[Hotfix Deployed + Updated] Rebel and Jedi LST Issue
Hello HHH, The team is aware that the Rebel LST being applied to Lobot is not targeting Lobot and are investigating. Thank you for your reports. Update: These are the characters that are currently affected and the team is working on a fix Rebels: - Baze Malbus - Bistan - Chirrut Imwe - Lando Calrissian - Lobot - Stormtrooper Han - Wedge Antilles Jedi: - Aayla Secura - Eeth Koth - Ima-Gun Di - Kit Fisto - Plo Koon This issue will be addressed in our make good we are working on.Title Update and 10-Year Anniversary Announcement Post
Hello Holotable Heroes, Ten years. A decade. It's difficult to believe that it's been this long since we first invited you to pull up a seat at the Holotable and begin your journey in Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. Together, we've achieved numerous milestones, assembled legendary squads, and watched as this incredible community has grown and flourished. Thank you for being the heart and soul of SWGOH. To properly honor this momentous 10-year anniversary and set the stage for the next exciting era of the game, we are thrilled to announce a foundational overhaul in the biggest update we’ve ever made! We're bringing sweeping changes to the structure of the game, designed to revitalize the core experience, enhance progression, and introduce new ways to play. There is a lot of information below, so grab a beverage, find a comfy chair and enjoy the update notes! Eras Last year we released Episodes, and with them we mentioned this concept called Eras. These are Galaxy of Heroes’ new seasonal structure. The guiding principles for seasonality can be found at the end of this document. Each standard Era will consist of: Three Episodes per Era Six Marquee units A Journey Guide event and associated unit Weekly Episode Quests Era Challenges to test your Marquee Squads And multiple pieces of content for all players to enjoy Periodically we’ll have non-standard eras that may only last one Episode or that may not have a Journey Guide event, but we will communicate about these as they occur. As part of these changes we are also expanding the availability of Episode Quests, the Episode Track, and the Episode Pass to all players starting at Level 10 instead of Level 85. Players will get a different set of Episode Quests in each Episode depending on their level when the Episode starts. Players who are below Level 85 receive a standard set of introductory Episode Quests Players at Level 85 receive the bespoke set of Episode Quests for that Episode Additionally, Character Quests will become available for all players at Level 20, which is the same level that unlocks Marquee Events Era Isolation Eras will be isolated from the rest of the game, which we’re referring to as “Legacy” content. During the Era in which each Marquee and Journey Guide unit is released, both the Journey Guide and Marquee units will be considered an “Era Unit”. When an Era ends, all of the current Era units will become Legacy units. When the next Era begins, the newest Marquee and Journey Guide units released during this new Era will be considered Era units for its duration. This is an important distinction for a few reasons: Era units can only be used in Era modes and will not be allowed in Legacy modes. Era Units only use Era resources for progression while Legacy units will continue to use existing materials and recipes for upgrades. Legacy units cannot be used in Era modes or be upgraded with Era materials This isolation is primarily to allow players to progress in both the latest content and grow their rosters with Legacy content without having to choose where to put their resources, but a more detailed explanation of why this distinction and isolation is important can be found at the bottom of this update. Era Journey Guide will work a little differently than normal Journey Guide events. The Era Journey Events will start in week 9 of the Era, which is when the 5th Era Marquee is released. Era Journey Guides Units will be available at 4* to allow players to use them early during the Era. This Era Journey Guide will be structured as follows: Tier I requires the first 5 Era Marquees at 4 at Era Level 45 and will unlock the Journey Guide Unit at 4 The 5 Era Journey Guide Unit will require 5 Marquee units at 5 The 6* and 7* versions of the JG will become available when the 6th Marquee releases and will require all 6 Marquees at 6* and 7* respectively. A significant amount of time after the Era, the Journey Guide will become a Legacy event, but it will have different requirements as the Marquees will no longer be Era units Era Levels To support our design pillars, we’re introducing a new progression system for Era units. This system uses new resources instead of Legacy gear or Relic materials, allowing all players to simultaneously continue their existing farms and chases while building up and playing with new units. Era Levels are a linear progression path that unlocks stats or abilities at each level. Unit Stars is another way to power up your Era units and are required to upgrade Era Levels beyond certain levels: 4* is required for Level 66+ 5* is required for Level 76+ 6* is required for Level 86+ 7* is required for Level 91+ Players will need a variety of Era Materials to upgrade a unit’s Era Level. These can be earned from participating in the Era through Coliseum, Era Marquee Events, Era Journey Events, and Episode Track milestones or purchased from the store. When Era units become Legacy units at the end of an Era, their Era Level will convert into the Character level, Gear tier/Relic level, and Ability level associated with that Era Level. Any Era Materials and Era currencies will be converted to Legacy materials at the end of an Era. The specifics of this new economy are still being finalized, but here are some examples of how your Era Units will be converted over: Era Level 65 - Lv 85/Gear 12(Base)/Ability Level 7 This is where we expect most players to reach with F2P Era Level 80 - Lv 85/Relic 2/Ability Level 7 Era Level 95 (Max Era Level) - Lv 85/Relic 6/Ability Level 8 (Zeta abilities!) Now let’s look at the first round of changes coming to the game in support of Eras, followed by what players can look forward to next year. Coliseum Coliseum is a new game mode and the first Era mode to be added to Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. Unlocking at Player Level 10, this game mode pits individual players against formidable foes from the Star Wars universe. Bosses will rotate daily, with players attempting to achieve new high scores each day. These high scores will earn rewards in two ways: one-time rewards for reaching certain score milestones (that reset each era) and daily leaderboard rewards competing against other players’ high scores for the day. The Coliseum leaderboard is one of the primary places to earn the new Relic 10 materials. More on Relic 10 below. To support this new leaderboard, players will be randomly assigned to new Era Shards. These are similar to Squad Arena and Fleet Arena shards, but are completely separate. An Era shard is not tied to a player’s Squad or Fleet Arena Shard and will not affect either of those in any way. Players will be randomly assigned to a new shard each Era, giving everyone an opportunity to prove their mettle against a variety of opponents. Era Challenges Era Challenges are another place to use Era units in this release. These will be replacing Galactic Challenges in an effort to help manage how much time players spend completing their daily tasks. The difficulty tiers are balanced around having Era units & squads at certain Era Levels, and the feats reward those appropriately. These will be available during the weeks between marquee releases, and players will have the full week to complete as much as they can on their own schedule. Time In Game Time needed to complete all the events and modes daily is an important topic to discuss as part of all these changes. With the addition of Coliseum and managing an Era roster on top of your existing roster, it is critical that we ensure the time spent in game daily doesn’t increase significantly. We designed the systems and the scale of Eras to something far more manageable. For this release Coliseum is a huge focus, but we were careful to ensure that only a few battles a day are needed to complete most of the Era content and advance up the leaderboard. Your score for each Coliseum boss is a high water mark that persists over the Era, which means once you achieve your best score, you don’t need to keep battling over and over again that day. A new type of event is Era Challenges, which replaces Galactic Challenges. Every other week, Players have 7 days to complete Era Challenges and use their newly powered up Era Squads. This should make Era Challenges less time intensive than Galactic Challenges overall. Lastly, we wanted to reduce some time spent in Conquest and Territory Battles. For players who are over-invested in the Squads needed for the zone, Relic Delta will make those battles faster and need less micromanaging during the encounters. In the future, we will continue to examine which modes should be supplanted by the Era system and which ones are the important drivers of your Legacy roster that should stay front and center. We are also scrutinizing which areas of the game are not only time intensive but become repetitive once mastered. This is a space we are continuing to examine and determine if they should be addressed with quality of life changes or removed entirely. More on this in the future as we watch this release closely for how it impacts time spent in the game. Cantina We have long wanted to spice up the cantina with new characters, story elements, tie-ins to current events within Galaxy of Heroes, and more. While our Art team is hard at work preparing larger changes, we wanted to put seasonal content front and center. To facilitate this, we’ve condensed the Light Side and Dark Side tables into the Cantina Battles table and renamed it the Campaigns table. We will be continuing the work to modernize our Cantina in an update scheduled for next year. Our goal is to provide an easily-navigated home screen that informs you of the most relevant information to you and what exciting new content has been released. Future Seasonal Content Oftentimes players will be building two or even three squads out of the marquee and Journey Guide units they unlock during an era, and we want to support player agency in developing those squads. Early next year we plan to release what we’re calling Loaned Units - a system where players will temporarily be granted a variety of additional Era units based on Legacy units for use in Era modes. Loaned units will not require direct investment to increase their power, and they will go away at the end of the era. Until then, we’re utilizing summoned units within Coliseum to provide a better and more well-rounded combat experience. We recognize that there are players who want to duke it out in direct PvP rather than fight big bosses. With that in mind, we want to bring a PvP mode to Eras in the future. For this to be the compelling PvP experience we want it to be, it needs to be supported by Loaned Units and a system for stat differentiation. However for Era PvP, mods can be complicated, and they introduce a wide variance in player experience and competitive viability based on random rolls. While the system provides interesting texture to legacy content and long-term progression, it is not conducive to seasonal content where all players start from the same place each era. With all that said, any Era PvP will be introduced alongside a new system for stat differentiation among Era units that will allow Era PvP to be an intriguing competitive landscape for players to deeply engage with. More on the next Era features as we get closer to their releases. We should note that this is not the end of "Legacy" content as the Era system works in conjunction with new events and modes that are outside of Eras. We have many plans to release more features and content like Raids, Territory Battle Planets, and Units in the future. Legacy Changes Alongside the new era content, we have a number of changes coming to the rest of the game. Let’s take a high-level look at what those are. Marquee Cadence A long time ago, we established a cadence for Marquee units. Since then, we’ve added to the cadence (shards become accelerated approximately one year later) and introduced new versions of Marquee events. With the introduction of Eras, we are evolving Marquees to the next stage. Players will be granted all of the Marquee units from an Era the first time they log in during that era. These units will not be accessible for upgrades or battle use until their individual marquee event starts, but they will exist in your roster. This way, all players will have access to the same Marquee units at the same time, even if a particular Marquee event is missed during an Era. (You’ll still want to play the Marquee while it is active to earn more shards for your Era Units, though!) It also helps players jump straight into Era content. The other notable change to marquee units is when they transition to shipments, nodes, and accelerated status. Marquee characters’ shards will be available in Shipments approximately the second week after their release Era ends and they become legacy characters. Marquee characters’ shards will be farmable on a node approximately 13 weeks after their marquee event. Marquee characters’ shards will become accelerated around one year after the start of their release Era, even when this would mean an individual character may become accelerated earlier than one year after their marquee event. This is also when Marquee units are eligible for Lightspeed Tokens, as a change from our earlier plan of having them become eligible one year after the end of the Era. Relic Economy Changes As