While watching the update Vainglory stream I’ve picked up some of the things that were updated and that were missed on the official patch notes posted below.
The Skin system
Described on this skin survival guide.
TL DR;
In short it work like this:
- skins will have 3 tiers
- skins will be purchased with Cards
- Cards will sometimes drop at the end of matches
- only tier 1 skins will be purchasable with ICE
- Later on Cards will be purchasable with ICE
Requirements and performance improvements
- Vainglory is now available on iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c
- On iOS the game will adapt the resolution to the device’s performance in order to reduce lags and frame drops. This can be turned off in settings (at the moment it seems that there are no setting in the settings menu. Not even the old ones for language, screen zoom, volume and so on)
For me this is a huge improvement and I believe this will make the game so much better especially for those who are playing on a bit older devices. I play and stream with my iPad 4 and this will hopefully be a huge improvement on the quality of the game.
Balance changes and bug fixes
Vox will not proc twice for Tension Bow and Aftershock any more while using Sonic Zoom
Vox’s ulti, Wait for it, is now slower so dodgeable. And does less crystal damage
Aftershock has been nerfed a bit.. I didn’t really got in which way.
Reflex block is now not spammable any more. It will take more skill to use effectively.
Eve of harvest has been nerfed a bit. A bit more Crystal power added but the life steal has been reduced 25%-20%.
Flares are working differently. They are not global any more. Now the flares will have to be placed on the map and will reveal a small bit of the area.
Joule has been buffed and is now hopefully going to be more present in the game. The hero portrait in hero selection screen has been changed and I personally like it more.
Skaarf has also been buffed a bit. He’s Spitfire will now not hit lane minions, but will go through them damaging them.
Krul has been indirectly nerfed by changing how the weapon ratio works now.
Frostburn has been buffed a bit by increasing the Crystal Power.
It is now possible to see the skill tiers of your friends before inviting them to a party and also in private chat. The information will show the skill tier number, the name and the color (Brown for Bronze, White/Light grey for Silver and Yellow/Golden for Gold). This will be very helpful when doing private matches and trying to make the teams even especially on the stream when playing with viewers. Also it will allow you to party with people with similar skill tier when going for pubs with people you might not know that well.
Tier 2 skins revealed for Petal, Ringo and SAW, Adagio and Glaive.
Feel free to check out the official patch notes and discover for yourself in the game all the other changes from the huge update!
Enjoy the game!
The official 1.4.0 patch notes
From the App store:
Hero Skins System Unveiled!
– Every hero skin theme contains three tiers. Each tier has different art and a different in-game model!
– Unlock Tier 1 hero skins using ICE in the Market or by “weaving” cards into skins.
– Cards of varying rarity will sometimes be awarded in post-match Spoils of War.
– Collect cards and trade them in for skins when you meet the requirements!
– Tier 2 & 3 skins and their required cards will be included in a future update.
– Tier 2 & 3 skins must be earned (cannot be unlocked directly with ICE).
Hero Skins in 1.4
– Bug Petal
– Dark Parade Adagio
– Kandi Twirl Koshka
– SAWborg
– Prehistoric Glaive
– Shogun Ringo
Skins for the remaining heroes will arrive in future updates!
Hero Loading Screen & Match Start
– A new loading screen displays heroes’ default and skin art.
– All players will load into the Halcyon Fold simultaneously to prevent an early-start advantage.
UI & Settings Changes
– See the skill tier of friends when forming parties and in your Friends list.
– ‘Notify for Starred Friends Only’ setting: Only show in-game chat notifications from friend you’ve starred.
Gameplay Changes
– Interrupted ultimates no longer go onto shorter-than-normal cooldowns.
– Weapon ratios of abilities no longer take base weapon power into account. (Only bonus weapon power from items and buffs are factored.) This impacts Krul and Joule.
Latest Hero & Item Balance Changes
– Check the in-game News section for a detailed breakdown. Includes Joule buffs & Reflex Block changes!
Performance Improvements
– Optimizations for less lag and higher frame rates.
– Game uses less memory for better overall stability.
– Graphics resolution will dynamically adjust for optimal game performance. (This is based on the power of your device’s graphics card.)
– More! Check the News section for details.
BUG FIXES
– Fixed the “Catherine Stun Bug” and related bugs (SAW’s missed shank, Glaive’s missed knock-back, etc.).
– Krul’s Dead Man’s Rush no longer applies 2 stacks of Weakness instead of the intended 1 stack.
– Vox’s basic attacks no longer trigger both melee and ranged heals from Book of Eulogies/Barbed Needle or double-trigger Breaking Point.
– Vox no longer procs Tension Bow and Aftershock twice when hitting enemies with both projectiles from Sonic Zoom at the same time.
– Skaarf’s Spitfire properly applies Fan the Flames when Spitfire passes through a scout trap or corpse.
– Skaarf’s Goop puddle no longer ignites if a spitfire collides with a target before reaching the puddle.
– Skaarf’s Goop puddle slow does not erroneously end before the target has left the puddle.
– Taka receives his Mortal Strike speed boost consistently.
– Glaive’s Twisted Stroke properly triggers basic attack on-hit effects such as his Bloodsong as well as item on-hit effects.
– Adagio’s Gift of Fire crystal ratios have been increased to the values intended in Update 1.3.
– Travel Boots now expire upon taking AND dealing damage.
Featured image from Vainglory.com
Official patch notes from Apple App Store where you can download the Vainglory app.
Read the full update news on Vainglory.com news page.