Patch Notes 2.66.1 - FOR HONOR

NEW FEATURES

• Introducing Seasonal Leaderboards, letting players track their performance in Events and Ranked, compete with friends, and see how they stack up against the community. 

• Spectator Camera - Auto Mode 

We're adding a new option to Spectator Mode: Auto Mode. When enabled, the game will automatically choose the most interesting fighter to watch at any moment. It switches between players (or bots replacing players) based on what's happening on the battlefield, giving you a dynamic and engaging view of the action without needing to control the camera yourself.

• Inventory size: we are increasing the inventory size limit from 60 to 120 items so you can now enjoy more storage space for your hard-earned loot!   

• Loadout Copy: you can now copy an existing loadout directly to another slot so it's easier to replicate your favorite setup.    

• Outfit Purchase: you can now purchase a full outfit directly from an outfit item's page so it's easier to get that one Ornament you've been looking for. 

• Traversal Emotes
  We're introducing Traversal Emotes - emotes that keep playing even while you move. Unlike standard emotes that stop when you walk or run, these let your hero stay animated as you navigate the battlefield. 

• Introduce an "Equip All" button in each customization section. With a single click, the chosen customizations are applied uniformly to all areas.   

BALANCING CHANGES

FEATS

• Bounty Hunter healing is now 16 (down from 20) 

[Developers' Comments] Bounty Hunter is often overshadowing other Tier 1 feats, so we're toning it down slightly to help other feats shine.

• Longbow damage is now 40 (down from 50) 

• Neptune's wrath damage is now 40 (down from 50) 

• Javelin damage is now 40 (down from 50) 

• Boleadoras damage is now 20 (down from 25) 

• Flaming Arrow damage is now 10+40 fire damage (down from 20+40 fire damage) 

[Developers' Comments] We're lowering the damage of Tier 3 projectiles to diminish the frustration of getting hit with high damage from off-screen attacks.

• Last Laugh damage now ranges from 20 to 140 (down from 25 to 150) 

[Developers' Comments] Feats that trigger on death are very divisive; some players hate it, some players love it. We want to find the middle ground where it doesn't feel that the optimal way to play is to die, but force players to be mindful of how/when they go for the kill. This is why we are lowering the minimum and maximum damage the feat can deal to give more chance for the attacker to survive the blast. DEFENSIVE STANCES One of the current dominating strategies is to outnumber opponents with one of the attackers remaining in a defensive stance (such as Conqueror's Full Block Stance or Virtuosa Posture). This limits the use of trajectories by the outnumbered player, to deal with the assailants. While we don't want to restrict players' creative freedom, we are making a change to encourage healthier & more dynamic gameplay. In general, this means defensive stances will now cost lower stamina on entry but drain stamina after the stance is held for at least 1 second. This change affects:

• Black Prior's Bulwark Stance 

• Conqueror's Full Block Stance 

• Juren's Indomitable Stance 

• Kyoshin's Kaze Stance 

• Valkyrie's Shield Tackle Stance 

• Virtuosa's Postures 

• Warlord's Full Block Stance

Aramusha

• When performed in Top Stance, Deadly Feint is now Undodgeable. 

[Developer's Comments] This is a small change that forces opponents to deal with the mix up instead of dodging away. To avoid gaining too much pressure, we limited this improvement to Top Stance Deadly Feint (ie: when doing a soft feint to Top Light).

Black Prior

• Horizon Spin stamina cost is now 20 (down from 40) 

• Bulwark Stance entry stamina cost is now 6 (down from 10) 

• Bulwark Stance now costs 5 stamina/second after being held for 1 second. 

• Umbral Shelter (Tier 4 Feat) Shield amount per pulse is now 20 (down from 50) 

• Umbral Shelter Shield duration is now infinite (up from 3s) 

[Developer's Comments] Umbral Shelter is a strong feat meant to help stall. However, it was too effective while having a limited window of opportunity to be impactful. We've toned down the effect but made the shield last longer so it can have more impact overall. Other adjustments are in line with the general Defensive Stance changes.

Conqueror 

• Full Block Stance entry stamina cost is now 6 (down from 10) 

• Full Block Stance now costs 5 stamina/second after being held for 1 second. 

• Crashing Shield Crush stamina cost is now 30 (down from 60) 

• Crashing Apprehension now has more forward movement 

[Developer's Comments] We're increasing the forward movement on Crashing Apprehension to help deal with opponents that back walk and dodge a lot. In addition, we're lowering the stamina cost for Crashing Shield Crush as it remains niche since it requires allies to capitalize on.

