Downfall; A post patch analysis
For the past few days we have all been enjoying everything Downfall has to offer, between new story content, UI changes, reworks, and the new Faejin style and moves being added to the game. Let's take a look at the immediate impact on the game, what's changed, what's good, and what may be to come! No spoilers!
€1v1
As expected, nearly everyone is trying out the new Faejin style. I imagine many players will switch back to the comfort zone of the less complex styles, but the more committed will likely keep this equipped for a long time to come. The style has a very high skill cap and excellent versatility. A few players online are still using other styles, and the khalt nerf that many feel was badly needed seems to have an effect. With a shorter window of opportunity and a bit touchier timing, it's a good step in the right direction, however the changes do not seem to have closed the gap between khalt and the other classes.
The new UI is fun and easy to read, but I'm sure we've all noticed several bugs. For instance, the post-match UI always indicates that you have earned a rift coin, always miscounts the wins between you and your opponent, and seems to get stuck often.
€3v3
Well it's finally out of beta, which doesn't seem to have changed it at all. It's still very hard to find players for this game mode, which I attribute to the rewards compared to time invested not being significant enough to draw wide interest. The new auto lock feature is incredible, but I do feel there should be a way to toggle it without the aid of the menu. There are just some situations where having it one way or the other just puts you at a disadvantage, and that's most prevalent in this game mode.
€The Gleam
Sorry if I mistranslated this, I live in Brazil, so many things are a touch confused between the versions (a language change setting would be nice). I'm referring to the new Combat Trial mode in which you enter a *ahem* procedurally generated dungeon either by yourself or with friends. It definitely changes a little from play through to play through, but for the most part you can expect a lot of the same stuff to show up, especially in the first rooms of each stage of the trial. I found this new mode incredibly fun, easy to use pick up and play over and over, although I'd like an option added to remove the dialogue on subsequent playthroughs. It does get a bit repetitive for something we are meant to grind.
The bosses are hella fun, and require a fair bit of thought to combat. The size difference is a little disconcerting though, and while I understand the need for largish bosses in order to maintain visibility with multiple players, it made it difficult to correctly counter some moves. Especially kicks. There were also some situations where the bosses did not follow the rules of normal combat, seeming to power through attacks sometimes without any indicators at all. If this is intended, and not a glitch, then I would suggest a visual effect to imply that this status is active.
€Powers
There are several interesting new powers in game, as well as some changes to the existing ones. First off, shockwave and healing are now basically dead, and certainly not worth the two shards necessary to activate them. Shockwave now no longer comes with a stamina boost, which I find unfortunate and strange. In the past we had a cost increase which I felt made shockwave much much more balanced. However now it feels like too much for something that only knocks your opponent back. Healing also has lost its heal over time entirely, which is a HUGE nerf. They definitely should have changed the cost, since the ability is pretty much useless now if it's not used in tandem with another ability. It also brings back the problem that in an even match against a skilled opponent, the 1v1's give an advantage depending on who wins and loses which round. With the high range of many of the new Faejin moves, shockwave is super easy to initiate with, and definitely will find a place in the new meta. Not that it wasn't already used by pretty much everybody
Please excuse the fact that I do not have the English names for the new powers, I am going to have to guess a little. (A language change setting would be nice....)
The light blades are hella fun, and give someone a second option when it comes to weapons in combat. It would help if we knew a little bit more about how damage is affected by cut and blunt damage types, but overall this is an interesting addition to the game.
Disarm is very cool, if a little technical. The ability to steal your opponents weapon is simply great fun, and being able to pull your opponent out of any attack and into range of your own is hella useful. This ability has found a place in my school, and I consider it a must have. I would like it more if it pulled just a liiiittle but further, but overall I greatly enjoy it.
Who doesn't like going metal Mario on their opponents. This new ability looks like fun, but I haven't bought it yet seeing as it's not my style. From what I can tell, you gain a few seconds invulnerability in exchange for a reduction in movement speed. I like this idea a lot, as it seems like a good worthwhile investment of shards to turn the tide of battle in your favor. I wouldn't suggest it to players who aren't adept at keeping their opponents stunlocked however.
As for the shadow ability, I think that it might be useful if it had a longer affect time or shorter cast time. The ability to cast it reactively is at best, iffy, as I often find myself unable to finish by the time I've been hit. The three second stun when you do pull it off is great, and let's you pick your next move for a very nice turn in the tide of combat.
€Faejin
I can't comment on all of the moves that were added, but what I have seen so far has been super interesting. Many seem to either be extremely short, or extremely long range. I read something that suggested that many of the moves prevent gold linking, which is a mechanic many have asked for a counter to, so learning these moves and implementing them into decks will likely be a priority for most.
As for the style, (which if you are having trouble getting ahold of, don't worry, I got your back, school HS11), It is definitely the most versatile style yet, giving three parries (R, L, Low), two of which have a fast follow up attack, and a rapid interrupt attack in forward stance, as well as three dodges while in back stance. This style has without a doubt the highest skill ceiling and those who remain committed to it will be rewarded with complete options to turn the tide of battle. Paired with the stance change buff, I can't wait to see how people change the game with this new style.
€Overall Thoughts and Conclusion.
The downfall patch gives a nice fun injection to the game, and I love everything about it. A few changes should probably be made to the UI and the legacy powers, but beyond that downfall is a reason to pick the game up for yet another several hundred hours. Thanks to sloclap and devolver for their continued interest and support!
