#374 - Into the Nexus: “The Reign of Vengeance”
• Garrett • Kyle • NotParadox or Guest
Tracking Link:
https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/
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The patch is live! Garrett and Kyle walk you through all the goodies inside to prepare you for your weekend’s Heroes-tastic adventures. Hots is in the public eye this week as not only Blizzard, but other news sources have been talking about our humble little game. Next comes the big patch rundown. Week one playtesting feelings on the reworks and covering the ins and outs of all the balance chances. Just ban Valla (unless you’re GM quality Zeratul is ready).
Intro: Welcome to Into the Nexus! The Heroes of the Storm podcast!
Patreon Mention: Patreon.com/ITN
Thanks to our Patreon producers Declan H, CheezyBob, Chris K, Mike C, & Shawn B.
Patron Thanks Doc for keeping track
- C-Michael R upped their pledge and claimed our final producer spot!!!
Still looking for someone who knows CSS for HOTSlogs
Email tech@hotslogs.com
News
News Cycle
Official Youtube Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2aIzL_pnc8&t=49s
Game Space:
https://www.gamespace.com/all-articles/news/heroes-of-the-storm-overwatch-cosplay-trailer/
Dexerto:
HotS is getting promoted by Blizz again!
Can’t remember the last time I got an email promoting HotS.
Senior artist Andrew Kinabrew Article on Heroes of the Storm:
What’s a wacky Heroes skin pack you’d love to make some day?
I hope that we can do a shark-themed pack some day. Sharkhaka and Hammerhead Greymane would be a lot of fun.
Brigitte:
We love Brigitte, and she would have been a cool skin, but we fell in love with Reinhardt’s armor when we first laid eyes on it, back before his debut in Overwatch.
Patch is LIVE!
Experience Globes
Experience Globes will no longer time out after 6 seconds. Instead, they will shrink and become worth 25% of their original value for an additional 39 seconds.
Developer Comment: We are continuously looking for gameplay changes that make the game more fun while also educating the player base. This change does both - giving teams that missed the crucial 6 second timing window a chance for partial redemption while, at the same time, showing players where they are missing valuable experience via lane soaking. The team has been enjoying how this plays internally and are eager to hear your feedback.
Pikeboo:
Do you think the nerfs to waveclear are made with the XP Global change in mind?
Kyle:
Will trickle xp be removed?
How’s it feel - Reworks
Heroes Rework: Anduin
- More active. No wonder he’s so popular
Heroes Rework: Johanna
- Really fun mobility. Divine Steed does not have unstoppable. Great 16 self healing with Holy Renewal
Heroes Rework: Raynor
- Ace in the Hole feels real bad. Gotta learn to aim on Raynor?
- Merc build works. But damage feels bad.
- I’ve heard from 4 separate people that they’re being targeted in QM when mercing.
Heroes Rework: Stitches
- A lot of text for not a lot of change.
- Played one game and felt so utterly useless it killed all desire to test more.
Heroes Rework: Valla
- No balance
- Love the W Build with 16 - 20 Auto Attack
- I’ve played 5 QM games with her? I’ve won 5 QM games.
Links
Kyle Roster’ocyples
Balance - Tanks
Mei
Developer Comment: Mei is still slightly overperforming at all levels of play, so she gets a boop from the nerf stick.
- Health reduced from 2675 to 2625. [-1.8%]
- Health regeneration reduced from 5.5742 to 5.5703.
Level 1 - Ice Storm [W]
- Periodic damage reduced from 45 to 42.
Level 1 - Heat Transfer [Passive]
- Heal amount reduced from 18 to 16.5.
2
Level 4 - Cold Front [E]
- Passive cooldown reduction reduced from 4 to 3 seconds.
Level 10 - Ice Wall [R2]
- Cooldown increased from 50 to 60 seconds.
Balance - Bruisers
DVa
Developer Comment: D.Va’s Mech is still slightly more powerful than we’d like, and it’s giving D.Va the edge over other Heroes before considering her capabilities with Self-Destruct and Pilot mode. She also has some talents with some suffering pick rates that we hope are now more attractive.
- Mech Health reduced from 2150 to 2100. [-2.3%]
- Mech Health Regeneration reduced from 4.48 to 4.38.