Gladiator

• Zone attack (1st hit) stamina cost is now 20 (down from 30) 

• Zone attack (2nd hit) stamina cost is now 10 (down from 20) 

• Bamboozle can be performed after Sprint Attack on Hit/Block/Miss (instead of just after Miss) 

  • Chains from 300 to 500ms on Hit / Block. 

  • No change to the chain timing on miss (from 100 to 400ms) 

• Bamboozle no longer stuns 

• Slightly reduced the movement of Bamboozle (attacker & victim) to better match the animation visual. 

[Developer's Comments] Similar to other heroes, we're reducing the overall stamina cost for Zone attack's multiple hits. Bamboozle can now be performed after Running Heavy even on Hit and Block (not just Miss). This is a risky attack but was simply too niche to even attempt. With these changes, players should have more opportunities to gamble for it and potentially wall splat for bigger damage. However, now that it can be used more often, we've removed the stun property on it and reduced the movement slightly to better match the animations.

Gryphon

• Chain Heavies damage is now 26 (up from 25) 

[Developer's Comments] Gryphon already received a significant buff in the previous patch, so we refrained from making bigger changes this time around. This is a small adjustment to bring Chain Heavies in line with other similar attacks.

Hitokiri 

• Top Stance Mangetsu damage is now 24 (up from 22) 

• Top Stance Endless Myriad damage is now 24 (up from 22) 

• Left/Right Stance Mangetsu (Charged) damage is now 28 (down from 30) 

• Left/Right Stance Endless Myriad (Charged) damage is now 28 (down from 30) 

• Sankotsu now gains uninterruptible stance 

  • Starts at 400ms and lasts until end of strike. 

• Spirit Shroud (Tier 3 Feat) now provides 25% damage reduction (up from 15%) 

[Developer's Comments] We want to give a bit more incentives to go for the Top Stance version that doesn't benefit from trajectories to hit additional enemies in external. So, we increased the damage of uncharged Top Heavy attacks while reducing the damage of charged Side Heavy attacks. Sankotsu cannot be feinted. It is meant to be a commitful move. By giving it Uninterruptible stance, it is still a commitful action in duels but much easier to perform in group fights. Lastly, Spirit Shroud is getting a small buff to bring it more in line with other Tier 3 feats.

Jiang Jun

• Fatal Swirl stamina cost is now 20 (down from 60) 

• Dou Shi's Swirl stamina cost is now 20 (down from 30) 

[Developer's Comments] Like other heroes, we're lowering the stamina cost to make Zone Attacks more useable.

Jormungandr

• Hamarr Slam damage is now 30 (down from 32) 

• Hamarr's Favor (Tier 2 Feat) Shield is now 20 (down from 40) 

• Hamarr's Favor Shield duration is now infinite (up from 5s) and can now stack 

[Developer's Comments] We're happy with Hamarr Slam being a powerful move but after observing the results from the last season, it was slightly above what we intended. We're toning it down and will continue to monitor it, and similar moves. As for Hamarr's Favor, it was very strong in the past due to the Revenge Shield Bug. Now that the bug is fixed, we can start adjusting this feat to be more impactful. We've toned down the effect but also removed the time limit on the shield. This way, if you land multiple Hamarr Slams without taking damage, it can lead to a much bigger shield.

Juren

• Indomitable Stance entry stamina cost is now 6 (down from 10) 

• Indomitable Stance now costs 5 stamina/second after being held for 1 second.  

• Peace Breaker damage is now 14 (down from 16) 

• Peace Breaker now chains to Titan's Strike, Titan's Rampage, Havoc Unleashed, Havoc Harbinger at                 2200ms (up from 2100ms) 

• Crown Breaker damage is now 0 (down from 5) 

• Unstoppable Force hit is now at 800ms (up from 700ms) 

• Unstoppable Force's area of effect on minion is reduced by approximately 15%  

• Unruly Destruction damage is now 22 (down from 24)  

• Devastating Jab now has less backwards movement when done while holding back input 

• Devastating Swing now has less backwards movement when done while holding back input  

• Defiant Stab block recovery is now 700ms (down from 800ms) 

• Defiant Swipe block recovery is now 700ms (down from 800ms) 

• Titan's Strike block recovery is now 700ms (down from 800ms) 

• Titan's Rampage block recovery is now 700ms (down from 800ms) 

