The Little Things
Over the past few major updates, we’ve spent time restoring details to various maps from Paladin’s early years. From Brightmarsh in the Anniversary update to Primal Court in Wild Hoard, it’s been a joy to bring back the little touches that make these maps feel closer to how veteran players remember while showing new players what they can look like in their best states. For Banners Fall, we wanted to spend the added time we took to bring as many of these back to form as we could in a single update. Next update Ascension Peak, Ice Mines, and Splitstone Quarry will be receiving their details back from the beta era! Here are some glimpses, check out the maps when Live for all the added props:
Ascension Peak
Ice Mines
Splitstone Quarry
As well as all these lovely notes, we’ve also restored the original render distance of Greenwood Outpost! That means players will no longer experience any pop-in when pushing the Payload on this map. We hope players are as excited as we are for all the content coming in the Banners Fall Update next week!
Someday, We Gonna...
Of the changes we tested on PTS, none was as polarizing as Mal'Damba. Our lovely Chosen has long stood as both one of the most beloved designs by our community as well as a unqiue playstyle for the Support class. Historically, changes to Mal'Damba had been frequent throughout his time in Paladins until 2022, where he took a backseat to larger shifts in the Support class like universal Anti-Healing and the emergence of Double Support.
We tried some smaller buffs for him near the end of last year to shift him, but he remained a potent pick for players in Masters+, and much rougher for everyone else. As we begin to transition out of Keywords, we wanted to revisit him again and think about how to keep his venom-inspired heal while acknowledging that he has fallen far out of grace for most players.
After testing on the PTS, enough players melded with the concept of a Mending Spirits that provides him more burst while not enhancing his overall healing values that we plan to keep it for release. We did, however, hear from players that his Cards took an undeserved nerf alongside this change. We've worked to rectify that & have adjusted the following Cards:
Possession
- Adjusted to "Reduce your damage taken by 4|4% for 4s after hitting an ally with Mending Spirits."
Zitat:
We're no longer buffing the values of this card as we now intend to make it continue for the original duration of Mal'Damba heal and watch players' feedback prior to further adjustments.
Ritual Magic
- Description updated to "Heal for 4|4 every .2s for 5s after hitting an ally with Mending Spirits."
Zitat:
This is actually how it already functioned; our current description was incorrect.
Swift Spirits
- Description updated to "Increase the Movement Speed of allies hit by Mending Spirits by 5|5% for 3s."
Zitat:
This is actually how it already functioned; our current description was incorrect. This does mean technically it isn't for the whole duration of Mending Spirits, but we'd rather not buff this until we see it in the wild.
All of these changes mean that his Cards will provide him just as much benefit as before, while his heal still receives its hastened delivery. We know Damba players are some of the most passionate ones we have, so we'll be continuing to listen to feedback and work to bring the Support class closer to the best parts of him after this change.
These aren't the only adjustments we hope to make from PTS to Live, so stay tuned for refreshed Update Notes close to release!
This Week's Community Creations
Raeve Returns
Artist: CaptainDan98
Watch on Twitter!
Restful Pause
Artist: Paulo Munir
Death's Howl
Artist: KIIL
Weekend LTM: Classic Maps & 2x Event Pass XP
To celebrate our upcoming addition of these maps to Customs, play Siege on 3 earlier versions of beloved maps. Stone Keep, Timber Mill, and Warder's Gate all return in their classic iterations for players to enjoy while also earning twice as much Event Pass XP all weekend long!
- EvilMojoKryptek
