Update 12.0.0
PRIME TIME
Season 12 launched with a destruction overhaul, the Infiltrator playstyle for Light (True Sight, Mimic Device, Translocator), Respec Order archetype changes made permanent, and predictive melee lunges with a broad weapon and gadget balance pass.
- 4new
- 24buffs
- 13nerfs
- 15tweaks
New arrivals
True Sight
New
Added the True Sight specialization to the Light archetype. Reveals opponents through smoke, including cloaked or disguised Contestants.
Mimic Device
New
Added the Mimic Device gadget to the Light archetype. Scan an object in the world and disguise yourself as it.
Translocator
New
Added the Translocator gadget to the Light archetype. Mark a nearby object and swap places with it on demand.
Sonar Grenade
New
Sonar Grenades are now available to the Medium archetype, in addition to Light.
Dev note: Evening out the utility available to Lights and Mediums; Sonar opens new synergies in a space Light usually dominates.
Balance
General
Buffed
All Contestants can now run up slopes of up to 50 degrees, increased from 45 degrees.
Dev note: Added while reviewing the new destruction systems so the environment is smoother to traverse.
Tweaked
Melee lunges are now predictive: no lunge if the target runs into range, slight compensation for sideways movement, and speed adjusts to reach the target. Hit sweeps are more granular, precision hits are judged more accurately, and small gaps that caused misses were removed.
Dev note: Lunges should now reliably deliver you to a moving target without falling short or overshooting. Most melee balance changes below respond to this.
Heavy
Tweaked
Decreased base health from 350 to 325. Increased forward sprint speed from 5.8 to 6 m/s and forward run speed from 3.8 to 4.35 m/s, with faster strafing and backpedaling too.
Dev note: The Respec Order test is now a permanent part of the game.
Light
Tweaked
Increased base health from 150 to 175 and health regen delay from 7s to 8s. Decreased forward sprint speed from 7 to 6.6 m/s and forward run speed from 5.5 to 5.1 m/s, with slower strafing and backpedaling too.
Dev note: The Respec Order test is now a permanent part of the game.
Dome Shield
Buffed
Increased health from 250 to 600, but the shield now loses 100 health per second.
Dev note: Damage was clamping its power ceiling but left enemies low on ammo; shooting it down now pops it sooner while the extra health keeps it valuable. Experimental.
Explosive Mine
Buffed
Increased damage from 120 to 145.
Dev note: Adjusted for the new Heavy and Light health values.
Flashbang
Buffed
Increased minimum flash duration from 1.5s to 2s and maximum from 4.5s to 5s. Hits are more reliable near thin objects, max flash intensity on teammates decreased from 0.95 to 0.35, and the hitmarker threshold increased from 0.75 to 0.85. Hitmarkers no longer trigger when blinding yourself or allies.
Dev note: Quality of life improvements to make Flashbangs a more desirable pick.
Frag Grenade
Buffed
Increased max damage from 140 to 165 and made the light trail smaller and shorter.
Gateway
Nerfed
Increased max distance to the first portal from 50m to 60m, now including vertical distance (previously unlimited). Increased cooldown from 40s to 50s.
Dev note: The old portal distance check was unreliable; the new one is consistent, with range adjusted to keep a similar feel. The cooldown change boosts Medium utility relative to Light.
Gas Grenade
Tweaked
Decreased gas duration from 12s to 8s, cooldown from 24s to 20s and radius from 5m to 4.5m. Increased ammo from 1 to 2.
Dev note: Shorter uptime but more frequent use, so gas clouds need managing rather than being fire-and-forget.
Gas Mine
Nerfed
Decreased radius from 5m to 3.5m.
H+ Infuser
Nerfed
Decreased health given per shot from 11 to 10.
Dev note: Balancing the H+ Infuser against the Medium's Healing Beam.
Lockbolt Launcher
Nerfed
Teleporting through a Gateway now immediately breaks any Lockbolt connections.
Dev note: The Gateway combo caused too many bugs and balance problems to support.
Pyro Grenade
Buffed
Added explosive damage on impact: 40 damage in a 2.5m radius, applied through smoke unlike fire damage.
Dev note: Raises the floor of the Pyro Grenade compared to Pyro Mines and Frag Grenades.
Pyro Mine
Nerfed
Decreased explosive damage from 55 to 45.
Dev note: Balances value between the Pyro Mine and the buffed Pyro Grenade.
Smoke Grenade
Buffed
Increased radius from 3.5m to 4.5m and smoke duration from 9s to 13s. Smoke can now be briefly dispersed by explosions.
Dev note: Offsets the new explosive counters to dynamic smoke.
Thermal Bore
Buffed
Decreased fuse time before detonation from 1.75s to 1.4s.
Vanishing Bomb
Tweaked
Increased cooldown from 25s to 30s. The secondary underhand throw is now straighter, faster and more reliable.
Breach Drill
Tweaked
Hitmarkers no longer trigger when the Breach Drill blinds you or your allies, only enemies.
Charge 'N' Slam
Nerfed
Ground slam now only damages targets close to the ground. Elevated or airborne targets still take knockback and concussion.
