Ash is a grumpy cleaner at the Castle Courtyard and due to the amount of garbage and rats he finds out there, he needs to protect himself with an improvised armor which is an actual trash bin!
Balance changes can be a very tricky topic, as it involves numerous variables and multiple ways to tackle it. Even inside our team there are different opinions and discussions around balance changes. That’s why, from this update and on, we’ll be sharing the rationale we follow to come up with these new values and changes. First of all, we would like to explain what we mainly consider when balancing Brawl Stars:
Use rate - Most of the players play to win, so outliers usually tell us if a Brawler is too strong (used a lot) or too weak (not used that much).
First pick rate (in Power League) - Similar to the item above, the stronger the Brawler, the higher their chances to be the first Pick (of course maps and game modes are taken into account here as well).
Ban Rate - More importantly than pick rate, a high Ban Rate means that the Brawler is either annoying to play against (hey, Tick) or really strong.
Gadgets and Star Powers use rate - ideally, we try to keep the use rate of different Gadgets or Star Powers at 50%, so if a Gadget or Star Power is used 90% of the time, it also indicates a possible problem with the Brawler balance.
Above 750 Trophies - For us, looking at the meta below this trophy range is a bit chaotic, since there are a large number of casual players involved. While Shelly can be a deadly Brawler to someone new, it’s a very rare pick for the pros (in this current meta), so looking above that trophy threshold tends to provide us more reliable data. This being said, we won’t ignore if a Brawler wreaks havoc in lower trophy ranges.
The current meta and the competitive scene - The Pro players are better than us at playing the game, so we can learn a lot by seeing them play. If the pick rate of a certain Brawler is high in competitive play, it’s a very reliable indication that the Brawler needs to be changed. We always aim for a versatile and diverse Meta.
Content Creators and Pro Players suggestions - After we have the first draft of the balance changes, we always share with a group of people who share their thoughts and feedback about it. Usually we are pretty much on the same page, but we always try to adjust whenever there is feedback.
Community Feedback: We also look at trends in the community. Usually the strongest and weakest Brawlers are always “trending” around Brawl discussions. So please, share your thoughts if you have some!
Game Modes & Maps: We do not aim to make Brawlers viable everywhere and we ultimately believe that it’s part of the game to figure out which Brawler works the best in a specific Game Mode or Map. Since Maps change regularly, typically the meta can also change and evolve even if we don’t make significant changes to Brawlers. The map pool for Power League takes the diversity of Brawler choices into consideration and develops over time.
Belle
Star Power: “Positive Feedback“ Shield 25 → 20% (-20.00%)
Belle is one of the best long-range Brawlers in the game, and a big part of this is her durability thanks to her shield from the “Positive Feedback” Star Power. Tuning down the shield a little will allow better trades with Belle, and makes her more vulnerable once you do get up close.
Byron/Bibi
Heal over time gadgets can now be used at full health
Using a heal over time gadget at full health is a valid use case, and it made no sense to block it.
Bo
Increased main attack base damage 560 → 600 (+7.14%)
Following a necessary nerf to his Gadget (“Super Totem”) Bo saw an unsurprising reduction in playtime. To move away from centering his viability around Gadgets or Star Powers we’ve decided to give him a small buff in damage output for his main attack “Eagle-Eyed”, rewarding players who master his shot pattern.
Brock
Increased main attack base damage 1,180 → 1,300 (+10.16%)
Brock has been one of the weaker long-range Brawlers for a while due to his lower projectile speed and hard to hit attacks. Making his main attack more deadly will reward players who have mastered his rockets.
Darryl
Base Health 5,000 → 5,300 (+6.00%)
Darryl heavily relies on his mobility and his Star Power “Steel Hoops” for survivability and currently is one of the weakest heavyweights in the game. By increasing his health pool he will be somewhat more menacing and forces enemies to spend more time dealing with him when he rolls towards them.
Edgar
Self-heal 25% → 35% (+40.00%)
While it was our goal to make Edgar more fragile when played recklessly and prone to being taken down by concentrated bursts of damage, we likely went too far. Increasing his self-heal from successful attacks should make him a lot more viable now when he is using “Vault” to attack weakened targets or Brawlers without burst.
El Primo
The main attack now takes El Primo 16 hits to charge his Super. Previously it required 9 hits
After Tanks received the passive Trait to charge Supers from receiving damage, El Primo became the best and most played Tank option due to his ability to chain Super attacks. Given the fact that the change made him somewhat too oppressive, we’ve decided to address this by making it harder to chain Supers. El Primo players will now have to be more considerate when and how to engage and chaining Super attacks will become significantly more difficult.
