to reach in order to fully unlock the Hero. Alternatively you can skip this process entirely by simply buying the Hero with Platinum, which will become cheaper depending on how many of the 'unlock stages' you've already achieved.

Either way once you've earned enough XP or you've skipped the process with Platinum, Serath will be permanently added to your roster of unlocked and playable Heroes, forever!

We'll be going in depth with Hero Acquisition in a dedicated blog later in the month, outlining exactly what you can expect from V0.12 onwards.

For now though we hope you'll enjoy playing with Serath and working towards permanently adding her to your roster!



[h2]Match XP Changes:[/h2]

With the Hero Acquisition system being added we've needed to rebalance how much XP is earned per match to ensure that the time it takes to unlock a Hero like Serath feels fair and right.

Rest assured however, that the overall time it takes to earn all of those end of season rewards we shared in our Season 3 roadmap blog will remain consistent with previous seasons.



[h2]Downtime:[/h2]

We're anticipating a fairly large period of downtime during this Game Update as we deploy possibly our biggest update yet, alongside running the necessary checks and distributions to deliver rewards for your final player levels of Season 2.

We expect this downtime to last for up to 4 hours, but hope to complete it sooner. For more information please keep an eye on our social feeds or join our Discord server where you can find the latest news.








[h2]General:[/h2]

[h3]Lifesteal Mechanics:[/h3]

We're changing the way that healing is calculated when Area of Effect (AoE) and Damage over Time (DoT) damage is converted into healing via Lifesteal, Magical Lifesteal, or Omnivamp.

Previously, AoE and DoT damage sources would benefit from the full value of lifestealing effects when dealing damage to Heroes, resulting in excessive healing potential in Hero to Hero combat if multiple targets were struck at once by someone stacking sustain items (we're looking at you, Crunch & Countess).

To tackle cases of over-the-top healing we are now implementing a penalty resulting in 33% effectiveness for lifestealing effects when triggered by AoE or DoT abilities against Heroes, matching the existing penalty that's already enforced on Minion/Monster healing. Effectively you'll now get ⅓ the value from lifestealing effects on these damage types.

These changes will have a significant impact on the efficacy of the affected Heroes/Items. Before making too many follow up compensation adjustments to the fall out, we're interested in seeing how matches flow in a less healing heavy environment first. After this, if and where needed, we can better redistribute the lost healing either back into the Hero's kits and make them less reliant on specific Items, or provide Items such as Lifebinder and Mutilator a little more love if they underperform, as well as having the option of introducing more healing items into the game now that stacking them is less effective.

[h3]Change:[/h3]

◆ When dealing damage to Heroes, Area of Effect and Damage over Time sources now heal for 33% effectiveness when benefitting from Lifesteal, Magical Lifesteal, or Omnivamp.






Dekker's ability to become rather durable in the later stages of the game can make her overly difficult to punish when paired with her natural elusiveness. To better accentuate her strengths and weaknesses we're dropping some of her natural durability via Armor Growth, while also shifting some of her damage output in the early game to her Photon Disruptor to emphasise her wave clear and a more dodgeable spell.

[h3]General:[/h3]

◆ Armor Growth decreased from 3.8 to 3.5.

[h3]Photon Disruptor [Q]:[/h3]

◆ Damage changed from 80/125/170/215/260 to 90/130/170/210/250.

[h3]Stasis Bomb [RMB]:[/h3]

◆ Damage decreased from 75/110/145/180/215 to 70/105/140/175/210.




Drongo's general versatility leads to a strong early game as a result of his ability to clear waves, duel, and blast out of danger, making him difficult to keep up with. By increasing the cooldown on his Shrapnel Cannon we're looking to provide slightly longer windows of vulnerability between Ultimate casts, better allowing him to be caught out in those intervals.

[h3]Shrapnel Cannon [R]:[/h3]

◆ Cooldown increased from 100/90/80 to 110/95/80.




Feng Mao's ability to bully his opponent in the Offlane with short trades can be very oppressive in the early game and allows him to frequently snowball too easily. To slow down his early pace we're shifting his Passive damage to now scale with level (above its previous potential), providing a healthier damage curve while still allowing him to pack a punch in the late game. Likewise, we're also levying a small hit to his Guardian Shield durability to offer his opponents a better chance at blasting through it and reciprocating damage.

[h3]Precision Strike [Passive]:[/h3]

◆ Percent Current Health Damage changed from 8% to 6/7/8/9% at levels 1/6/11/16.

[h3]Guardian Shield [Q]:[/h3]

◆ Shield decreased from 100/135/170/205/240 to 90/125/160/195/230.




We're delivering a quick bump in Cosmic Rift scaling to better allow Gideon to stay relevant as a damage threat in the later stages of a match given his comparatively short range to other Mages.

[h3]Cosmic Rift [Q]:[/h3]

◆ Magical Power Scaling increased from 65% to 70%.




Staying true to his namesake, Khaimera is a little too effective in hunting down his foes. We're taking away some of the raw power offered to his Unleash strikes, thereby reducing the short-term burst potential he possesses and giving squishier targets a better chance at surviving his opener.

[h3]Unleash [Q]:[/h3]

◆ Damage decreased from 10/17/24/31/38 to 10/16/22/28/34.




Purge fails to act as a significant enough threat in the later stages of a match, despite the risk Kira puts herself in when using it. By offering Kira slightly more Purge scaling, alongside a small bump in mobility uptime, we should see her keeping better pace and becoming better able to find those pop-off moments.

