Balance changes 2025. Developers’ comments. Part 1

1. Not enough pins for the “Machinist” cabin

2. There are two empty rows without pins on its roof, which is extremely inconvenient because you often need to place a cannon closer to the edge of the roof, but you can’t because there are no pins there

3. Add two additional rows of pins on the cabin’s roof

Comment: unfortunately, there is a technical limitation on the maximum number of pins on a part, and the “Machinist” has reached this limit. We will consider moving some of the pins from the side edges to the roof.

1. “Triton” is out of balance

2. It’s the simplest and most damaging weapon with the longest range among shotguns. All you need to do is crash into the enemy and hold down the firing button. Particularly effective with the new unbalanced legs. Literally makes a ton of damage.

3. Reduce its damage significantly. Either let builds with Tritons take 30% damage from this explosion (but not the Tritons themselves). Or let Tritons lose a certain percentage of their maximum health from each explosion, maybe 8 or 10. Or limit the number of explosions available per battle to 4-5 per single shotgun. And increase its PS.

Comment: at the moment, “Triton” shows excessive effectiveness only in combination with the “Myriad”. In the next update, we will fix a number of bugs in “Myriad’s” physics related to its mobility when there are up to 2 of them and its interaction with boosters. After these changes, we will assess the need for adjustments to “Triton”.

1. Tracks have poor traction.

2. Vehicles with wheels push over the builds with tracks in the vast majority of cases. Often, they even push over heavier vehicles on tracks.

3. Increase the traction of tanks tracks at least by 30%.

Comment: the tracks themselves have sufficient traction. If there is a problem with them being too easy to push, then it is caused by something else (perhaps the movement parts are not touching the ground), and increasing traction will not help. We will look for the cause of the problem and explore possible solutions.

1. The Flute’s perk can’t be implemented

2. Currently, the cars have big bonuses to speed thanks to Jackie and new engines, cabins. So firing without any misses is impossible.

+ The specific aiming of the weapon also makes it very hard to hit the enemies consistently

+ players would often try to “throw” rockets over obstacles (which made the Flute a unique weapon, close to Clarinet)

3. Remove the penalty for misses and reduce damage increase for hits on target

Comment: the upcoming balance changes have the “Flute’s” projectiles maneuverability significantly increased, which should make hitting the target easier. If that change won’t be enough, next time we will consider rebalancing the perk by reducing the number of stacks.

1. The ATGM is totally countered by the Argus module that costs 1 energy.

2. Because other weapons don’t have modules that would completely counter them for 1 energy.  For example, Argus can’t shoot down the Swarm projectiles in time, it only destroys 3-4 missiles at best but not the whole volley.

3. 2 ways to fix this:

1) Make it so that the Argus doesn’t destroy the ATGM but reduce its damage by a certain amount for each hit. Like it happens with shots from the Swarm.

2) Add modules that counter other weapons, for example: Arannon shoots down projectiles from cannons; Archine shoots down projectiles from machine guns; Arpion shoots down projectiles from Scorpion; Argentum shoots down projectiles from energy weapons; Arshotgun shoots down projectiles from shotguns; Arauto shoots down projectiles from autocannons; Arvolver shoots down projectiles from revolvers; Arocket shoots down projectiles from rocket launchers; Arnade shoots down projectiles from grenade launchers; Arbow shoots down projectiles from crossbows; Arlee shoots down projectiles from melee weapons (prevents them from sawing your car); Arson shoots down projectiles from flamethrowers; Aryo shoots down projectiles from cryo weapons; etc.

Comment: we agree that the problem you pointed out exists, but we will consider other solutions. For example, adding bullet damage resistance to rockets. This option would allow “Argus” to destroy rockets, but would make the process much slower, meaning that they would reach their target more often. Your first suggestion has technical implementation issues and does not fit the logic of the module. The second one does not fit the model for releasing new content.

