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 Historical changes can be superseded; use current definitions for a match today.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 neutral timing and clears
What changed: Medium and Hard neutrals now spawn at 7 minutes. Basement neutrals are classified as a Medium camp for spawn-time purposes and change composition by +2 Medium and -4 Small neutrals. Neutrals gain 20% Spirit Resist and become invulnerable when they have no line of sight of you for 2 seconds. Troopers run faster, from 10 m/s to 11 m/s, and Medic Trooper health rises from 200 to 240.
How to adapt: Recheck camp timing and routes under the new spawn and composition rules, and test Spirit-based clears rather than assuming old damage or clear times still apply.
Reassess Spirit damage expectations
What changed: Spirit scaling’s multiplier portion is reduced by about 19%; the notes say the total effective Spirit damage reduction is smaller and has its largest impact on late-game burst.
How to adapt: Retest late-game Spirit burst and avoid treating the multiplier change as an equal percentage reduction to all Spirit damage.
Compare defensive item changes
What changed: Reactive Barrier now provides a Spirit Shield instead of a Bullet Shield. Return Fire adds 30% Spirit-damage reflection with line of sight, while its returned bullet damage drops from 75% to 60%. Close Quarters gains Bullet Shield from 70 to 85 and loses Weapon Damage from 30% to 25%.
How to adapt: Test these items against the damage type and situation you need to address; in particular, do not rely on Reactive Barrier for the former Bullet Shield or on Return Fire’s Spirit reflection without line of sight.
Recheck item tiers and effects
What changed: Alchemical Fire moves from T2 to T3, gains +150 Bullet Shield and +12% Weapon Damage, and has higher minimum and maximum DPS. Withering Whip changes from 25% Spirit Amp to -25% Bullet Resist and gains +15% Ammo. Mystic Slow now requires Suppressor as a component and has a stronger Fire Rate slow, plus +75 Health, +3 Regen, and +6 Spirit. Diviner's Kevlar now triggers off casting ultimates and grants 700 Bullet Shield and 40 Spirit for 10 seconds.
How to adapt: Reconsider when these items fit your build and which effect you need; the notes establish the tier and stat changes but do not give item prices or costs.
Practice changed hero ability windows
What changed: Bebop’s Sticky Bomb T3 silence applies on cast instead of detonation and lasts 3.5 seconds instead of 5; Sticky Bomb also gains a valid-target indicator when in range. Haze’s Sleep Dagger cooldown rises from 25 to 27 seconds and Smoke Bomb’s falls from 45 to 35 seconds. Lash’s Death Slam cooldown rises from 110 to 130 seconds. Vindicta’s Flight spirit bullet damage gains range effectiveness; spirit damage per bullet rises from 8 to 12, and the T2 bonus spirit damage per bullet also rises from 8 to 12.
How to adapt: Practice Bebop’s changed silence timing and check the in-range target indicator; retest Haze and Lash cooldown windows. For Vindicta, compare damage at different ranges rather than assuming the listed increases preserve maximum damage at every distance.
Follow the affected decisions
- Bebop build and counter guide
- Haze build and counter guide
- Kelvin build and counter guide
- Lash build and counter guide
- Vindicta build and counter guide
- Warden build and counter guide
- Return Fire item reference
- Mystic Slow item reference
- Alchemical Fire item reference
- Diviner's Kevlar 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.