[h3]Shadow Glide [E]:[/h3]

◆ Cooldown decreased from 20/18.5/17/15.5/14 to 18/16.5/15/13.5/12.

[h3]Purge [R]:[/h3]

◆ Total Physical Power Scaling increased from 330% to 360%.




Lt. Belica's dominance in both the Mid and Support roles is often supplemented by her ability to maintain pressure on a wave. By hitting her Drone's Mana cost, Belica will have to be a little more selective with its usage when looking to push and box between waves, while also not nuking as hard in the late game in the event she lands a Stun as a result of the scaling decrease.

[h3]General:[/h3]

◆ Base Physical Power decreased from 54 to 53.
◆ Physical Power Growth decreased from 3.2 to 2.9.

[h3]Seismic Assault [Q]:[/h3]

◆ Magical Power Scaling decreased from 70% to 65%.

[h3]Void Drone [E]:[/h3]

◆ Mana Cost increased from 60/70/80/90/100 to 80/85/90/95/100.




Similar to Dekker, Phase's durability is slightly too high relative to her ability to remain elusive so we're lowering her Armor Growth. Alongside this, we're shifting down her early Mana Regeneration to make her run out of gas slightly faster in the earlier lane.

[h3]General:[/h3]

◆ Base Mana Regeneration decreased from 1.8 to 1.6.
◆ Armor Growth decreased from 4 to 3.6.

[h3]Psychic Flare [Q]:[/h3]

◆ Magical Power Scaling increased from 70% to 80%.




While it's important for Revenant to be able to burst a target due to his unique ammo system, his ability to blow through an opponent in a single rotation occurs too often, too quickly. To reduce the frequency of one-shot scenarios, we're pulling back on a previous change to Rev's 4th shot damage, alongside his general DPS output as a match progresses, meaning he will have to be more selective and creative when choosing how to approach a fight.

[h3]General:[/h3]

◆ Basic Attack Time at levels 1-18 increased from 1.01-0.78 to 1.01-0.84.
◆ Physical Power per level decreased from 2.8 to 2.4.

[h3]Obliterate [Q]:[/h3]

◆ Cooldown increased from 12/11/10/9/8 to 14/13/12/11/10.

[h3]Hellfire Rounds [RMB]:[/h3]

◆ Missing Health Damage Scaling per level decreased from 0.7% to 0.5%.

[h3]Reckoning [R]:[/h3]

◆ [Bugfix] Root duration now correctly lasts 0.5s instead of 1s.




TwinBlast has been seeing too much success with Physical Penetration itemisation, resulting in a burst loop that is both oppressive and difficult to interact with. Killing the viability of all Pen' options is not the explicit goal here, but to help remedy the oppressiveness of the general build path we're shifting TB's damage profile to further encourage On-Hit itemisation as it struggles to keep pace. This can be seen in his Vortex Grenade's shift to a Magical Damage typing thereby not being as reliant on Physical Penetration builds to remain relevant (due to baseline Magical Armor being around half of Physical Armor in the late-game), alongside more aggressive tuning of his scaling values, particularly to his Ultimate.

On the flip side, to ensure TwinBlast remains relevant as he progresses into the mid-game, we're improving his level 7-13 window by redistributing his Growth Scalar. Previously, his lower Scalar resulted in his general base stats and durability being significantly lower in the mid-game compared to other Heroes, which resulted in many polarizing insta-death scenarios due to his extremely low durability. The combination of these changes should reduce the frustrating elements of being on the receiving end of TwinBlast's arsenal, while still ensuring he remains a fun and engaging Hero among the roster that better fulfills his theme of a Gunslinger, rather than an Assassin.

[h3]General:[/h3]

◆ Growth Scalar at levels 1-18 increased from 59%-141% to 73%-127%.
◆ Base Mana Regeneration decreased from 1.8 to 1.5.

[h3]Doubleshot [LMB]:[/h3]

◆ Basic Attack Bonus Physical Power Scaling decreased from 100% to 90%.

[h3]Vaporize [Q]:[/h3]

◆ Mana cost increased from 40 to 50.

[h3]Evade [E]:[/h3]

◆ Cooldown decreased from 18/17/16/15/14 to 18/16.5/15/13.5/12.

[h3]Vortex Grenade [RMB]:[/h3]

◆ Damage type changed from Physical to Magical.
◆ Total Physical Power Scaling decreased from 90% to 75%.

[h3]Ventilate [R]:[/h3]

◆ Base number of bullets decreased from 25 to 22.
◆ Damage per bullet decreased from 12/21/30 to 12/20/28.
◆ Number of bullets Attack Speed Scaling decreased from 6% to 4%.
◆ Bonus Physical Power Scaling per bullet decreased from 16% to 12%.
◆ Magical Power Scaling decreased from 15% to 10%.




[h2]Crests:[/h2]

[h3]Witchstalker:[/h3]

Witchstalker's ability to stack its bonus damage from multiple Debuffs being Cleansed could result in scenarios of extreme burst and healing. We're limiting the bonus damage on Cleanse to a single debuff to make Purifying Strike's damage potential less variable and overwhelming in scenarios where multiple Debuffs are removed.

◆ Purifying Strike additional bonus damage now limited to 1 debuff cleansed.


[h3]Saphir's Mantle:[/h3]

Saphir's provides too much durability on activation when it already comes with the powerful benefit of increasing a Heroes size, and therefore general range. Once again, we're pulling back on some of this durability to bring its strength into greater parity with other Crest choices.