• Last Man Standing now provides 20% defense buff (down from 25%) 

• Last Man Standing now provides 20% damage buff (down from 25%) 

• God Among Men now provides 35% defense debuff to all enemy heroes (down from 40%) 

• God Among Men now provides 25% defense debuff to all ally heroes (down from 30%) 

[Developer's Comments] In continuation with the previous patch, we are adjusting aspects of Juren's kit that led to extremely high damage and frustration. That said, we'll also be providing small adjustments to ensure he isn't more punishable than intended. First, both Last Man Standing and God Among Men are being nerfed to tone down the overall damage in Juren's kit and reduce its stalling potential. Peace Breaker's & Crown Breaker's damages are lowered to better match damage from in chain bashes and other heavy parry punishes. We've also delayed when attacks can be performed after Peace Breaker to avoid guaranteed attacks due to trajectories hitting earlier when swapping targets. Unruly Destruction's damage was also reduced to compensate for the wide trajectory of the move. Unstoppable Force could have too much of an impact on maps with a thin mid lane, so we've adjusted the area of effect that can kill minions. We also lowered its speed as it was slightly too good to engage with as an off-screen attack. Devastating Jab & Devastating Swing have less backward movement to make them easier to punish on miss. The backwards movement of Devastating Jab & Devastating Swing was lowered to make it easier to punish on miss. Lastly, we've reduced recoveries from all of Juren's Light attacks when blocked. Otherwise, all of Juren's offensive options would lose to Guardbreak. These values are in line with the CCU changes we did many seasons ago.

Kensei 

• When Superior Blocking with a Dodge, the following Dodge Attack now has Unblockable and Uninterruptible stance. 

  • Starts at 100ms, lasts until end of strike. 

• Nature's Wrath now has Uninterruptible stance. 

  • Starts at 500ms, lasts until end of strike. 

[Developer's Comments] Kensei had a unique defense dodge ability but couldn't capitalize on it. We want to give players more reasons to try and time their dodge at a specific timing, while keeping the character unique. By making dodge attacks uninterruptible and unblockable after a successful superior block on dodge, Kensei's will have an easier time to impact teamfights without increasing any attack damage. In addition, Nature's Wrath is a slow forward dodge attack that cannot be feinted. We're giving it uninterruptible stance to make it less risky to perform and give it more incentives to perform instead of only relying on Helm Splitter.

Kyoshin

• Kaze Stance entry stamina cost is now 6 (down from 10) 

• Kaze Stance now costs 5 stamina/second after being held for 1 second.  

• Kagerou (Feat 1) bleed damage per attack is now 3 (down from 4) 

[Developer's Comments] We're adjusting the bleed damage dealt by Kagerou to put it more in line with other Tier 1 feats.

Medjay

• Astral Manifestation (Staff) damage is now 55 (up from 50) 

• Astral Manifestation (Axe) damage is now 55 (down from 70) 

[Developer's Comments] The Axe version of Astral Manifestation overshadows the Staff version. It was leading to high damage in addition to being a versatile feat. We're adjusting the values to make the Staff version more worth it, while the Axe remains a quick range attack with high damage.

Nuxia

• Heavy finishers are now undodgeable 

• Thread of Fate (Feat 3) cooldown is now 45s (down from 60s) 

• Infection (Feat 4) cooldown is now 100s (down from 120s) 

[Developer's Comments] Nuxia has been underperforming slightly, so we are making small improvements to their kit. Heavy Finishers are now undodgeable to make them more threatening and give a better mix up to Nuxia for reaching them. Feats 3 & 4 now have shorter cooldowns to give them a more value throughout the match.

Shinobi

• Zone attack (1st hit) stamina cost is now 10 (down from 15) 

• Zone attack (2nd hit) stamina cost is now 10 (down from 15) 

• Zone attack has slightly less forward movement on the 2nd and 3rd strikes. 

• Sickle Rain revenge gain is now 20 (down from 30) 

• All Sickle Rain Stabs revenge gain is now 4 (down from 10) 

[Developer's Comments] Similar top other heroes, we're lowering the stamina cost to perform Zone Attacks so it can be used more frequently. However, Shinobi's Zone attack could become very difficult to parry when done at certain ranges so we reduced its forward movement to mitigate this. Lastly, we're reducing the overall revenge Sickle Rain & Stabs granted to go with recent Revenge & Anti-gank tweaks.