part of this major Eras update, there will be a number of changes to the Relic economy. Eras create a path for players to reach the higher tiers of Relics if they want to invest deeper into their squads. Relics are also a critical part of the rewards for the Era, and there are three ways we are improving the Relic experience for players: Reduce the Pinch of Gear and Relic Materials Increase inflow of Relic resources to majority of players Improve Access to Relics Reduce the Pinch of Gear and Relic Materials The first way we are reducing some of the Relic pressure on your roster is through the changes to Eras. Eras significantly change how players interact with Legacy unit progression as Era Levels provide a head start on new units when they convert at the end of an Era. This reduces the amount of Gear needed for new units and instead can be used at the Scavenger to obtain the Relic materials you need. Outside of the newest units, Era rewards will also impact many older Journeys. Lightspeed Tokens are rewarded from engaging or investing in the Era and can be used on Legacy units to accelerate access to squads and Journey Guide events. Again, this reduces the amount of Gear you need to get Journey Guide requirements up to speed and freeing up Gear to be used elsewhere. Our goal for Eras is to be an efficient way to acquire Journey Guide units and power up your roster. Additionally to alleviate some pressure on Relic materials for Relic 9, we are removing Fragmented Signal Data, Chromium Transistor, and Aurodium Heatsink from the Relic 9 recipe. All of these changes combined allow you to use less Gear for upgrading Units and save Gear for the Scavenger to get the Relics you want faster. Increase amount of Relic Material inflows While reducing the number of places you need Gear, it is important to get more Relic materials into players’ inventories. This primarily comes from the updates to milestones on the free Episode Track. Relic 1-5 materials and Tier 1-3 Signal Data will be replacing existing GC Salvage Boxes on the free Episode Track milestones. Players engaging daily in Eras will still be able to complete the Episode Track, and we expect most players to be able to earn these resources monthly. On top of that, we are updating Episode Shipments to include items like Signal Data (Fragmented and Incomplete) so players can use their extra Episode currency to also boost their Relic farms. Improve Access to Relics More resources and less pressure on Gear when upgrading Characters is great, but without access to more of the important materials to upgrade higher tier Relics, players would be unable to utilize these additional resources. With that in mind, the Scavenger will be updated with the following changes: New Relic Material recipes Aeromagnifiers Mk 12 ArmaTek Tactical Data Prototype = 270 points Mk 12 ArmaTek Tactical Data Prototype Salvage = 9 points Mk 7 Kyrotech Shock Prod Prototype = 450 points Mk 7 Kyrotech Shock Prod Prototype Salvage = 9 points Mk 9 Kyrotech Battle Computer Prototype = 450 points Mk 9 Kyrotech Battle Computer Prototype Salvage = 9 points Points to create 1x Aeromagnifier = 175 points Droid Brains Mk 12 ArmaTek Tactical Data Prototype = 270 points Mk 12 ArmaTek Tactical Data Prototype Salvage = 9 points Mk 7 Kyrotech Shock Prod Prototype = 450 points Mk 7 Kyrotech Shock Prod Prototype Salvage = 9 points Mk 9 Kyrotech Battle Computer Prototype = 450 points Mk 9 Kyrotech Battle Computer Prototype Salvage = 9 points Points to create 1x Droid Brain = 245 points New Relic Signal Data recipe Corrupted Signal Data Fragmented Signal Data = 6 points Incomplete Signal Data = 8 points Flawed Signal Data = 10 points Points to create 1x Corrupted Signal Data = 145 points In addition to the Scavenger, Raid Shipments are being updated: Electrium Conductor and Zinbiddle Card are being changed from costing Mk III Raid tokens to Mk II Electrium Conductor Cost = 75 MKII Raid Tokens each Zinbiddle Card Cost = 100 MKII Raid Tokens each Carbonite Circuit Board, Bronzium Wiring, Chromium Transistor, and Aurodium Heatsink are being changed from Mk II Raid tokens to Mk I. Carbonite Circuit Board Cost = 35 MKI Raid Tokens each Bronzium Wiring Cost = 40 MKI Raid Tokens each Chromium Transistor Cost = 50 MKI Raid Tokens each Aurodium Heatsink Cost = 55 MKI Raid Tokens each The goal here is to make these Relic materials easier and cheaper to acquire. Updated Rarity Requirements The number of Stars required for certain Relic Amplifier Levels has been reduced as well: Relic 4: Now requires 5 Stars, reduced from 6. Relic 5: Now requires 6 Stars, reduced from 7. Relic 6: Is now the first Relic Amplifier Level to require 7 Stars. While we lift the floor of Relics for many players, we also want to raise the ceiling with the introduction of Relic 10. Earned from Era Shipments, Relic 10 materials will be the most valuable for players competing at the high end of Grand Arena Championships and Territory Wars. While new units and content are exciting for our most veteran players, the competition at the top end of our PvP modes is what drives the excitement for many of our top players. Increasing the accessibility of Relic 9 means players should feel more comfortable with pushing their competitive squads to higher Relics. This is some major context for why Relic Delta is important and how the access to Relics is becoming easier. Speaking of which… Relic Delta Thanks to the efforts of those involved in the recent playtest, we have finalized the values for Relic Delta as shown below. This system will not be active in Conquest during the Stranger arc. For the Conquest arc after the Stranger, we are working on changes to improve quality-of-life and ease pain points so that the Relic Delta’s effect on the Conquest experience is purely positive. We knew this was a critical but difficult change to make, which is why we ran a playtest to help tune this to the appropriate levels. Thanks to your feedback, we lowered the overall impact of these modifiers at lower Relic differences and reduced their power at the top. Even now, the numbers above are something we will monitor closely to ensure there is a robust meta based on squad synergy and strategy that respects players’ ability to theorycraft and push squads to their limits. If you want to know more about Relic Delta and our intentions for its impact, check out our Design Fireside Chat on Relic Delta here. Episode Track Updates This release also contains a number of changes to the Episode Track. With the release of Era Levels, a variety of Era Materials will be added to the Episode Track. The Pass and the Pass+ will contain even more Era Materials to accelerate your Marquee upgrades and help you climb the Coliseum leaderboards. Additionally Relic 1-5 materials and Tier 1-3 Signal Data will replace Gear on the free Episode Track milestones. Overall, this adds more value to the Episode Track, the Pass and the Pass+ while the price will stay the same. Galactic Challenge Episode Points Migration With this release we are discontinuing Galactic Challenges in their current form and adapting the GC system to create new Era Challenges as detailed above. Episode Points awarded from these feats have been fully distributed across Episode Quests. Only the points from feats requiring Episode Pass ownership were applied to quests requiring it. Specific point changes to Episode Quests are as follows: Free Episode Quests award 5,000 EP, up from 2,000 Episode Quests requiring the Episode Pass award 7,000 EP, up from 4,000 Chapter Headline Quests award 11,000 EP, up from 8,000 There is also a new Daily Quest for playing in the Coliseum, making eight total. Individual Daily Quest rewards have changed as follows: Daily Quests reward 300 EP, reduced from 350 Completing all Daily Quests rewards 1600 EP, increased from 1500 This results in an overall increase of 50 EP/day from Daily Quests, (3,950 vs 4,000,) or 1400 per Episode. Lightspeed Tokens Future Lightspeed Tokens will have tiers updated to better match current character power levels. These consumables still instantly upgrade characters, but now grant higher Gear and Relic tiers. Note that this does not affect any existing Lightspeed Tokens. Updated Tiers Tier 1 – Carbonite: Level 85, 3 Stars, Gear XII, Ability Level 3 Tier 2 – Bronzium: Level 85, 4 Stars, Relic 1, Ability Level 4 Tier 3 – Chromium: Level 85, 5 Stars, Relic 3, Ability Level 5 Tier 4 – Aurodium: Level 85, 6 Stars, Relic 5, Ability Level 6 Tier 5 – Kyber: Level 85, 7 Stars, Relic 6, Ability Level 7 All other upgrades granted by each LST remain the same. The Anniversary Era For our 10th Anniversary, we wanted to do something special with our Marquee characters. We looked at characters that were in the game in our original launch back in 2015, and paid homage to them with new characters that have a modern place in the SW:GoH meta. The ones we chose all focus on either lifting squads that we feel could use a little help in certain areas, or building entirely new squads out of currently “homeless” characters. Anniversary Era Marquees Stormtrooper Luke - One step up from Farmboy Luke, this somewhat short Stormtrooper makes Stormtrooper Han and Princess Leia part of a real Rebel squad along with R2-D2 and Old Ben prior to unlocking Leia Organa. IG-90 - Counting up from IG-86 and IG-88, we get IG-90, a notorious bounty hunter who provides Doctor Aphra and her squad with a much-needed tank. Yoda & Chewie - Take Clone Wars Chewbacca, add one Jedi master, and bake into a powerful addition to Tarrful’s Wookiee squad. Asajj Ventress (Dark Disciple) - As a bounty hunter, Asajj Ventress looked for a place to belong as she made her way through the galaxy… much like the Scion whose squad she’ll join. Inquisitor Barriss - As Barriss Offee falls from grace, she will be part of a strong Inquisitiorius squad in 3v3 as well as a potential Unaligned Force User for Cere Junda to take under her wing. Darth Vader (Duel’s End) - As a Stranger steals away Vader’s apprentice from legend, this Elite Marquee joins his new master and the Emperor’s Hand as the backbone of a true Empire squad. Anniversary Era Journey Maul (Hate-Fueled) - Rebuilding his broken body from scrap metal and pure rage, the former Sith apprentice Maul will seek out a Stranger to give him new purpose and lead him in battle. Important Note: The Era Journey Event will now begin with the fifth Marquee unit’s release. This will allow you to unlock the Era Journey Guide unit at 4* and can get enough shards to get to 5*. When the final Era Marquee unit releases you can then play the last tiers of the Journey Event and get enough shards for 6* and 7*. Like their Era Marquee companions, the Era Journey Guide unit also uses Era Levels until the Era ends. Anniversary Era Coliseum Bosses Dryax - A vicious pair of apex predators from the planet Wayland! Jotaz - A bulky, ferocious brute from the mysterious planet of Zeffo! Pirate AT-ST - Abandoned by the Empire and salvaged by a bloodthirsty crew of pirates! Zeffo Tomb Guardians - An emotionless trio recovered from Zeffo’s Jedi tombs! 10th Anniversary Quest Celebration Starting with the release of this Title Update, and continuing over the next six months, we are releasing a series of Anniversary Quest chains that will appear in all players’ Journey Quest logs starting at Player Level 10. These quests will take a little longer to complete than a typical Journey Quest, but will be especially attractive for brand-new or returning players, granting Lightspeed Tokens to accelerate them through unlocking a number of Journey Guide characters. That said, all players should see at least some benefits from these quests! These quests will remain available until November 17, 2026. Unless otherwise specified, LSTs rewarded in these quest lines upgrade the character to 7 Stars and Gear XIII (a.k.a. Relic 0), with all abilities upgraded to maximum level. This includes Zeta upgrades but not Omicron upgrades. Below are the total rewards granted by each Anniversary Quest chain: Quest Chain 1-A (Start Date 11-18-2025): Hera Syndulla LST Sabine Wren LST 10x Zeta Ability Materials 3x Omicron Ability Materials Quest Chain 1-B (Start Date 12-2-2025): Ezra Bridger LST Chopper LST 10x Zeta Ability Materials 3x Omicron Ability Materials Quest Chain 1-C (Requires completing chains 1-A and 1-B): Captain Rex LST Rebel LST Emperor Palpatine LST (Requires completing final quest in chain to unlock Palpatine) Does not grant Star upgrade, but all other upgrades are the same Quest Chain 2-A (Start Date 12-16-2025): Ahsoka Tano (Snips) LST Jedi Knight Anakin LST 10x Zeta Ability Materials 3x Omicron Ability Materials Quest Chain 2-B (Start Date 12-30-2025): Mace Windu LST Shaak Ti LST 10x Zeta Ability Materials 3x Omicron Ability Materials Quest Chain 2-C (Requires completing chains 2-A and 2-B): Kelleran Beq LST Jedi LST Grand Master Yoda LST (Requires completing final quest in chain to unlock GMY) Does not grant Star upgrade, but all other upgrades are the same Quest Chain 3-A (Start Date 1-13-2026): Eighth Brother LST Ninth Sister LST 10x Zeta Ability Materials 3x Omicron Ability Materials Quest Chain 3-B (Start Date 1-27-2026): 5th Brother LST Seventh Sister LST 10x Zeta Ability Materials 3x Omicron Ability Materials Quest Chain 3-C (Requires completing chains 3-A and 3-B): 2nd Sister LST Empire LST R2-D2 LST (Requires completing final quest in chain to unlock R2) Does not grant Star upgrade, but all other upgrades are the same Quest Chain 4-A (Start Date 2-10-2026): Princess Leia LST Luke Skywalker (Farmboy) LST 10x Zeta Ability Materials 3x Omicron Ability Materials Quest Chain 4-B (Start Date 2-24-2026): Obi-Wan Kenobi (Old Ben) LST Stormtrooper Han LST 10x Zeta Ability Materials 3x Omicron Ability Materials Quest Chain 4-C (Requires completing chains 4-A and 4-B): Admiral Ackbar LST Droid LST Commander Luke Skywalker LST (Requires completing final quest in chain to unlock CLS) Does