Fusion Cannons [Trait]
- Bonus damage to close enemies reduced from 50% to 40%. [-20%]
Level 1 - Full Metal [Trait]
- Fusion Cannons healing reduced from 20% to 16%.
Level 1 - Liquid Cooling [Active]
- Healing Fountain duration bonus increased from 25% to 35%.
Level 4 - Rush-down [Q]
- Damage bonus to non-Heroic enemies reduced from 70% to 50%.
Level 4 - Aggression Matrix [W]
- Reduced Healing received increased from 30% to 35%.
Level 7 - Fusion Generator [W]
- Fusion Cannons bonus increased from 75% to 100%.
Level 10 - Micro Missiles [R2]
- Slow reduced from 35% to 30%.
Level 13 - Target Locked [W]
- Duration required reduced from 1.25 seconds to 1 second.
Level 20 - Stop and Pop [R1]
- Additional Functionality: Bunny Hop duration increased by 4 seconds.
Hogger
Developer Comment: Hogger is inching closer towards what we feel is a healthy state of balance, but the PvE efficacy that Hogg Wild offers is still keeping him above many other Bruisers. We think increasing the baseline damage and re-focusing the Rage bonuses towards PvP only will help in this regard.
Hogg Wild [E]
- Radius reduced from 2.75 to 2.625. [-4.5%]
- Damage increased from 32 to 44. [+37.5%]
- Damage bonus per point of Rage reduced from 1% to .5%. [-50%]
- Changed Functionality: Damage bonus from Rage now only applies to Heroic targets.
Level 1 - On The Prowl [Active]
- Healing per second reduced from 9 to 8.
Level 4 - Brute Force [Q/D]
- Loot Hoard range bonus increased from 15 to 20%.
- Maximum damage bonus increased from 125 to 150.
- Additional Functionality: Increase Loot Hoard’s damage by 50%.
Level 4 - Aggro Range [E]
- Radius bonus decreased from 25% to 20%.
Level 13 - Pummel [E] - Pummel Bot
- Spell Power reduction duration reduced from 3 to 2 seconds.
Level 20 - No Control [Active]
- Duration decay rate increased by 50%.
Sonya
Developer Comment: Sonya has been overperforming, so she is getting a sizable decrease in strength. We're trying something a little different with Shattered Ground by separating its existing benefits based on its target, and we hope this change is more interesting than simply numerically reducing its bonus.
Level 1 - Furious Blow [W]
- Damage bonus reduced from 50% to 40%.
Level 4 - Shattered Ground [W]
- Changed Functionality: Increase Seismic Slam's splash damage by 250%. Targeting a Hero with Seismic Slam further increases its splash damage by 250%, while targeting other enemies instead increases the length of Seismic Slam's splash by 66%.
Level 16 - Giant Slammer [W]
- Healing from damage dealt reduced from 100% to 60%.
Balance: Support
The Lost Vikings
Developer Comment: Previously, The Lost Vikings had received a significant buff to their base stats to assist in their adjustment to experience globes. The Lost Viking players have since adapted wonderfully, so we're halving the impact of that buff, while assisting a few weaker talents.
Baleog
- Health reduced from 1180 to 1130. [-4.2%]
- Health Regeneration reduced from 2.46 to 2.35. [-4.4%]
- Basic Attack damage reduced from 78 to 75. [-3.8%]
Erik
- Health reduced from 840 to 804. [-4.2%]
- Health Regeneration reduced from 1.75 to 1.67. [-4.5%]
- Basic Attack damage reduced from 65 to 62. [-4.6%]
Olaf
- Health reduced from 1540 to 1482. [-3.7%]
- Health Regeneration reduced from 3.21 to 3.08. [-4%]
- Basic Attack damage reduced from 57 to 54. [-5.2%]
Level 4 - It's a Sabotage! [Passive]
- Damage over time duration reduced from 5 to 3 seconds.
- Damage per second increased from 50 to 75.
Level 7 - Norse Force! [Q]
- Base Shield increased from 130 to 140.
- Additional Shield for each Viking alive increased from 65 to 84.
Level 10 - Longboat Raid! [R2]
- Damage per second increased from 112 to 128.