1. Kensei is practically useless.

2. After the changes to energy system, medium epic cabins were buffed to compensate for the loss of 1 energy and subsequent medium cabins had perks to compensate for low energy. But Kensei, which was released not so long before the changes, was already bad with the old energy system, but also lost energy, and thus became absolute garbage.

3. The reworks announced in the recent balance changes won’t help this cabin, because there are a lot of parts now that can provide power in combination with more useful cabins. Here are my suggestions for how Kensei can be improved:

1. Give the cabin the ability to “break through” the movement parts speed limits when the perk is active (including the reverse speed of the wheels). Maybe not bypass the limit completely, but to some percentage of the maximum speed.

2. Add 20% resist for the car when the perk is active (Catalina gives damage stacks, Inferno gives less damage upon activation, Beacon gives resist stacks, Kensei gives less resist upon activation); the appearance of the cabin indicates tough armor, and the Vulture’s double perk was praised by the players, why not give Kensei the same?

Comment: we will consider your suggestions for expanding the cabin’s perk as part of future balance changes.

1. The absence of an armoured car's wreckage if the enemy/ally self-destructed or entered the garage before the armoured car was destroyed.

2. This mechanic negatively affects the balance of parts dependent on wreckages (Thyrsus, Pandora, Kronos, Titan). If I have disarmed an enemy, then I have formally destroyed them, so why can they take away my ability to use perks tied to the wreckages by simply using self-destruction or going to the garage?

3. Revise the mechanics of the wreckages so that after self-destruction or going to the garage without dying in battle, the wreckage remains on the battlefield.

Comment: thank you for pointing out this issue. We will start working on ways to fix it.

1. Balance problem in your opinion

Using different types of movement parts in one build.

2. Why do you consider it a problem

Basically, different types of movement parts are used to increase the durability of an armoured car and its resistance to damage. Example: The build with ML uses Goliath tracks exclusively as defense against direct hits and to reduce damage to weapons and the cabin. The tracks are not used in any other way, similar to augers and Goliath. This gives a huge advantage in durability and defense of the installed weapons, which are already hidden very deep in the build.

3. What is the solution for the problem in your opinion

Completely eliminate the possibility of installing different types of movement parts on one armoured car. Complete freedom in building and complete freedom in general has never led to anything good.

Comment: we already have mechanics that track this kind of movement part usage and impose penalties in the form of tonnage and perk disabling. We will look into additional penalties to make such use of movement parts less effective (e.g. disabling damage resistance).

1. Weird Compiler and its weird perk. (and the ways to fix it).

2. I think the cannon from the Founders BP is very hard to use. In the first mode, it’s quite difficult to hit anything from the cannon at medium to long range, and the second mode can only be accumulated when the enemy is close enough to be hit by all 3 projectiles in the first mode. The second mode itself (after accumulation) is largely useless in such situations because it cannot be aimed as well as Mandrake and Heather, since it cannot be used at long range, and although the Compiler's artillery mode can cause significant damage at close range, but it is difficult to hit the target if the target is literally next to you, as well as due to landscape and the fact that the artillery shot simply does not fire in close range unless the build is designed in a very specific way.

3. What do I suggest? Give the Compiler a completely different style of play with a new perk that sounds like this: “If there are no enemies within a radius of 250 meters (possibly much more), the Compiler replenishes the artillery volley by 1 pcs. for 15 seconds. Stacks up to 3 times.” 

(This radius is sufficient to prevent players from using the 2nd weapon mode indefinitely for a constant siege, allowing them to retreat, give their enemies a little respite from the attacks, and reload the second mode).

On paper, the strategy for this weapon looks like this:

When defending:

*While the enemies are approaching, you can shoot at them in the second mode.

*Once the enemy arrives, take them out with the first mode of the cannon.

During a siege:

*Approach to a sufficient distance to fire in the second mode, fire 3 volleys, then move away to reload the perk.

*When your allies decide to attack up close, simply drive towards the enemy and fire in the first mode.

(In order not to break the balance too much and give your enemies a chance (be they hovers, spiders, wheelers, etc.), you can instead reduce the projectile speed and damage in the second mode (Artillery) by about 10-20%).