◆ Atlas: Maximum Health temporary gain decreased from 18% to 15%.



[h2]Carry:[/h2]

[h3]Ashbringer:[/h3]

Ashbringer has seen minimal play, typically as a result of its high Gold cost and how unappealing it is to the majority of the roster when weighed against other options. To better define its identity we're shifting it back to a Critical Strike option for Carries to utilize and streamlining its Passive effects and statline. This allows us to make the item cheaper and more accessible, as well as making it a relevant DPS choice for anyone looking to pump out more abilities such as the Serath's and "Critmeras" of the world.

◆ Cost decreased from 3400 to 3000.
◆ Physical Power decreased from 45 to 35.
◆ Attack Speed increased from 20 to 30.
◆ 25% Critical Strike Chance added.
◆ Ability Haste removed.
◆ Recipe Changed from Temporal Ripper + Sabre + Composite Bow to Claymore + Rune Bow.
◆ Accelerate Passive renamed to Chrono Strikes.
◆ Chrono Strikes cooldown reduction per Clockwork stack increased from 0.15s to 0.2s.
◆ Chrono Strikes on-hit damage removed.


[h3]Kingsbane:[/h3]

A light bump in Omnivamp for Kingsbane as one of the only compensation buffs arising from the Lifesteal Mechanic changes.

◆ Omnivamp increased from 5% to 6%.


[h3]Sky Splitter:[/h3]

Sky Splitter is a little too cheap given its overall strength. Time for a small price increase.

◆ Cost increased from 2800 to 2900.


[h3]Stormbreaker:[/h3]

Stormbreaker does not function well as a first buy clearing option for Junglers due to its reliance on other item pairings and relatively low AoE damage output. To help it stay attractive compared to options such as Overlord or Malady and better facilitate on-hit heavy Heroes such as the newly arrived Serath, we're giving its Zap effect a little extra kick against Monsters. As a result, Stormbreaker will serve as a better standalone option and better fill the void where you lack the gold to get your new item online.

◆ Chain Zap's damage effect now deals 100% additional damage to Monsters.



[h2]Assassin:[/h2]

[h3]Infernum:[/h3]

Infernum's burn damage scales slightly too well into the late game, so we're dropping it down another peg.

◆ Cinder Bonus Physical Power Scaling decreased from 100% to 90%.



[h2]Fighter:[/h2]

[h3]Bonesaw:[/h3]

Bonesaw provides too much durability and health scaling, especially when paired with other items. We're shifting around its stat profile to be more power heavy, better complimenting ability scalings rather than its damage output being overly carried by Colossal Sunder's on-hit effect - especially when stacked with other Health items.

◆ Physical Power increased from 20 to 25.
◆ Health decreased from 600 to 550.
◆ Colossal Sunder Maximum Health Scaling decreased from 3% to 2.5%.



[h2]Support:[/h2]

[h3]Hexbound Bracers:[/h3]

A slight shift in Hexbound's durability and more towards its Mana generation abilities to prevent its users from becoming too tanky in the early game given how much Haste it provides.

◆ Armor decreased from 60 to 50.
◆ Mana Reactor mana conversion increased from 10% to 15%.






◆ Fixed a bug where Unbroken Will would not heal or grant bonus armors on various Immobilizing effects.
◆ Fixed a bug where Dread's VFX would stop working upon death.
◆ Fixed a bug where Heroes could stand on top of archways near Gold and Cyan Buffs, and Orb Prime.
◆ Fixed a bug with various ability descriptions damage values would not match the actual output.
◆ Fixed a bug where Narbash could cast March [Q] while recalling.
◆ Fixed a bug where Morigesh could no longer use Jump Pads after casting Swarm [E].
◆ Fixed a bug where Minions could get stuck on Dusk T2 Towers.
◆ Fixed a bug where Tectonic Mallet would lose all its stats if its owner died.
◆ Fixed a bug where Gold and Cyan Buff minimap timers would not display on death.
◆ Fixed a bug where some targeted abilities could be cast on Heroes in Stasis.
◆ Fixed a bug where Leafsong's VFX would fail to play on activation.
◆ Fixed an error with Typhoons description not stating On-Hit as a trigger.



[h2]Known Issues[/h2]
◆ Friends may sometimes incorrectly show as offline, despite being online.
◆ When you queue for a game you might show as in a party to your friends, even when you're not.
◆ The prompt to play Player vs AI sometimes shows when it shouldn't.
◆ Some controller functionality isn't working as expected.
◆ Various issues and oddities with the New UI that will be fixed soon.





That's all this week!

Let us know what you think of this update over on Twitter, the official Subreddit or our Discord server! If you don't, after all, we'd have no eye deer what you're thinking!

~ Rei & Kari (Game Design and Community Teams)

A new day, Champions, a new balance pass!

With Season 2 drawing to a close we’re keeping it short and sweet this week, so let’s jump right in and take a look at what you can expect from Predecessor V0.10.2!

For starters, as is tradition, our latest addition Zarus is receiving a quick balance pass alongside some quality of life improvements to smooth out his gameplay. Likewise, on the balance front we’re looking to elevate some of the less represented Heroes in the roster, such as Sparrow and Grux, while also taking a moment to re-examine Kallari who’s health regeneration mechanic makes an exciting comeback!

