Another update, another Merc! Phantom is here- well, he was here a moment ago at least, but in addition to the sneaky assassin, we’ve got an number of other tweaks and additions for you with this update. Read on for all the details!
New Merc: Phantom
Phantom is somewhere around here, but good luck finding him before he strikes! Willing to do anything to get rid of him, his Commanding Officer volunteered Phantom to take part in an experimental Refractive Armor test program. Returning the favor, Phantom promptly stole the suit and used it to plant incriminating evidence/livestock in his former Commanding Officer’s quarters. Since then he has been a legend in his own mind. Never, ever lend him money, or your mobile phone.
Primary Ability: Refractive Armor
Phantom’s pride and joy, his Refractive Armor, is the piece of technology that justifies his code name. He can activate this specialized suit of camouflage and, in only a few moments, fade from sight. The armor’s power will drain for as long as he’s invisible, although while he is moving the power will drain faster, as well as visually disrupting, making him easier to spot when chasing down the enemy.
Of course, this is armor, not some magic cloak! If Phantom is shot while Refractive Armor is enabled, that damage will instead deplete the Armor’s remaining power, giving him enough time to close the gap and take advantage of his shiny new toy.
New Melee Weapon: The Katana
http://i.imgur.com/JuIugNM.jpg
Phantom brings an entirely new melee weapon to the field: A razor-sharp Katana, ready and waiting to plunge into the back of an unsuspecting medic. It’s slower and more unwieldy to use, but when it finds its target it hits for massive damage, carving foes up into nice little pieces.
Loadout Details
http://i.imgur.com/BGqAcPn.png
As with all Mercs, Phantom has a number of Loadout Cards that give him a variety of Weapons and Augments, helping him diversify his stealthy assassinations.
http://i.imgur.com/w0a1vgj.png
Each of his Bronze Loadout Cards can be purchased directly for 17,500 Credits or $3.49 USD, or all of them in a bundle for 100,000 Credits or $19.99 USD. As with all Mercs, every current combination of weapons and augments available for Phantom is available as a Bronze Card. Phantom himself can be purchased from the Barracks for 50,000 Credits, or $9.99 USD.
New XP Reward: Human Shield
It’s about time we reward the loyal, valuable tanks that protect the weaker characters from getting turned into chunky salsa! The Human Shield XP reward gives players 1 XP per point of damage they take for a teammate, be it blocking a bullet or shielding them from an explosion. Just don’t think its worth the XP bonus to shield Rhino’s delicate frame with Aura’s body.
Other Changes
Balance Changes
Stilnotto Stiletto Knife
-Secondary attack damage reduced to 85 (from 90)
Revive Changes
-Reduced the invulnerability window Incapped players have after dying to 366ms (from 800ms)
This exists so gibbing a player is a separate distinct action, rather than just continuing to fire while a body is collapsing to the ground
-Revive Invulnerability now begins once the player has stood up and can move
This allows players a final chance to Finish the revived player, just before they get-up
Players now spend 0.7s getting up after a revive (from 1s)
Other Balance Changes
-Adjusted view kick so the kick speed also scales up with the amount of incoming damage received
Bug Fixes and Game Improvements
User Interface
-Improved server browser performance
-Added server region to the server browser
-Updated the in-game voting UI to make it more obvious when a vote is triggered, and how close the vote is to passing
-Added player rankings to the scoreboard at the end of a Ranked game
-Removed 5v5 as option from Quick Join searching screen as the minimum sever size is 6v6
-Added a queue timer to Party Matchmaking
-Added more obvious notifications when players received a new item
-Sped up several lobby and warm-up times
-Fixed server filtering box to allow quoted strings
-Added functionality where servers will disconnect all players at the end of a match if a new build version is available
-Updated the audio when getting a Cobalt Loadout Card from a case
Levels
-Updated lighting and post-processing on Bridge to make it more consistent across all graphics settings
-Fixed broken roof on the train station in Terminal, should get damaged by all bullets and explosives now
-Updated the audio mix on Terminal and Chapel
Notable Bug Fixes
-Fix for REVIVR occasionally not reviving an incapped player
-Fixed an issue where rebinding keys could cause some functionality not to work whilst incapped
-Fixed an issue where players below level five could be invited to ranked matchmaking parties
-Fixed an issue where players could not Quick Join into servers that were in the “Lobby” state
-Fixed a bug where carryable objective indicator “friend or foe” would show for all players
–Team Dirty Bomb–
