Welcome to Patch 2.63! In this patch, we are graduating a number of the test features that have been revised in the Experimental Queue with your feedback. There are several balance improvements and map updates designed to go along with the changes to the jump and dodge mechanics, largely based on your feedback! We also have a new skin for Val, a new weapon skin, and flag avatars for more countries, all available in the Mallhalla!

Mallhalla

• Commando Val – “Behind enemy lines, and she’ll never stop!”
• Dusk – “Pierce the veil and take down your foes.”
• Added flag avatars for countries Ukraine, Malaysia, Jamaica, Iceland & Hungary.

Brawl Of The Week – FFA Dodgebomb!

Free-for-all Dodgebomb mayhem! Toss bombs at your opponents while dodging theirs! Score 2 points for a knockout and lose a point for being knocked out yourself! The player with the most explosive score wins!

• Dodgebomb.
• 4 player free-for-all.
• 2 minutes.

Test Features

There’s been a fair bit of outcry lately asking for dodge to be revisited, and a number of players hoping for the inclusion of jump changes ever since a version of them first hit Test Features in January.

Rather than waiting for Season 5, we’re introducing them now to get more tournament exposure and time for iteration before the next S-tier event. Please continue to make suggestions and weigh in on the existing feedback.

Graduated from Test Features:

By reducing the jump height, we’re hoping to keep players in range of each other more often and reduce the effectiveness of jump as an escape tool.

Jump Changes

• Jump Height decreased from 414 to 357.
• Jump duration decreased from 66 to 60.
• Max Fall Speed increased from 60 to 70.
• Max Fastfall Speed increased from 70 to 85.

These changes should help players to punish a badly timed dodge and lessen the windows for punishing an attack after dodging.

Slow Dodge Vulnerability

• Increased the duration of Slow Dodges by 3 frames. The player is not invulnerable during this period.
• The 2 frame recover period after a Slow Dodge ends is increased to 4 frames. Players can move but not attack or jump.
• Decreased the travel speed of Slow Dodges by 12%.

A community request with generally positive feedback so far. Players have mentioned being able to apply more pressure and having a harder time positioning attacks when used passively.

Speed Dodge Increase

• Increased the duration of Speed Dodges by 3 frames.
• Increased travel speed of Speed Dodges by 10%.

These changes focus on lowering dodge availability to further increase the risk of Slow and Aerial Dodges. As this keeps players from being able to escape a string for longer after a punished dodge, string-heavy weapons are being adjusted this patch.

Dodge Cooldown Changes

• Dodge Cooldown for a Grounded Slow Dodge is now 75 frames.
• Cooldown when landing after an Aerial Dodge is now 25 frames more than the dodge’s Grounded Cooldown.

Added to Test Features:

There’s been a popular community request recently to limit backward steering of Side Airs, especially after landing on the ground.

These changes reduce all steering of grounded aerial powers and all backward steering of Side Air powers, but have a combined effect that severely limits the specific case of retreating with grounded Side Airs.

Fadeaway Changes

• All Side Airs: Backward steering multiplier reduced by an additional 10% of normal acceleration.
• Friction is doubled when performing an air attack while on the ground.

Maps

• Adjusted Grumpy Temple and Small Grumpy Temple to better fit the new jump height.
• Lost Labyrinth and Big Lost Labyrinth have been adjusted to better suit the new max jump height.

The Forge

Last week, we opened a Discord server dedicated to Brawlhalla balance discussion, in which many of you are already participating. The amount and quality of feedback has been astounding, and we look forward to even better results as representatives are chosen at the end of this week, who will help distill community discussion into the desired changes for each future balance patch. We sincerely thank you all for being such an amazing community, working with each other and with us to continue to grow Brawlhalla! If you are eager to join the discussions and have not already, The Forge can be accessed here: https://discord.gg/3t3gkZ2 . Be sure to read the welcome message for all the details regarding discussion and channel topics!

Balance

This week’s balance updates center around the new dodge and jump changes that have graduated from test features. We have opened up some of the areas of potential concern for string heavy weapons such as Gauntlets, Scythe, and Katars, primarily those leading to attacks with high knockout potential. Other weapons have had power shifted into attacks that can help them take advantage of the new dodge duration and cooldown. Be sure to explore all of the options available this patch, and give us your feedback in The Forge!

Spear

The Spear has had some power shifted from its Neutral Air into its Side Light. The Neutral Air was a concern for covering too much of the new dodge durations, so we have shifted some of its active frames into recover frames. The Side Light will see a benefit in reduced time between its two swings, resulting in a faster overall attack.