Comment: this suggestion contradicts the concept of the “Compiler”, which is primarily a cannon. We don’t want to shift the focus of gameplay to the artillery mode. In the upcoming patches, artillery shots will become practically “free” in terms of time, which should bring their usage frequency back to the originally intended level.

1. Slaughterer

2. A weapon with a great concept that isn't used to its full potential. In real battles, everyone uses only the second mode (with charge), because there is no point in the first mode, which does almost no real damage to most builds, in order to POSSIBLY get +20% (often less) on the second shot, when you can simply shoot twice normally with the same reload time. The splinter mode deals very inconsistent damage and hardly destroys any parts. In addition, the second shot itself keeps the perk at around 10%, which makes the first mode even more pointless.

Another problem is the shape of the weapon, which makes it perfect for strafing, but practically unusable on wheels, even though it is actually a turret weapon.

3. Change the first mode so that there are situations when it is more advantageous to use it. Options include adding damage and/or blast radius to the fragments, as well as adjusting their spread so that more fragments deal damage. Also, to ensure that the second shot is not the ultimate choice, the maximum perk bonus can be increased to ~50%. In exchange, remove the second mode's ability to increase weapon damage when hitting parts (usually when shooting only in the second mode, the perk stays around 6-12%), which will reduce the medium damage increased by the first mode. Another option is to add a bonus to reloading after using the first mode, similar to Astraeus on the test server.

The problem with the weapon's shape could be partially solved by the ability to place it in a 2x2 hole with a depth of 1 pin without a penalty to the aiming angles. Currently, the weapon only fits sideways into a 2x4x1 slot, losing some of its vertical aiming angles. Slightly armoured in this way, the weapon would not stick out as much from most wheeled builds as it does now.

Comment: in a future balance patch, we will test some options to make both modes feel relevant.

1. brick builds problem

2. Regarding the dynamics of builds, it seems to me that the operation symbol before the exponent is mixed up in the speed buildup formula. What I mean is: an overloaded build accelerates slowly from 0 to 40, for example, in 10 seconds, and from 40 to 100 in 2-3 seconds. In fact, it should be the other way around: at the start, the speed buildup should be maximum (maximum engine torque), and the further buildup to the maximum should depend on the power and load. The problem of “flying bricks” itself is most likely a consequence of an error in the speed buildup formula.

3. Check the speed buildup formula or power calculation for an extra/missing minus symbol in front of the exponent.

Comment: the speed buildup works exactly as you described: the initial km/h values are reached quite quickly, then acceleration slows down. We were unable to reproduce the problem you described. If you have specific armoured cars on which this error occurs repeatedly, please contact support.

1. Unpopular weapons Summator and Argument nailguns, which are practically absent in battles.

2. Summator and Argument are primarily intended for destroying important parts on builds (weapons, modules, and movement parts), but firing single shots and trying to destroy important parts of a hover due to the low flight speed of the projectile is practically unreal. Shooting point blank while aiming at important parts is unreasonable due to the large spread, and shooting at “meat” is ineffective, the damage is spread out, and the durability of these nailguns leaves much to be desired.

3. Increase the projectile's speed, increase its durability and mass accordingly, and also do something with the Argument perk, as there is no point in having a high rate of fire if it is impossible to hit a moving target at a distance greater than arm’s length.

Comment: we have some ideas for rebalancing this weapon class, and we’ll test them in one of the upcoming balance changes.

1. ML 200 useless perk

2. The epic mechanical leg ML 200 has a perk that compensates for the recoil of its own weapons and reduces incoming impulse. However, in practice, this perk is completely useless because all popular vehicles with this movement part weigh almost 30000 kg, which makes them immune to any impulse due to their mass. At the same time, the Meat Grinder auger, having parameters better than MLs (mass, speed, melee damage, good traction), has a very good perk that makes the auger a relevant movement part.