Gene
Reduce main attack base damage 1,080 → 960 (-11.00%)
Gadget: “Lamp Blowout” now only heals when a brawler is hit with the knockback
Gadget: “Homing Missiles” Damage 800 → 1,000 (+25.00%)
Gene is widely used at higher Trophy Ranges, in Power League and in Esports. Reducing his burst potential should allow for more retaliation from most Brawlers and will require better coordination with other players in the team to deal with several other Brawlers. His Gadget “Lamp Blowout” will require players to be more considerate when using it and the homing missiles from “Vengeful Spirits” got a meaningful buff to make the Gadget a stronger alternative.
Mortis
Star Power: “Coiled Snake” is now a passive ability for Mortis, but charges slower (one extra second to charge) than the previous Star Power
The “Coiled Snake” Star Power was reworked - it reduces the time it takes for “Coiled Snake” to activate by 1.5 seconds (0.5 seconds faster than before)
Unfortunately “Coiled Snake” was the obvious choice for most Mortis players and it felt like an integral part of making him viable. This change will allow Mortis to be played more effectively in lower Power levels while the small buff provided by the new “Coiled Snake” will indirectly make up for the nerf due to the ammo change on respawn.
Nani
Gadget: “Return to Sender” now has a duration of 5 seconds
“Return to Sender” was too easy to use and was hard to counter. Limiting the duration to 5 seconds will force players to use it more reactively and situational. Given the right circumstances this gives skilled Nani players still the potential for impressive plays while providing opponents to avoid the damage if played pro-actively.
Penny
Base Health 3,200 → 3,400 (+6.25%)
Penny relies heavily on “Old Lobber” for area denial and overall effectiveness. We’ve increased her health pool a bit to provide more passive survivability and consequently allow her to be played more aggressively which means that she can bring her cannon into play earlier.
Poco
Star Power: “Screeching Solo” damage 800 → 1,000 (+25.00%)
Protective Tunes Immunity 1 second → 2 seconds (+100.00%)
The previous Super charge rate buff for Poco made him annoying to deal with. We are now focusing on his lesser used Star Power and Gadget to create viable alternatives without over-tuning his kit and making him too much of a nuisance.
Rico
Gadget: “Bouncy Castle” heal reduced from 300 → 250 (-16.6%)
“Bouncy Castle” improved Rico’s sustain a bit too much, essentially securing a full heal for each use even when used without much thought. Tuning it down slightly will mean more counterplay for his opponents while still allowing him to heal up when used in the right circumstances.
Sandy
Gadget: “Sweet dreams” incapacitate duration reduced 1.5 seconds → 1 second (-33.00%)
The utility provided by “Sweet Dreams” was too high, allowing Sandy to counter even his natural counters. Reducing the duration will still allow it to be a solid option, but no longer a must-pick.
Shelly
Gadget: “Clay Pigeons” reworked - Now has a duration of 5 seconds
“Clay Pigeons” was rarely used by players. Giving it a duration will reward players with solid aiming and at the same time provides Shelly with an opportunity to engage opponents in longer range combat - either to finish off low hitpoint Brawlers after engagements or to charge her Super faster than expected.
Squeak
Increased main attack projectile speed by 25%
Removed the “Big Blob” explosion delay
If Squeak hits the same target while another “Sticky Bomb” is stuck to the target, it explodes the previous bomb
Squeak had multiple problems which we tried to address with this change. He should now be able to hit targets more reliably and rewards players with moderate burst if they land their shots. The reduced delay for his “Big Blob” provides him more area denial and forces faster reaction from enemies.
Stu
Gadget: “Breakthrough” now requires a charged Super to activate and the damage per piece of debris was reduced from 500 → 200 (-60.00%)
Star Power: “Gaso-Heal” Heal reduced from 500 → 400 (-20.00%)
Stu has been one of the strongest and most versatile Brawlers for a while. His sustain and ability to win most matchups is unparalleled. His Gadget provided him additional Utility and made him much harder to deal with. Reducing the effectiveness of his “Breakthrough” Gadget and the sustain from “Gaso-Heal” should keep him better in check going forward, while not impacting players with lower Power levels.
Heist safe health increased by 25%
Changed tank’s Super charge trait to be based on a Brawler’s max Health so it equalizes the effectiveness of it at all Power levels
Added trophy thresholds for club player filtering up until 35,000 (This might be only available in an optional update after the update gets released)
Fixed an issue where Frank’s noise-canceling gadget could cause him to stay airborne after being knocked up by gales twister gadget
Fixed an issue where Stu’s wall break gadget could persist after dashing into a Gale’s twister
Fixed an issue where Stu wall break gadget could persist after use if used into a teleporter
Fixed an issue where the Super charging gadgets would not reset after a ball was kicked
Fixed an issue where Gale’s tornado gadget could make AI pathing break
Fixed symmetry on Canal Grande
Ash is a grumpy cleaner at the Castle Courtyard and due to the amount of garbage and rats he finds out there, he needs to protect himself with an improvised armor which is an actual trash bin!
