Game Update 0.26

Highlights

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The Garden of Morr

The battle rages on in the blighted lands of Sylvania!  Don't expect sunshine and flowers, for Morr is the god of death, and the only things planted in his garden are corpses.  Defeat your enemies to earn points, and claim the ancient cursed skull when it appears - you and your allies will then earn even more points for kills!  Watch your back, though, because anyone who kills you will immediately claim the cursed skull for their own...

Practice Mode

Need a little time to practice a new Hero?  Want to try a new Mastery loadout to see how well it works out?  The new Practice Mode is just what you're looking for!  Test yourself against NPC versions of several Heroes, hone your skills without enemy players breathing down your neck, and learn the detailed intricacies of your favorite Heroes.  Just remember that it is, after all, only practice, and the real battle is always waiting for you!

Ornament Weapons

We let the Heroes pillage the armory, and after only minor arguments and just a few horrible deaths, they've added even more weapons to their arsenals.  Earn new trophies, unlock new Ornament weapons, and customize your favorite Heroes even more!

Patch Changes

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Practice Mode

Practice Mode is now available as a game type selection.  Simply click the arrows below the Play button, select Practice, and then click Play to begin.

• Representations of a broad range of Heroes line the walls of the Practice room.  Hit any of them to spawn an NPC version of that Hero which will immediately attack you.
• To change your current Hero, walk up to the Rat Ogre and attack him.  He will obligingly, quickly, and quite definitively kill you, bringing you back to the Hero selection screen.
• Attacking the armed gnoblar will cause a target dummy to be created instead of an aggressive NPC.  You may then practice against the target dummy without it fighting back.
• Multiple target dummies may be created at a time, to assist in practicing area-effect abilities.  The armed gnoblar will create a target dummy for each time that he's attacked.
• To clear all target dummies from the room, attack the Rat Ogre and allow him to kill you.  When you respawn, you will find the room cleared of all target dummies.
• To end Practice Mode and return to the lobby, kill the unarmed gnoblar.  The Practice session will immediately end.
• While in a Practice Mode session, you will not earn any progress towards Trophies, and your performance will not count towards your Hero stats.

Additional Ornaments

All Heroes with available Ornament weapons now have one more weapon to choose from, with corresponding Trophies as well:

• Each Hero's Appearance window now includes a second weapon option.  Clicking this Ornament weapon will display it on the 3d model, and will tell you exactly what you need to do to unlock it.
• These new Ornament weapons may be used with any available skin, and may be used either with or without any earned non-weapon Ornaments, in any combination that you like.
• Only one Ornament weapon may be used at a time.
• Heroes who previously had no Ornament weapons available did not gain any in this patch.  We are continuing to work towards weapon options for these Heroes in the future.

New on the Store

• Rydion the Archmage has been added to the Store.  See the Hero Lineup section for more information.
• Ornate Chest: This item has been updated with additional contents.
• Wood Chest: This item has been updated with additional contents.
• Look for new items to appear on the store periodically!

Hero Lineup

Rydion has arrived!  This wise and accomplished High Elf Archmage is a master of skillfully-balanced High Magic.

• Rydion's Balanced Magic effect causes healing around his target. If he wants to take advantage of the healing himself, he needs to close in with the enemy - assess the situation before taking the risk!
• When trying to keep an enemy at a distance, Searing Touch is very effective, but make sure to keep moving away from them while channeling it. There's no need to stand still while channeling, so stay mobile.
• The Courage of Aenarion will greatly increase the effect of Rydion's Balanced Magic, but only for a few moments. To get the most out of it, make sure to use it just before your bigger attacks - don't spend that valuable time just casting Radiant Lances.

The following Heroes are considered free and available to all during this week:

• Durrig the Engineer
• Albodi the Chosen
• Amenadresh the Liche Priest
• Serkhet the Tomb Scorpion

Note: Free to play Heroes change on a weekly basis.

