Hey folks!
Just a head’s up that Update 1.5 is slightly delayed (should be out in the next 30 minutes). Will let you know once we’ve hit the big red button!
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1.5 is live!
(Usual disclaimer that we pushed the big red Go Live button, but it might take a little while for the stores to get it rolled out to everyone in all regions.)
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Can we have a full patch notes please? Several gear items were nerfed including Flametree Helm. I would like to see the full list
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Yeah! Pitchforks! My precious helm!
I have nice things to say later, but need time to digest.
In the meantime, can you just tell us so we don’t have to go looking?
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Unannounced changes to gear, scoring, etc is really frustrating. Please provide all changes in patch notes here and going forward.
So far we have:
- Flametree helm nerfed
- PvP scoring appears to have changed (a turn 1 win used to yield 2,475 points at max win streak, now it yields 2,450)
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Ah sorry about missing Flametree Helm changes. Fallen Staff also received a slight buff. I will add them to the patch notes now.
The specifics are:
Flametree Helm
Previously:
Gain 10/15/20/25 starting mana for purple and red spells
New Version:
Gain 5/8/11/14 starting mana for purple and red spells
Fallen Staff
Previously:
When dealing <ELEMENT> damage, there is a 25-40% chance to apply Freeze for 4 turns to the enemy.
New Version:
When dealing <ELEMENT> damage, there is a 35-65% chance to apply Freeze for 4 turns to the enemy.
Regarding PVP scoring that should just be incidental scoring changes based on the other changes listed in the patch notes.
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This one is my fault specifically. I missed Flametree Helm from the Patch Notes. Sorry about that!
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Thanks. That’s appreciated.
We need the developers to seriously address autoplay now with these changes. A major frustration with Autoplay is that even if the players’ spells are full the AI might go one, two, or even more turns without casting available spells. With these changes the problem is now even worse. For one:
When the autoplay AI didn’t cast spells at least you could whittle the enemy down with Chip damage, but not anymore!
Furthermore:
Now the enemy makes matches and powers its own spells. Somehow magically the enemy can cast its spells when full, but players spells are routinely not cast during autoplay. Given the speed at which enemy spells can now fill, auto play has basically been reduced to the most rudimentary relative levels for many players.
Will autoplay be addressed? Is spell casting determined by some other means (such as no more than one spell cast per number of actions points) as a limitation to autoplay? If so, can it be explained?
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On Northelm revamp:
Upgrades are each +10 to ONE inventory type: Gear/Spells/Minions.
Upgrades cost 1 Northelm Crystal + [500 ore + (100 ore * Number of Post-50 Upgrades on Inventory Type). No max cap on ore consumption.
After the 10th upgrade to an inventory type, additional upgrades cost 2 Northelm crystals.
Grand total to max out inventory again:
I’ll get right on that… 
(Yes, this is one of those forever goals for the lifetime of the game.)
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Typos in the new Season Mythic Relic description.
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Can you be specific which changes in the patch notes necessitated and relate to scoring? From what we can tell so far there is a specific change to scoring, not just a mana cap preventing pvp wins without moving a gem.
Currently it appears that if you can match enough skull gems during your first matching phase to do sufficient damage to kill your opponent, you are awarded 2,475 points. When your AI opponent takes a turn and then you take your turn, casting spells and killing your opponent, you are awarded 2,450 points. Before the update, both scenarios awarded 2,475 points.
Since scoring appears to be based partially on the “number of turns”, has there been a change to how “turns” are defined due to the action point changes that now makes something that scored X amount of points before, now score X less 25?
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Unbelievable. Went from T0 mana build to a T0.5 skull build for pvp.
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Turns out, yes:
In the previous version, the turn count always incremented at the end of the previous turn. So the start of the battle was considered “turn 1”, then your next turn was considered “turn 2”.
In 1.5, the enemies get a turn, so the start of the battle is “turn 1”, but the enemy is “turn 2” and your next turn is “turn 3”.
So because enemies are getting a turn in between your turns there’s a scoring difference.
You get more points on turn 1 because you defeated the opponent more efficiently.
There’s currently an ongoing (text based - so I won’t get a final answer today) discussion about this incidental change to the way turns are incremented in relation to PVP scoring so I’ll get back to you about if that ends up changing or not and why.
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Post a suggestion here: can we remove the critical chance of kingdom boss?
If possible, could you pass along the following:
The primary reason pvp has been a source of angst for the player base is that it forced a very specific meta build to achieve the top reward. (Previously mana start gear.)
The way pvp works in 1.5, it is immediately falling into the same “you must do exactly this!”-trap. Only this time with skulls.
By changing the way that turns are counted, it turned the “fix” into just a new version of the problem.
Also. Delaying the patch for a half an hour (oops things happen!) Resulted in some people being treated to a significant advantage on all PvP tourneys. What’s one more week with no gems? We will live. But then figuring out that we are in the exact same meta-trap as before, is just disappointing. 
To end on a positive… other than this pvp issue, the gameplay changes seem to have landed well. It’s a lot to get used to and some modes not tested. But so far so good.
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Really??? Is it not possible to separate languages? All the first stuff was in English and this last part is shown in German.
This is still bothering me when it comes to adventures, I guess it’s not possible to receive them in German anymore 
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I feel some balance changes.
With some luck I could defeat diff X. skirmishes.
After the update, I think the diff IX-X. is impossible - at X. the solitary enemy has 88K health points, an my puny spells still make max. 5K damage. I can’t rely on skull matches too much (because the opponent also deals damage with them), so one unlucky hit (maybe two) and I am dead, with the opponent still has waay to much health remaining.
I played only a little this morning, so I may be mistaken, but I feel that before diff III-IV or so the new system is easier, but after that the tables turn, and the higher difficulties that were doable became impossible.
What do you think?
I think the game has had a dramatic difficulty curve for a while now. It did not feel like they made the curve more dramatic. However, the loss of chip damage means a spell build can’t just chip through the resistance getting their mana and then blast away. With the enemies being much studier (due to lowering the amt of enemies to battle) it does sort of “feel” harder. I personally think it is just significantly different and requires changing up gear and spell choices.
This is key. Anytime they have made significant changes to core game play, there is a period of adjustment so there will likely need to be changes to both gear and spells and @Tresk mentioned but also in terms of gameplay. With the old system, you just matched everything you could within the timer over and over, but now you need to think a bit more about the board and what you are leaving for the enemy. Sometimes less matches is better in a given turn as your AP can carry over (speed boots now have real value). Give it some time to adjust.
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