not grant Star upgrade, but all other upgrades are the same Quest Chain 5-A (Start Date 3-10-2026): Boba Fett LST Bossk LST 10x Zeta Ability Materials 3x Omicron Ability Materials Quest Chain 5-B (Start Date 3-24-2026): IG-88 LST Dengar LST 10x Zeta Ability Materials 3x Omicron Ability Materials Quest Chain 5-C (Requires completing chains 5-A and 5-B): Fennec Shand LST Bounty Hunter LST Chewbacca LST (Requires completing final quest in chain to unlock Chewbacca) Does not grant Star upgrade, but all other upgrades are the same Quest Chain 6-A (Start Date 4-7-2026): The Mandalorian LST Cara Dune LST 10x Zeta Ability Materials 3x Omicron Ability Materials Quest Chain 6-B (Start Date 4-21-2026): IG-11 LST Kuiil LST 10x Zeta Ability Materials 3x Omicron Ability Materials Quest Chain 6-C (Requires completing chains 6-A and 6-B): Greef Karga LST Mandalorian LST The Mandalorian (Beskar Armor) LST (Requires completing final quest in chain to unlock BAM) Does not grant Star upgrade, but all other upgrades are the same Pillars of Seasonality Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes has evolved so much over the last 10 years. As we looked at the future of the game, we wanted to build an ecosystem where all players could enjoy the latest content together. We established a few pillars for this ecosystem, eventually called Eras (seasonality), around which all of our design decisions were based and where we looked for guidance whenever an issue popped up. Let’s walk through the following 4 pillars to understand why they exist and how they affected the design of this release. Pillar 1: Seasonal Play is for All Players Whether players have been playing for 10 days or 10 years, we want everyone to play with the newest Marquee characters together. The first step to getting all players to experience the newest content together was to put all players on the same footing at the start of an Era. One option was to simply grant everyone the units for each event tier, but “borrowing units” doesn’t allow players to upgrade units in a unique way or support theorycrafting. Just using borrowed Units for an Era fundamentally didn’t feel like a fun or compelling way to grow a roster. This led to the creation of a new progression system called Era Level. Now everyone would start from the same place each Era when playing with the new Marquee Units, and players could invest as they wanted. Great! But now we had some questions to answer: How would these Era units interact with existing rosters and game modes? If it’s not the highest relic level, how can players get that unit to a state of competitive viability? What constitutes game-wide competitive viability when players could have a roster full of G7s or R7s? Ensuring that these Units felt competitive for all types of players in existing modes regardless of where they are going on their journey was impossible. What was viable for one player in Grand Arena for example was completely useless or overpowered for another. We could have picked an average spot that would have these units be competitively viable for most players but we would be leaving someone out and it would violate our pillar of “Seasonal Play is for All Players.” Additionally, having these units live side by side also creates an in-game communication issue where the unit could exist in two very different states based on which mode(s) you used them in. This left us with a choice: Allow players to use characters at a level that may or may not be competitively viable, which could mean the unit is usable by some and unusable by others Isolate seasonal play so that all players could use the new units in modes specifically designed to accommodate the new progression system We chose to isolate seasonal play as we believe it is the cleaner solution that results in a better player experience across the board and lets everyone enjoy the newest content together. Pillar 2: Focus on the Fun One of our main pillars with introducing Seasonality was to create an experience for all types of players that focused on doing what is fun in Galaxy of Heroes. Fun means different things to different people, but here we are defining this as getting new characters, using them in exciting battles, and experiencing epic Star Wars stories. This distills not only what makes character collecting games exciting, but also why Star War: Galaxy of Heroes is a game we have loved for years. So how do we do that? In our early game, players see rapid advancement in Gear levels and a matching pace of progression through early content. It’s fun watching multiple numbers go up every day, making clear progress toward content goals, and frequently getting stronger. It’s natural that as players get to higher investment and content, pacing slows down. This is evident in practically every RPG or game with a leveling curve. It’s something to embrace, yet it can sometimes leave us wishing we could experience that rapid progression again. To that end, we wanted new Marquee units to be usable in content immediately with rapid and consistent incremental progress. This means Marquees need to be relevant at lower power levels and to receive frequent upgrades that result in direct improvement in gameplay performance. Eras should provide a consistent progression experience to all players. This pillar informed some of the shaping of the Era Level system, but its primary impact was on the content landscape. We needed one or more new game modes that could be designed specifically for this new, isolated ecosystem. Content where players could feel the impact of upgrades while witnessing large accomplishments over the course of an Era. Enter the Coliseum! The first of our new seasonal modes provided opportunities for boss encounters on a rotating schedule so players could feel the experience of making significant progress on a daily basis. It also gives our designers space to come up with fun and exciting content more frequently while revisiting some of the awesome units we have created in the past but were only used a handful of times. Now remember Pillar 1, Seasonal Play is for All Players. With this in mind, we aimed to keep the Coliseum boss encounters simpler. However, the Coliseum still needs to be a place where veterans and new players alike can experience the fun of mastering a new challenge together. A variety of bosses at the right level of complexity allows theorycrafters to have a space to explore nuances while others can enjoy the progression from day to day. In short, we’re aiming to bring the whole community together to have fun. Pillar 3: Tell a Star Wars story Our love of Star Wars is what brings us together. It’s a wonderful universe full of stories we enjoy reading, watching, hearing, and playing. We wanted to make sure that through Eras we were providing deep, immersive stories and rich narrative experiences for players. While the Coliseum provides some narrative elements, we want to do more. The Cantina and the overall game need to evolve to better support the Star Wars stories we want to tell. This is arguably our largest update ever to the game, and yet it doesn’t contain nearly all of the stuff we wanted to build for you, our players. We have much more in store for Eras in the future, and that’s where we want to continue to grow this Pillar with more story-driven content. Pillar 4: Eras are the Most Efficient Path for Player Progress This Pillar has been a top priority as we’ve developed these systems. At every turn we kept asking “how is this helping players grow their roster?” Players who’ve played for 10 days have drastically different goals than those who’ve played for 10 years and require very different rewards. All players need to see durable progress from participating in Eras. For Eras to be the most efficient path for growing your roster, any progress made during an Era needs to translate directly into progress after the Era ends. It is critical that players did not feel like they lost any progress or their resources were wasted when upgrading characters during an Era. This is the reason for several choices, including (but not limited to): Why Era Levels use unique materials instead of Gear/Relics - Players no longer have to choose between progressing toward their goals or playing with the newest characters. Lightspeed Token Rewards and Era Units Conversion - Seasonality provides players with Lightspeed Tokens to help them achieve their goals while also growing their roster with the newest Era units, all without using their Legacy resources. Relic 10 Materials Rewards - For veteran players, Eras allow them to power up their existing Legacy units to greater heights by competing on Era leaderboards to earn Relic 10 materials. Era Currency gives Players Agency over their Rewards - Players need to earn relevant rewards for their legacy roster, and Era Currency and the new Shipment tab allow you to earn the resources that are most valuable to you. With these, players can continue to work on Territory Battle and Raid squads, hone their PvP capabilities, and unlock new Journey Guide chases while still acquiring, using, and advancing the newest characters. Conclusion Hopefully this post provides you with a better understanding of how we made some of the choices we did for this monumental 10th Anniversary update. We want to move to a world where Galaxy of Heroes players both new and old are strategizing and playing together in the latest events and with the latest characters without feeling like they are missing out on their favorite Star Wars experiences. Where newer players can feel like they are contributing to Guilds meaningfully without years of catching up while respecting our most engaged players who have been playing for years. Ultimately, Seasonality needs to provide real progress towards your existing goals. We don’t want you choosing between playing the latest cool stuff and actually preparing your roster for long term success. It’s a tough balancing act and we know there will be feedback on how we achieve this. It won’t be perfect but we are truly excited to continue this journey with you all! Thank you again for 10 years of amazing holotable stories. We could not have done it without you. - SWGOH Dev Team We know this was a long post, so if you have questions, feel free to submit them HERE Shameless Plug for Charity Event Live Stream
Pillars of War Hotfix Rolling Out
Hi Holotable Heroes, The hotfix for the Pillars of War datacron issue is rolling out. You can find the details in this post from yesterday. EDIT: Rollback of Datacrons for account is complete. The make good is rolling out shortly. EDIT: The make good rollout is complete. Please restart your client if you do not see an inbox with your make good.Datacron Issue 12/17
Hi Holotable Heroes, With Wednesday’s update we made an attempt to fix the overpowered Attacker-affix Datacrons, but encountered several issues which resulted in not granting players sufficient resources to return to their previous power and investment for Pillars of War. People who were affected will have the state of their entire Pillars of War Datacron inventories reverted to the state they were in before the update altered them (excluding Focused Datacrons) in an upcoming hotfix. This will not impact any other parts of your inventory. The Attacker Affix will be updated to deal less damage per buff in addition to the bug fix that was causing AoE attacks to deal more than intended damage. We are working on this hotfix and we intend to release it by EOD tomorrow. With this hotfix, we will grant players new, level 0, Pillars of War Datacrons for each Attacker Datacron you have in your inventory, plus one (so even if you have no Attacker Datacrons, or even no Datacrons, you will get one Pillars of War Datacron). (These new Datacrons are in addition to your Attacker Datacrons you receive from the rollback, not replacing them.) You will also receive all the materials needed to take these new Datacrons to level 9. To make sure everyone has enough Data-cache to level up these Datacrons, we will be reducing the Data-cache cost to improve Pillars of War Datacron levels by 90% (For example, to upgrade from level 2 to level 3 will cost 30,000 Data-cache instead of 300,000 Data-cache). All players will also receive 20,000 Alteration Mk 1, 20,000 Alteration Mk 2, and 20,000 Alteration Mk 3 reroll materials, per Attacker Datacron and we will be setting the Data-cache costs of rerolling to 1 Data-cache. This is to cover reroll costs for all of your datacrons for the Pillars of War set. Because of this amount of reroll material going to all players, the dust value for reroll materials for this set will be set to 0. Because we will be rolling back the datacron inventories of impacted players in the near future, those impacted players should not invest in datacrons until the rollback is complete, as any changes made during this period would be lost as a result of the rollback. We will identify any players impacted by this and return their lost items, but we recommend holding off on any new investment in datacrons for now. We deeply apologize for this issue and hope these additional resources help you in your journey.Update 12-17
Hello Holotable Heroes, Here are the updates for today: 5,000 Era Currency has been granted to all affected accounts as part of the make good detailed here Episode Pass description updated to remove mentions of Galactic Challenges Fixed an issue that caused too much bonus damage to be applied to abilities when using an AoE Attack and the bonus for Attackers in Datacron from Set 25, Pillars of War, "Whenever an Attacker uses a Special ability, deal 25% more damage for each buff on target enemy" Any players who invested in this Datacron will have theirs set to level 5 and receive the Datacron currencies used to upgrade in their inbox EDIT: There appears to be an issue with the Datacron materials returned and did not include re-roll materials. We are investigating what caused this and working on a solution as soon as possibleCompensation Update