Cloaking Device
Nerfed
Increased the idle sound volume while stationary and the audible range of movement crackles.
Dev note: Keeping cloaking fun without being too oppressive for opponents.
Guardian Turret
Buffed
The turret now highlights its active target, letting the owner and teammates see them through walls and smoke while in its sights.
Dev note: An experimental boost to Medium utility without adding combat power.
Grappling Hook
Buffed
Cooldown is now variable based on how long the grapple was active: 4s minimum to 7.5s maximum.
Dev note: How you use the grapple now decides how often you can use it.
Healing Beam
Buffed
Increased healing per second from 46 to 50.
Dev note: Raising Medium's utility strength relative to other archetypes, especially Light.
Dagger
Tweaked
Decreased primary and Backstab lunge distance from 5m to 4.25m to compensate for lunge prediction. Backstab duration decreased from 0.5s to 0.35s and base damage increased from 85 to 90.
Dual Blades
Buffed
Primary base damage increased from 37 to 39 and precise from 57 to 60. Cross Slash base damage increased from 91 to 100, precise from 140 to 155, and hit box width from 0.3m to 0.55m. Precision angle increased from 12 to 14 degrees. Deflect now follows the crosshair, uses only the 14 degree precise angle, and deflected bullets give hitmarkers.
Dev note: Deflect is now clearer about when it blocks and whether deflections hit.
Riot Shield
Buffed
Primary base damage increased from 60 to 63 and precise from 86 to 90, with hit box width from 0.8m to 0.95m and height from 0.3m to 0.4m. Shield Bash hit box width increased from 0.35m to 0.55m and height from 0.55m to 0.9m, and its lunge reaches slightly further but overshoots less.
Sledgehammer
Nerfed
Decreased primary and secondary lunge distance from 5m to 4.5m to compensate for lunge prediction.
Spear
Nerfed
Decreased primary lunge distance from 6.5m to 5.75m and hit box width from 0.4m to 0.35m. Spin Attack hits better match the animation, and kicks push a spinning Spear user a shorter distance.
Sword
Nerfed
Decreased primary lunge distance from 4.25m to 4m, base damage from 71 to 65 and precise damage from 110 to 100.
BFR Titan
Buffed
Increased damage from 90 to 95. Shortened reloads: intro from 0.68s to 0.62s and loop from 0.88s to 0.8s, with the bullet restock point moved from 0.465s to 0.52s.
Dev note: Compensates for higher Light and lower Heavy health, as do most weapon damage changes this season.
CB-01 Repeater
Buffed
Increased damage from 84 to 88 and damage falloff multiplier from 0.64 to 0.66.
Chimera XB
Buffed
Increased damage from 45 to 47.
KS-23
Nerfed
Decreased damage from 104 to 100.
Dev note: Still slightly over-performing now that so many players know its utility.
LH1
Nerfed
Decreased damage from 44 to 40, falloff start from 50m to 35m, and falloff end from 55m to 45m.
Dev note: With Light's health increase, its top outlier weapons (LH1 and XP-54) take small reductions.
Lewis Gun
Buffed
Increased fire rate from 500 to 520 RPM.
M60
Buffed
Increased fire rate from 580 to 600 RPM.
M32GL
Buffed
Increased damage from 83 to 97.
P90
Buffed
Increased damage from 14 to 15.
Pike-556
Buffed
Increased damage from 49 to 50.
R.357
Buffed
Increased damage from 74 to 76.
SA1216
Buffed
Decreased recoil intensity by roughly 20%, smoothed recoil between shots 2 and 3, tightened pellet dispersion, and increased damage falloff multiplier from 0.62 to 0.67.
Dev note: Bringing the SA1216 back toward the mainstream with quality of life improvements.
SR-84
Buffed
Increased damage from 118 to 122.
XP-54
Nerfed
Decreased ammo from 36 to 34.
Dev note: With Light's health increase, its top outlier weapons (LH1 and XP-54) take small reductions.
Fixes
General
Tweaked
Melee pushes no longer knock players out of a Winch Claw pull or Charge ’N’ Slam, attacks ignore invulnerable opponents, lunges can start while sliding, crouch cancels pulling lunges, and lunges end if the target leaves range or goes behind cover.
Dagger
Tweaked
Backstabs register more reliably against opponents.
Recurve Bow
Tweaked
Fixed the bow sometimes failing to fire after using an emote.
Riot Shield
Tweaked
The shield keeps blocking during the inspect animation, and no longer blocks shots to exposed body parts while moving or crouching.
Throwing Knives
Tweaked
Fixed the arm getting stuck in a charged pose when using expressions while charging the secondary attack.
Goo Grenade
Tweaked
Fixed Goo spawning incorrectly on ceilings and tilted walls.
Lockbolt Launcher
Tweaked
Fixed a Lockbolt hit by a Glitch Grenade as it activated chaining players without pulling them.
Healing Beam
Tweaked
Fixed Healing Beam sometimes not working in the Practice Range after switching specializations while overheated.