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Looking Back at Season 2
[p][/p][p]Season 2 introduced two new heroes, Xavian and Aeona. Both were very well received and quickly became popular picks, which the team sees as a success. At the same time, they exposed some important balance issues.[/p][p]Aeona ended up significantly stronger than intended. The main problem was not just her numbers, but her mechanics. Her stagger system had no real limits, both in how much stagger she could apply and how much she could clear. This allowed her to reach extreme levels of adding effective health, especially at higher difficulties. The goal for Season 3 is to keep her core gameplay intact while adding proper limits so she no longer outscales every other healer.[/p][p]Xavian is in a better spot overall. His issues are mostly related to numbers tuning rather than deeper mechanical problems, so the fixes there are more straightforward.[/p][p]Sylvie is actually closer to the intended healer baseline. While she struggled in the highest tiers compared to Aeona and Vigor, the team chose not to apply short-term fixes. Instead, we are focusing on broader system changes that will naturally bring all healers into a healthier balance in Season 3.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]
Hero Reworks and Talent Changes
[p][/p][p]Season 3 will include several hero reworks, and these go beyond simple balance adjustments. A major structural change is the removal of shared defensive talents such as \[Spirited Fortitude] and \[Magic Ward] from hero trees. These will be moved into a separate progression system.[/p][p]This change opens up multiple talent slots on every hero, allowing the team to replace passive defensive bonuses with more engaging, playstyle-driven options. The goal is to make builds feel more distinct and meaningful.[/p][p][/p]Rime
[p]Rime is a strong example of how these changes are being approached.[/p][p]One of the key goals was to expand on her bird mechanics and her non-spender gameplay. The existing talent \[Cascading Blitz] is not feeling impactful enough for a three-point talent, since it was largely passive.[/p][p]Several changes are being made:[/p]- [p]\[Winter’s Embrace] will become baseline. This talent was already considered essential because it creates frequent damage windows that feel both powerful and fun.[/p][/*]
- [p]\[Ice Blitz] will now include the duration extension effect that was previously tied to \[Cascading Blitz].[/p][/*]
- [p]A new two-point talent will allow players to spawn birds whenever they generate \[Anima], preserving the original bird-focused playstyle.[/p][/*]
- [p]\[Glacial Blast] becomes \[Talon Strike][/p][/*]
- [p]\[Ice Comet] becomes \[Rising Talons][/p][/*]
Helena
[p]Helena is currently being prototyped with a focus on reshaping her defensive gameplay.[/p][p]The main change is a stronger emphasis on Block:[/p]- [p]Blocked attacks will no longer reduce toughness, making it a much more valuable defensive mechanic.[/p][/*]
- [p]\[Shields Up] will generate less raw toughness but provide a significant boost to block chance, reinforcing its role as a key defensive ability.[/p][/*]
- [p]\[Shield Throw] will now generate toughness based on the damage it deals, which creates synergy with damage-focused talents.[/p][/*]
- [p]\[Shockwave] will also generate toughness, further spreading defensive power across multiple abilities.[/p][/*]
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Combat, Difficulty, and Game Feel
[p][/p][p]Season 3 is bringing major changes to pacing and progression.[/p][p]The number of difficulty tiers in each league is being reduced from seven to four, consisting of three dungeon tiers and one capstone. Each step up in difficulty will feel more significant, both in terms of challenge and rewards.[/p][p]Combat is also being slowed down:[/p]- [p]Damage intake is lower[/p][/*]
- [p]Healing output is reduced[/p][/*]
- [p]Tank survivability is adjusted[/p][/*]
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Loot and Progression Changes
[p][/p][p]The team is currently experimenting with a major overhaul of the loot system.[/p][p]The current system ties item rarity directly to league difficulty. The new approach being tested moves toward a more traditional ARPG model, where different rarities can drop at any level.[/p][p]This allows for:[/p]- [p]More variation in item stats and modifiers[/p][/*]
- [p]Greater build diversity[/p][/*]
- [p]More exciting and unpredictable drops[/p][/*]
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New Content in Season 3
[p][/p][p]Season 3 introduces a new faction called the Heskyr. They are a blood-corrupted cult that has experimented with the blood of a god, mutating themselves into something otherworldly. Their design leans toward a more gory and unsettling aesthetic.[/p][p]A new playable hero, Gunde, will also be added. He is a blood-fueled berserker who was originally designed as a tank but is now being introduced as a melee DPS.[/p][p]Players can also expect two new dungeons. It is still being decided whether older dungeons will rotate out or remain in the pool.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]
Pinnacle Dungeon
[p][/p][p]The Pinnacle Dungeon is a new endgame activity separate from the normal league system.[/p][p]It unlocks after completing the Paragon Capstone and is significantly more difficult. It will have its own progression and reward structure, with rewards limited to once per week.[/p][p]The goal is to create a challenging activity that players can prepare for and complete, rather than something that is endlessly farmed.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]
Season Chapters and Progression Changes
[p][/p][p]Season 3 will introduce a chapter-based progression system.[/p][p]In the first week:[/p]- [p]Players will have a limited number of gems they can obtain[/p][/*]
- [p]Eternal difficulty will not be available[/p][/*]
- [p]More content unlocks[/p][/*]
- [p]Catch-up systems allow late players to progress faster[/p][/*]
Quality of Life Improvements
[p][/p][p]Several improvements are being worked on:[/p]- [p]Bad luck protection systems[/p][/*]
- [p]Voting to leave and restart dungeons[/p][/*]
- [p]A Communities feature[/p][/*]
- [p]Possible capstone queuing[/p][p][/p][/*]
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