So what’s next? Well we expect this update to be the last major patch of Early Access Season 2, meaning next time you’re reading one of these it’ll be all about Season 3! We won’t spoil some of the big plans we’ve got in the pipeline here, so keep your eyes peeled for Patch V0.11, the Season 3 roadmap, and much, MUCH more!

First though, let’s go over all those changes we mentioned coming to Predecessor with this game update.

~ Rei & Kari (Game Design & Community Teams)






[h2]New Skin - Midnight Muriel[/h2]

Make a lunar landing with the stellar Midnight Muriel!



Glide the night skies with the new Midnight Skin [common] for Muriel, available in V0.10.2 in the store!




It recently emerged that Greystone was suffering from a rather nasty bug that prevented his Deflect cooldown from decreasing throughout a match. We’ve fixed the issue and hope to see a glorious return to form for him.

[h3]Stoicism [Passive]:[/h3]
◆ [Bugfix] Deflect Cooldown now correctly reduces with level.
◆ [Bugfix] Deflect is no longer affected by Ability Haste.



Grux struggles to keep pace at various stages of the match so we’re offering him a few buffs to bring him up to speed in the form of some additional scalings and some Smash & Grab efficacy. These changes are primarily targeting Grux’s late-game where he tends to struggle the most, and should not overly impact his early game potency. 

[h3]General:[/h3]
◆ Attack Speed Growth increased from 1.5 to 2.

[h3]Smash And Grab [Q]:[/h3]
◆ Mana Cost decreased from 100 to 90.
◆ Bonus Physical Power Scaling increased from 70% to 80%.

[h3]Crush [E]:[/h3]
◆ Damage increased from 70/100/130/160/190 to 70/105/140/175/210.



Kallari’s ability to quickly clear the Red Jungle due to her high single-target damage allows for fast level 3 ganks that can prove overwhelming. To reduce the pace at which she can gank we’re lowering her early clear speed while conversely we’re bringing back her classic health regeneration mechanic during Shadow Walk to further facilitate Kallari’s presence throughout a match. This should allow her to stay healthy between camps and recover after a fight should she manage to slip away.

[h3]General:[/h3]
◆ Base Physical Power decreased from 61 to 58.
◆ Physical Power Growth increased from 2.8 to 3.
◆ Base Mana increased from 250 to 265.
◆ Base Health Regeneration decreased from 2 to 1.5.

[h3]Shadow Walk [Q]:[/h3]
◆ Mana Cost increased from 40 to 50.
◆ Movement Speed decreased from 20% to 15%.
◆ Now gains 6/7/8/9/10 (+20% Physical Penetration) health regeneration while Camouflaged. 

[h3]Crippling Dagger [RMB]:[/h3]
◆ Damage decreased from 65/85/105/125/145 to 60/80/100/120/140.
◆ Bonus Monster Damage decreased from 100 to 65.




Shinbi’s ability to default to playing at range in lane with Line Tempo overly rewards passive gameplay. To better encourage her to dash into the thick of it we’re moving some of her damage potential and sticking it into her Circle Rhythm, as well as shifting around her mana economy to punish her for becoming overly reliant on Line Tempo alone. 

[h3]General:[/h3]
◆ Mana Regeneration increased from 0.9 to 1.1.
◆ Mana increased from 380 to 390.

[h3]Line Tempo [Q]:[/h3]
◆ Damage changed from 65/95/125/155/185 to 75/100/125/150/175
◆ Magical Power Scaling decreased from 60% to 55%.
◆ Mana Cost increased from 30 to 40.
◆ Hitbox improved.

[h3]Circle Rhythm [E]:[/h3]
◆ Magical Power Scaling increased from 18% to 22%.



Sparrow found good value from her previous round of mana-focused changes which increased her ability to trade and keep the pressure up. Despite this though she’s still falling slightly short as a Carry due to how long it takes her to ramp up. 

To better facilitate her high DPS identity and general trading potential, we’re increasing the damage on her passive to make her more threatening in longer, more drawn out engagements, while also juicing the execution potential of her Piercing Shot when focusing a single target. 

[h3]Relentless [Passive]:[/h3]
◆ Max Health Damage per stack increased from 0.5% to 0.55%.
◆ Stack duration decreased from 5s to 4s.
◆ [Bugfix] Description now correctly states 6 stack maximum. 

[h3]Piercing Shot [RMB]:[/h3]
◆ Damage decreased from 90/135/180/225/270 to 70/110/150/190/230.
◆ Bonus Physical Power Scaling increased from 150% to 175%.
◆ Damage Multiplier per Relentless stack increased from +5% to +8%.
◆ Cooldown changed from 13/12/11/10/9 to 14/12.5/11/9.5/8.



The dust has settled since the Deathstalker rework and TwinBlast is still seeing too much success with physical penetration builds, overkilling targets with his Ultimate from afar. To that end we’re bumping down Ventilate’s physical power scaling once more to not overly impact attack speed itemisation but to instead guide the ability into a more reasonable spot.

[h3]Ventilate [R]:[/h3] 
◆ Bonus Physical Power Scaling per bullet decreased from 18% to 16%.



The true impact of Zarus’ arrival to the arena is still being assessed, as player mastery of our powerful new Hero continues to grow. 

That said, however, we’ve received some great community feedback that we’re keen to act on in this patch, as we further refine the timings of his abilities to make them more intuitive and generally improve his overall gameplay flow a bit. Alongside this we’re shifting around some of Zarus’ mana costs to better facilitate short, ability-based trades in lane, while also hitting the frequency at which he can run down his opponents with basic attacks alone as a result of well-times Evades in the earlier stages of a match.

