SC2: Kommende Spielbalanceänderungen für Stukov

 Co-op Mission Update – Stukov Revamp

Stukov, ex-vice admiral of the UED, is the first Commander we’re looking at in the next round of reworks. As we’ve previously hinted, our primary focus will be to rein-in the power of Bunkers slightly while promoting interesting and powerful ways to use some of Stukov’s mechanical options.

Infested Bunker

• Infested Bunker cost increased from 300 minerals to 350 minerals.
• Infested Bunker supply increased from 4 to 6.

While there are many powerful units in Co-op, very few check as many key boxes as Infested Bunkers. Infested Bunkers are not only very powerful, but also cost-efficient, supply-efficient, durable, and versatile. While we generally try not to nerf existing strategies, we feel that Infested Bunkers are an outlier that would require extravagant Mech buffs in order to get them in the same ballpark. For that reason, we’ve decided to slightly decrease the unit’s cost efficiency and supply efficiency.

Infested Diamondback

• Infested Diamondback cost decreased from 225/100 to 225/75.
• Infested Diamondback range increased from 7 to 8.
• Fungal Snare can now be cast on Heroic units. Duration on Heroic units is 2.5, compared to 10 for non-Heroic units.

We reduced the gas cost on Infested Diamondbacks to allow them to have them be less of a gas strain and allow them to be more of a backbone unit for mech-only play. We’ve increased the range so they can be more effective in their ability to kite enemy units. Finally, we’re allowing Heroic units to be snared, albeit for a much shorter duration such that you won’t need a specialized counter for small numbers of Heroic air units, such as the bonus on Rifts to Korhal. For more dedicated solutions to air threats, however, we recommend a slightly different air unit. . . .

Infested Liberator

• Infested Liberator cost decreased from 150/150 to 150/125.
• The Cloud Dispersal upgrade has been reworked. After they’re upgraded, an Infested Liberators will launch itself at an enemy target, turn itself into a swarm cloud, and stay in swarm cloud form until no enemy units in the area are taking damage. Infested Liberators will be controllable in cloud form and no longer return to their original location after they’re done attacking.
• Damage reduction in swarm cloud form reduced from 90% to 85%.
• After the Cloud Dispersal upgrade, weapon period decreased from 6 to 1.
• After the Cloud Dispersal upgrade, damage period increased from 0.6 to 1.

First, we reduced gas cost to reduce gas strain on Stukov’s mech play. In addition, a common complaint about the Infested Liberator was that it felt clunky to use and often overkilled enemy targets. This was partially due to the Liberator’s very long cooldown and tendency to attack the same targets. We’ve reworked the Infested Liberator’s upgraded attack completely so that the player has more control and is much less likely to overkill targets. And because the Infested Liberator will be in swarm cloud form much more consistently, we’ve tweaked some numbers to temper its power level.

Infested Banshee

• Infested Banshee now gains +2 range while cloaked.

This is the same benefit previously granted to Raynor’s Banshees, but we hope Infested Banshees can use them in a different way. Because Infested Banshees are much more durable and can regenerate their energy quickly, this will allow them to more consistently keep their additional range.

Brood Queen

• Brood Queen movement speed increased from 2.5 to 3.75.
• Brood Queen acceleration increased from 1.375 to 3.
• Brood Queen life regeneration increased from 0.273 to 1.092.
• Ocular Symbiote duration increased from 60 seconds to 180 seconds.
• Ocular Symbiote now increases unit vision by 5 in addition to its current functionality.
• Spawn Broodlings ability reworked. Instead of instantly killing a target unit, it will deal 300 damage to a target unit and spawn 2 Broodlings when that unit dies.
• This ability can now be cast on Massive and Heroic units.

Players have described Brood Queens as clunky, so we’ve made some improvements to the unit’s overall usability, Ocular Symbiote’s duration and versatility, and Spawn Broodling’s versatility.

Overseer

• Morph to Overseer requirement changed from Infested Starport to Infested Factory.

We’ve changed this requirement to give players more flexibility in early-game builds.

Calldowns

• Fixed a bug where Apocalisk Cooldown Mastery was also decreasing its initial cooldown at the start of the mission.
• Fixed a bug where Aleksander Cooldown Mastery was also decreasing its initial cooldown at the start of the mission.
• Apocalisk initial cooldown decreased from 300 seconds to 240 seconds.
• Aleksander Cooldown Mastery increased from -2 seconds per point to -3 seconds per point. Maximum benefit increased from 60 seconds to 90 seconds.

We fixed a bug that was making Stukov’s calldown cooldown masteries more powerful than intended. It’s now in line with other Commanders’ calldowns. In order to make up for the lost potential 3:30 Apocalisk, we’ve reduced the base initial cooldown of Apocalisk from 5 minutes to 4 minutes.

Infest Structure

• Fixed a bug where the second and third charges of Infest Structure were not reaching their cooldown as intended.
• Infest Structure Cooldown Mastery increased from 1 second per point to 1.5 seconds per point. Maximum benefit increased from 30 seconds to 45 seconds.

We fixed a bug that would very often set the coolup for the second and third charges of Infest Structure from the intended 90 seconds to 180 seconds. Not only will this offset some of the early-game power lost by a slightly later potential Apocalisk, but it will also make the newly improved Infest Structure Cooldown Mastery more attractive.

Upgrades

• Volatile Infested damage bonus per weapon upgrade increased from +4 (+5 vs structures) to +4 (+8 vs structures). This includes Infested Siege Tank Volatile Burst damage.
• Infested Diamondback damage bonus per weapon upgrade increased from +2 to +2 (+3 vs armored).
• Infested Banshee damage bonus per weapon upgrade decreased from +2 to +1.
• Apocalisk damage bonus per weapon upgrade increased from +5 to +8.

Upgrade bonuses were tweaked so that they’re more consistent with how they behave on other Commanders.

Going Forward
And that’s it for Stukov! Stay tuned next week when we’ll be tackling Dehaka and his legion of Primal Zerg.

Kevin Dong
Lead Co-op Designer