Hello Holotable Heroes, During our 10-year anniversary and the launch of Coliseum over the last few weeks, the game has suffered various issues that needed to be hotfixed and resulted in a poor gameplay experience. We recognize the frustration this has caused, and appreciate your patience while we work to resolve those issues. It's important to us that our 10-year anniversary is an exciting celebration of the game we all enjoy playing. In the spirit of that, we are providing a compensation package to show our appreciation to you, our players. This compensation will be for EVERYONE over player level 20. All you need to do is login between tomorrows update (12-10-2025) and 1-1-2026 to receive it. Compensation: 5,000 Crystals 1x All Legacy Tier 5 LST 25,000 Episode Points 5,000 Era Currency 2,750 Mk I Grek Ability Module 150 Mk I Basic Performance Core 300 Mk II Forn Ability Material 10,000 Era Level Currency 3x Clone War Chewbacca shards Again, thank you for your patience, understanding and feedback during this time. We look forward to seeing you on the Holotable. SWGOH Dev Team Update: 5,000 Era Currency will be sent out next week, enjoy the other currency that was provided instead.Design Fireside Chat Edition
Heads up - this is pretty long. There's a lot to unpack, both foundationally and topically. We’ve heard the concerns about splitting focus between increasing relic levels on older characters to account for Relic Delta while still wanting to pursue newer characters. With our upcoming release, we will be changing how players get and invest in new characters. More details to come on that later, but the relevant portion for Relic Delta is this: You will be progressing through gear tiers and lower relic levels without needing to use gear or relic materials, which frees up those resources to be spent on older characters. Additionally, both Droid Brains and higher level Signal Data will be added as outputs from the Scavenger, giving players an alternate means of acquiring those materials. Lastly, the playtest is still ongoing, and we are continuing to gather feedback from the testers and the community. We simply wanted to provide the context that folks have been requesting. Let’s get into it. Table of Contents The Basics: Vertical Progression The Problem: Scalability The Options: Possible Solutions The Chosen Solution: Relic Delta The Variations: Alternative Versions The Future: Where Does This Leave Us? The Basics: Vertical Progression Games with progression fall into two main categories: Horizontal progression: As a primary vector, power does not increase. Rather, over time you gain additional tools in your toolbelt to solve the same sorts of problems at similar power levels. Vertical progression: As a primary vector, power increases with new releases. This doesn't have to be a rapid increase, and the team has done an excellent job of taking measured and calculated steps when it comes to power increases. This power increase can come from new equipment/stats, new kits/abilities, new systems, etc. Both types of games need new content, at least in the context of a live service game. They have different constraints and objectives with this new content, but they both need it. Vertical progression games generally need new content at a higher power that players transition to (and transition away from older content). We see this in Galaxy of Heroes because it is, of course, a primarily vertical progression game (with some horizontal progression elements). Your account gets stronger over time as a result of gaining stronger characters, increasing gear and relic levels, acquiring and refining better mods, etc. And you rightfully want to engage with new content, which most of the time needs to be at higher power levels to absorb, showcase, and reward the power increase of your account. Please note that this doesn’t mean we’re suddenly going to leap forward multiple relic levels. We do want to introduce new relic levels over time, but we also want to bring players along at the same pace and catch players up to make sure all players are able to engage with and enjoy new content. The Problem: Scalability In Systems Design, we try to make systems as scalable as possible. If you can build your system in a way that adapts to or accounts for changes to the game that you don't yet know are coming, you've built a robust and scalable system. If you build a bunch of features that aren't scalable, at some point you have to spend all your time updating older things rather than building cool new stuff for players to enjoy. That isn't to say we shouldn't or don't update older systems (just look at GAC out of GA, Raids 2.0, Ships 2.0, etc). Even scalable systems need updates sometimes. But the more you can build your game to have scalable systems, the easier it is to maintain and make more fun stuff for players. 6 years ago, we transitioned from Gear to Relics as the primary progression system for characters. Relics were added because adding a new gear tier was a massive undertaking. New pieces with a variety of stats had to be designed that somehow benefited the entire roster roughly equally using different combinations despite kits wanting to focus on varying stats. The balance work was even worse, needing to account for multiple possible combinations of these “buckets of stats” for each character. And the roster has only grown since then. The reason for Relics’ entire existence is to solve the scalability problem of the gear system. However, Relics haven’t seen a new level of progression for 4 years. This is due to two aspects - there was nothing to absorb, showcase, and reward that power increase, and there was minimal-to-no reason to push for higher progression. New content usually isn't cheap, and it's never free, so we often have to make difficult choices around what gets built. It's bad to introduce a new level of progression without the content to absorb it, since there's no reason to invest or use the new level of progression. It's bad to introduce new levels of content without the increased progression to enter and take it on because, well, you can't enter it and complete it. The core problem is that Relics don't have a scalable system component promoting and rewarding investment. What eventually happens to a live service vertical progression game that stops releasing vertical progression? What happens to any live service game when the core gameplay loop is removed? There are two operational reasons to invest - the stats given on each individual level and content entry requirements - but at some point the stats have diminishing returns, and requirements can’t update as players’ rosters evolve. Players invest in unlock/entry requirements for content they want to engage, but the higher the relic level, the scarcer its materials and the less likely players are to invest those resources. We've heard from the community that players don't think R9 is worth investing outside of requirements, GLs, and the occasional tank. R9 still loses to R5 just like R8 does. R9 doesn't make battles in early phases of TB meaningfully faster. R9 doesn't make Assault Battle challenge tiers or Proving Grounds or other events much easier. It comes up short in both PvE and PvP content, both solo and group content. You could say "just make the stats on R9 bigger", and we'll address that possible approach in just a bit, but the short response to that is a series of questions: What does that mean for R10? What does the impact on R10 mean for R11? Higher relic levels in the future? How will this be sustainable for multiple future levels of progression? How does an increase in stats on R9 help players below R9? We have to look at the long-term future of Relics, not just the levels that players currently own. In the end, the problem is far bigger than "protect higher relic investment", which is as much as we revealed to the testers initially. Yes, that is part of the problem, but it's not the whole problem. We need to facilitate all players having a systemic and scalable game-wide reason to pursue upward progression. The Options: Possible Solutions We've seen some suggestions from the community on other ways to solve this core problem (albeit without knowing what the problem was). Now that the problem is revealed, let's take a look at why these other options weren't chosen. Do nothing Example: The game stays at R9. Result: Players eventually have enough resources to take the entire roster to R9. There is no new level of progression, no new challenging content that players can strive to overcome. As players don't have upward progression to pursue (in a primarily vertical progression game), there is no longer a reason to engage with the core gameplay loop of Play > Get Rewards > Invest > Get Stronger > Play. Rewards don't matter and there is nowhere to invest. The core of the game ceases to function and the player experience is ruined. Change relic stats on existing relic levels Example: R9 is updated to add an additional 50 Mastery and 100 Speed. Result: The value that players receive from their prior investment and upcoming investment goals changes. Some characters probably come out "winners", but many would certainly be "losers". Different characters are impacted to differing degrees, which results in a fractured solution rather than a solidified one. The meta still shifts, potentially drastically, especially if Mastery constituent stats are touched. Relic levels beyond R9 aren't directly supported, and this doesn't address the core problem of scalability. Introduce R10 Example: Add R10 by itself. Result: R10 exists with no new content to support it. With R9 being difficult to acquire, many wouldn't have any R10 characters. The top end would invest as much as necessary for any new requirements and also updating GL teams, and then R10 would be in the exact same state as R9. It plays into and exacerbates the existing problem rather than solving it. Add the damage increase/decrease on the top few relic levels Example: R7 deals 10% more damage to and receives 10% less damage from R6 and below. R8 deals 20% more damage to and receives 20% less damage from R7 and below. R9 deals 30% more damage to and receives 30% less damage from R8 and below. Result: This is honestly the closest these possible solutions came to solving the problem before Relic Delta was chosen. Unfortunately, this does nothing to help players below R7. It even creates a bit of a wall at R7, or wherever the value is introduced. Additionally, it would need to be removed and shifted up as new relic levels were introduced, since increasing to +/- 40% and beyond isn't scalable (eventually a single relic level is unbeatable by any relic level below it). And removing value from players' investment feels terrible. Sometimes it has to be done for the greater good of the game's health, but it's never something we relish doing, and we avoid it whenever possible. The Chosen Solution: Relic Delta Relic Delta was conceived about a year ago at this point. The basis of and inspiration for this system actually comes from within our own game. 10 years ago the game launched with a level delta system whereby attacks would experience modified Crit Chance, Accuracy/Evasion, Damage, and resist chance based on the difference between the attacker’s and defender’s character levels. Only Crit Chance and resist chance have any values, so only those two were ever in play. Recognizing that most vertical progression live service games have some kind of delta system to facilitate conquering old content and not pushing too far ahead on higher level content, we decided to update relics to use a similar system. A level delta system is used so broadly because it is incredibly scalable. While players are leveling and working toward max progression, the delta "sticks with them" and applies equally to their experience regardless of where they're at in the progression curve. If progression levels are increased, the system accounts for that by automatically applying equally as players work toward the new cap, without requiring bandwidth from developers to balance and maintain bespoke bonuses. For all players at all relic levels: It speeds up and/or simplifies older content. It protects newer content and investments made to engage with that content. It supports a distinction in power level in PvP. It rewards those who have "made the climb". It promises that “your investment of time and resources will be rewarded.” We chose for Relic Delta to only apply to damage because we wanted the stats on the relic levels themselves to still matter. Individual relic levels should still be able to express varied stats based on what the meta needs at the time that relic level is introduced. We’ve heard the concern around Relic Delta eliminating strategy (mods, counters, theorycrafting), but we aren’t seeing a complete elimination of strategy during either internal testing or the current playtest. We fully intend for strategy to continue to be a central aspect of both PvP and PvE content. Yes, Relic Delta eliminates some cases (e.g. G12 Malicos beating R8 Rey), but it also introduces some strategy around which characters to invest in and by how much based on your usage of them and their place in the larger meta. We are aware that there have been other similar games with what seems like the same concept on the surface, but there are 2 critical differences that make this more favorable for F2P and folks who have invested into Galaxy of Heroes: This system is a gradual curve rather than a massive boost at just one level of difference. This system has a single progression path (Relics, which are becoming more accessible in the same release) rather than requiring investment in multiple disparate systems that have differing rates of accessibility. The Variations: Alternate Versions There are some alternative executions of a Relic