[h3]General:[/h3]
◆ Improved the timing of damage instances on Basic Attacks, Barricade and Spear of Nyr.  

[h3]Barricade [Q]:[/h3]
◆ Mana Cost decreased from 80 to 60/65/70/75/80.

[h3]Evade [E]:[/h3]
◆ Attack Speed changed from 20% to 15%/17.5%/20%/22.5%/25%.
◆ Mana Cost increased from 40 to 50. 

[h3]Coliseum [R]:[/h3]
◆ Bonus Physical Power Scaling decreased from 150% to 100%.
◆ Now displays permanent physical power gained as a notifier on the HUD.




[h2]Crests:[/h2]
[h3]Rogue:[/h3] 
The Rogue crest offers too much early physical penetration and can result in overly oppressive trading loops in the first few levels of the lane phase. Time it was nudged down.

◆ Physical Penetration decreased from 8 to 6.





Additional bug fixes may be added to this blog after the patch is live. 

◆ Fixed a bug where Kallari would lose her Camouflage when receiving magical damage if Dread was on cooldown.
◆ Fixed a bug where Zarus’ evade would state Movement Speed as its buff notifier.
◆ Rectified an issue with Oathkeeper & Truesilver Bracelet Descriptions.
◆ Fixed an API issue with Rune Bow and Wild Hunt sharing the Item IDs of Bloodletter and Hunt.
◆ Fixed a bug where Feng Mao’s Reaping Dash would not gain the correct cooldown at rank 4.






That's all this week!

Let us know what you think of this update over on Twitter, the official Subreddit or our Discord server!

◆ Addressed a bug affecting item interactions that could sometimes lead to incorrect calculations.

Ready yourself, Champions! Zarus is coming in V0.10!

Zarus of course is our second original Hero after Kira and a devastating bruiser who marries deft agility with raw and limitless power. Internally we’re thrilled with how he’s come out and we can’t wait for you to get your hands on him!

For those of you who haven’t already skipped ahead to read about his abilities, this game update also brings some fairly hefty improvements to the way ability descriptions are showcased in game!

We won’t keep you any longer, pick up a spear and let’s leap into battle!

~ Kari, Senior Community Manager



[h2]Zarus seeks out a new challenge![/h2]

The mighty Zarus, Champion of Nyr and blessed by the God of the Senezani, roars into combat!

A ferocious warrior with an insatiable appetite for power and glory, Zarus dominates the battlefield in his quest for godhood!



[h2]Watch Zarus In Action!
[/h2]
In case it Evaded you, now’s a good chance to catch up on our Zarus Ability Overview video!



[h2]Abilities: [/h2]

Gladiator [Passive]: 
Upon entering combat, gain a stack of Gladiator when dealing damage with basic attacks or abilities to enemy Heroes or Monsters, stacking up to 8 times. Each stack grants 1% increased physical power.

After exiting combat, stacks will fall off over 5s, restoring 0.5/1/2/3% (levels 1/6/11/16) of Zarus’ maximum health per stack consumed.


Thrust [LMB]:
Cleave: 10%
Range: 375
Effect: Melee basic attack dealing 54 (+80% Bonus Physical Power) physical damage.

Barricade [Q]: 
Cooldown: 22/20.5/19/17.5/16
Cost: 80
Effect: Unfold your shield for 1.75s, reducing incoming damage by 60/65/70/75/80%. Upon recasting or after the duration, swing the shield dealing 55/75/95/115/135 (+100% Bonus Physical Power) physical damage, increasing up to 110/150/190/230/270 (+200% Bonus Physical Power) based on duration, and Stunning targets hit for 0.5s.

Evade [E]: Cooldown: 16/15/14/13/12
Cost: 40
Effect:  Dash in your current movement direction, gaining 15% movement speed for 1.5s and 20% Attack Speed for 4s.

Spear of Nyr [RMB]: Cooldown: 12/11.5/11/10.5/10
Cost: 30
Effect: Channel to throw a spear, dealing 70/100/130/160/190 (+110% Bonus Physical Power) physical damage to targets hit. Releasing within 0.3s will thrust the spear forward, dealing the same damage and refunding half the cooldown.

Damage increases by 100% against targets below 20% maximum health. Deals 75% damage to Minions.

Coliseum [R]: Cooldown: 120/100/80
Cost: 100
Effect: Leap at an Enemy Hero, dealing 150/235/320 (+150% Bonus Physical Power) physical damage. A large Coliseum is summoned for 6s and the bonus from Gladiator is doubled. 

If the target is killed within the duration you will permanently gain 6/8/10 Physical Power. You may recast this ability to end it early.





[h2]New Skin - Warlord Zarus[/h2]

Not all gods have to be pleasant. It’s time to show your merciless side.

Show your deific might with the new Warlord Zarus skin [Rare], our first skin with additional visual effects! Find it in store in V0.10!




[h2]Updated Hero Ability Descriptions:[/h2]

Hero ability descriptions have had a glow up! All of the important text you need to know is now colour-coded, with each of the ability’s properties having its own bulleted line. It’s never been easier to follow along with what each ability is doing for you!

It’s not just abilities though! Attack speed, critical chance and damage are now also shown on basic attacks.