3. I suggest changing the ML 200 perk so that for every ML 200 leg installed, up to 10 pieces, the vehicle's surface traction increases by 5% and the damage protection of structural parts increases by 2%. In any case, you said at the last QA session that you would rework the ML perk, but you haven't done so yet.

Comment: we said that we would consider reworking the perk, not that we will definitely do it. We tested various options internally, but have decided not to change the perk at this time, as ML 200 received other buffs in the last round of changes and its efficiency is now at a satisfactory level.

1. Unpopularity of certain weapons and cabins of special rarity

2. Almost all weapons of special rarity are unpopular on all PS, with rare exceptions. Hypothetically, they could be playable, but in reality, few people use them

1) Summator was never considered playable, but in reality it was good thanks to the size of the projectiles and (paradoxically) its wide spread: at the beginning of the battle, it was possible to “scare” opponents, forcing them to abandon their path and drive them into an area where there were more allies for further head-on combat. I understand that its use is very specific, but it did have its place. However, after the introduction of the penetration ability of projectiles, the size of the Summator's projectiles was logically reduced, which is excessive, and the low damage of the weapon, even when fully charged, leaves much to be desired.

2) Median was once a popular weapon, now almost never used after a significant reduction in damage for “balance” of penetration ability.

3) Pyralid is a powerful weapon, but due to its low durability, it has to be heavily armored, which “cuts” the aiming angles due to the Pyralid's model, making Locust and Wasp much more popular.

4) Guardian and Leech are good weapons capable of competing with some purple rarity weapons, however, these weapons are not popular

3. A small upgrade of “non-core” weapon parameters:

1) Summator: a small decrease in mass; it makes sense to increase the size of the projectile

2) Median: increase the base ammunition and weapon rotation speed

3) Pyralid: change the “collision” of the weapon’s model, making it similar to the Wasp or Locust

4) Guardian and Leech: slight improvement of perks and/or reduction of mass

5) It is worth revising the parameters of special cabins, I cannot suggest anything concrete

It makes sense to revise the mass of the Summator: it is partially made of plastic and is smaller than the Guardian and Leech, but weighs significantly more, despite that they’re made entirely of metal and are larger in size

Comment: many parts of special rarity are quite relevant in the 4000–8000 PS range. The popularity of a part is not only due to its efficiency, but also to its availability to players (as in the case of Leech, for example). Upcoming balance changes affect unpopular parts of all rarities, including the special rarity.

1. Frontal shotguns and machine guns are unpopular.

2. Compared to their common counterparts, frontal weapons sacrifice rotation angles either for durability (blue and teal) or for energy (purple, where the difference in durability is insignificant). But considering the ratio of durability to the size of the model, which is difficult to cover even with one-pin layer of armor, the survivability of these weapons is no greater (in the case of purple weapons, it is even less). Therefore, such weapons are not in high demand. The prices of Ruptures, Leeches, Guardians, and Tacklers on the market also confirm this.

3. Increase the durability (and mass, respectively) of frontal weapons.

Comment: we agree with your suggestion and will test this change in one of our upcoming balance changes.

1. There is a large difference in the speed of Leviathans with light and heavy cabins, but there is little difference in tonnage.

2. Leviathan has a fixed amount of additional tonnage (50000 kg + 200 kg), and this value does not change depending on the cabin type, only the tonnage of the cabin itself is added. Because of this, builds with light cabins can travel at 120 km/h and have 59470 kg tonnage, while builds with heavy cabins can travel at 62 km/h and have 75100 kg tonnage. The difference between light and heavy cabins in speed is 51%, and 20% in tonnage. This makes the use of heavy and medium cabins inefficient compared to light ones.

3. The additional tonnage for Leviathans should depend on the cabin type. 40000 kg for light cabins, 50000 kg for medium cabins, and 65000 kg for heavy cabins.

Comment: we agree with your opinion and believe that the original Leviathan modifiers should ideally be multipliers for the base parameters of the cabin, but we assume that such a change could completely destroy players’ current builds and would be received extremely negatively. We will look into the possibility of implementing such a change.