Version 12.1 brings on a ton of new features to the game, including the Specializations mechanic, which you can read about in detail right here. This balance patch will support specializations and will help us achieve deeper and more diverse gameplay.

Simply rolling out specializations just wouldn’t be enough for this change, ‘cause as we all know the late game meta has been defined pretty clearly for some time. We know which guns are strong and which are not, which you can use all the time and which ones are more situational.

That’s why we decided to make the game completely different from before through this Balance Patch, with the main goal in mind: to make the gameplay deeper and more diverse.

Whenever we were working on any gun we only had one goal in mind: to make each gun matter in the meta and to let different weapons shine.

The new core gameplay affects the way players approach weapon combos: you no longer carry all 4 types of guns, but just the 2 defined by your current specialization. This is a big adjustment, and to keep the game fair and balanced, we needed to make numerous tweaks to weapon stats. Below, you’ll find all the info on each and every change we implemented, but the short takeaway is this: late-game guns are now closer to each other efficiency-wise.

Assault Rifles

Now, Assault Rifles are the only weapon type (apart from knives and pistols) available to all specializations. That’s why we’re equalizing their relative power, as well as improving and bringing to the surface their perks, which make these guns special and unique. Basically, there are now fewer favorites among them, but more tactical diversity for various battle situations and play styles.

ODIN - Nerf

Minor bullet spread increase in aimed mode
Increased bullet spread in the non-aimed mode
Minor recoil increase
Increased maximum firing distance (from 23 to 24 meters)
Minimum damage distance is 20 meters
Maximum damage distance is 10 meters
Increased rate of fire (from 400 to 420)
Minimum damage decreased by 33%
Increased reload time (from 2.0 to 2.1 seconds)

Developer commentary: Okay, let’s be clear - Odin was the king of Assault Rifles for a while now, but no king rules forever! It’s still a mean machine that can do decent damage, it’s just no longer the absolute favorite.

INCINERATOR - Rework

PERK: Damage from fire increases as you land more shots
Minor bullet spread increase
Minor recoil increase
Increased maximum firing distance (from 22 to 23 meters)
Decreased rate of fire (from 380 to 300)
Overall damage increased by 20%
Perfect Aim damage multiplier decreased (from 1.7 to 1.6)
Decreased magazine capacity (from 36 to 32)
Decreased ammo carrying capacity (from 72 to 64)

Developer commentary: Incinerator was a pretty sneaky weapon that allowed you to put the full fire damage on your enemies with just a single bullet. This did not let players use the gun in face-to-face fights. We believe this weapon, just as any assault rifle, should be a good close-combat gun. That’s why we’re adjusting the perk: fire damage increases as you land more and more shots.

JUGGERNAUT - Buff

PERK: Hitting the enemy on the head after hitting them on the body increases dealt damage
Minor recoil increase
Increased maximum firing distance (from 21 to 22 meters)
Perfect aim damage multiplier increased (from 1.1 to 1.2)
Decreased magazine capacity (from 40 to 35)
Decreased ammo carrying capacity (from 80 to 70)

Developer commentary: This is a very powerful buff! The gun is skill-based and it rewards good aim. By increasing the Perfect Aim multiplier and adding a new perk, we’re giving skilled players even more motivation to land their shots perfectly. Try it out: aim for the neck, and your bullets will eventually hit the body and then the head for maximum efficiency!

BASTION - Minor Buff

Minimum damage increased by 28%

Developer commentary: Bastion had always been an effective and well-balanced gun, and we’re giving it just a minor buff which will make it a bit more efficient in face to face combat.

FIREFLY - Tuning

PERK: The second stage (yellow) of increased damage comes on faster, the third (red) - slower
Minor bullet spread increase
Overall damage decreased by 3%
Decreased magazine capacity (from 50 to 40)
Decreased ammo carrying capacity (from 100 to 80)

Developer commentary: Firefly’s perk has been tuned a little. Now it’s more effective and damaging in shorter fights because you’ll get to the yellow stage faster than before, making use of the weapon’s unique ability. However, the gun’s overall damage per second stays almost intact due to damage reduction and longer time required to get to the third stage.

