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 Historical changes can be superseded; use current definitions for a match today.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, Interface. Dates refer to the update named in the notes; a mirrored post can be published later.
Recheck sprint and objective assumptions
What changed: Sprint is considered active while out of combat, defined here as not dealing or taking damage for five seconds. Troopers move faster, but their DPS against Walkers, Base Guardians, and Patrons is lower. A weakened Patron regenerates after not taking damage for 30 seconds. The anti-backdoor system now regenerates backdoor damage over time; that damage is defined by the absence of candle troopers within 50m in the last 20 seconds.
How to adapt: Recheck rotations and objective damage under the changed sprint and trooper rules. Do not assume faster troopers deal more damage to structures: their listed objective DPS decreased. When attacking without nearby candle troopers, account for the new backdoor-damage recovery.
Check hero-specific ability changes
What changed: Bebop loses innate Spirit Resist and gains innate Bullet Resist; Hook cooldown and speed increase in effectiveness, while Hook T3’s cooldown reduction is reduced from 15 to 12 seconds. Grey Talon’s Charged Shot damage and Rain of Arrows multishot increase. Ivy gains one base stamina. McGinnis’s Mini Turrets gain Spirit Resistance and health, with a larger T2 range increase. Mo & Krill gain base HP and Scorn damage. Paradox’s Time Wall freeze is shorter and no longer scales with Spirit or Duration Extender; Kinetic Carbine’s maximum damage amp is reduced. Pocket’s bullet damage and Affliction DPS decrease. Yamato’s Shadow Explosion radius and buff duration increase, as do its T3 Spirit and Fire Rate bonuses.
How to adapt: If playing an affected hero, revisit the relevant ability timing, range, or damage assumptions. For example, recheck Bebop’s Hook cadence and Paradox’s Time Wall duration; do not infer a matchup or overall hero-strength result from these changes alone.
Recheck item timing and effects
What changed: Reactive Barrier lasts longer and has a shorter cooldown. Return Fire replaces its active Spirit and Fire Rate bonuses with passive +7 Spirit and +7% Fire Rate. Warp Stone no longer slows its user for three seconds and grants Bullet Resist for longer. Phantom Strike no longer has a passive +500 Bullet Shield: its active grants that shield for seven seconds, adds +200 Health, and deals 200 impact damage. Restorative Locket has more maximum stacks but a longer cooldown.
How to adapt: Check revised durations and passive-versus-active effects before relying on an item in a fight. Phantom Strike’s shield is now temporary and active-triggered, while Locket’s cooldown is longer; the notes do not identify a best item or matchup.
Use the updated replay and rendering options
What changed: The map is precached while queued to improve match loading. The Watch Tab adds match-ID search and hero filtering, and replay pause has a toggle key bound to P by default. Ten percent of users will default to Vulkan; the note advises reporting related issues on the forums and switching to DX11 in video settings if issues occur.
How to adapt: Use the added Watch Tab filters and pause toggle as needed. If you experience a Vulkan-related issue, follow the stated DX11 fallback and report it on the forums.
Follow the affected decisions
- Bebop build and counter guide
- Grey Talon build and counter guide
- Ivy build and counter guide
- Lash build and counter guide
- McGinnis build and counter guide
- Mo & Krill build and counter guide
- Paradox build and counter guide
- Pocket build and counter guide
- Yamato build and counter guide
- Melee Lifesteal item reference
- Return Fire item reference
- Mystic Reverb item reference
- Knockdown item reference
- Phantom Strike item reference
- Warp Stone item reference
- Restorative Locket item reference
- Alchemical Fire item reference
- Spirit Strike item reference
- Reactive Barrier 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.