Overview of Update 4.0

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Burza46

CD PROJEKT RED


Paweł Burza and Jason Slama go over the changes coming with Update 4.0! Leeks included!


 
I hope ST got more nerfs than just 1 provision. I don't want to play against insanely overpowerd Harmony all the time for 2 seasons in a row.
 
My, my, the REDs have been busy. I like quite a few of these incoming additions and improvements.

Reactions:
  • Excellent use for the triptych art! I'll enjoy viewing those in place of the old loading screens.
  • I'm also looking forward to trying the new uncoupled leader abilities. When I heard about this change (fairly late, unfortunately), I thought it a very good concept to improve visibility for the fine leader models.
  • I'm a bit concerned by the number of cards which spawn others, as I have never felt comfortable with creating cards from outside the player's actual collection. We shall just have to see how that plays out. . .
  • Nice art for Zoltan and his mates! As ever, top commendations to the artists!
  • Overall, this update looks to contain quite a few beneficial interface improvements for newcomers and veterans.
  • As an aside about the form of these overviews: Although it's always fun to see @Burza46 and @SlamaTwoFlags explain the content so enthusiastically, I personally have found written developer commentaries more convenient, especially when pressed for time, and wishing to know the reasons behind alterations. Food for thought.
 
I may have missed it, but I didn't see any mention of what exactly will happen to our existing leader cards. I have only seen a vague explanation by Jason in a previous video that "something special" would be happening with leader cards in future, but no details.

It appears that they will no longer be in the game when 4.0 releases. Presumably any leader cards we owned will be translated into equivalent unlocked leader abilities and default skins for those leaders. If we have any duplicates of leader cards, what will happen to them, will they just be auto-milled for full / partial scraps?

How will the reward book work with regard to unlocking leader abilities and default leader skins? Will it remain as it is, but when you unlock a leader node, you receive the default skin for that leader plus the leader ability that it originally used to have?
 

DRK3

Forum veteran
RIP Summoning Circle. I know some players requested this, but it was the most interesting Artefact in the game, opening up plenty of possibilities, now you just dumbed down the game even more.

Might as well remove all artefacts from the game, since it seems now they're all deploy effects, which could just as easily be a special.
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RIP Arachas Queen+ Glusty. Oh well we had a good year

Now Arachas and insect decks are limited to swarm, making them even more predictable.
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On a positive note, its nice to finally see Geralt Axii. Now all we need is Quen back, with armor and shields shouldnt be too hard to make him.

And i cant wait to try to do a fully neutral Bandit deck, might not be competitive but it'll be a lot of fun!


P.S- sad to see this new Shani, so underwhelming compared to her beta versions, that i played hundreds of times.
 
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P.S- sad to see this new Shani, so underwhelming compared to her beta versions, that i played hundreds of times.
I'm really glad to see her change as that ability wouldn't have fit into NR at all anymore. Instead we got probably the best charge engine so far in NR. She gets up to 3 value out of every charge herself +synergies with Tridam and co. She feels more or less like autoinclude for any deck using charges.

Comparing that to Phillipa, who just got her old ability back, which has zero synergy in NR and is a mere pointslam ability. The only good thing is that she will be able to deal with Portal, while she is a bad joice in most other situations.
 

DRK3

Forum veteran
I'm really glad to see her change as that ability wouldn't have fit into NR at all anymore. Instead we got probably the best charge engine so far in NR. She gets up to 3 value out of every charge herself +synergies with Tridam and co. She feels more or less like autoinclude for any deck using charges.

Comparing that to Phillipa, who just got her old ability back, which has zero synergy in NR and is a mere pointslam ability. The only good thing is that she will be able to deal with Portal, while she is a bad joice in most other situations.

I wasnt implying i wanted Shani's old revive ability back, the game has gone through so many changes that it might not make sense anymore. Although from a lore standpoint, it does, she is a medic after all.

I guess giving her charges for vitality also makes sense, but it just makes her an opposite Hubbert, i was expecting something more unique.
 
I wasnt implying i wanted Shani's old revive ability back, the game has gone through so many changes that it might not make sense anymore. Although from a lore standpoint, it does, she is a medic after all.

I guess giving her charges for vitality also makes sense, but it just makes her an opposite Hubbert, i was expecting something more unique.
Well, Hubert's bleeding is just bad, but he was the best way of using charges (being the only other 1 charge = 2 points charge taker [and that is ignoring the armor she applies]).
From a lore-standpoint (and the image on the card, in which she desperately tries to keep someone from dying) it makes more sense for her to try and stop someone from dying, rather than reviving someone (as Yen does in Necromancy), also from a character standpoint there is not really any way to implement a more fitting ability for her.
Also her "I am a medic ..." line makes a lot more sense, when she can use supplies/medicine (charges) to help someone get healthy over time again (as these things actually work out).
Unlike Hubert Shani does not depend on the opponent and given that the first boost will happen during the End Phase means that if the opponent were to pass you would still get the full points.