SUNBURST - Minor Buff

Increased rate of fire (from 350 to 380)
Minimum damage increased by 32%

Developer commentary: Just a slight buff for Sunburst.=)

DRAGONFIRE - Minor Buff

PERK: Increased chance of fire damage
Minor recoil increase
Increased maximum firing distance (from 20 to 21 meters)
Minimum damage distance increased (from 18 to 19 meters)
Decreased reload time (from 2.0 to 1.8 seconds)

Developer commentary: The boosted perk and the increased distance make this close-combat weapon a little more flexible and thus - competitive.

ANACONDA - Buff

Minor bullet spread increase
Major recoil decrease
Increased base rate of fire (from 300 to 400)
Increased maximum rate of fire (from 500 to 600)
Minimum damage increased by 12%

Developer commentary: Major buff! Drastically increased rate of fire on a gun that already had a speeding-up perk. This is a dangerous combo, especially with the damage boost. We wouldn’t advise dueling with Anaconda once it gets up to full speed.

LIFESTEALER - Buff

PERK: The more you’re hurt, the more health points you regenerate for hitting enemies
Increased bullet spread
Overall damage increased by 10%
Maximum firing distance decreased by 1 meter (from 22 to 21 meters)

Developer commentary: Lifestealer was efficient, but now it’s even more effective because the weaker you are, the more you heal. So, it’s a good idea to switch to Lifestealer if you’re getting out of a tough fight. You just might make it in one piece!

Shotguns

The overall power of shotguns has been roughly equalized, and their perks (much like with Assault Rifles) have been made stronger and more efficient. This will give you more options in the Arsenal and will allow making use of different models, instead of focusing on just one or two.

REAPER - Nerf

PERK: Decreased bonus speed (from 25% to 15%)
Increased recoil
Increased armor regeneration time (from 4 to 8 seconds)
Decreased rate of fire (from 110 to 100)
Decreased magazine capacity (from 9 to 8)
Decreased ammo carrying capacity (from 18 to 16)

Developer commentary: Reaper was stronger than most - we’ll give it that. Now it’s on the same level as the rest of the shotguns. Along with some nerfing, we’ve increased the armor regeneration duration of its perk, so it’s still a highly viable weapon option. It requires some more tactical thinking, good positioning, and patience to give all it’s got.

AVALANCHE - Nerf

PERK: Deals cold damage to enemies on fire and slows them down (cold damage can be reduced by wearing Zero vest, slow effects cannot be countered)
Minimum damage distance decreased (from 6 to 4 meters)
Decreased magazine capacity (from 10 to 8)
Decreased ammo carrying capacity (from 20 to 16)
Increased reload time (from 2.0 to 2.3 seconds)

Developer commentary: The changes in minimum damage distance and mag size are intended to make Avalanche just a decent shotgun. Not the ultimate weapon that didn’t give other models a chance to shine.

PORCUPINE - Buff

PERK: Fire damage increased by 200%
Decreased reload time (from 2.5 to 2.1 seconds)

Developer commentary: The perk on the good old Porky was way too weak, so we’re making it much better. Three times better, to be exact. The shotgun also got faster at reloading, which is often the thing that defines duel outcomes. We feel like it’s much more solid now and should take a place among gunslingers’ favorites.

ORION - Minor Buff

PERK: Subsequent shots now double the slow effect for a short while
Increased rate of fire (from 80 to 90)

Developer commentary: This is a gun that rewards high-level shooting mastery. Got skills? Then check it out - it’s now even better and stronger because its perk is even better than before. But if you’re still getting the hang of controls, this might be a bit too challenging a weapon to use. Reflexes and accuracy - that’s what should be perfect if you decided to go Orion.

TRAITOR - Buff

Maximum damage increased by 15%
Decreased reload time (from 2.4 to 2.1 seconds)

ONSLAUGHT - Minor Nerf

Minimum damage distance decreased (from 4 to 3 meters)

CERBERUS - Rework

Decreased recoil
Attack speed increases as you fire
Decreased firing speed (from 180 to 100)
Increased reload time (from 2.0 to 2.4 seconds)

Developer commentary: This was a very tricky weapon with heavy recoil. We made it easier to use, so now anyone can benefit from it. However, we cut down some damage not to overpower it too much.

REMEDY - Buff

The lower your health is, the more you regenerate with the perk
Increased rate of fire (from 63 to 80)
Overall damage increased by 10%
Increased reload time (from 2.0 to 2.2 seconds)

Developer commentary: An amazing increase in rate of fire and a good damage boost make this healing shotgun more competitive than ever.

