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 Historical changes can be superseded; use current definitions for a match today.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, Gameplay, Items, Fixes, Interface. Dates refer to the update named in the notes; a mirrored post can be published later.
Relearn the Soul Urn contest
What changed: The Urn is picked up with a light or heavy melee and always goes to the middle bridge. Its deposit phase lasts 3, 5, or 10 seconds depending on whether the Urn favors the depositing team, is neutral, or is unfavored. During depositing, the enemy can heavy-melee it to claim it; this adds 1.25 seconds to that team's timer. In favored or unfavored comeback states, the favored team gets 50% Bullet and Spirit Resist within 60m while the Urn is carried, dropped, or deposited. Carrying no longer grants the old 30% resist; the carrier remains disarmed and movement-silenced, but is no longer silenced.
How to adapt: Test the carry and deposit phases separately: if opponents can reach the bridge during depositing, account for a possible heavy-melee contest and the added timer. Do not assume the favored-team resistance applies outside the stated comeback states or 60m area.
Adjust to early-game and objective changes
What changed: All heroes lose 10 base HP and each boon gives 3 less HP. Medium neutrals first spawn at five rather than six minutes; breakables first spawn at three rather than two minutes. Guardians take more damage early because their initial resistance is lower. Shrines are invulnerable until one pair of Base Guardians is destroyed. Bullet resistance rises from 10% to 20% for Base Guardians and shrines, and from 25% to 35% for Tier 2.
How to adapt: When planning early contests, account for the earlier medium-neutral spawn and lower hero health, and do not attempt shrine damage before the stated Base Guardian condition. Test objective damage in the relevant phase rather than assuming these resistance changes guarantee a particular push timing.
Check the new investment breakpoints
What changed: Weapon, Vitality, and Spirit Investment Bonuses each gain a 6.4k line. Their listed thresholds change from 4.8k/7.2k/9.6k/16k to 4.8k/6.4k/8k/11.2k/16k. Bullet Velocity bonuses now stack additively rather than diminishingly. Sharpshooter can now upgrade from High-Velocity Rounds, and Grit is a new T1 Vitality item with a 200 Barrier active for 4 seconds, 1 Out of Combat Regen, and a 60-second cooldown.
How to adapt: Recheck purchase timing around the new 6.4k, 8k, and 11.2k lines, and test Bullet Velocity stacking with your actual item combination. Consider Grit only after checking whether its active barrier and passive regeneration suit the situation; its listed upgrade paths do not inherit the manual-cast active.
Retest changed hero interactions
What changed: Apollo's hitboxes are improved (easier to hit). Riposte no longer automatically dashes; it grants a brief sub-ability to select a hero within 25m, and no longer triggers on damage auras or objective damage. Grey Talon's Rain of Arrows has a shorter cooldown, cast delay, and duration; its stamina distance changes from -9% to +25%. Rem's Tag Along travels to an ally 50% faster, can be cast through veils, and applies its burst heal to secondary allies. Its lingering heal lasts less time but is rebalanced to the same total heal.
How to adapt: For Apollo, practice selecting or buffering the post-parry target and account for the easier-to-hit hitboxes. For Grey Talon, test the shorter Rain of Arrows window and changed stamina-distance modifier. For Rem, verify secondary-ally burst healing and the faster travel; the unchanged total lingering heal does not establish identical healing timing.
Test selected hero number changes
What changed: Seven's bullet damage growth falls from 0.374 to 0.337, while its crit reduction rises from 35% to 55%. Shiv's Killing Blow cooldown rises from 105s to 125s and its full-rage damage bonus falls from 14% to 12%; its T2 now also reduces cooldown by 30s. Kelvin's Frost Grenade and Arctic Beam spirit scaling decrease. Holliday's base bullet damage and health regeneration increase, while Graves' bullet damage and growth are reduced by 10%.
How to adapt: If these heroes are part of your regular picks, test the specific affected values and upgrade interactions in play; the notes do not establish matchup results or a replacement build. For Shiv in particular, compare the base cooldown with the T2 cooldown reduction rather than treating the increase as unconditional at that tier.
Follow the affected decisions
- Apollo build and counter guide
- Graves build and counter guide
- Grey Talon build and counter guide
- Holliday build and counter guide
- Kelvin build and counter guide
- Rem build and counter guide
- Seven build and counter guide
- Shiv build and counter guide
- Opening Rounds item reference
- Sharpshooter item reference
- Grit item reference
- Arctic Blast 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.