Mass Effect: Andromeda Patch 1.05 Multiplayer Balance Updates

We’ve introduced a number of balance changes to multiplayer based on feedback from the community.

We increased the threat and effectiveness of some of the heavy hitters in enemy factions. Hydras, Remnant Destroyers, and berserkers are now more likely to target nearby players, increasing the threat for close-quarters characters and reducing the effectiveness of repeated melee attacks. Players also won’t be able to avoid damage from the kett anointed by standing beside them.

We’ve made changes to the Outlaw faction to increase their difficulty. They were less effective at pushing players into cover than other factions, so we increased the damage and fire rate for sharpshooters. The hydra’s sync attack is now lethal.

After investigating complaints about assault rifle and pistol performance, we discovered an issue that reduced the rate of fire for many semiautomatic weapons. This limitation impacted the Mattock in particular. However, after fixing the issue, we found its damage output was overpowering, and scaled it back. To keep the identity of the Mattock as an assault rifle that fires as quickly as you can pull the trigger, we left the rate of fire unchanged and lowered the damage per round. To compensate, we also increased the amount of spare ammo.

To ensure the risk-reward play styles of melee-heavy classes retained appropriate risk, we made changes to reduce the effectiveness of repeated melee attacks on large targets. Enemy attacks can now interrupt a meleeing player, which means you’ll have to bring more than your fists to a gun fight.

We’re continuing to look into issues around weapon balance, particularly at higher difficulties. We’re also looking at melee-focused builds to ensure they pack the right punch.

You can find a full list of changes below.

Balance notes are available in other languages here.

Player Abilities

Melee

• To reduce the effectiveness of repeated melees against tougher enemies, player melee attacks can now be interrupted by enemy attacks.

Challenge Tracking

• Biotic, Tech, and Combat Detonation Challenges now update on the Challenges screen.
• Lance and Throw will now successfully increment the Biotic Detonation Combo challenge progress.

Stealth Grid

• Fixed an issue that caused Stealth Grid to deactivate immediately after being used.

Biotic Ascension

• Fixed an issue that prevented the Kineticist from gaining Biotic Ascension charges when not the host of the match.

Weapons

Generally, we’ve found that semiautomatic assault rifles and pistols are underperforming when compared to their automatic counterparts. We’ve increased the damage per round for most of these guns and fixed bugs that limited the rate of fire for semiautomatic weapons.

Assault Rifles

Mattock

• Fixed an issue that prevented the Mattock from reaching its designed rate of fire
• Lowered damage per round to partially offset increase in rate of fire
• Lowered damage per round from 71–89 to 50–63
• Increased spare ammo capacity from 112–140 to 160–200

Sandstorm

• Increased damage per round from 112–134 to 140–168

Sweeper

• Increased damage per round from 60–72 to 64–77

Valkyrie

• Increased damage per round from 80–93 to 86–99

Halberd

• Increased damage per round from 73–90 to 92–113

Pistols

Predator

The Predator also benefits from the rate of fire adjustment applied to the Mattock assault rifle.

• Increased damage per round from 38–51 to 54–72
• Decreased rate of fire from 500 to 450

Carnifex

• Increased damage per round from 155–195 to 175–220

Hornet

• Increased damage per round from 37–49 to 44–55

Phalanx

• Increased damage per round from 106–113 to 133–142

Scorpion

• Increased damage per round from 428–512 to 485–580

Shotguns

Hesh

• Ammo increased from 40–50 to 60–75

Sniper Rifles

Shadow

• Increased damage per round from 27–32 to 38–46

Indra

• Increased damage per round from 84–101 to 105–126

Vanquisher

• Fixed a bug that caused the Vanquisher to have an extra 100% headshot bonus

General

Weapon Reloads

• Fixed some timings of reload actions so they better match their animations

Boosters

Assault Rifle Amp III

• The Assault Rifle Amp III booster now properly states that it gives a 30% boost instead of a 35% boost. This was a text error only. The functionality was always 30%.

Enemies

Kett

Kett Anointed

• Players can no longer avoid damage by standing up against a firing anointed

Kett Ascendant

• Kett Ascendant’s Orb will now give 15 points when killed, instead of points equal to the Ascendant himself

Kett Behemoth (Boss objective)

• Behemoths are more likely to target nearby players

Outlaw

The Outlaws have generally been easier to fight than other factions, so we’ve closed the gap. While Remnant Observers and kett anointed are effective at pushing players into cover, sharpshooters needed improvements to get players to hide. Across the rest of the palette, changes to targeting and the hydra’s sync attack help keep the Outlaws competitive.

Outlaw Adhi

• Adhi no longer attempt to chain sync attacks

Outlaw Agent

• Outlaw agent’s holographic clone will no longer give points

Outlaw Sharpshooter

• Sharpshooters now fire more frequently, especially against targets out of cover
• Sniper rifle damage increased by 44%
• Sharpshooters sprint more often
• Aiming time is now shortened at shorter ranges
• Aiming and impact audio are now clearer
• No longer pursue melee targets over long distances

Outlaw Berserker

• Berserkers are more likely to target nearby players

Outlaw Hydra

• Sync attack is now lethal
• Hydra is more likely to target nearby players
• Hydra now lose their target—but no longer cancel firing—when their target cloaks while locking on
• Fixed situations where the hydra’s body would reappear after being destroyed

Remnant

We found that the Observer was a little too good at its job, often leaving players feeling totally pinned down. This could be frustrating when another Observer flanked the player or when a Nullifier attacked. At the same time, the Nullifier felt like a nuisance, but one that was easy to counter in many situations.

To address these issues, we reduced the damage Observers inflict and how long they fire for. We’ve reworked the Nullifier to make its main weapon more powerful, but less frequent against players in cover. The Nullifier is also more likely to stand its ground, helping it to control the space. Repeated melee should now be a less dominant strategy against Nullifiers.

Remnant Observer

• Observers can now lose their target while firing when the target cloaks
• Maximum beam duration decreased from 6s to 5s
• Beam damage decreased by 10%

Remnant Nullifier

• Rate of fire has been decreased against enemies in cover
• Projectile attacks now travel faster and hit harder
• Stays still and fires in more situations
• No longer flees in protracted melee situations
• [Single player only] Fires less frequently on lower difficulties

Remnant Destroyer

• Destroyers are more likely to target nearby players
• Fixed situations where the Destroyer’s body and turrets would reappear after being destroyed

Source: http://blog.bioware.com/2017/04/06/patch-1-05-multiplayer-balance-updates/