Delta system that we considered, some of which we've seen suggested by players. Similar to above, I wanted to briefly cover why we didn't go down those routes. Kick in later Example: Relic Delta doesn't take effect until you're at R7 or R9; lower relic levels are unaffected. Result: This introduces inconsistency in how the system is applied. Messaging for a system that suddenly turns on after you've crossed a threshold is difficult. Additionally, how do you say "R9 has Relic Delta active" and not have that apply to R3 when they’re battling each other? A delta implies two different values. It requires the context of the other side, at which point the lower relic is inherently involved in the system and affected by it. Why shouldn’t lower invested units also benefit from having a higher relic level than units below them (whether PvE or PvP)? When adding new relic levels, should the threshold move up or stay the same? If it stays the same, eventually all relevant relic levels are affected anyway. Only increase damage, don't decrease it Example: The higher relic character deals more damage to the lower relic character, but the lower relic character deals its normal damage to the higher relic character. Result: This helps address the problem, but it doesn't protect the higher relic character. Think of a glass cannon build in an ARPG - you can add more damage, allowing you to kill things faster, but you still die to that 1 ground effect you step in. You're still susceptible to the same things, you just get more efficient in between dying to the same stuff. It's not holistic enough of an impact. Use the average relic level of the team (or lowest level) Result: Both of these approaches have unintended effects on undersized squads. If an R9 SLKR gets weaker because a player brings in R5 General Hux, it feels bad to use Hux even though he synergizes well with SLKR. It negatively impacts a player who brings in weaker units, dropping the entire squad down rather than just the one character being affected. There's also a lot of gamification and cheesing of the system that can be done if the average is used. The Future: Where Does This Leave Us? With these changes, Relic 10 is being added to the game (though please see above as to why it doesn’t solve the core problem). It will use a new Signal Data, which will not be farmed with energy (so it doesn’t disrupt your current Signal Data farming). Instead, the new Signal Data will be available in both the Scavenger and other game modes. Finally, there will be a new game mode, new events, and an update to Era-related Journey Guide events, ensuring that all players get to use new characters right away for valuable rewards. We want all players to be able to enjoy the latest characters and content being released to the game. We hope this context helps our choices around Relic Delta make a bit more sense. We will monitor the impact of Relic Delta in PvP modes and make adjustments as needed. We are passionate about the game and care about you, our players. As always, we’d love to hear your feedback on this and your continued feedback on Relic Delta. Until next time, CG Dev TeamAnniversary Era Kit Reveals
Hello Holotable Heroes! We are trying a new format for Kit Reveals and how information is provided to you, please comment below with what you think of the new format if you have a moment :) Thank you! Artwork will be added to the Kits as they are approved. UNIT NAME: Stormtrooper Luke ALIGNMENT: Light CATEGORIES: Light Side, Support, Leader, Rebel ------ Releasing first in the Era of Anniversary is Stormtrooper Luke. We wanted to pay homage to some of the characters we launched with 10 years ago, and Stormtrooper Luke seemed like an obvious counterpart to Stormtrooper Han. Our squad vision for this unit, after the Era concludes, includes Legacy characters Stormtrooper Han, Princess Leia, R2-D2, and “Old Ben” Kenobi. The kernel of the squad (and 3v3 Grand Arena team) would be Stormtrooper Luke, Stormtrooper Han, and Princess Leia. In situations where a full 5 person team is used, the addition of R2-D2 and “Old Ben” Kenobi should round out the team. Stormtrooper Luke’s Era Marquee begins Nov. 18th at 11am Pacific. Basic ability - TK-421 Deal Special damage to target enemy. If it is Stormtrooper Luke's turn, inflict target enemy with Buff Disruption for 1 turn. This attack has high damage variance. Buff Disruption: Immune to buffs until damaged by an attack; Once damaged by an attack, lose 100% Turn Meter Design Notes: Buff Disruption is a new debuff that has interesting gameplay surrounding it. It’s kind of like ‘fragile Buff Immunity + Stagger’ where it breaks on any damage being applied. To add some gameplay and decision-space around the debuff, a Stagger-like effect of losing all their Turn Meter happens if you do decide to break the Buff Immunity with damage. Inspiration: The name TK-421 refers to the operating number of the Stormtrooper whose armor Luke dons as a disguise. FAQ: Why does this attack have high damage variance? Stormtroopers and Stormtrooper Han both have this drawback on their Basic ability, so it made sense that Luke should get it too. Special ability 1 - Short for a Stormtrooper (Cooldown 5) Dispel all buffs on all enemies. Rally all Rebel allies, and they gain Tenacity Up for 2 turns, which can't be dispelled or prevented. Grant target other ally a bonus turn. If that target ally is Princess Leia, she gains 30% Offense and ignores Taunt effects during the bonus turn. If Princess Leia and Stormtrooper Han are allies, their chance effects are increased to 100% for 2 turns. Design Notes: Princess Leia (and Stormtrooper Han) are vintage characters whose kits need a bit of modernization to make them workable. In addition to a buff dispel on the enemy, we add Rally (from Resistance Hero Finn) handing out bonuses based on their role. Finally, Princess Leia and Stormtrooper Han have a couple abilities that only have a chance at working, and that is impossible to rely on when attempting to make an informed decision in the heat of combat, so this helps mitigate that by guaranteeing those effects go off. Synergy: Obvious callouts to Princess Leia and Stormtrooper Han, and the buffing of their “chance to” mechanics. Inspiration: When Luke Skywalker entered Princess Leia’s cell, she snarkily remarked “Aren’t you a little short for a Stormtrooper?” FAQ: Is there an indication that Han and Leia’s chance effects are guaranteed? Yes, there is a blue Effect icon with some reminder text while it is in effect. Special ability 2 - Where Could He Be? (Cooldown 4) Inflict Vulnerable on all enemies for 1 turn. Rebel Attacker allies gain Offense Up for 2 turns and non-Tank Rebel allies gain Stealth for 1 turn. Call all Rebel allies to assist, dealing 10% more damage for each Stealthed ally. Design Notes: An “all call” ability getting the whole squad to attack the target is always fun. Synergy: Princess Leia obviously wants that Stealth, and when everyone else is Stealthed your Tanks needn’t worry about Taunting, they are the only legal targets anyway. Inspiration: When the trash compactor was about to crush our heroes, Luke tried to contact C-3PO on the commlink, only for Threepio not to answer. This caused Luke to exasperate, “Where could he be?” FAQ: Does Stormtrooper Luke assist himself? Yes. If the ability states “all X assist” then it will include the unit activating the ability (if they are X as well). If it states “all _other_ X assist”, then they will exclude themselves, whether or not they qualify. Do I have any control over Luke’s Buff Disruption? I.e. Does Luke go last in assisting? Because of the way our slot ordering works, Luke (who will likely be in the Leader slot) will almost certainly attack a split second before the rest of the squad, causing Buff Disruption to be immediately consumed and removing their Turn Meter. Unique - Something Just Moved Past My Leg At the start of battle, Stormtrooper Luke gains 10 Speed. If Princess Leia and Stormtrooper Han are allies, they and Stormtrooper Luke gain 30 Speed until the end of the battle instead. At the start of each encounter, all Rebel Tank allies Taunt for 1 turn, and all other Rebel allies Stealth for 1 turn. Whenever a Rebel ally Stealths, all other Rebel Tank allies Taunt for 1 turn. Whenever a Rebel ally gains bonus Turn Meter while below 100% Turn Meter, they gain Protection Up (10%, stacking, max 50%) for 2 turns. Whenever a Rebel ally scores a critical hit, they recover 10% Health and Protection. Design Note: Some more help for the venerable Princess Leia and Stormtrooper Han. Additionally, Han (or any Rebel Tank for that matter), gets a pre-Taunt, while everyone else gets Stealth. Additionally, Rebel Tanks getting a reaction-Taunt will really help keep the rest of the squad from being targeted. Synergy: Using Special 2 as your opener will take advantage of this ability to nearly fully Stealth your Rebel team. Inspiration: While in the trash compactor, Luke felt the Dianoga monster and exclaimed “Something just moved past my leg” moments before getting pulled under by the trash monster. Leader - The Brains (Zeta + Omicron) At the start of battle, Rebel allies gain 10% Critical Chance, Critical Damage, Defense, Max Health and Max Protection. If Princess Leia and Stormtrooper Han are present, these increases are tripled. While a Rebel ally has more than 50% Health, they have 100% Defense and whenever they use an ability on their turn, they Expose the target enemy for 1 turn. While a Rebel ally has less than 50% Health, they gain 50% Offense. While a Rebel ally is Stealthed, they have 20% Defense Penetration. If Stealth or Taunt is dispelled from a Rebel ally, they gain Defense Up and Foresight for 1 turn. If a Rebel ally removes Turn Meter from an enemy, Distract that enemy for 1 turn. Distracted: Can't gain Bonus Turn Meter While in 3v3 Grand Arenas, and there is an allied Princess Leia, Stormtrooper Han, and no enemy Galactic Legends: Whenever Stealth is dispelled from a Rebel ally, reduce the cooldowns of their abilities by 1. While Stealthed, Princess Leia ignores the target enemy's Protection when attacking. Whenever a Rebel ally scores a critical hit against an enemy, that enemy loses 10% Turn Meter. Whenever an enemy is inflicted with Distract, they are also inflicted with Ability Block for 1 turn. Whenever a Rebel ally is Dazed or Stunned, dispel that effect, Distract and inflict Protection Disruption for 1 turn on the enemy, which can't be evaded or resisted. Princess Leia and Stormtrooper Han have their chance effects increased to 100% until the end of battle. While Stormtrooper Luke is active, he gains 15% Evasion, increased by 5% (stacking, max 50%) each time a Rebel ally attacks out of turn. Tank allies gain 100% Defense, increased by 5% (stacking, max 450%) each time they take damage. Attacker allies gain 15% Critical Damage and Offense, increased by 1% (stacking, max 135%) each time they score a critical hit against an enemy. While another ally has Protection, Stormtrooper Luke can't be defeated. Design Notes: We’re bringing a modified version of Distracted out of the Speeder Bike raid and into character abilities with this unit. Additionally losing Taunt or Stealth due to an enemy dispel is usually a death sentence, but getting a free Foresight out of it helps remove some of the sting. Synergy: Stormtrooper Luke’s Leader ability mimics (and somewhat improves on) Stormtrooper Han and Princess Leia’s Leader abilities, so it’s a no-brainer to run Stormtrooper Luke as the leader in the squad. The 3v3 GAC Omicron is made for players who might have their Old Ben and R2-D2 on other squads, it makes the core kernel of Luke, Han, and Leia into a powerhouse in that game mode. Inspiration: When Princess Leia complains that the rescue operation didn’t have an escape plan, Han Solo motioned to Luke and said “He’s the brains, sweetheart”, so this gave us the idea to name his Leader ability “The Brains”. UNIT NAME: IG-90 ALIGNMENT: Dark CATEGORIES: Support, Bounty Hunter, Droid, Scoundrel ------ Our second Marquee character for the Era of Anniversary, IG-90 was chosen not just because Galaxy of Heroes launched with three different model IG droids (86, 88, and 100), but because Doctor Aphra could use a hand with some Support that worked overtime to boost the effectiveness of her Hacked Commando Droid and giving the team some much needed tank-like survivability. Plus he’s red! Upon conclusion of the Era, IG-90 is perfectly suited to slot into Doctor Aphra’s squad alongside BT-1 and 0-0-0. Add in HK-47 for a deadly droid squad any rogue archaeologist would be proud to lead. —--- Basic ability: STATEMENT: Point Delivered Deal Physical damage twice to target enemy and inflict them with Defense Down for 1 turn. If the ally in the Leader slot is Doctor Aphra, grant and trigger 2 stacks of Heal Over Time on all allies for 1 turn and inflict and trigger 2 stacks of Damage Over Time on the target enemy for 1 turn. If there is an active Hacked Commando Droid, it Taunts for 1 turn. —---------------------------------------------- Design Notes: Adding stacks of HOTs and DOTs on a Basic is powerful on its own, but coupling in Hacked Commando Droid nearly constantly Taunting makes this ability stand out on Aphra’s team. Synergies: Obviously Doctor Aphra and her Hacked Commando Droid are called out specifically. Inspiration: IG-90’s line of “STATEMENT: I have made my point, Bossk.” in the comic Darth Vader (issue number 7 to be exact) which features Doctor Aphra was paraphrased to name this ability. FAQ: Special ability - Devastating Barrage (Cooldown 3) Deal Physical damage to all enemies and trigger all stacks of Damage Over Time on all enemies and Mark the target enemy for 2 turns which can't be evaded or resisted. If the ally in the Leader slot is Doctor Aphra, call all other Dark Side Droid allies to assist and all allies recover 20% Health and Protection, and they gain Offense