Shani is an easy auto-include in every single charge deck that is at the very least half serious.
Beyond that Shani is a pseudo-engine that makes all engines potentially 2 points more difficult to remove during the turn they appear.
If anything this is more than a reverse Hubert, Shani is far more difficult to remove, can immediately protect an engine and is great for a "protect the castle" playstyle with engines and charge givers.
 
RIP Summoning Circle. I know some players requested this, but it was the most interesting Artefact in the game, opening up plenty of possibilities, now you just dumbed down the game even more.

They could easily put in the game ability without it being a ridiculous uncounterable card on the board without designated counter cards. They were bad for the game. Good riddance.
 
Something that needs to be adressed :

You say you couldn't make Griffin a 5 provision as long as you could destroy an arachas with it (and thus not destroy any ally). So you changed the Arachas Queen.

Did you just forget that Gernichora exists ?? Because a 5 points 8 power Griffin is just as ridiculous in a Gernichora deck as it would have been in a previous-AQ deck.
 
Something that needs to be adressed :

You say you couldn't make Griffin a 5 provision as long as you could destroy an arachas with it (and thus not destroy any ally). So you changed the Arachas Queen.

Did you just forget that Gernichora exists ?? Because a 5 points 8 power Griffin is just as ridiculous in a Gernichora deck as it would have been in a previous-AQ deck.
If you destroy a Fruit you get a 7 for 5, which is the current standard.
Destroying a Fruit is worth nothing, consuming it 1 point and spawning a new one can be a bonus.
Gerni Fruits generate value of Slyzard, not of Griffin and losing a Gerni turn is worth 1-2 points, meaning Griffin is actually pretty much what a 5 provision card is expected to do.

Yeah, ST belong to Tier 4. Tier one is for SK and SY only.
You clearly have not played the game in a month or made that assumption on Rank 28 or something like that.
ST had Bancesca harmony, a toxic Tier 0.5 deck, which got instantly banned in every instance (outside of 2) during challenger.
Everyone brought her and those insane enough to not ban her over a leader like Ardal (which completely countered their entire lineup) immediately lost against her.
The deck was toxic enough to haunt the entire Meta for an entire month.
 
You clearly have not played the game in a month or made that assumption on Rank 28 or something like that.
ST had Bancesca harmony, a toxic Tier 0.5 deck, which got instantly banned in every instance (outside of 2) during challenger.
Everyone brought her and those insane enough to not ban her over a leader like Ardal (which completely countered their entire lineup) immediately lost against her.
The deck was toxic enough to haunt the entire Meta for an entire month.

Unfortunately, I agree with you.

The Francesca/Harmony archetype is too powerful, and on top of that, it is boring and does not really require any strategy.

The main point is to vomit units with harmony, again and again... I hope it will be reworked soon.

It's a pity because Francesca was my favorite leader since closed beta.

That being said, I can't fail to notice that players tend to be more vocal about problems with ST than about problems with other factions.

And usually, ST is quickly nerfed by CDPR, when other factions remain prevalent for multiple months.
 
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And usually, ST is quickly nerfed by CDPR, when other factions remain prevalent for multiple months.
Could you by any chance refer to SK ?

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The Francesca/Harmony archetype is too powerful, and on top of that, it is boring and does not really require any strategy.

The main point is to vomit units with harmony, again and again... I hope it will be reworked soon.
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Pretty much, one can argue that dcisionmaking can allow one to give an edge, however if one simply spams, not caring about the matchup and still has an insane winrate something is very wrong.

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It's a pity because Francesca was my favorite leader since closed beta.
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Mine was Dagon, yours is at the very least in the game, although I have to admit the Open Beta Spellatel was very cool.

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And usually, ST is quickly nerfed by CDPR, when other factions remain prevalent for multiple months.
That was actually true, although those past problematic decks were (at the very least according to my memory) problematic for new reasons afterwards, while Fran was barely touched at all.

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That being said, I can't fail to notice that players tend to be more vocal about problems with ST than about problems with other factions.
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I have to admit you are right this time, I really wanted Fran nerfed enough, so that the other leaders would not be so overshadowed and outclassed that they are practically unplayable.
Beyond that Fran is problematic for future design, even inside ST, it would be tragic if cards like Waters and Justice (which are fine with the other leaders) would be hit, just to keep Fran's toxicity.
 
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