Balance changes can be a very tricky topic, as it involves numerous variables and multiple ways to tackle it. Even inside our team there are different opinions and discussions around balance changes. That’s why, from this update and on, we’ll be sharing the rationale we follow to come up with these new values and changes. First of all, we would like to explain what we mainly consider when balancing Brawl Stars:
Use rate - Most of the players play to win, so outliers usually tell us if a Brawler is too strong (used a lot) or too weak (not used that much).
First pick rate (in Power League) - Similar to the item above, the stronger the Brawler, the higher their chances to be the first Pick (of course maps and game modes are taken into account here as well).
Ban Rate - More importantly than pick rate, a high Ban Rate means that the Brawler is either annoying to play against (hey, Tick) or really strong.
Gadgets and Star Powers use rate - ideally, we try to keep the use rate of different Gadgets or Star Powers at 50%, so if a Gadget or Star Power is used 90% of the time, it also indicates a possible problem with the Brawler balance.
Above 750 Trophies - For us, looking at the meta below this trophy range is a bit chaotic, since there are a large number of casual players involved. While Shelly can be a deadly Brawler to someone new, it’s a very rare pick for the pros (in this current meta), so looking above that trophy threshold tends to provide us more reliable data. This being said, we won’t ignore if a Brawler wreaks havoc in lower trophy ranges.
The current meta and the competitive scene - The Pro players are better than us at playing the game, so we can learn a lot by seeing them play. If the pick rate of a certain Brawler is high in competitive play, it’s a very reliable indication that the Brawler needs to be changed. We always aim for a versatile and diverse Meta.
Content Creators and Pro Players suggestions - After we have the first draft of the balance changes, we always share with a group of people who share their thoughts and feedback about it. Usually we are pretty much on the same page, but we always try to adjust whenever there is feedback.
Community Feedback: We also look at trends in the community. Usually the strongest and weakest Brawlers are always “trending” around Brawl discussions. So please, share your thoughts if you have some!
Game Modes & Maps: We do not aim to make Brawlers viable everywhere and we ultimately believe that it’s part of the game to figure out which Brawler works the best in a specific Game Mode or Map. Since Maps change regularly, typically the meta can also change and evolve even if we don’t make significant changes to Brawlers. The map pool for Power League takes the diversity of Brawler choices into consideration and develops over time.
Belle
Star Power: “Positive Feedback“ Shield 25 → 20% (-20.00%)
Belle is one of the best long-range Brawlers in the game, and a big part of this is her durability thanks to her shield from the “Positive Feedback” Star Power. Tuning down the shield a little will allow better trades with Belle, and makes her more vulnerable once you do get up close.
Byron/Bibi
Heal over time gadgets can now be used at full health
Using a heal over time gadget at full health is a valid use case, and it made no sense to block it.
Bo
Increased main attack base damage 560 → 600 (+7.14%)
Following a necessary nerf to his Gadget (“Super Totem”) Bo saw an unsurprising reduction in playtime. To move away from centering his viability around Gadgets or Star Powers we’ve decided to give him a small buff in damage output for his main attack “Eagle-Eyed”, rewarding players who master his shot pattern.
Brock
Increased main attack base damage 1,180 → 1,300 (+10.16%)
Brock has been one of the weaker long-range Brawlers for a while due to his lower projectile speed and hard to hit attacks. Making his main attack more deadly will reward players who have mastered his rockets.
Darryl
Base Health 5,000 → 5,300 (+6.00%)
Darryl heavily relies on his mobility and his Star Power “Steel Hoops” for survivability and currently is one of the weakest heavyweights in the game. By increasing his health pool he will be somewhat more menacing and forces enemies to spend more time dealing with him when he rolls towards them.
Edgar
Self-heal 25% → 35% (+40.00%)
While it was our goal to make Edgar more fragile when played recklessly and prone to being taken down by concentrated bursts of damage, we likely went too far. Increasing his self-heal from successful attacks should make him a lot more viable now when he is using “Vault” to attack weakened targets or Brawlers without burst.
El Primo
The main attack now takes El Primo 16 hits to charge his Super. Previously it required 9 hits
After Tanks received the passive Trait to charge Supers from receiving damage, El Primo became the best and most played Tank option due to his ability to chain Super attacks. Given the fact that the change made him somewhat too oppressive, we’ve decided to address this by making it harder to chain Supers. El Primo players will now have to be more considerate when and how to engage and chaining Super attacks will become significantly more difficult.