And, as a final bonus, we’ve also calculated the total amount of damage each ability deals, meaning you no longer have to do advanced maths on the fly. Neat! 




Countess’s reliance on acquiring passive stacks to succeed in a match is a double-edged sword. It means she tends to function less reliably in low-kill games while conversely has the potential to snowball out of control and become a healing menace should she “feast” too heavily on her opponents. Stripping back on the Magical Lifesteal available in her Passive and redistributing it into her Ultimate will ensure Countess is less tied to her early kills to thrive, and won’t run rampant quite as easily, especially when building tanky. 

[h3]Blood Tithe [Passive]:[/h3]
◆ Magical Lifesteal per stack decreased from 1.5% to 1%. 

[h3]Eventide [E]:[/h3]
◆ Damage increased from 80/120/160/200/240 to 85/125/165/205/245.

[h3]Feast [R]:[/h3] 
◆ Percent Healing increased from 45% to 50%.



Gadget possesses an incredible amount of hidden utility due to the amount of Magical Armour Shred present on her Ultimate, which frequently enables heavy Magical Damage compositions to succeed beyond the norm. Like Drongo before her, we’re stripping back the Shred Duration to ensure its strength is isolated more to Gadget’s individual burst rather than her team, while also shifting some strength away from spammable waveclear and into her Sticky Mine to better reward her for singling out a target. 

[h3]Sticky Mine [Q]:[/h3]
◆ Magical Power Scaling increased from 70% to 75%.

[h3]Seek & Destroy [RMB]:[/h3]
◆ Cooldown increased from 10/9.5/9/8.5/8 to 12/11.5/11/10.5/10.

[h3]Tesla Dome [R]:[/h3]
◆ Shred duration decreased from 5s to 3s. 



The ‘Stone hasn’t been quite living up to his potential as of late, especially in the Offlane where he loses out to many opponents and struggles to come online. To help give him an edge, we’re bumping up his general strength in the early game to help him hold his own in lane, while also doubling down on his unique capability to block-basic attack by bolstering his Deflect capabilities in the late game.

[h3]General:[/h3]
◆ Base Health increased 620 to 645.

[h3]Stoicism [Passive]:[/h3]
◆ Deflect Cooldown decreased from 15-6.5 (-0.5 per level) to 15-4.8 (-0.6 per level).

[h3]Make Way [Q]:[/h3]
◆ Damage increased from 70/115/160/205/250 to 75/120/165/210/255.
◆ Cooldown decreased from 16/14.5/13/11.5/10 to 14/13/12/11/10.

[h3]Assault The Gates [RMB]:[/h3] 
◆ Damage increased from 90/135/180/225/270 to 100/145/190/235/280.
◆ Camera can now be rotated after casting.



More early boom for the R2000 missile, at the expense of some early Mana pool to ensure Howitzer doesn’t feel overly welcome in the Support role now that he’s bringing some extra heat to the early game. 

[h3]General:[/h3]
◆ Base Health decreased from 610 to 600.
◆ Base Mana decreased from 520 to 440.
◆ Mana Growth increased from 38 to 43.

[h3]R2000 Missile [Q]:[/h3] 
◆ Damage increased from 70/120/170/220/270 to 90/135/180/225/270.



Belica has been finding a little too much success lately, largely due to the pairing of her early lane pressure and late-game Stun capabilities. With less value coming from Missing Mana damage on early Neural Disruptors, enemy Mages will now feel less overwhelmed in the laning phase when at a Mana deficit. Likewise, a single Stun will now be slightly less of a death sentence after Belica achieves rank five, nudging down her late-game efficacy. 

[h3]Seismic Assault [Q]:[/h3]
◆ Innovation Stun duration decreased from 1.6s to 1.45s. 

[h3]Void Drone [E]: [/h3]
◆ Gold when destroyed increased from 10 to 20.

[h3]Neural Disruptor [R]:[/h3]
◆ Damage increased from 150/225/300 to 170/235/300.
◆ Enemy Missing Mana damage decreased from 0.5/0.55/0.6 to 0.4/0.5/0.6. 



The jolly Orc has proved too potent as of late. With high base damage and the ability to heal up any poke with a beat of his drum, punishing Narbash is a difficult task. To reduce his overall efficacy, we’re shifting some of his damage values to create more of a tradeoff between Tank and Enchanter itemisation, while taking a small chunk out of his early healing capabilities. Oh and there’s a Cleave buff too! If you know, you know...

[h3]General:[/h3]
◆ Basic Attack Cleave increased from 10% to 20%.

[h3]Song Of My People [E]:[/h3]
◆ Healing per Rhythm stack decreased from 0.3/0.35/0.4/0.45/0.5 to 0.2/0.25/0.3/0.35/0.4.
◆ Bugfix: Healing per Rhythm stack now correctly increases with rank.

[h3]Thunk [RMB]:[/h3]
◆ Base Damage decreased from 90/130/170/210/250 to 90/125/160/195/230.
◆ Magical Power Scaling increased from 50% to 70%. 

[h3]Crash Bang Boom [R]:[/h3] 
◆ Damage decreased from 200/300/400 to 180/270/360.
◆ Magical Power Scaling increased from 60% to 85%.



Revenant receives a lot of early upfront power from his passive, allowing him to overly stat-check others in lane should he get even a small gold lead. By shifting the curve of his bonus power gain from his Passive and redistributing some of his Obliterate damage into Scaling, Rev’ should prove to be a little less oppressive at his 1-item spike. 