The following Heroes are available for purchase on the store:

Aessa the White Lion
Albodi the Chosen
Amenadresh the Liche Priest
Bax the Black Orc
Conrad the Warrior Priest
Drulg the Ogre
Durrig the Engineer
Felicia the Bright Wizard
Glowgob the Shaman
Ikkrik the Gutter Runner
Ilanya the Sorceress
Korith the Shadow Warrior
Korelei the Witch Elf
Malus Darkblade
Nethys the Vampire
Olwyn the Ironbreaker
Rydion the Archmage
Serkhet the Tomb Scorpion
The Archivist, Chaos Scholar
Volrik the Marauder
Zathis the Assassin

Keep an eye out for future additions to the Hero Lineup in weeks to come.

Hero Changes

General

• Numerous Perks have been adjusted to make them both more usable and more well-balanced. The full list of specific changes is:
• Absorb Vitality: The effect's duration is now 4 seconds, and its damage has been reduced.
• Divine Shielding: This Perk no longer restores hit points.
• Fling Explosives: This Perk no longer deals damage.
• Glory: The critical hit bonus from this effect now only applies to damaging abilities.
• L'il Helper: The activation requirement for this Perk has been reduced to a 7 Kill Streak.
• Magmastorm: The activation requirement for this Perk has been reduced to a 10 Kill Streak, and its damage and radius have been reduced.
• Massive Smash: This Perk is now a ground-targeted effect.
• Power Unbound: The Lord of Change has been slightly scaled down. Additionally, its Chaos Shall Consume You! ability no longer roots enemies.
• Unholy Ward: The activation requirement for this Perk has been reduced to a 4 Kill Streak, and it no longer deals damage.
• Unnatural Agility: The activation requirement for this Perk has been reduced to a 6 Kill Streak.
• Verdant Apotheosis: This Perk no longer grants damage immunity.
• Desperation: This Tactic now calculates its effectiveness slightly differently. It now causes you to take only 65% of incoming damage (instead of causing you to take 35% less damage). In most cases this will work the same, but it will now also stack more gracefully with other damage-reducing buffs.
• Temerity: This Tactic now calculates its effectiveness slightly differently. It now causes you to take only 60% of incoming damage (instead of causing you to take 40% less damage). In most cases this will work the same, but it will now also stack more gracefully with other damage-reducing buffs.

Albodi

• Twisting Chaos: Fixed additional bugs which could sometimes allow enemies to dodge while affected by this aura.

Felicia

• Agonizing Burns: This Tactic now correctly displays its description when viewed in the Store.

Malus Darkblade

• Khaine's Blade: Fixed a bug which could sometimes cause this Tactic to remain effective when unslotted.

Scenario

This patch adds a new Scenario to the lineup: the Garden of Morr.

• This scenario is kill-driven.  Each kill is worth 3 points for your team.
• 30 seconds after the scenario begins, the Cursed Skull will appear in the center of the map.
• The first person to touch the Cursed Skull will claim it, and be immediately transformed into a Skeletal Standard-Bearer.
• The Skeletal Standard-Bearer has a full set of its own abilities.  All abilities which were slotted on your original Hero will be removed, and replaced by the Standard-Bearer's instead.
• The Skeletal Standard-Bearer earns 8 points for each kill he makes, instead of the base 3 points.  This also applies to any of his allies that are standing near him - their kills will each earn 8 points as well.
• Only one Skeletal Standard-Bearer may exist at a time.  If the Skeletal Standard-Bearer is slain, then his killer immediately becomes the new Standard-Bearer.
• If, for any reason, the Standard-Bearer's killer cannot be transformed into the next Skeletal Standard-Bearer, then the Cursed Skull will re-appear on the ground and wait to be claimed.
• The minimap will always show the Skeletal Standard-Bearer's position, even if he is currently claimed by another team.
• Becoming the Skeletal Standard-Bearer - either by claiming the Cursed Skull or by killing an enemy Standard-Bearer - will count as a Capture for your personal score.  This does not impact team points.

Lobby

Settings

• The Garden of Morr is now listed in the Scenario Preferences window.