Patch date: . Guide reviewed 2026-11-03. Historical changes can be superseded; use current definitions for a match today.
How this guide was prepared: AI-assisted analysis with a separate source-check pass against archived official notes. Practical decisions are reasoned suggestions, not player-tested results or measured win-rate evidence. A small hotfix receives a short guide rather than a reconstructed full build.
Original update sources
Recorded topics: Heroes, Items, Gameplay, Fixes. Dates refer to the update named in the notes; a mirrored post can be published later.
Retest slow effects and ground-target Knockdown
What changed: Some slow cases could take speed below 2 m/s, and slow-percentage calculations assumed a minimum speed of 0 rather than 2; both issues were fixed, reducing slow strength. Knockdown’s stun against ground targets fell from 0.75s to 0.5s; airborne values were adjusted to be similar to before.
How to adapt: Retest slow-dependent setups against the corrected 2 m/s floor, and allow less follow-up time after a ground-target Knockdown; do not assume the same stun reduction for airborne targets.
Allow for the longer shield recovery delay
What changed: The time shields can go without taking damage before regenerating increased from 18s to 30s.
How to adapt: If relying on shield regeneration, check when it begins after the last damage event and account for the longer delay; this change does not state that the amount regenerated changed.
Reassess Veil Walker’s upgraded tier and effects
What changed: Veil Walker is now a T4 item. Its shields increased from 250 to 300, its invisibility and speed duration from 5s to 7s, and its initial fade-out time returned from 1s to 0.25s.
How to adapt: If considering Veil Walker, weigh its T4 tier against the increased shields and longer effect duration, and test the shorter initial fade-out in your usual situations; the notes give no item price.
Check item cooldowns and trigger behavior
What changed: Restorative Shot’s cooldown increased from 6s to 7s. Spellslinger Headshots’ cooldown is now per target rather than per item, and Spirit Amp per headshot increased from 3% to 4%. The base Spirit Amp’s headshot requirement was fixed. Alchemical Fire’s base DPS fell from 55 to 50.
How to adapt: Allow an extra second between Restorative Shot activations, and test whether switching targets changes Spellslinger’s trigger timing; verify the fixed base Spirit Amp behavior. Recheck Alchemical Fire damage rather than assuming its former DPS.
Note the remaining economy, item and hero adjustments
What changed: T4 items cost 6k, down from 6.2k, and tick gold increased from 2/1% to 2.5/1.5%. Infernus’s Flame Dash T3 charge time increased from 15s to 18s; Mirage’s Fire Scarabs T2 Bullet Resist reduction moved from -10% to -8%. Vindicta’s Assassinate base and bonus damage each fell from 120 to 100. Warden’s bullet damage growth fell from 0.94 to 0.9, and Last Stand now deals 40% less damage to objectives. Yamato’s Shadow Transformation Bullet and Spirit Resist fell from 45% to 40%, while its T3 resist increased from 15% to 20%.
How to adapt: Recheck T4 purchase planning against the lower listed cost and updated tick gold, then test the affected hero abilities and upgrades using their new values; the notes do not establish how these changes rank against other options.
Keep the listed ability fixes in view
What changed: Ethereal Shift was fixed so that it cancels abilities such as Flight, and various Arcane Surge bugs were fixed; the notes do not specify further details.
How to adapt: If testing Ethereal Shift with Flight, verify the cancellation behavior, and check the Arcane Surge cases relevant to your use without assuming which bugs were addressed.
Follow the affected decisions
- Infernus build and counter guide
- Mirage build and counter guide
- Vindicta build and counter guide
- Warden build and counter guide
- Yamato build and counter guide
- Knockdown item reference
- Alchemical Fire item reference
- Arcane Surge item reference
- Ethereal Shift item reference
- Veil Walker item reference
- Restorative Shot item reference
- Spellslinger item reference
Verify your match build · How current recommendations are checked
Earlier and later records
Archive coverage currently ends 2026-10-30; sources last successfully checked 2026-11-01. A source check does not establish a post-patch win rate.