• Spear Neutral Air: Decreased Active frames from 11 to 9; Increased Recover from 16 Variable/6 Fixed to 16 Variable/7 Fixed
• Spear Side Light: Decreased the gap between the two swings from 13 frames to 12 frames.

Rocket Lance

The Rocket Lance has received a faster Side Light to better fit the faster speed of the game, at the cost of some damage taken from the Side Air. A faster Side Light should allow for more reliable punishes on the new dodge durations and cooldowns.

• Rocket Lance Side Light: Decreased Time to Hit from 10 to 9.
• Rocket Lance Side Air: Decreased Damage from 22 to 20.

Katars

The Katars have had dodge windows opened up when leading into the Recovery attack as it appeared slightly too strong with the new dodge cooldowns. However, that power has found its way into a reduced recover time on miss for the Down Light, strengthening grounded conversions against airborne opponents.

• Katars Down Light: Decreased Recover on miss from 18 Variable/3 Fixed to 18 Variable/2 Fixed.
• Katars Recovery: Increased Time to Hit from 8 to 9.

Axe

The Axe has received extra recover on miss for its Side Light, bending the risk/reward to be more dangerous for the user. Coupled with the new dodge cooldowns, players should find an easier path in against Axe-wielding targets.

• Axe Side Light: Increased Recover on miss from 10 Variable/3 Fixed to 10 Variable/5 Fixed.

Bow

We have shifted some power from the Bow’s string tool, the Down Light, into its Neutral Light anti-air. This widens the dodge window between the two for an easier escape, which was a concern with the new dodge durations and cooldowns, even allowing for poorly timed attacks to be evaded without the use of a dodge.

• Bow Down Light: Decreased Stun from 18 to 17.
• Bow Neutral Light: Decreased Recover on miss from 20 Variable/8 Fixed to 20 Variable/7 Fixed.

Gauntlets

The Gauntlets were of particular concern to many players with the dodge updates. As a weapon with a powerful ability for continued attacks, we have tightened the timing requirement on one of the Gauntlets most common starters, the Down Light. Interactions involving the Side Air have also been widened to allow for more reliable escapes and more time to contest the attack in the neutral game by shifting some of its recover time into time to hit.

• Gauntlets Down Light: Decreased Stun from a range of 26~22 to a range of 24~20.
• Gauntlets Side Air: Increased Time to Hit from 11 to 12; Decreased Recover on miss from 21 Variable/2 Fixed to 21 Variable/1 Fixed.

Scythe

As the dodge and jump changes go live, we have opened up a key interaction of continuous Scythe strings by increasing the dodge window after a backwards Neutral Air. To compensate, we have decreased the recover on miss for the Down Air, as it was the string tool with the longest recover time and has both dodge and jump windows in string routes that involve this power.

• Scythe Down Air: Decreased Recover on miss from 24 Variable/3 Fixed to 24 Variable/1 Fixed.
• Scythe Neutral Air: Decreased Stun on the backwards version from 22 to 21.

Animation

• Minor tweaks to Val’s unselected pose in her character select animation.

Controller Support

• PC support for Monect PC Remote Controller.

Server Improvements

• Relocated Singapore servers to a new data center in hopes of helping with routing issues in the SEA region.
• Upgraded servers in Brazil.
• Currently looking into upgrades for all other regions.

New Legend Rotation

This week’s Legend Rotation features Barraza, Gnash, Koji, Mordex, Queen Nai & Scarlet.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a rare crash that could occur in the Match Preview screen in Ranked 2v2.
• Fixed a bug in Test Features that could reduce Dodge Cooldown if hit during the vulnerable frames after a dodge. (Credit: FreeChairmanMao)
• Fixed a bug that would cause Unarmed’s Down Air to not play the correct ending on miss.
• Potential fixes for PC support for 8Bitdo NES30 Pro.
• Fixed a bug in Test Features where a small number of powers get a much larger speed boost than intended when canceled out of a Speed Dodge. (Credit GraverageGaming) (HF 2.62.1)

—– PS4 REPORT —–

Beta progress is going well! Currently we have a small amount of keys for a developer only beta. It’s been useful for helping us clean things up and prepare for a full Closed Beta launch. We expect to be receiving our US keys by the end of the week and hopefully the EU keys soon after. Beta should start soon, thank you for your patience! Brawlhalla feels really good on PS4 and we know it will be worth the wait!