Will be rolling out class updates in waves over the next few days.

The updates that are live right now:

<u><b>Sapper has been renamed to "Demolitions"</b></u>.
- Added RPGs with a max carry limit of 20.
- Added a Demo Pack similar to the one Heavy Weapons use in CTF. This demo pack has unlimited uses and has a 5 second trigger delay. Enemies stepping on it will also trigger it right away. Good for stopping enemy pushes in chokes.
- Changed Demo Charge to a non-consumable item with unlimited uses on a longer cooldown.
- The demo pack and demo charge share an activity timer. You cannot throw a demo charge while you have an active demo pack and you cannot place a demo pack while there's an active demo charge.
- Removed Incinerator and Explosive Shotgun from the arsenal.
- Class will not spawn with a LAW but can pick one up off the ground with a max carry limit of 1.
- Class will still have a shotgun, 3 hand grenades and incendiary grenades.

These updates are only live in KR Champ and Isctos for right now. Will push them into the other zones soon.

- Increased RPG damage slightly. Removed the Kinetic damage and made it purely explosive damage. Should take 2 RPGs to kill a player at 100hp now instead of 3 unless they're both outer hits.
- Reduced the fire delay for RPG by 50%.
- Increased projectile speed of the rocket by ~15%.
- Increased ammo capacity of RPGs from 20 to 30.
- Demo Pack now triggers after 3 seconds instead of 5 seconds.

Overall the class felt pretty fun in SBs but I think it will need to see more play on other maps to get a real feel.

<u>Grenadier</u>
- Removed Bouncy GL and combined the old 1 hit GL with the Bouncy GL. It's the GL you're used to from the past. It's just that if it doesn't hit a target, it will start to bounce afterwards. No more needing to switch between the two weapons. The bouncy portion also does more damage than the old bouncy version.
- You can now shoot the GL on the move. No more needing to stand still.
- Removed the traditional SG and added "Assault Shotgun". It's a red SG similar to the SiG Arms found in CTF. This SG is much more devastating up close and also bypasses armored targets like Assault Trooper.
- Added long range Mortars. The idea is that on your initial spawn you will start out with 3 and only get 1 on every respawn. We will test this to see how effective they are and if we need to add more.

More updates to AT and Ripper coming soon.

Grenadier going to be fun again, someone call squashball and red^bull

bighead coming back to reclaim his nader glory

<u>Ripper Gunner</u>

I think you guys will like this one.

- Ripper Gunner can now pierces all targets. Upon hitting any teammate or enemy it will create a secondary projectile to create a piercing effect. This will allow you to hit more than 1 enemy at a time if they're standing in a line and allow you to shoot through your teammates if they cross your stream. The secondary projectile thats created from the pierce has less damage and a range drop off.
- Ripper Gun magazine increased to 70 and overall ammo reserve increased to 650.
- Added incendiary grenade to the kit.

I'm assuming the second projectile does less damage?

Yes it does less damage and has a range drop off

Chris you making PoE builds in USL man?

Neat, that one sounds fun. Medics beware! lol.

Just wanted to throw a status update about the updates so far.

After watching some SB's last night, I think a few small tweaks are in order:

- Assault Shotgun damage is going to be lowered a bit. The purpose of this SG is to outshine normal SG, especially closer to a target, but not be completely broken.
- RPG knock back effect is going to be reduced. I think the reason there's inconsistent damage is because sometimes the knock back will push you directly into all the shrap that the RPG creates on impact. You should only ever be hit by the explosion, and the shrap is a secondary effect for anyone who's close to you.
- The secondary ripper pierce damage is going to be bumped up very slightly. I think it's a bit under tuned for how niche it is.
- Still debating this one but Grenade Launcher might get a nerf. Thinking of changing it to 5 nades before a reload kicks in. The move and shoot spam is a bit much.

There are some updates coming up for AT but I will wait until the changes are done before announcing them.

On the topic of changes, I think it's fair to say that updating all these support classes has negative effects on classes like Medic. I think a good solution is to give medics a better way to deal with their defenses. One thing that I thought of is giving Medics their own personal stim packs that only they could use. You would only get 2 per death/spawn. This is a good way to keep your HP up if you're in a push. Instead of taking cover to heal yourself and use your energy. You could get right back into the fight and have the energy for your teammates.

Please post any feedback you've had about the classes so far. I'm all ears. <b><u>But I would ask that you please not base your entire feedback of the updates on one SB on a specific map. Try to get more sample sizes. And please for the love of god do not base your feedback on Red vs Blue or Green vs Yellow.</u></b>

I have feedback for you Chris... you’re awesome and thanks for your efforts here pal.

i agree Chris, way to go.

Chris can you add in a Cycloner please and thanks!

give medic 1 rep coil

It's been brought up before. I'm still iffy about it. Rep coils are dangerous to your team. You could end up repping a law or nade into someone and it just causes headaches.

put in TKing, i'm sure no one will abuse that

Solution is simple, give medics resolve, kaga’s butcher knife and Mar’s gun. One class to rule them all.

I think things will settle down. You've always had to dodge this stuff before but no one was playing it enough. The only new concept is the RPG mostly. But once the testing phase is over I don't think you'll see a nader, demo, and ripper on every team. But it would be very strong. Hint hint.

Medic doesn't need any change. I think people are freaking out about the damage because it hasn't been fine tuned yet. In a 8v8, people will likely run LMG as the only support classes. Sapper cannot contribute long distance. Nader can't contribute long distance unless people have a monitor glare and get hit by the slow motar. Ripper can do well long distance but has mobility issues.

If anything, people are more worried about RPG damage so maybe incorporate a way where it can do more effective damage to non-medic classes. Give them some random protection/armor that doesn't affect kinetic damage but only explosive.
RPG vs Marine direct = 15dmg(just a random number)
RPG vs Medic direct = 10 dmg(just a random number)

I wouldn't pull the trigger on those changes yet until you can assess the revised value on RPG is still affecting meds survivability.