Patch Notes: October 19, 2017

This patch will include the content that we’ve been teasing over the last few weeks: new Elites, new multiplayer maps, and some surprise skins! Additionally, there will be a balance update, the details of which are outlined below. This patch will introduce a 30% health increase for non-heavy infantry, making early game time to kill more forgiving. Some T1 units have had their damage tuned to compensate for the overall boost. To ensure that these units don’t over-scale in the late game, health upgrade effectiveness has been tuned in parallel. As a result, these changes make units healthier, and early game fights last longer. Fights over resource points and open-field skirmishes now have a slightly different feel, but the key takeaway is that we’ve shifted towards a greater focus on tactical decision-making.

New

• New Elites: Ironclad Dreadnought, Wraithseer Kayduin, and the Lifta-Droppa Battlewagon

• New maps: Shrine of Asuyran (1v1), Serpent Chasm (2v2), and Da Extraktor (3v3)

• Free skins: Primaris Chaplain Diomedes, Salamander Ironclad Dreadnought, Helmeted Kyre, Deathwing Terminators, and Deathwing Assault Terminators

Improved

• New Custom game options: toggle Elites on or off, toggle doctrines on or off, toggle global abilities on or off

• Missions 1 to 3 difficulty tuning

Gameplay

• Health and shields of non-Elite infantry increased by 30%

• Buildable turrets (from doctrines) for all factions have had their damage increased from 7 to 13

Economy

• Elite point generator cost increased from 80 Requisition / 20 Power to 120 Requisition / 45 Power

• Elite point generator cost is no longer affected by the scaling of other generators

• Building an Elite point generator no longer increases the scaling of other generators

Buildings

• Listening Post damage increased from 7 to 9

• Listening Post health increased from 2200 to 2500

• Power Core turret auto attack damage increased from 12.5 to 16.25

• Power Core beam attack increased from 15 to 19

Maps

• Shrine of Asuyran (1v1) has been added into the Custom match and Quick-Match map lists

• Serpent Chasm (2v2) has been added into the Custom match and Quick-Match map lists

• Da Extraktor (3v3) has been added into the Custom match and Quick-Match map lists

Tactical Marines

Doctrines:

• AdjustedFrag GrenadeDamage increased from 15 to 26

Frag grenades were already behind the curve compared to similar abilities, but it needed a substantial boost to maintain relevance in conjunction with the infantry health changes.

Scouts

• Cluster Mines detonation radius decreased from 5 to 2.5

• Cluster Mines area of effect increased from 5 to 6

To improve the effectiveness of Cluster Mines, we decreased their detonation radius and the ability’s area of effect to ensure that more units will be hit by the explosion.

Scout Snipers

• Damage increased from 25 to 30

With the sweeping health changes, Scout Snipers would have had to take an extra three or four volleys of shots to kill a squad. We’ve modified the damage so that it only takes one extra volley than it did previously. Though it is overall more forgiving to fight snipers using infantry units, early game Elites will have a tougher time soaking their damage.

Land Speeder

• Ranged damage increased from 7 to 7.25

One big focus for this patch was to examine how