I hope to meet you to fight under the eternal sun, have fun everyone!
€1v1
As expected, nearly everyone is trying out the new Faejin style. I imagine many players will switch back to the comfort zone of the less complex styles, but the more committed will likely keep this equipped for a long time to come. The style has a very high skill cap and excellent versatility. A few players online are still using other styles, and the khalt nerf that many feel was badly needed seems to have an effect. With a shorter window of opportunity and a bit touchier timing, it's a good step in the right direction, however the changes do not seem to have closed the gap between khalt and the other classes.
The new UI is fun and easy to read, but I'm sure we've all noticed several bugs. For instance, the post-match UI always indicates that you have earned a rift coin, always miscounts the wins between you and your opponent, and seems to get stuck often.
€3v3
Well it's finally out of beta, which doesn't seem to have changed it at all. It's still very hard to find players for this game mode, which I attribute to the rewards compared to time invested not being significant enough to draw wide interest. The new auto lock feature is incredible, but I do feel there should be a way to toggle it without the aid of the menu. There are just some situations where having it one way or the other just puts you at a disadvantage, and that's most prevalent in this game mode.
€The Gleam
Sorry if I mistranslated this, I live in Brazil, so many things are a touch confused between the versions (a language change setting would be nice). I'm referring to the new Combat Trial mode in which you enter a *ahem* procedurally generated dungeon either by yourself or with friends. It definitely changes a little from play through to play through, but for the most part you can expect a lot of the same stuff to show up, especially in the first rooms of each stage of the trial. I found this new mode incredibly fun, easy to use pick up and play over and over, although I'd like an option added to remove the dialogue on subsequent playthroughs. It does get a bit repetitive for something we are meant to grind.
The bosses are hella fun, and require a fair bit of thought to combat. The size difference is a little disconcerting though, and while I understand the need for largish bosses in order to maintain visibility with multiple players, it made it difficult to correctly counter some moves. Especially kicks. There were also some situations where the bosses did not follow the rules of normal combat, seeming to power through attacks sometimes without any indicators at all. If this is intended, and not a glitch, then I would suggest a visual effect to imply that this status is active.
€Powers
There are several interesting new powers in game, as well as some changes to the existing ones. First off, shockwave and healing are now basically dead, and certainly not worth the two shards necessary to activate them. Shockwave now no longer comes with a stamina boost, which I find unfortunate and strange. In the past we had a cost increase which I felt made shockwave much much more balanced. However now it feels like too much for something that only knocks your opponent back. Healing also has lost its heal over time entirely, which is a HUGE nerf. They definitely should have changed the cost, since the ability is pretty much useless now if it's not used in tandem with another ability. It also brings back the problem that in an even match against a skilled opponent, the 1v1's give an advantage depending on who wins and loses which round. With the high range of many of the new Faejin moves, shockwave is super easy to initiate with, and definitely will find a place in the new meta. Not that it wasn't already used by pretty much everybody
Please excuse the fact that I do not have the English names for the new powers, I am going to have to guess a little. (A language change setting would be nice....)
The light blades are hella fun, and give someone a second option when it comes to weapons in combat. It would help if we knew a little bit more about how damage is affected by cut and blunt damage types, but overall this is an interesting addition to the game.
Disarm is very cool, if a little technical. The ability to steal your opponents weapon is simply great fun, and being able to pull your opponent out of any attack and into range of your own is hella useful. This ability has found a place in my school, and I consider it a must have. I would like it more if it pulled just a liiiittle but further, but overall I greatly enjoy it.
Who doesn't like going metal Mario on their opponents. This new ability looks like fun, but I haven't bought it yet seeing as it's not my style. From what I can tell, you gain a few seconds invulnerability in exchange for a reduction in movement speed. I like this idea a lot, as it seems like a good worthwhile investment of shards to turn the tide of battle in your favor. I wouldn't suggest it to players who aren't adept at keeping their opponents stunlocked however.
As for the shadow ability, I think that it might be useful if it had a longer affect time or shorter cast time. The ability to cast it reactively is at best, iffy, as I often find myself unable to finish by the time I've been hit. The three second stun when you do pull it off is great, and let's you pick your next move for a very nice turn in the tide of combat.
€Faejin
I can't comment on all of the moves that were added, but what I have seen so far has been super interesting. Many seem to either be extremely short, or extremely long range. I read something that suggested that many of the moves prevent gold linking, which is a mechanic many have asked for a counter to, so learning these moves and implementing them into decks will likely be a priority for most.
As for the style, (which if you are having trouble getting ahold of, don't worry, I got your back, school HS11), It is definitely the most versatile style yet, giving three parries (R, L, Low), two of which have a fast follow up attack, and a rapid interrupt attack in forward stance, as well as three dodges while in back stance. This style has without a doubt the highest skill ceiling and those who remain committed to it will be rewarded with complete options to turn the tide of battle. Paired with the stance change buff, I can't wait to see how people change the game with this new style.
€Overall Thoughts and Conclusion.
The downfall patch gives a nice fun injection to the game, and I love everything about it. A few changes should probably be made to the UI and the legacy powers, but beyond that downfall is a reason to pick the game up for yet another several hundred hours. Thanks to sloclap and devolver for their continued interest and support!
I hope to meet you to fight under the eternal sun, have fun everyone!