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 Historical changes can be superseded; use current definitions for a match today.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.
Hero avoidance and roster requirements
What changed: Standard Mode and Street Brawl add a hero-avoidance preference: select one hero in your roster screen with middle click. The match reports which heroes were banned at its start; there are two total bans. New heroes are excluded during their initial release window. Parties of three or more now need an additional hero in their roster, from three to four.
How to adapt: Set your avoidance preference before queueing if there is a hero you would rather avoid, and check the match-start notice to see which heroes were banned; the preference is not a guarantee that your selection will be banned. Parties of three or more should check that their roster has the additional hero.
Weapon and resistance changes
What changed: Fire-rate increases and reductions from most abilities and items are reduced globally by a small amount. Slowing Bullets loses fire rate, gains +15% weapon damage, and increases its dash-distance reduction from -20% to -25%; its buildup rate improves slightly. Lucky Shot loses ammunition and crit value, and Intensifying Magazine reaches maximum damage sooner. A global change also makes various bullet-hit resistance-reduction debuffs apply increased damage to subsequent hits rather than the initial hit.
How to adapt: Recheck builds that rely on fire-rate effects or the changed items, and test resistance-reduction effects over successive hits rather than assuming the initial hit benefits. The notes do not establish a best replacement for any changed item.
Recheck defensive and charged-ability items
What changed: Debuff Reducer’s debuff resistance rises from 20% to 25% and it loses +50 Health. Dispel Magic, renamed from Debuff Remover, no longer builds from Debuff Reducer; it loses +30% debuff resistance and +100 HP, gains +14% Spirit Resistance, and has a reduced move-speed bonus. Restorative Locket’s cooldown falls from 30 to 20 seconds, its Spirit Resistance rises from 6% to 8%, it becomes self-cast only, and it restores up to three stamina based on stacks relative to the maximum. Rapid Recharge’s charged-ability Spirit Power and time-between-charges bonuses are reduced; it now also reduces charged-ability cooldowns by 14%.
How to adapt: Do not plan a Debuff Reducer-to-Dispel Magic build path after the recipe change; compare the revised items by the resistance and utility you need. If using Restorative Locket, account for self-cast-only use and test its stack-based stamina restoration. Recheck Rapid Recharge on charged abilities with its revised bonuses and cooldown reduction.
Selected hero changes
What changed: Abrams’ gun falloff range and bullet damage growth are reduced, while Seismic Impact damage and stun duration increase. Bebop’s Exploding Uppercut T3 loses its +100% ammo bonus and restores 20% of missing HP on an enemy-hero hit. Ivy no longer has reduced melee damage. Lash’s Ground Strike rotation is restricted to 90 degrees rather than 360. Mina’s move speed is reduced and stamina cooldown increased; Paige’s barrier and Captivating Read damage are reduced; Shiv’s Serrated Knives impact-damage spirit ratio is reduced; and Viscous gains spirit per boon but loses bullet damage per boon.
How to adapt: If you play these heroes, test the specific changed situations: compare Abrams’ weapon performance at different ranges, check Bebop’s T3 healing on enemy-hero hits, and practice Lash’s narrower Ground Strike rotation. For the other listed heroes, reassess the affected movement, ability, or boon scaling without assuming the whole kit is stronger or weaker.
Street Brawl-specific adjustments
What changed: Street Brawl receives custom hero and item balance, with changed abilities marked in tooltips. Troopers gain 20% Spirit Resistance and an additional 20% during overtime; ultimate initial cooldowns increase by five seconds; and the global 40% healing reduction is removed. Brawl-specific changes include shorter Bebop Hyperbeam duration, a longer McGinnis Mini Turret cooldown, 30% less Alchemical Fire damage, and Cursed Relic (renamed from Curse) duration reduced from 3.25 to 2.75 seconds. Selecting Random Hero grants a bonus reroll for rounds one and two.
How to adapt: Check marked tooltips when choosing heroes or items in Street Brawl rather than assuming Standard Mode values apply. If your approach relies on the former global 40% healing reduction, account for its removal and test the specific healing interactions relevant to your picks; the notes say specific healing reductions may be adjusted directly.
Follow the affected decisions
- Abrams build and counter guide
- Bebop build and counter guide
- Ivy build and counter guide
- Lash build and counter guide
- Mina build and counter guide
- Paige build and counter guide
- Shiv build and counter guide
- Viscous build and counter guide
- Slowing Bullets item reference
- Lucky Shot item reference
- Debuff Reducer item reference
- Dispel Magic item reference
- Rapid Recharge item reference
- Restorative Locket 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.