Level 16 - Impatience Is a Virtue [Passive]
- Cooldown reduction increased from .25 seconds to .31 seconds.
Level 16 - 64 KB Marathon [Z]
- Changed Functionality: Bonus Movement Speed no longer decays over its duration.
Level 20 - Ragnarok 'n' Roll! [R1]
- Additional Functionality: Reduce the cooldown of Longboat Raid by 30 seconds.
Balance: Healer
Lucio
Developer Comment: Lucio has become a dominant force in the hands of skilled players. We’re happy we’ve been able to make High Five a competitive option, and so we’re simply targeting Lucio’s personal survivability. We’ve yet to get players to play their Boomboxes, but we’ll keep trying.
Level 1 - Party Mix [W]
- New Functionality:
- Quest: Play Crossfade tracks to nearby allies.
- Reward: Every minute played increases Lucio’s Maximum Mana by 2%. After 8 Minutes of total play time, increase the range of Crossfade by 20%.
Level 7 - Boombox [Active]
- Cast range increased by 100% (5 to 10 grid).
- Health increased from 350 to 600.
- Additional Functionality: Allies affected by Boombox gain 5 Armor.
Level 10 - High Five [R2]
- Self-heal reduced from 125 to 80.
Level 13 - Slip [Z]
- Armor reduced from 20 to 15.
Level 16 - Up To Eleven [E]
- New Functionality: Increase the duration of Amp It Up by 1 second. While Amp It Up is active, enemy Heroes hit with Soundwave or Push-Off increase it’s duration by an additional .3 seconds.
Level 20 - Mixing Fire [R2]
- Damage dealt reduced from 225 to 160.
- Cost and cooldown reduction reduced from 50% to 30%.
- Bugged! Gives 6 second cooldown on High Five.
Uther
Developer Comment: We don’t dislike Uther being capable of playing a frontline role, but we do believe he’s doing so a little too freely. This should make it a little more expensive for Uther to rush into danger.
Devotion [Trait]
- Adjusted Functionality: Uther’s Basic Abilities grant 25 Armor to allied Heroes, and 15 to Uther, for 2 seconds.
Level 16 - Beacon of Light [Q]
- Self-healing bonus increased from 100% to 125%.
- Self-healing bonus at low Health increased from 200% to 250%.
Level 16 - Tyr's Deliverance [W]
- Maximum stacks increased from 4 to 7.
Level 20 - Divine Protection [Trait]
- Additional Functionality: Sets Devotion Armor for both allied Heroes and Uther to 50.
Balance: Ranged Assassin
Azmodan
Developer Comment: Azmodan's PvE-centric talents are proving a little stronger than we'd like for how easy they are to execute on, so we're shaving off a little bit of power across the board and greatly reducing the cast range of Demonic Invasion. We're also normalizing Globe of Annihilation's level scaling since his Q builds are underperforming at most levels of play.
Globe of Annihilation [Q]
- Level scaling increased from 2.5 to 4%. [+60%]
Level 1 - Greed [Q]
- Non-Heroic damage bonus reduced from 20 to 15%.
Level 1 - Gluttony [Q]
- Annihilation earned from Hero hits increased from 3 to 4.
Level 7 - Master of Destruction [E]
- Annihilation earned from Hero hits reduced from 4 to 2.
Level 10 - Demonic Invasion [R1]
- Range decreased from 20 to 13.5.
- Demonic Grunt attack damage reduced from 42 to 39.
Level 16 - Hell Rift [E]
- Demon Warrior damage bonus reduced from 100 to 75%.
Level 20 - Siegebreaker [R1]
- Damage bonus reduced from 50 to 40%.
Level 20 - Pride [Q]
- Damage bonus increased from 100 to 125.
Falstad
Developer Comment: Falstad’s last changes have certainly shocked the Nexus, unfortunately in part due to some regrettable bugs. With some tuning to keep him grounded, and a new coat of paint, Falstad is ready for his next flight.
Lightning Rod [W]
- Lightning Rod verifies its targets are in range more frequently, from every second to every .25 seconds.
- Lightning Rod now uses a custom range indicator.
Level 1 - Gathering Storm [Q]
- Hammerang damage bonus per stack increased from 0.2% to 0.4%.