Up for 2 turns. IG-90 gains 40% Defense and Hacked Commando Droid Taunts for 2 turns. —---------------------------------------------- Design Notes: Triggering all the DOTs is a very powerful ability, especially with his Basic handing out DOTs like they are going out of style. Marking the target can also help Aphra’s team circumvent enemy Taunts in the right situations. Synergies: Dark Side Droids (like BT-1, 0-0-0, and HK-47) will get assists if Aphra is the Leader. Hacked Commando Droid gets two turns of Taunting off this ability as well, keeping him tanking for the team. If forced to put the Mark onto the already-Taunting enemy, IG-90’s Unique ability will still bring some goodness, with members of the squad gaining Offense and healing back some Health every time the Marked enemy is damaged. Inspiration: Ever since we added IG-11 to the game, we’ve loved some of the “spin to win” animations we can do with this series of droids, so we wanted to highlight another version of that with this ability. FAQ: Does IG-90 also assist himself when he uses this ability? He is a Dark Side Droid as well. No. The ability calls out that it causes other Dark Side Droids to assist. This makes it exclude the unit using the ability, which, in this case, is IG-90. Unique ability - QUERY: Dead or Alive? (Zeta, Omicron) At the start of battle, IG-90 has +100% Counter chance. Whenever IG-90 is damaged, he inflicts Speed Down on a random enemy for 1 turn, and all Scoundrel allies recover 5% Health and Protection. If the ally in the Leader slot is Doctor Aphra, At the start of battle, all allies gain 100% Bonus Protection and Doctor Aphra Stealths for 2 turns. Whenever an ally critically hits an enemy, they gain Speed Up for 2 turns. Whenever IG-90 resists a debuff, Doctor Aphra gains 5 stacks of Siphon At the start of the battle, Dark Side Droids have +50% Critical Avoidance. At the start of each encounter, If Doctor Aphra has less than 50 stacks of Siphon, she gains 200% Defense. Whenever IG-90 recovers Health, inflict 3 stacks of Damage Over Time on the healthiest enemy for 1 turn. Whenever the Hacked Commando Droid Taunts, he gains 100% Bonus Protection until Taunt expires. Whenever a Marked enemy is damaged, all Scoundrel allies and Hacked Commando Droid gain 5% Offense (stacking, max 80%) and they recover 5% Health. While in Territory Wars: Whenever IG-90 uses a Special ability and Doctor Aphra has 200 or more stacks of Siphon, IG-90 and Doctor Aphra recover 40% Health and Protection and gain 30% Offense (stacking) until the end of encounter. Whenever an enemy is defeated, the weakest ally gains Damage Immunity for 1 turn. Whenever IG-90 is defeated, refresh the cooldown of Doctor Aphras abilities by 1. Whenever an ally critically hits an enemy, dispel all buffs on the target enemy. At the start of battle, Scoundrel allies gain Critical Chance Up and Critical Damage up for 2 turns and Bounty Hunter allies gain Speed Up and Accuracy Up for 2 turns. Whenever Doctor Aphra has more than 50 stacks of Siphon, all allies Ignore Taunt effects. —---------------------------------------------- Design Notes: We wanted an ability that did its best to shore up several of the weaknesses in Doctor Aphra’s squad, as well as bring some punch to the table on its own. Doctor Aphra gaining 5 stacks of Siphon when IG-90 resists a debuff might have you considering a Tenacity mod set for IG-90, and we’ll leave that up to you to decide if that’s worth it or not. The Territory Wars Omicron should make the final Doctor Aphra squad a real contender in that game mode. Synergies: +100% Counter chance will have IG-90 attacking with his Basic over and over again as he is attacked, adding more DOTs to the enemies and more HOTs to his allies. IG-90 also causes Hacked Commando Droid to Taunt with both of his abilities, giving HCD 100% Bonus Protection every time he does. Inspiration: The name “QUERY: Dead or alive” is also taken from the comics. Darth Vader issue number 16 to be exact. FAQ: Leader ability - Calculated Suppression At the start of battle, all Dark Side Droids and Dark Side Bounty Hunter allies gain 30% Critical Chance and Critical Damage. All Scoundrel allies gain 20% Offense and 20% Tenacity until the end of battle. When the IG-90 is in the Leader slot, and not the Ally slot, the following Contract is active: Contract: Inflict 20 debuffs on enemies. (Only Bounty Hunter abilities can contribute to this Contract) Reward: For the rest of the battle, all Bounty Hunter allies have their Payouts activated and gain the following: while a Bounty Hunter ally is attacking, they have +5% Offense and deal bonus True damage. IG-90's Payout Whenever IG-90 receives Rewards from a Contract or another Scoundrel ally in the Leader slots gains 50 Siphon he also gains the following Payout Payout: IG-90 and Hacked Commando Droid gain 40% Defense and the Hacked Commando Droid Taunts for 2 turns then grants 50 Siphon to Doctor Aphra until the end of encounter. Bounty Hunter allies have 50% Potency and 30% Offense. —---------------------------------------------- Design Notes: All Bounty Hunters require Leader abilities, Contracts on said Leader, and a Payout for when they (or another Bounty Hunter) fulfils their Contract, so we needed to make sure we included one here. We tried to make it good enough on its own, but great under Doctor Aphra where the character was designed to go. Synergies: The Payout effects are designed to greatly benefit Doctor Aphra and her Hacked Commando Droid. FAQ: Wait, Doctor Aphra is not a Bounty Hunter, how does IG-90 get his Payout (and thus the benefits for Aphra and the HCD) under an Aphra lead? Normally, a Payout only happens when a Bounty Hunter Contract is fulfilled, but IG-90 can have his activated under a Doctor Aphra lead when she gains 50 Siphon. How much Critical Chance and Critical Damage does a Dark Side Droid Bounty Hunter (IG-90, IG-88, and 4-LOM) get at the start of battle? That unit will receive 30% Critical Chance and Critical Damage because they are Dark Side Droid, and additionally receive another 30% for being a Dark Side Bounty Hunter, totaling 60% Critical chance and Critical damage UNIT NAME: Inquisitor Barris ALIGNMENT: Dark CATEGORIES: Healer, Leader, Empire, Inquisitor, Unaligned Force User ------ The penultimate character releasing in the Era of Anniversary is the Dark Side version of Barriss Offee, Inquisitor Barriss. This version of the character references her story arc in the animated Tales of the Empire series. In this story she is released from prison (where she has been ever since her heel-turn in the Clone Wars animated series) in order to serve under Darth Vader and the Grand Inquisitor as their newest Inquisitor Sister. After the Era ends, we are envisioning her leading her own squad of Inquisitorius, consisting of Second Sister, Ninth Sister, Eighth Brother, and Fifth Brother. For 3v3 Grand Arena, she’ll do best with Ninth Sister and Second Sister rounding out that team. Inquisitor Barriss’ Era Marquee event begins on Jan 13th at 11 am Pacific. Basic - Enfeebling Strike Deal Special damage to target enemy and inflict them with a stack of Purge (max 6) until the end of encounter. Unaligned Force User allies recover 5% Health and Protection. Gain 5 Siphon, which can't be dispelled, until the end of encounter. Design Notes: This ability has two main highlights: Purge and Siphon. She, being an Inquisitor, has to have Purge. We could have made it an irresistible one, but it being resistible has a nice synergy with Special 2. But on top of that, we also wanted her to Siphon Crit Damage from her enemies. We have put her Siphon stacks gain in her Basic since it combines well with her out of turn attacks. Synergy: Special 2 has an interaction with Purge, and this is Barriss’ main contribution in that area. Inspiration: Since this ability is the key part of Siphoning Crit Damage from enemies, the name of Enfeebling Strike suited it. Special 1 - Force Corruptor (Cooldown: 3) Dispel all buffs and deal Special damage to all enemies. Inflict Buff Immunity for 2 turns on target enemy and Siphon Critical Damage from them. If target enemy had 6 stacks of Purge, Buff Immunity can't be resisted and lower the cooldown of Flicker of the Light by 1. Siphon Critical Damage: Gain a percentage of Critical Damage equal to this unit's Siphon until the end of the encounter and the target loses that much Critical Damage (stacking, excludes raid bosses and Galactic Legends) Design Notes: In addition to AOE buff dispel, which is already strong, she uses this ability to steal Critical Damage from enemies based on her Siphon stacks. Inspiration: The ability name reflects her journey as she manipulates the very powers she once used to heal, now bending them to serve the Empire’s sinister ends. Synergy: We Siphon Critical Damage, and Special 2 - Flicker of the Light will share some of that with Inquisitorius Attackers when used. FAQ: Does the Siphon hit all enemies, or just the enemy you had targeted when you used the ability? It will only Siphon from the targeted enemy, but the dispel and damage will hit all of them. Special 2 - Flicker of the Light (Cooldown: 4) (Zeta) Dispel all debuffs on Unaligned Force User allies and they have their current Health percentages equalized. All Unaligned Force User allies recover 10% Health and Protection. Recover an additional 5% Health and Protection for each stack of Purge that has been consumed by Inquisitorius allies or resisted by enemies in this battle (max 60%). Inquisitor Barriss grants 20% of her Critical Damage (stacking) to allied Inquisitorius Attackers until the end of battle. Design note: The additional recovery part takes advantage of her Purge from her Basic being resistible, since it enables her to grant additional healing against high tenacity enemies. Also, this answers the question of why she would accumulate Critical Damage as a Healer - because she has the ability to distribute her Critical Damage to her allied Inquisitorius Attackers. Inspiration: Though consumed by the Empire, she shows the conflict within herself and the lingering possibility of redemption or - Flicker of the Light. Leader - Those Left Behind Inquisitorius allies gain 20% Max Health, and at the start of each of their turns, they recover 8% Health based on Inquisitor Barriss' Max Health. Whenever an enemy gains a stack of Purge, Inquisitorius allies gain 3 Heal Over Time for 2 turns. Whenever Purge is resisted by an enemy or dispelled on them, Inquisitor allies gain 10% Offense (stacking) for 1 turn. While in 3v3 Grand Arenas and if Grand Inquisitor is not an ally: Inquisitorius allies gain 30% Critical Chance and 50% Critical Damage. Whenever an Inquisitorius ally critically hits an enemy, that enemy gains a stack of Purge (max 6), which can't be resisted, until the end of encounter. Allied Second Sister is immune to Daze and Stun, and whenever Inquisitor Barriss uses an ability, Second Sister assists. This assist will be a critical hit if able. At the end of each of Inquisitor Barriss' turns, reduce the cooldowns of Second Sister's abilities by 1. Design Notes: The main strength of Inquisitorius is Purge. But against AOE dispels and high-resistance enemies, it becomes very difficult for them to inflict enough Purge stacks. This ability attempts to ease that pain by giving bonus offense for 1 turn whenever mass dispel or multiple consecutive Purge stacks are resisted. Also, for her Omicron, she has direct call-outs to Second Sister since she is an Inquisitor usually left out of the main squad, and Inquisitor Barriss helps her become a strong damage dealer when you are assembling a 3v3 squad for Grand Arena. Inspiration: When the Fourth Sister kills the “almost surrendered” Jedi, Barriss promises the dying Jedi that she would not let those who are left behind die. FAQ: How many Omicron materials does it take to unlock the Omicron tier? When an Omicron is only viable in half the battles of the Grand Arena, being restricted to only 3v3 or 5v5, the cost is only 10 Omicron materials. Unique 1- Reflexive Mercy Allies and enemies can't be revived. Whenever an Inquisitorius ally is critically hit, that ally recovers 10% Health and Protection and that enemy gains a stack of Purge (max 6) until the end of encounter. While Ninth Sister is Taunting, allied Second Sister and Inquisitor Barriss have 200% Defense and Tenacity, and allied Inquisitor Barriss is immune to Daze and Stun. Whenever an enemy has any number of buffs dispelled, Inquisitor Barriss gains 10% Turn Meter. Design note: Being a team-wide source of Purge, inflicting it whenever an ally is critically hit, Barriss is going to be a primary target in any battle. With Ninth Sister’s passive Taunt gaining ability, Barriss will gain defensive stats, is expected to attack out of turn a lot (via Unique 2 - Patience), accumulate a lot of Siphon stacks, and ultimately grant part of her Critical Damage to allies. This makes for a pretty interesting gameplay loop. Synergy: This ability has direct call-outs to the Second Sister and the Ninth Sister. Inspiration: Even while Barriss was serving the Empire, by heart, she had always shown mercy, be it her fellow Empire or her enemies. Unique 2 - Patience At the start of battle, if all allies (minimum 3) are Inquisitorius, this character gains 20% Max Health, Max Protection, and Potency. Whenever another ally is critically hit by an enemy, this character has a 20% chance to gain 100% Turn Meter (limit once per turn). Whenever an Inquisitorius ally damages an enemy with Purge, this character assists. Whenever Purge is consumed or dispelled on an enemy, this character gains 3% Turn Meter. Design note: This ability is very similar to the other Inquisitorious’ Patience ability, except it allows her to assist her allies whenever they damage an enemy inflicted with Purge. This fits well with the gameplay loop stated in the previous ability. UNIT NAME: Darth Vader (Duel’s End) ALIGNMENT: Dark CATEGORIES: Attacker, Sith, Empire Rounding out the Era of Anniversary is Darth Vader (Duel’s End). Darth Vader is one of the most iconic villains in the galaxy and when we saw this new side to him in the Obi-Wan show, it was an opportunity for a new Darth Vader character that we simply couldn’t pass up. Our squad vision for this character, after the Era concludes, is for him to empower the Empire squad led by his new master Emperor Palpatine. Other members of this squad (and 5v5 Grand Arena team) include Mara Jade, the Emperor’s Hand, Grand Moff Tarkin, and Royal Guard. Darth Vader (Duel’s End)’s marquee event begins January 27th at 11am Pacific. Basic ability - Then You Will Die Deal Physical Damage to target enemy and during Darth Vader (Duel's End)'s turn, Ability Block them and inflict Evasion Down for 2 turns. If the targeted enemy is Dazed, Shocked, or Stunned, reduce Vader's cooldowns by 1 and he gains 100% Offense for 1 turn. Design Notes: Vader’s powerful overhead strikes cripple his opponents with each hit, represented here with the Ability Block and Evasion Down debuffs. The cooldown reduction and Offense increase leverage his synergies to provide opportunities to strengthen Vader’s damage output if set up properly. Inspiration: During his second duel with Obi-Wan, Vader attempts to show his superiority over Kenobi through heavy hitting, over-the-top attacks. Synergies: Dazed can come from Mara Jade’s Basic, Stunned from Emperor Palpatine, and Shocked is in both of their kits. Additionally, Royal Guard is a source of Stun as well. FAQ: I see the name “Vader” used above and in the kit, does this refer to the original Darth Vader unit? No. All references to “Vader” in the kit and in this kit reveal refer to Darth Vader (Duel’s End). Special ability 1 - Your Weakness Still Remains (Cooldown 3) Deal Physical damage to target enemy twice and call the strongest other Attacker ally to assist. If the target enemy is Galactic Republic, Inquisitorius, or Jedi, Darth Vader (Duel's End) also assists. This ability will always critically hit if possible. Design Notes: This impactful strike will always critically hit, providing a chance to deal damage up to four times (including the two assists) against certain enemies. Target Dazed, Shocked, or Stunned enemies to trigger additional benefits. Synergy: With Mara Jade as an ally, the assist call can result in extra ways to Daze opponents. This in turn, strengthens Vader when he uses Then You Will Die against them. Inspiration: During the duel, Vader does a double pirouette attack, swinging hard at Kenobi. This is one of the coolest moments of this battle if you ask us. FAQ: Can Vader assist himself twice? No. This ability calls “the strongest other Attacker to assist.” Vader will only assist once and only if the target is Galactic Republic, Inquisitorious, or Jedi. Do Vader’s assists inflict Ability Block and Evasion Down? No, but it will reduce his cooldowns and grant the 100% Offense for 1 turn if the targeted enemy is Dazed, Shocked, or Stunned. Why does this ability call out Inquisitorious when Darth Vader works with them throughout the show? While Vader does work with, and even trains, some of the Inquisitors, it is a tumultuous relationship at best. By the end of the duel, Darth Vader has already been betrayed by Reva and has dealt with her accordingly, resulting in the dynamic captured by this kit. Special ability 2 - You Will Always Lose (Cooldown 6) (Zeta + Omicron) Dispel buffs on all enemies and deal Physical damage to them, dealing 50% more damage for each debuffed enemy. If the enemy is Shocked or Stunned, they take another instance of damage. Then inflict all enemies with Speed Down for 2 turns, which can't be dispelled, evaded, or prevented, and they lose 100% Accuracy for 1 turn, which can't be evaded. Enemies are inflicted with Buff Immunity for 2 turns. This ability can't be resisted. While in Grand Arenas: If Emperor Palpatine is in the allied Leader slot, Fracture target enemy and another random enemy until the start of Darth Vader (Duel's End) next turn or until Vader is defeated, which can't be copied, dispelled, or evaded. Vader can't gain bonus Turn Meter this turn. Design Notes: This ability clears enemy buffs and has the potential to inflict large amounts of Area of Effect damage, especially against debuffed enemies. In Grand Arenas with Emperor Palpatine in the Leader slot, it also inflicts Fracture, stopping up to two enemies in their tracks. Synergy: The debuffs inflicted by Emperor Palpatine and Mara Jade, the Emperor’s Hand enable this ability to hit even harder. Inspiration: This ability recreates one of the most devastating moves in Vader’s duel with Obi-Wan, fracturing the battleground and leading the battle to its crescendo. This made adding the Fracture debuff to it super on-brand as well. FAQ: Do enemies lose their buffs before or after damage is dealt? Buffs are dispelled before damage is dealt, optimizing damage output. Does this ability deal 50% extra damage per debuff on an enemy? No. This ability calculates the number of enemies with at least one debuff and uses that number. For example, if three out of five enemies are debuffed, this ability will deal an extra 150% damage. Unique 1 - I Am What Remains (Omicron) At the start of battle, Darth Vader (Duel's End) loses 51% Health and is inflicted with Burning until the end of battle, which can't be copied, dispelled, or prevented. Vader can't be defeated by this Burning, is immune to other Burning effects, and takes reduced damage from percent Health effects. At the start of battle if there are no Galactic Legends, whenever Vader takes Burning damage, all Empire allies gain 20% Offense (stacking, max 300%) until the end of battle and 10% Turn Meter; this effect persists through defeat. If Vader ends his turn with 25% or more Health, all Empire allies gain Potency Up for 1 turn. If Vader ends his turn with 75% or less Health, all Empire allies gain Defense Up for 1 turn. At the start of battle, if Emperor Palpatine is the ally in the Leader Slot, Vader gains Hatred until he is defeated which can't be copied, dispelled or prevented and assists when Emperor Palpatine uses a Special ability during his turn and whenever Emperor Palpatine assists during another ally's turn. If Vader is revived while Emperor Palpatine is the active ally in the Leader Slot, Vader regains Hatred at the end of that turn which can't be copied, dispelled or prevented. While in Grand Arenas: At the start of battle, if there are no Galactic Legends and Emperor Palpatine is in the allied Leader slot, all Empire allies gain Hatred until they are defeated which can't be copied, dispelled or prevented. Whenever an Empire Tank ally loses Taunt, they are Marked for 2 turns which can't be copied, dispelled or resisted and recover 30% Max Health and Protection. Vader gains 4 Speed (stacking, max 80) until the end of battle whenever an Empire ally targets a debuffed enemy with an ability, takes damage from an enemy ability while debuffed, or scores a critical hit. Design Note: Vader begins each battle wounded and Burning, but these ailments trigger a variety of Offense bonuses for all Empire allies. With Emperor Palpatine in the Leader slot stoking Vader’s Hatred, Vader will revive when defeated and assist when the Emperor uses a Special Ability. In Grand Arenas, Hatred is spread to Empire allies as well and Vader provides them with additional bonuses, reminiscent of his power as Lord Vader and alluding to his iconic future abilities, as Darth Vader. Synergy: Use a full squad of Empire units with Emperor Palpatine in the Leader slot to fully leverage these bonuses. Inspiration: This version of Vader is scarred by his wounds from the previous duel with Kenobi on Mustafar, and is driven by his Hatred of his former master. By the end of the second duel, Vader solidifies himself as the merciless and formidable Sith Lord “Darth” Vader. Starting off wounded is paying homage to the point in the battle we lifted this look from. FAQ: Do the Offense stat increases granted by taking Burning damage expire at the end of each encounter? These Offense stat increases persist throughout the entire battle, meaning they do not expire on defeat or when a subsequent encounter begins during multi-encounter battles. What happens when Vader is defeated while Emperor Palpatine is still active in the allied Leader slot? When Vader is defeated, Hatred will trigger and revive Vader. However, Vader does not regain Hatred again until the end of that turn. This means that squads who attack or assist multiple times have the opportunity to defeat Vader a second time before he regains Hatred, taking him out of the battle. Unique 2 - You Didn't Kill Anakin Skywalker, I did (Zeta) At the start of each encounter, whenever he takes burning damage, or when he uses an ability, Darth Vader (Duel's End) gains 1 stack of Vengeance until the end of battle or until he is defeated. When Vader loses 15 stacks of Vengeance or more, he gains 2 additional bonus turns and the next time he damages an enemy, the targeted enemy is Deathmarked until the end of Vader's bonus turns or Vader is defeated. Vader can ignore Taunt effects during his turn. Whenever Vader uses a Special ability, the target enemy is inflicted with a stack of Damage Over Time for 1 turn which can't be evaded. This ability inflicts an additional stack if the target enemy is Galactic Republic, Inquisitorius, or Jedi, and another additional stack if it is an Anakin Skywalker. At the start of battle, if there is an enemy Anakin Skywalker, they are inflicted with Demoralized for the rest of battle which can't be copied, dispelled, evaded, prevented or resisted and if they are in the enemy leader slot, all Empire allies are immune to Daze for the rest of battle and Vader can't be targeted while there is another Empire ally. If all allies are Empire at the start of battle, Vader gains 50% Critical Damage, is immune to Fear and Turn Meter reduction. Design Note: Leveraging assist calls and targeting Galactic Republic, Inquisitorius, or Jedi foes will more quickly build Vader’s Vengeance, creating additional chances for high burst damage. Using Special Abilities to spread around Damage Over Time can also power up Vader’s You Will Always Lose ability. Inspiration: This ability is inspired by the bone-chilling line it is named after. Anakin is gone at the hands of Vader, and this ability punishes enemy Anakin characters accordingly while underscoring this new identity with call backs to mechanics that make the other versions of Vader so powerful. FAQ: How many total bonus turns does Vader get when Vengeance triggers? He gets a total of three bonus turns. One from the Vengeance effect and two additional. However, the Deathmark is applied during the first bonus turn, meaning it is only in effect for the following two. Does Vader have to attack the enemy he Deathmarks? No. There are certainly benefits to doing so as it will optimize his damage output. However, we wanted to give you the freedom to use these bonus turns however you’d like, especially since there may be scenarios where repeatedly targeting the same enemy might not be the best tactic. What characters count as an Anakin Skywalker? General Skywalker, Jedi Knight Anakin, and Padawan Anakin count as Anakin Skywalkers for this ability. Darth Vader, Darth Vader (Duel’s End), and Lord Vader are not Anakin Skywalkers (which is true, from a certain point of view). Padawan Anakin? In the Geonosis Territory Battle we have a Padawan version of Anakin and this ability will also work against him. UNIT NAME: Yoda & Chewie ALIGNMENT: Light CATEGORIES: Support, Galactic Republic, Jedi, Wookiee Yoda & Chewie will be ferociously releasing third in the Era of Anniversary. We took heavy inspiration from the iconic scene of the Battle of Kashyyyk in Revenge of the Sith, where we get to see the bond between Yoda and Chewbacca, as Chewie helps Yoda escape Kashyyyk after Order 66 has been declared. We had fun with all the names for the abilities in Yoda & Chewie’s kit. Combining distinctive features from both characters, Fur and the Force, we coined the term “the Furce” and replaced famous quotes with this new word. We hope you enjoy the names as much as we do. After the Era ends, Yoda & Chewie’s squad vision will serve as a lift for Tarfful’s Wookiee squad. Yoda & Chewie have synergy with any Wookiee, but works best with Tarfful lead, Zaalbar, Clone Wars Chewbacca, and Veteran Smuggler Chewbacca. Yoda & Chewie’s Era Marquee begins Dec. 16th at 11am Pacific. Basic ability - May the Furce be with You Deal Special damage to target enemy three times and Yoda & Chewie gain Speed Up for 1 turn. Design Notes: In each of Yoda & Chewie’s abilities, we wanted to combine elements that feel like they are coming from both Yoda and Chewie individually, combined in one cohesive ability. Damaging three times for example, demonstrates the powerhouse Chewbacca is with his bowcaster. And the Speed Up, a thematically appropriate buff from a Jedi, like Yoda, to make Yoda & Chewie faster to deliver more support to their Wookiee allies. Inspiration: We considered what each character would bring to the battle, if they found themselves facing off against opponents during their escape. Special 01 ability - One with the Furce All Wookiee allies recover 20% Health and Protection and gain Foresight for 2 turns. If Tarfful was the ally in the Leader slot at the start of battle, all Wookiee Support allies gain Frenzy for 1 turn, which can't be copied or dispelled. Design Notes: We wanted an ability that is really simple but effective that really packs a punch. Yoda, providing the support-like recovery and Foresight, in true Jedi fashion. And Chewbacca, granting the Frenzy to Support Wookiees to get in more turns to get the upperhand in battle. Synergies: Obviously a Tarfful Lead for this squad will have immediate benefits. You’ll see a