This weeks update focuses on some changes coming to the alien invasions, some new skill availability, a quick transwarp update and another brand new item that will be making its way to the game soon.
It’s been a rocky first universe for Alien Invasions, there is no denying that. Difficulty has varied wildly and we’ve not been able to find a good balance. Hopefully, this weeks patch will get us a little closer. There are two major changes to the invasion mechanics coming. Firstly, attacks will not be localized to a single galaxy. This means during the 3 hour attack window the layer will be swarmed, something many of you have told me you miss. Secondly, alien bases are getting stronger. In addition to extra shields and damage, they have been given a few new abilities when they level up — mainly in the form of some dangerous new fighters. The miniboss AI you fight in instances have been adapted to work as fighter AI which will be launched by the improved bases. This should definitely increase their difficulty as they cannot be killed while they have other aliens in the galaxy.
I have a few more transwarp details as well. Transwarps will require you to explore the galaxy with the beacon before you are allowed to warp to them. Also, you will not be allowed to use transwarp devices inside instances. These are necessary restrictions and will help keep people on equal footing during universe resets as well. For instance, a player with a transwarp would have a better chance of getting Biologique than one without if they could instantly warp to someplace like Iq’ Bana. It also keeps everyone on an equal footing when it comes to exploration, which is something we keep track of.
As part of the class rebalance, we have decided that moving forward, we are going to add new levels of Remote Control — but with the following caveat. New levels of Remote Control will be locked to your piloting level, minus two. That means you will be required to have Piloting 21 for Remote Control 19 and Piloting 22 for Remote Control 20. The new levels will be available from T21 and T22 content. Expect to see this sometime in the near future.
As for the new item. Again, a screenshot of the tooltip for the announcement!
The Deathblossom device is a special type of Gunner item that will enable them to quickly and efficiently take out large groups of smaller enemies. When equipped it increases their damage output significantly as well as starts firing the weapon currently in use at nearby additional targets. Nearby targets are randomly selected from those that are enemies, in range, visible, etc. The number of targets and energy costs is determined by the item. Here is a brief demonstration.
As you can see in the video, I cleared Rumble 2 extremely fast and with minimal effort, and in testing I could clear Rumble 3 with similar results. Overall, this item is meant to give Gunners a bit of extra firepower they can leverage in situations where there is spawn to clear (and I am sure there are a few alien galaxies where this item would be amazing).
Hopefully you’ve enjoyed yet another look at what’s been going on behind the scenes with me this past week. As always, comments are appreciated! Sound off in the forums if you have an opinion!
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