[h3]Bounty Hunter [Passive]:[/h3]
◆ Base Physical Power Amplification at levels 1-18 decreased from 5.75%-10% to 1.5%-10%.

[h3]Obliterate [Q]:[/h3] 
◆ Damage Decreased from 40/60/80/100/120 to 40/55/70/85/100.
◆ Bonus Physical Power Scaling increased from 40% to 45%.



A quick bump in Mana Economy for the Reaper. In short, heavy Siphon use in lane will result  in 1 or 2 less casts before a recall, ensuring a fairer trade off in early efficacy for Sevarog given the scaling he possesses.  

[h3]General:[/h3]
◆ Base Mana Regeneration increased from 1.1 to 1.3. 

[h3]Siphon [Q]:[/h3]
◆ Mana Cost increased from 25 to 30. 



For this pass, we’re pushing The Fey’s damage profile away from relying on heavy Stun lock in favour of providing more raw burst potential. This should better enable her to blow up a target (or five) single-handedly with a well timed Ultimate, but leave her opponents more room for recovery and response should they survive the initial burst now that the Stun is less potent. 

[h3]FlyTrap [R]:[/h3]
◆ Damage increased from 200/275/350 to 200/300/400.
◆ Stun Duration decreased from 1.4s to 1s.
◆ Magical Power Scaling increased from 50% to 60%. 



TwinBlast is still overperforming in a few areas. For starters, Vortex Grenades are a little too effective in the later stages of the lane and could use a hit to their damage to bring them in line. On the other hand, Ventilate is a huge point of contention for many and can prove oppressive, especially in Deathstalker builds. However, now that Deathstalker has received a rework, we’ve chosen to hold off on any additional adjustments to Ventilate while we wait for the dust to settle. 

[h3]General:[/h3]
◆ [Bugfix] Magical Armor Growth increased from 0.5 to 0.9.

[h3]Vortex Grenade [RMB]:[/h3]
◆ Damage increased from 20/35/50/65/80 to 25/40/55/70/85.
◆ Total Physical Power Scaling decreased from 100% to 90%.



[h2]T2:[/h2]

[h3]Crimson Edge:[/h3] 
A slight bump in early lifesteal to facilitate those that need some early healing.
‎ ‎ ‎ ◆ Lifesteal increased from 5% to 6%.


[h3]Rapid Rapier:[/h3] 
A quick drop in physical penetration to resolve recipe issues.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ◆ Physical Penetration decreased from 5 to 4.



[h2]Crests:[/h2]

[h3]Obelisk:[/h3]
Obelisk’s ability to turn its wielder, be they Mage or Tank, into a burst Mage veers away from the core identity of the item as a scaling option for Magical users and results in too much strength. We’re shifting some of its damage potential away from Soul stacking and further into its magical power scaling to ensure the overall damage output of Condemn is more reasonable, and more tailored to those that build for damage.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ◆ Condemn Base Damage decreased from 80 to 70.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ◆ Condemn Damage per Soul decreased from 15 to 12.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ◆ Condemn Magical Power Scaling increased from 20% to 25%.



[h2]Assassin:[/h2]
Included within this section are 3 Assassin item reworks: Deathstalker, Dread and Nightfall.

These are described below in further detail, but the goal with these items is to provide  clearer thematic options in the form of a new Attack Speed option, Anti-Magic option and Sustain option; which are not just viable for the Assassin class itself, but also creating new build possibilities for  Fighters and Carries alike.


[h3]Deathstalker [Reworked]:[/h3]
Deathstalker provided an extra Percent Shred option that doubled up damage against both Tanks and squishies alike, providing too much damage output for those few Heroes that could use it and being especially abusive when stacked with other means of Percent Penetration.

We’ve opted to rework it into an Attack Speed-orientated choice, better facilitating new build combinations that wish to blend high Attack Speed with the Assassin playstyle, whether that’s with Feng Mao, a wild Grux, or even a Rad Rounds slinging Drongo. 

NEW:
◆ Item Type: Physical Shred/Attack Speed
◆ Cost: 3100
◆ Physical Power: 40
◆ Physical Penetration: 8
◆ Attack Speed: 18
◆ Recipe: Rapid Rapier + Honed Kris + 650g
◆ Virulent Strikes: Basic Attacks against Enemy Heroes shred 2 physical armor for 3s, stacking up to 5 times.
◆ Onslaught: Gain Attack Speed equal to 70% of your Physical Penetration.

OLD: ◆ Item Type: Physical Shred
◆ Cost: 3100
◆ Physical Power: 45
◆ Physical Penetration: 10
◆ Ability Haste: 10
◆ Recipe: Honed Kirs + Ruthless Broadsword + 550g
◆ Corrode: Dealing damage to an Enemy Hero reduces their physical armor by 4% for 3s. Stacking up to 6 times.
◆ Virulence: Your abilities deal 25% bonus physical damage against Targets with 6 stacks of Corrode. 



[h3]Dread [Reworked]:[/h3]
While enjoyed by many, Dread provided too many benefits as a standalone item. Not only did it serve as an anti-magic option via statline, but it also granted Health sustain, Mana sustain and mobility, all while granting a reset condition that blurs the lines with Draconum. Having so many functions within a single item bloated its utility, frequently making it an optimal pickup in the vast majority of cases and best in slot, while also overlapping thematically with other items, thus convoluting the item set. 