Level 1 - Dishonorable Discharge [W]
- Lightning Rod cooldown reduction reduced from 3 to 2 seconds.
- Lightning Rod damage bonus per stack decreased from 1% to .75%, maximum bonus remains 75%.
- Changed Functionality: Takedowns resetting Lightning Rod's cooldown now gained on quest completion.
Level 13 - Thunderstrikes [W]
- Damage bonus per stack increased from 20% to 25%.
- Changed Functionality: Thunderstrikes' damage bonus no longer affects other Lightning Rod bonuses.
Junkrat
Developer Comment: It’s been a minute since we’ve seen Junkrat blow some stuff up. Get at it!
Frag Launcher [Q]
- Damage increased from 118 to 124. [+5%]
Level 1 - Extra-Wound Timers [Q]
- Damage bonus increased from 80% to 120%.
Level 7 - Big As [E]
- Additional Functionality: Steel Trap only hits Heroes.
Level 10 - Rocket Ride [R2]
- Damage increased from 890 to 935.
Tassadar
Developer Comment: Tassadar's Q build is underperforming at higher levels of play, so we're bumping him up slightly in that regard. The reduction in channel duration doesn’t change how quickly the beam begins to travel, and instead just allows Tassadar to act sooner.
Shock Ray [Q]
- Channel duration reduced from .75 to .6875 seconds. [-8.3%]
Level 4 - Induction [Q]
- Changed Functionality: Tassadar gains 10% increased Movement Speed. Casting Shock Ray increases this bonus to 30% for 3 seconds.
Level 7 - Beam Alignment [Q]
- Mana cost reduction increased from 10 to 15.
- Additional Functionality: While Resonance Beam is fully charged, Shock Ray’s Slow duration is increased to 4 seconds.
Level 13 - Shadow Walk [Active]
- Armor increased from 25 to 35.
HotS Law
Rep. Dong-soo Lee, a member of the Democratic Party and South Korean parliament, proposed the "Heroes of the Storm Law", along with a group of other politicians and lawmakers.
On 18th May 2021, Rep. Dong-soo spoke in the parliament, where he explained why he wants to make these changes and why they are important for the future of the esports industry in South Korea.
"In the case of esports, if the game company is no longer willing to continue the competition, there is room for the competition to end even while the competition is in operation," he stated, as reported by Naver.
He explains that these kinds of unilateral decisions can seriously infringe the rights of numerous other parties involved in the competitions, including esports organisations, pro players, casters, and other people involved in the production of such events.
As one of the most infamous examples, he brought out the abrupt termination of the Heroes of the Storm Global Championship (HGC).
The HGC saw a sudden end in December of 2018, which effectively ended the game's pro scene.
This came just weeks after a lot of people involved in the competition, including players, casters, and even developers, were reassured that the next season of the HGC was going to be bigger than ever before.
And this is exactly the type of situation which Rep. Dong-soo Lee wants to prevent with his proposal. The bill would require that publishers or others who own the copyright of a game will need to inform at least several months in advance all of the involved parties if they are planning to cease operations of an esports competition.
In this way, the rights of teams, players, casters, and viewers will be protected as they will know the exact state of the competition, and can prepare for their future accordingly.
Rep. Dong-soo Lee emphasizes that many esports players are in their teens or early 20s, which is a crucial time for a person's development. Many of them are dedicating their life to a game they play professionally, and a sudden ending of competitions (and thus their careers) can have severe and long-lasting consequences.
"In particular, professional gamers are investing in their teens to early-mid-20s, which is the most important period in a person's life due to its nature, and as there are not a few minors, institutional protection measures must be introduced," Dong-soo stated.
Links
Emails
Corny
Hots has gone back and forth on talent philosophies so which do you prefer: Being able to make a "Q build" with a Q talent on most tiers or making a tier nothing but Q choices? Show your work.
Outro
Patreon Shout Out
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Thanks to Gorath for our intro music and briangriffithmusic.com (@briangriffith) for our outro..
Personal Stuff
Garrett
- Follow Garrett @GarrettArt
- NOMOONart.com for Garrett’s stream designs.
- The Angry Chicken: A Hearthstone Podcast
- R2-T2
Kyle
- Twitch.tv/kylefergusson
- Kylefergusson.com