Gene
Reduce main attack base damage 1,080 → 960 (-11.00%)
Gadget: “Lamp Blowout” now only heals when a brawler is hit with the knockback
Gadget: “Homing Missiles” Damage 800 → 1,000 (+25.00%)
Gene is widely used at higher Trophy Ranges, in Power League and in Esports. Reducing his burst potential should allow for more retaliation from most Brawlers and will require better coordination with other players in the team to deal with several other Brawlers. His Gadget “Lamp Blowout” will require players to be more considerate when using it and the homing missiles from “Vengeful Spirits” got a meaningful buff to make the Gadget a stronger alternative.
Mortis
Star Power: “Coiled Snake” is now a passive ability for Mortis, but charges slower (one extra second to charge) than the previous Star Power
The “Coiled Snake” Star Power was reworked - it reduces the time it takes for “Coiled Snake” to activate by 1.5 seconds (0.5 seconds faster than before)
Unfortunately “Coiled Snake” was the obvious choice for most Mortis players and it felt like an integral part of making him viable. This change will allow Mortis to be played more effectively in lower Power levels while the small buff provided by the new “Coiled Snake” will indirectly make up for the nerf due to the ammo change on respawn.
Nani
Gadget: “Return to Sender” now has a duration of 5 seconds
“Return to Sender” was too easy to use and was hard to counter. Limiting the duration to 5 seconds will force players to use it more reactively and situational. Given the right circumstances this gives skilled Nani players still the potential for impressive plays while providing opponents to avoid the damage if played pro-actively.
Penny
Base Health 3,200 → 3,400 (+6.25%)
Penny relies heavily on “Old Lobber” for area denial and overall effectiveness. We’ve increased her health pool a bit to provide more passive survivability and consequently allow her to be played more aggressively which means that she can bring her cannon into play earlier.
Poco
Star Power: “Screeching Solo” damage 800 → 1,000 (+25.00%)
Protective Tunes Immunity 1 second → 2 seconds (+100.00%)
The previous Super charge rate buff for Poco made him annoying to deal with. We are now focusing on his lesser used Star Power and Gadget to create viable alternatives without over-tuning his kit and making him too much of a nuisance.
Rico
Gadget: “Bouncy Castle” heal reduced from 300 → 250 (-16.6%)
“Bouncy Castle” improved Rico’s sustain a bit too much, essentially securing a full heal for each use even when used without much thought. Tuning it down slightly will mean more counterplay for his opponents while still allowing him to heal up when used in the right circumstances.
Sandy
Gadget: “Sweet dreams” incapacitate duration reduced 1.5 seconds → 1 second (-33.00%)
The utility provided by “Sweet Dreams” was too high, allowing Sandy to counter even his natural counters. Reducing the duration will still allow it to be a solid option, but no longer a must-pick.
Shelly
Gadget: “Clay Pigeons” reworked - Now has a duration of 5 seconds
“Clay Pigeons” was rarely used by players. Giving it a duration will reward players with solid aiming and at the same time provides Shelly with an opportunity to engage opponents in longer range combat - either to finish off low hitpoint Brawlers after engagements or to charge her Super faster than expected.
Squeak
Increased main attack projectile speed by 25%
Removed the “Big Blob” explosion delay
If Squeak hits the same target while another “Sticky Bomb” is stuck to the target, it explodes the previous bomb
Squeak had multiple problems which we tried to address with this change. He should now be able to hit targets more reliably and rewards players with moderate burst if they land their shots. The reduced delay for his “Big Blob” provides him more area denial and forces faster reaction from enemies.
Stu
Gadget: “Breakthrough” now requires a charged Super to activate and the damage per piece of debris was reduced from 500 → 200 (-60.00%)
Star Power: “Gaso-Heal” Heal reduced from 500 → 400 (-20.00%)
Stu has been one of the strongest and most versatile Brawlers for a while. His sustain and ability to win most matchups is unparalleled. His Gadget provided him additional Utility and made him much harder to deal with. Reducing the effectiveness of his “Breakthrough” Gadget and the sustain from “Gaso-Heal” should keep him better in check going forward, while not impacting players with lower Power levels.
Heist safe health increased by 25%
Changed tank’s Super charge trait to be based on a Brawler’s max Health so it equalizes the effectiveness of it at all Power levels
Added trophy thresholds for club player filtering up until 35,000 (This might be only available in an optional update after the update gets released)
Fixed an issue where Frank’s noise-canceling gadget could cause him to stay airborne after being knocked up by gales twister gadget
Fixed an issue where Stu’s wall break gadget could persist after dashing into a Gale’s twister
Fixed an issue where Stu wall break gadget could persist after use if used into a teleporter
Fixed an issue where the Super charging gadgets would not reset after a ball was kicked
Fixed an issue where Gale’s tornado gadget could make AI pathing break
Fixed symmetry on Canal Grande
