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Link: http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/forum/topic/16411181909#1
With some of the renewed discussion on Swarm Hosts over the weekend, we wanted to provide an update on where we’re at with the balance test map. While we haven’t seen the level of feedback we were hoping for with a change of this scale, there have been some high profile showmatches which have provided us with some useful information. In the games we’ve seen, we’re noticing a few important things:
The new Swarm Hosts are extremely effective at harassment in smaller numbers. Due to their high mobility and the flying locusts, it seems like there could be a lot of potential in this area.
The new Swarm Hosts are clearly weaker when in mass which was our intention. However, we’d like to push this even further to discourage mass Swarm Hosts.
If we do push Swarm Host even more towards a pure harassing role, we’ll have holes we need to fill. These are: Terran mech and Zerg being able to zone out High Templars in late game engagements.
So the changes we’re considering for the balance test map are:
Locust duration decreased from 30 to 25
This will allow countering mass Swarm Host armies during the long downtime between Locust spawns even better, while not hurting the smaller scale mobility based harassment cases as much.
Viper Blinding Cloud range increased from 10 to 11
This is to help vs. Mech especially since the range difference between Vipers and Vikings will be slightly greater.
Tempest no longer has +massive damage vs. air
Brood Lords can still be countered by the long range of Tempests, but they won’t be the hard counter they are now, meaning Brood Lords can serve to fill the missing gap created by the redesign of the Swarm Host.
Targeted release and continued testing
While these changes aren’t final, our current target time frame to release a live patch with the updated Swarm Host is shortly after the WCS Season 1 finals. This date will be coming up fast, so please continue playtesting on the balance test map and providing us with feedback. The next few weeks will be crucial in helping shape our next balance update. It will be difficult to patch such a major change without help from our community and the pro players.
Thank you.
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Good changes, they seems to know whats up, but I don't know if its enough specially in PvZ.
Also are they just nerfing the raven? As a terran it makes me really sad that they decided to ditch it altogether, its one of our only 2 spellcasters and is in a horrible spot right now :c
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and
"shortly after the WCS Season 1 finals. This date will be coming up fast"
I LOL'd
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On February 26 2015 04:33 SNSeigifried wrote:
Tempest no longer has +massive damage vs. air
Brood Lords can still be countered by the long range of Tempests, but they won’t be the hard counter they are now, meaning Brood Lords can serve to fill the missing gap created by the redesign of the Swarm Host.
Should just remove Massive tag from Broodlords or it slightly affects PvP
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Down with hosts, down with hosts!
I'm also quite glad with the viper buffs, but that is more for ZvP as I am horrid at feedback dodging, and late I like to drop a cloud or two before starting in with my abducts.
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The timing is reasonable but the proposed changes are massive!
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I'm all for buffing vipers! I think it's time to play that map a bit.
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On February 26 2015 04:33 SNSeigifried wrote:
Targeted release and continued testing
While these changes aren’t final, our current target time frame to release a live patch with the updated Swarm Host is shortly after the WCS Season 1 finals. This date will be coming up fast, so please continue playtesting on the balance test map and providing us with feedback. The next few weeks will be crucial in helping shape our next balance update. It will be difficult to patch such a major change without help from our community and the pro players.
Thank you.
This kind of thing really bugs me. If they REALLY wanted help they'd create either a playlist or a map in unranked/ladder play so people didn't have to try to find custom games to test this stuff. They could give u 1 extra veto than normal and you could just use it on that map if you didn't want to play it. The point is, it needs to be easier to play and submit feedback while it also gathers your rating so that they can get more comprehensive evidence from more players faster and easier.... I've been saying this for a while @_@;;
Well, I am not really sure how these new changes will affect the game. The tempest change is pretty big considering it will make BCs usable, possibly.
Though, I won't actually know until the patch is released because I am not going to go around asking people to play on this play test map >.>...
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Heh, maybe we'll manage to guess the date of Season 1 finals if they give us the release date for the patch.
#JeSuisAeromi
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Good luck to all zerg players out there defending against a midgame protoss deathball. You will need it
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From SwarmHosts to SadHosts 
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On February 26 2015 04:43 -Kyo- wrote:Show nested quote +On February 26 2015 04:33 SNSeigifried wrote:
Targeted release and continued testing
While these changes aren’t final, our current target time frame to release a live patch with the updated Swarm Host is shortly after the WCS Season 1 finals. This date will be coming up fast, so please continue playtesting on the balance test map and providing us with feedback. The next few weeks will be crucial in helping shape our next balance update. It will be difficult to patch such a major change without help from our community and the pro players.
Thank you. This kind of thing really bugs me. If they REALLY wanted help they'd create either a playlist or a map in unranked/ladder play so people didn't have to try to find custom games to test this stuff. They could give u 1 extra veto than normal and you could just use it on that map if you didn't want to play it. The point is, it needs to be easier to play and submit feedback while it also gathers your rating so that they can get more comprehensive evidence from more players faster and easier.... I've been saying this for a while @_@;; Well, I am not really sure how these new changes will affect the game. The tempest change is pretty big considering it will make BCs usable, possibly. Though, I won't actually know until the patch is released because I am not going to go around asking people to play on this play test map >.>...
Maybe, but the community is clearly not doing enough to try these changes out. I tried putting together some strategies based around the new swarmhost and got very little feedback, and at the pro level there have only been a couple of games here and there where not all of the pros playing have even given any thought to using the new swarmhost. We as a community can definitely do more, at all levels.
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Lol so mass Tempest doesn't counter mass Tempest anymore, such display of intelligence and reasoning is impressing me.
More seriously : RIP Swarm Host, 2012 - 2015, you lived happy spawning beautiful locusts with an exceptional regularity, and gave us a lot of memorable moments. Stephano will cry on your grave for sure.
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So whats the point of Tempest now? Will this make BC actually viable in TvP?
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Russian Federation1613 Posts
Make the polls please!
Also, straight nerf to Tempest? Carriers and Battlecruisers are viable now? I hope PvP late game won't be Colossus vs Colossus again...
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i completely lost any trace of sanity/sense in blizzards actions... zoning out HTs in ZvP?... sorry wat? removing + damage vs mass air from tempests for the sake of Broodlords being viable in ZvP? waaat? btw... Broodlords being viable in ZvP? u are F*&$ing kidding me right? Tempest being useless vs anything after that change... (even vs colosi btw that is HUGE) is something they don't even care.... i just don't get anything they are trying to do... leave this game alone pls....
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Slowly moving in the right direction it seems.
emphasis on slowly. This is another bandaid fix to a perpetually-unaddressed larger problem.
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Tempest Nerf = BL/I time?
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BAttleCruiser operational !!!!! :D
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EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/TF90k1G.png)