To help keep Dread more focused, we’re repurposing it into a strictly anti-magical burst option, usable by anyone seeking some extra damage and looking to dive into the magical fray. 

[NEW]:
◆ Item Type: Anti-Magic
◆ Cost: 3,000
◆ Physical Power: 40
◆ Physical Penetration: 10
◆ Magical Armor: 30
◆ Recipe: Honed Kris + Nullifying Mask + Sabre + 600g
◆ Sinister Shield: Upon receiving magical damage from an Enemy Hero, block 25% of all incoming magical damage for 3s. Sinister Shield regenerates after not receiving damage from Heroes for 20s.
◆ Scourge: While Sinister Shield is available, gain 20 bonus physical power.

[OLD]: ◆ Item Type: Anti-Magic
◆ Cost: 3000
◆ Physical Power: 40
◆ Physical Penetration: 8
◆ Magical Armor: 30
◆ Base Mana Regeneration: 150%
◆ Recipe: Honed Kris + Sabre + Polar Treads + 350g:
◆ Voracity: Killing an Enemy Target restores 5% of your missing health, increased to 20% for Enemy Heroes.
◆ Celerity: Gain 10% bonus movement speed out of combat.


[h3]Nightfall [Reworked]:[/h3]
Nightfall’s isolate/splitpush condition did not translate well into the 3D space with its previous implementation, and saw little play as a result. In a bid to revitalise the item and redefine it now that Deathstalker is better occupying the Attack Speed niche, we’re doubling down on Nightfall as an alternative Sustain tool.

[NEW]:
◆ Item Type: Sustain
◆ Cost: 2800
◆ Physical Power: 35
◆ Physical Penetration: 12
◆ Lifesteal: 8%
◆ Recipe: Honed Kris+ Crimson Edge + 850g
◆ Eclipse: Abilities heal for 5% of damage dealt to Enemy Heroes.
◆ Blood Moon: While below 40% maximum health, Eclipse’s healing increases to 10%.

[OLD]: ◆ Item Type: Dueling
◆ Cost: 2800
◆ Physical Power: 45
◆ Physical Penetration: 12
◆ Recipe: Honed Kris+ Honed Kris + 750g
◆ Eclipse: Dealing damage to an Isolated Enemy Hero grants 10% attack speed and 10 ability haste for 5s, stacking up to 3 times. At maximum stacks, gain 8% omnivamp.


[h3]The Perforator:[/h3]
A quick shift in stats to make Perforator more Haste heavy, better rounding out builds when it is picked up and differentiating it further from Demolisher.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ◆ Cost decreased from 3300 to 3200.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ◆ Physical Power decreased from 55 to 45.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ◆ Ability Haste increased from 15 to 25.



[h2]Mage:[/h2]

[h3]Oathkeeper:[/h3]
Oathkeeper was needlessly scaling too heavily with Total Physical Power rather than Magical Power, so we’re adjusting its scalings to allow it ramp appropriately with Magical builds.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ◆ Total Physical Power Scaling decreased from 60% to 35%.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ◆ Magical Power Scaling increased from 50% to 60%.



[h2]Support:[/h2]

[h3]Truesilver Bracelet:[/h3]
Less base shield, more scaling. This will help reduce the efficacy of Truesilver as a first buy (regardless of class) and ensure it scales more sizeably throughout a match.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ◆ Reprisal Base Shield decreased from 250 to 200.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ◆ Reprisal Bonus Health Scaling increased from 15% to 20%.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ◆ Reprisal Shield Duration decreased from 5s to 4s. 
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ◆ Reprisal Damage decreased from 60% to 50%. 



◆ Fixed a bug where Frostguard’s stacks would immediately be removed if the enemy walked outside the Aura.
◆ Fixed an error with Frostguard’s Item type. No longer states “Slowing Aura”.
◆ Fixed a bug where Mutilator’s enhanced ability proc would not scale down with On-Hit modifiers.
◆ Fixed a bug where Mutilator’s Mutilate passive would not correctly deal double damage when using On-Hit Abilities.
◆ Fixed a bug where Tectonic Mallet would cause Physical Power to be lost while Slowed.
◆ Fixed a bug with Cleaver’s shockwave VFX being larger than intended.
◆ Fixed a bug where Vanquisher would grant additional Malady stacks on kill.
◆ Fixed a bug where Feng Mao’s Ultimate Execute would not count as Ability Damage for certain item effects (such as Malady and Draconum).
◆ Fixed a bug where Murdock’s Stimpack would not display its increasing Mana Cost on level up.

◆ Fixed a bug where Terminus cost 50 gold less than intended.
◆ Fixed a bug causing Truesilver Bracelet’s explosion to deal more damage than intended.
◆ Fixed a bug where Draconum could stack with items in unintended ways.
◆ Fixed a bug where Dusk Minions could get stuck near Inhibitor ledges.
◆ Fixed a bug where players could stand on top of a tree in the Red Jungles.
◆ Fixed a bug where TwinBlast could use a rock to enable dashing up into Mid from River.
◆ Fixed a bug where Monsters would not always play impact SFX when hitting Heroes.
◆ Fixed an issue causing Tower Immune SFX to be too loud.
◆ Fixed a bug where TwinBlast would not show Cooldown notifications when trying to cast Vortex Grenades with no charges.
◆ Fixed a bug where Phase's Energy Lance [E] would pass through Steel's Force Shield [E].





That's all this week!

Let us know what you think of this update over on Twitter, the official Subreddit or our Discord server!