[eCKo`Switch]

Heart of the Swarm Balance Update 6 - 12/10/12

Blizzard has taken the beta down for a short period to add the next set of balance changes. This update mainly contains changes to protoss, with some major alterations to the tempest, oracle, and purify ability of the mothership core. Sneaky buffs to vipers and spore crawlers in store for Zerg; and small nerf to the widow mine, along with a major name buff to the new hellion mode for Terran.

Protoss

Mothership Core
When Purify is cast on a player’s Nexus, it now also grants detection to 13 range. Energize has been removed.
Oracle
The cost of Entomb has been lowered from 100 to 75, while the duration has been increased from 50 to 60 seconds.Revelation has been changed to the following:
This ability will now also work on buildings, granting 3 vision around every unit it hits. The duration has been increased from 45 seconds to 60 seconds, and the cost has been increased from 50 to 75. This ability will no longer grant detection. This ability will not affect cloaked targets, even if you have detection of them at the time. The button arrangement for this unit has been adjusted to list Void Siphon first and Entomb last.
Tempest
This unit’s native bonus damage to massive units has been removed.This unit no longer requires a Fleet Beacon.We have added a new weapon upgrade called Quantic Reactor at the Fleet Beacon which will grant Tempest attacks +35 damage to massive units.
Quantic Reactor costs 200/200.The cost of this unit has been changed from 300/300 to 300/200.The supply cost for this unit has changed from 6 to 4. The scale of this unit has been lowered from 1 to 0.9.
Sentry
Hallucination no longer requires research.

Zerg

Viper
Viper acceleration has been increased from 2.125 to 3. The radius of Blinding Cloud has increased from 1.5 to 2.
Spore Crawler
This unit no longer requires an Evolution Chamber.

Terran

Widow Mine
The setup time for this unit has been increased from 2 seconds to 3 seconds.
Battle Hellion
This unit has been renamed to “Hellbat.”

Source: http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/forum/topic/6863526811

Quick Comments

nirvAnA:

"...along with a major name buff" hahaha

[Zanderax]

Originally Posted by Switch

Spore Crawler
This unit no longer requires an Evolution Chamber.

Originally Posted by Switch

This unit no longer requires an Evolution Chamber.

Originally Posted by Switch

no longer requires an Evolution Chamber.

Goodbye DT's my friend. I will sorely miss you.

Originally Posted by Switch

Protoss

My goodness they are putting protoss through the wringer. Hopefully we will see a race that is completely different than the one that got put in. I love change ups.

Originally Posted by Switch

Battle Hellion
This unit has been renamed to “Hellbat.”

I'm glad they finally changed that name. The whole time I was thinking that Blizzard doesn't know about mech play because Hellions can in fact be used in battle.

Originally Posted by Switch

Sentry
Hallucination no longer requires research.

I'd comment on this but I have to go change my pants.
Suffice to say that making hallucination an upgrade in the first place so it was barely used was a stupid idea for such a fun and powerful spell. I can imagine that this will make the game far more interesting.

[crAzerk]

This unit no longer requires an Evolution Chamber

HAHAHHAHAHAA
I wonder what's this change about. To counter Widow mines?

[FsDronesInJail]

omg wow spore crawler no longer needs evo chamber
FK YEAHH

[AuXCoolpuff]

Originally Posted by crAzerk

HAHAHHAHAHAA
I wonder what's this change about. To counter Widow mines?

To counter everything, every one could do to us >;D!

[mGGDrGooSe]

So halluc means that at no point ever will anyone ever be able to hide something from toss... Interesting concept. So where does the spore come from now? pool? hatch?

[VB_Rhuubarb]

I like the patch, bit disappointed that Energize was removed. I guess that with halluc being baseline that it would be too good but it would have been nice to see. I liked the idea of a spell like Energize.

[TidaL]

I guess I'll have to enjoy my DTs as they do their final dance before HotS

Well unless you only need to build a core to get DTs...

More realistically maybe DTs and HT can be both be built for twilight
But then toss would be unreadable and prob 2 easy

Sigh more random changes some are ok though

[AssyrianKing]

I really don't like the spore and halucination changes in this patch, I wish they would just get rid of entomb T.T

The name change is nice though, NOW BUFF TANKS!

Quick Comments

	mGGAequitas:	wut
	TACeeSerps:	wut?

[syfChase]

Big Patch! Curious to see how it goes

[sRDreaM]

Hellbat!!? lol that's an interesting name

[TheGentleman]

I like the idea of not having to research hallucination but it concerns me about how it will affect blink stalker balance.

[VB_Rhuubarb]

Not much tbh, the MsC already exists early game (same gas investment as a sentry also) for highground vision.

[Fairyking]

Sooooo.... No more dark templar in any matchup :'(
Hallucinate with no research? Good thing they got rid of high ground warp in, thought we might go back to 4gates lol.

[VB_Rhuubarb]

With no highground warp in, it's kinda hard to force your way up the ramp, and even if you do, forcefielding behind on the ramp will stop reinforcements

[storywriter]

Regarding DT usage, they were used against Zerg in BW back when they had basically hovering turrets everywhere. Of course, it wasn't make 3 DTs, send them to Zerg bases and hope they kill stuff. They were used for map control, etc. Current DTs are simply too expensive for that kind of use but maybe now Blizzard will take a good look at the unit.

Quick Comments

Maynarde:

Really good point, +1

[ToRSoul]

Window mine still hard to deal with for protoss. Have to go 1 gate robo then expo all times if u scout a gas.

[SFTAElessar]

Awesome nerfs and Buffs!!! Spore crawler needing no evo is by far the best

[|Erasmus|]

Originally Posted by storywriter

Regarding DT usage, they were used against Zerg in BW back when they had basically hovering turrets everywhere. Of course, it wasn't make 3 DTs, send them to Zerg bases and hope they kill stuff. They were used for map control, etc. Current DTs are simply too expensive for that kind of use but maybe now Blizzard will take a good look at the unit.

Archons are really ******* good though... weren't BW dark archons kinda niche-ish spellcasters?

[Omny]

Seems like they are starting to hone things in abit, especially with regards to protoss. Looks like they have given widow mines a foothold into the metagame now too, although i think its possible that they may have too much of an impact on the way matchups need to be played out in early/early-mid game.

[FS.Kezz]

Hellbat, I like.

[Stallion]

those tempest changes are cool

[fray`Eros]

Already got some awesome ideas involving spore crawler rushes

[TheGentleman]

Originally Posted by xGKingStallion

those tempest changes are cool

I'm not M/GM so I'm aware that my opinion may hold less weight but I honestly don't think the tempest is the right choice. A long ranged unit that kills massive (after research) is cute but here's my suggestions.

I'd like to see the carrier take on the role of the long range capital ship unit (this might mean adding NonY's suggestions, or perhaps just a range increase in general?)... regardless this leads to the question... what's the natural stepping stone to carriers?

I suggest a new air unit that attacks both ground and air without having to charge up first, a missile based attack perhaps? The phoenix is nice but only attacks air and the Void Ray is fantastic... once charged, but it takes time to charge up and unless it goes into a battle charged it's often too weak to be useful. A versatile air unit is what I think Protoss need.

As for the Oracle... I like the idea of a flying caster for Protoss but I don't like its implementation. I'll go into that in much more detail when I release a blog later on