common theme with Foresight playing into other aspects of the kit. Inspiration: Yoda brings the Foresight, Chewie brings the Frenzy. FAQ: Who are all the current “Wookiee Support” characters that will take advantage of the latter half of this ability? Yoda & Chewie, of course, and Tarfful are currently the two Wookiees that will be gaining Frenzy via this ability. Special 02 ability - The Furce Awakens Dispel all buffs on all enemies and deal Special damage to them, and Distract target enemy for 1 turn. If Tarrful was the ally in the Leader slot at the start of battle, Yoda & Chewie assist, dealing 55% less damage and all Wookiee allies gain Advantage for 2 turns Design Notes: Distract is a new debuff being introduced with Stormtrooper Luke. It felt fun and thematic here. Plus, an AOE with an assist call attached is always fun. Synergies: Similar to Yoda & Chewie’s Special 01, the synergy is Tarfful in the Leader spot. FAQ: What does Distract do again? Distract: Can't gain Bonus Turn Meter Unique 01 ability - The Furce is my Ally At the start of each encounter, Wookiee allies gain Foresight for 2 turns. If all allies were Wookiees at the start of battle: - Yoda & Chewie gain Master's Training until the end of battle - Whenever an enemy attacks an ally out of turn, that ally gains 5% Turn Meter - Whenever an ally gains Foresight, they gain 10% Offense (stacking, max 100%) until the end of battle (once per turn) and 5% Turn Meter and whenever Foresight expires on an ally, inflict a stack of Off Balance on a random enemy who didn't already have it for 1 turn (once per turn) While in Grand Arenas and if there are no Galactic Legend enemies: Wookiee allies gain 25 Speed and 40% Critical Damage. If all allies were Wookiees at the start of battle: - All allies gain Master's Training until the end of battle - Whenever an ally attacks out of turn, they inflict the target enemy with a stack of Damage Over Time for 1 turn - Whenever an ally gains Foresight, they also gain Retribution for 2 turns and whenever Foresight expires, remove 5% Turn Meter from all enemies - The first time each ally defeats an enemy, inflict all enemies with Fear for 1 turn and all allies gain Foresight for 1 turn - At the start of each of Yoda & Chewie's turns, inflict all enemies with Vulnerable for 1 turn - Whenever Yoda & Chewie use a Special ability while they have Foresight, they trigger all stacks of Damage Over Time on all enemies and inflict Disarm on the target enemy for 2 turns or until Yoda & Chewie are defeated and remove it from all enemies, which can't be copied, dispelled, evaded, or resisted Design Notes: While the Omicron is quite long, the meat and potatoes of their Unique is very simple but effective. We wanted to utilize mechanics that other existing Yodas have in SWGOH like Master’s Training and Foresight, to create a true Yoda feeling in Yoda & Chewie. While also allowing Wookiees to get the offensive power they deserve by scaling their Offense with Foresight. Very similar to how Tarfful has scaling Offense with Defense. Synergies: We see some of the payoff from the Special 1 giving out Foresight here, with additional Offence and Turn Meter, as well as throwing Off-Balance on enemies. Additionally, for GAC, we looked at mechanics across many other Wookiees to become even stronger to synergize with their kits, while also creating new thematic experiences like Fear whenever an enemy is defeated by a Wookiee ally. UNIT NAME: Asajj Ventress (Dark Disciple) ALIGNMENT: Dark CATEGORIES: Attacker, Leader, Bounty Hunter, Nightsister, UFU ------ The fourth Marquee unit of the Era of Anniversary we have Asajj Ventress debuting a brand new look. Based on her appearance in the novel Dark Disciple, this Bounty Hunter version of Ventress had her allying with a maverick Jedi and begin her atonement for her dark past. While this Jedi is not (yet) in Galaxy of Heroes, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get this version of Asajj into the game. After the Era ends, she will find her home with old man Boba Fett, Scion of Jango and Fennec Shand. We envision her squad being rounded out with the two newest Bounty Hunters: 4-LOM and Zuckuss. This squad will help Boba Fett, Scion of Jango dominate in Territory Wars, putting his sights on more than one Galactic Legend in that mode. Asajj Ventress (Dark Disciple)’s Era Marquee begins on Dec 30th at 11 am Pacific. ------ Basic - Swift Strikes Deal Physical damage to target enemy. If that enemy was debuffed, attack again. During Asajj Ventress (Dark Disciple)'s turn, gain 7% Turn Meter and inflict Tenacity Down on target enemy for 1 turn. Otherwise, gain 12% Turn Meter and Retaliate for 1 turn. Design Notes: Her Basic ability allows her to attack twice if the enemy is debuffed, resulting in her gaining increased Turn Meter. Therefore, keeping the enemy debuffed is beneficial for her. When attacking out of turn, she gains Retaliate, which makes damaging her more troublesome. (Reminder, when assisting or counter-attacking, a character uses their Basic ability, which is why this text has a specific call out for it being used on her own turn or not). Synergy: Tenacity Down when used on her turn means that debuffs for the rest of the squad are easier to apply, which in turn means that she will be attacking twice when assisting or using her Basic nearly all the time. Inspiration: The inspiration for the ability just comes from Asajj being a very agile fighter and her being able to attack very quickly and swiftly. The name has nothing to do with any designer’s obsession with Taylor Swift. ------ Special 1 - Come Back to Me Deal Physical damage to all enemies and inflict Armor Shred on the target enemy until the end of the encounter. Ventress and target Bounty Hunter ally gain Defense Penetration Up for 2 turns. The first time this ability is used, grant target non-Galactic Legend Bounty Hunter ally Disciple until the end of battle. Ventress gains Retribution for 2 turns. Disciple: +15 Speed and immune to Ability Block Design Notes: Disciple is a new buff introduced with Asajj Ventress (Dark Disciple), where you select an ally to be your Disciple, and together, you work to defeat the enemy. This Special is mainly used to apply Disciple, but it also provides other bonuses, such as Defense Penetration Up and Retribution, when upgraded. Synergy: Disciple plays a huge part of her abilities, so make sure you know going into the battle who your Disciple target is going to be. Inspiration: Since the Dark Disciple novel had a running theme of Asajj teaching, it was evident to include a mechanic which kind of mimics the student-teacher dynamic. We tried to encapsulate this through the Disciple buff. The name “Come Back to Me” refers to the animation, where Ventress throws her lightsaber and it returns to her. FAQ Does the “Ventress” in Special 1 also include the original Asajj Ventress? No. In an effort to cut down on the length of some of these abilities, we tend to shorthand the character’s name after the first time it’s used. So all mentions of Ventress in this kit refers to the Dark Disciple version. ------ Special 2 - Know Your Place Deal Physical damage to target enemy, inflict Vulnerable on them for 2 turns, and Stun them for 1 turn. If there is an active ally with Disciple, Stun them for 2 turns instead. Dispel all debuffs on Asajj Ventress (Dark Disciple) and all allies with the Disciple and they gain 10% Critical Damage (stacking, max 100%) until the end of the encounter for each debuff dispelled this way. Call all other allies with Disciple to assist. Design Notes: Once you have Disciple on the field, this special allows both Disciple and Ventress to stack Critical Damage by dispelling debuffs on themselves. Synergy: This ability also allows you to call all of your Disciples to assist you, triggering various other benefits you get from her Unique. Inspiration: For this Special, we wanted Asajj to show her dominance over the enemy hence the strong debuffs and a very flashy Lightsaber move for her. FAQ Special 1 only grants Disciple once per battle, how can there be multiple Disciples? The GAC Omicron in her Unique will put Disciple on all other Non-Galactic Legend/Non-Tank Bounty Hunter allies. ----- Leader - Selfless Act At the start of battle, all Bounty Hunter allies gain Critical Chance Up and Offense Up for 2 turns. If all allies are Bounty Hunters: Whenever an enemy begins their turn with more than 5 debuffs, they are Dazed for 2 turns. When Asajj Ventress (Dark Disciple) is in the Leader slot and not the ally slot, the following Contract is active Contract: While ally with Disciple is active, attack out of turn 10 times. (Only Bounty Hunters can contribute to the contract) Reward: All Bounty Hunter allies have +50% Defense Penetration until the end of the encounter. Whenever a Bounty Hunter ally revives, they gain Damage Immunity for 1 turn. Design Notes: As with all Bounty Hunters, Ventress has a Leader ability and associated Contract. Hers boosts Critical Chance and Offense for Bounty Hunters at the start of the battle. Ventress will be inflicting Tenacity Down on her enemies, which allows her allies to inflict more debuffs which then helps with Daze being inflicted. Completing her contract gives Bounty Hunters some survivability after they are revived via a turn of Damage Immunity. Inspiration: ***Spoilers for the novel Dark Disciple***: In a moment of character growth, Asajj sacrifices herself to save her allies. We wanted to capture the essence of that sacrifice through the Contract reward. ----- Payout- Asajj Ventress (Dark Disciple)'s Payout When Asajj Ventress (Dark Disciple) receives a Reward from a Contract, she also gains the following Payout. (Contracts are granted by certain Bounty Hunter Leader abilities.) Asajj Ventress (Dark Disciple)'s Payout: Ventress gains 100% Critical Damage. If an ally with Disciple has a stack of Momentum, grant 10 stacks of Momentum to that ally until the end of the encounter. All allies with Disciple gain 100% Turn Meter. Design Notes: This Payout enables Ventress to deal increased Critical Damage but more importantly provides Momentum stacks to her Disciple if they already have a stack. Synergy: Boba Fett, Scion of Jango loves himself some Momentum, so he should probably be your Disciple target Unique - Train Under Me Asajj Ventress (Dark Disciple) has +75% Max Health and Max Protection and 20% Offense. At the start of battle, if the ally in the Leader slot is Boba Fett, Scion of Jango and there are no Tank allies, Bounty Hunter allies gain bonus Protection (300%) until the end of the encounter. Whenever an ally with Disciple is damaged, Ventress gains 10% Offense (stacking, max 50%) until the next time she uses her Basic ability on her turn. Whenever Ventress starts her turn, allies with Disciple gain 10% Turn Meter. Whenever an ally with Disciple starts their turn, inflict Evasion Down on all enemies for 1 turn, which can't be resisted, and Ventress gains 10% Turn Meter. Whenever an ally with Disciple uses a Special ability, inflict the enemy with Protection Disruption for 1 turn, which can’t be evaded, and Ventress assists. Whenever an ally with Disciple uses their special ability, on their turn, 4 turns in a row, they gain 100% Offense until the end of the encounter and their next ability on their turn inflicts Vulnerable to target enemy, which can’t be dispelled, evaded, or resisted until the end of the encounter.` Whenever Ventress uses an ability on her turn, allies with Disciple assist. While in Grand Arenas: All Bounty Hunter allies gain 50% Max Health and Potency. All other non-Galactic Legend and non-Tank Bounty Hunter allies gain Disciple until the end of battle. Whenever Ventress or allies with Disciple are Dazed, they dispel it and gain 50% Turn Meter. Whenever Ventress gains bonus Turn Meter, she gains 5% Offense (stacking, max 150%) until the end of the encounter. Ventress and all allies with Disciple are immune to Turn Meter reduction. Whenever enemies attack out of turn, allies with Disciple and Ventress recover 5% Health and Protection. Design Notes: This Unique is where the training happens. It's all about the synergy with your Disciple, and the Omicron has the capability of turning the entire rest of the squad into Ventress’ Disciples. Synergy: If you use Boba Fett, Scion of Jango, as a leader and have no Tanks on your squad, it allows you to have 300% Bonus Protection for extra survivability. There is a lot of synergy between Disciple and Ventress throughout the Unique. For example, if a Disciple uses a Special, then Ventress will assist. Meanwhile, if Ventress uses any ability on her turn, all Disciples will assist. If a Disciple can pull off using 4 Special Abilities on their turn, they get a huge bonus. Inspiration: We wanted to capture the journey which Ventress had with her Jedi ally throughout the novel. She took on the role of a mentor, making it such that we wanted to have that in our game as well in some form.[Hotfix] Darth Vader Datacron
Hello HHH, Today's Hotfix updates Darth Vader's Datacron to address the issue with him and and the newer Bad Batch squad. Darth Vader will be able to be defeated if all allies are defeated or Captured. Previous Description: At the start of battle, if there are no Galactic Legend allies, Darth Vader can't be defeated until all the other allies are defeated. The first time each ally is defeated, Darth Vader dispels all debuffs on himself, resets all of his cooldowns, and takes a bonus turn. During his turn, Darth Vader has +50% Health Steal for each defeated ally. Updated Description: At the start of battle, if there are no Galactic Legend allies, Darth Vader can't be defeated until all the other allies are defeated or Captured. The first time each ally is defeated, Darth Vader dispels all debuffs on himself, resets all of his cooldowns, and takes a bonus turn. During his turn, Darth Vader has +50% Health Steal for each defeated ally.