Sohei

• Sprint attack Light damage is now 16 (up from 15) 

• Sprint attack Heavy damage is now 20 (up from 16) 

• Sprint attack Heavy now has uninterruptible stance 

  • Starts at 400ms and lasts until end of strike. 

• Light Opener damage is now 12 (up from 9) 

• Heavy Opener damage is now 27 (up from 23) 

• Front dodge Yamabushi Style damage is now 16 (up from 9) 

• Front dodge Yamabushi Spirit damage is now 20 (up from 16) 

• Front dodge Yamabushi Spirit now has uninterruptible stance 

  • Starts at 500ms and lasts until end of strike. 

• Side dodge Yamabushi Style damage is now 16 (up from 11) 

• Side dodge Yamabushi Spirit damage is now 14 (up from 11) 

• Side dodge Yamabushi Spirit now has uninterruptible stance 

  • Starts at 400ms and lasts until end of strike. 

• God Hand Light damage is now 16 (up from 11) 

• God Hand Heavy damag is now 14 (up from 11) 

• God Hand Heavy now has uninterruptible stance 

  • Starts at 100ms and lasts until end of strike. 

• Seven-Force Strike damage is now 72 (down from 95) 

• Soul Soother (Feat 2) healing reduced to 80 health (down from full health) 

[Developer's Comment] When we created Sohei, our goal was to have a trade-off through-out the kit to compensate for Seven-Force Strike's damage potential. However, with time, player feedback and data, it is clear that we were too severe. In this patch, we're reviewing the entire kit to try and create less frustration while still keeping Sohei's unique moves. To compensate, Seven-Force Strike's damage was significantly reduced. To ensure each move has a clear purpose, we've adjusted Yamabushi Spirit to deal slightly less damage than Yamabushi Style, but it gains uninterruptible stance. The same principle is true for God Hand Heavy in comparison to God Hand Light. Lastly, we've reduced the total healing Soul Soother could provide to a set amount, because it allowed for too much stalling for a Tier 2 feat.

Valkyrie

• Shield Tackle Stance now drains 5 stamina per second after 1 second of being held. 

[Developer's Comments] Unlike most other Defensive Stances, Valkyrie spends stamina upon releasing Shield Tackle (except when dodging out of it). So for now, we won't be adding an extra cost on entry. However, we will be monitoring this closely.

Virtuosa

• Posture now costs 7 stamina/second after being held for 1 second. 

[Developer's Comments] In this patch we have added back the stamina cost for entering defensive stances and added a drain after holding it for 1 second. In Virtuosa's case however, it felt too punishing as they must pick between chaining and Posture. To avoid the entry cost but still have additional stamina cost for Posture, its stamina drain is higher than the norm.

Warden

• Zone attack stamina cost is now 20 (down from 30) 

[Developer's Comments] Zone Attacks used to have a high cost to justify the trajectory. This is no longer as important, so we're lowering the stamina cost to encourage more usage.

Warlord

• Zone attack stamina cost is now 20 (down from 30) 

• Crashing Charge stamina cost is now 30 (down from 40) 

• Full Block Stance entry stamina cost is now 6 (down from 10) 

• Full Block Stance now costs 5 stamina/second after being held by 1 second. 

[Developer's Comments] Most of these changes are simply the standard stamina changes for defensive stances and zone attacks. Like Zone attacks, unique sprint attacks still have very high stamina cost. We want to make them slightly more useable so we're lowering its cost too.

BUG FIXES

Maps

• Qiang Pass: Fixed an issue where Player could land out of playable area, after dropping from a zipline near the minion lane.  

Minions

• Fixed an issue where killing your own minions gave points to the enemy team. This should resolve issues with certain feats, such as Titan's Tier 1 "Expendables" and Nuxia's Tier 2 "Caltrops" 

Heroes

• Fixed an issue where opening Heroes section with a full inventory triggers an FPS drop  

• Fixed a visual bug on Lawbringer when unlocking after Impaling Riposte. 

• Fixed an issue that prevented Centurion's Heavy Charged hit reactions from being interrupted during the first 500ms. 

• Fixed an issue that prevented Shaman's Predator's Mercy from landing during a specific timing of a falling animation. 

• Fixed an issue that caused alternate feats to display in the wrong order. 

Ornaments

• Fixed an issue with mismatched models for Gao Lei's Keepsake ornament on Sohei & Varangian Guard. 

Executions

• Fixed an issue where the Kyoshin hasn't the Sylvan Detachment, to the follow executions:

  • The Great Beyond
  • Deadly Hare
  • Resounding Defeat