Sniper Rifles

The thing with late-game sniper rifles is that you need to get your shot off before you get eliminated. That’s what the majority of sniper battles come to. That’s why we tweaked aiming times for rifles and tried to equalize them as much as possible. After all, each sniper deserves a fair chance in a duel! We’ve also modified the top guns to allow for more diversity when it comes to choosing a sniper rifle.

BARRACUDA - Tuning

Minimum damage distance decreased (from 8 to 4 meters)
Maximum damage distance increased (from 8 to 11 meters)
Increased aiming time (from 0.6 to 0.7 seconds)

Developer commentary: Barracuda is powerful. Maybe even a bit too powerful. We're increasing aiming time, so other rifles have better chances in a sniper duel against it.

THANATOS - Tuning

Maximum damage distance increased (from 8 to 15 meters)
Increased aiming time (from 0.6 to 0.7 seconds)
Increased reload time (from 1.75 to 2.0 seconds)
Increased ammo carrying capacity (from 6 to 10)

Developer commentary: Thanatos is one of the many rifles with the aiming time of 0.6-0.9 seconds. And as for ammo - it really needed a few more bullets.

LAST BREATH - Buff

Decreased aiming time (from 1.0 to 0.9 seconds)
Increased ammo carrying capacity (from 6 to 10)

Developer commentary: Aiming is the most important part of sniper duels, and 0.1 seconds can often define the winner. This buff allows you to be much more dangerous in these duels when using Last Breath.

LIQUIDATOR - Buff

Minor recoil increase
Minimum damage distance increased (from 0 to 3 meters)
Maximum damage distance increased (from 0 to 15 meters)
Increased damage multiplier for Perfect Aim (from 1.2 to 1.5)
Increased reload time (from 2.0 to 2.5 seconds)

Developer commentary: The Perfect Aim multiplier straight up buffs the rifle. This gun rewards good shooting but does require more aiming skills.

ICEBREAKER - Buff

Minor recoil decrease
Maximum damage increased by 15%

ICEBERG - Rework

Minor recoil increase
Maximum damage distance increased (from 4 to 10 meters)
Increased aiming time (from 0.75 to 0.80 seconds)
Decreased reload time (from 2.0 to 1.8 seconds)

QUICKSILVER - Buff

Overall damage increased by 50%
Increased reload time (from 2.0 to 2.3 seconds)

Developer commentary: Huge buff! This rifle didn't get a chance to shine before, but things are about to change.

SCOUT - Buff

Increased recoil
Decreased firing range (from 40 to 30 meters)
Increased rate of fire (from 70 to 120)
Overall damage increase by 20%
Decreased reload time (from 2.0 to 1.9 seconds)

Developer commentary: Additional damage and boosted rate of fire should make this weapon that we all love running with more competitive on many levels. It won’t do insane damage, but it will do enough.

LIZARD - Minor Buff

Increased recoil
Maximum damage distance increased (from 3 to 10 meters)
Decreased aiming time (from 1.0 to 0.9 seconds)
Increased magazine capacity (from 10 to 12)
Increased ammo carrying capacity (from 20 to 24)

PROMETHEUS - Buff

Maximum damage distance increased (from 3 to 12 meters)
Decreased aiming time (from 1.0 to 0.8 seconds)
Increased damage multiplier for Perfect Aim (from 1.2 to 1.4)
Increased magazine capacity (from 10 to 12)
Increased ammo carrying capacity (from 20 to 24)

Developer commentary: Powerful buff! The Perfect Aim multiplier combined with faster aiming will make you a dangerous duelist. And the ammo capacity will allow you to stay in the fight longer.

Machine Guns

The machine guns in the game received the least amount of changes, compared to other weapon types. Here's what we modified.

EQUALIZER - Buff

Overall damage increased by 10%

FORTUNA - Buff

Increased critical hit chance

MATADOR - Buff

Overall damage increased by 5%

ZEUS - Buff

Minor recoil decrease
Increased firing range (from 27 to 29 meters)

HERO - Tuning

Minor recoil decrease

Pistols

Now, pistols are secondary weapons, and they don’t affect gameplay balance as much as primary ones. However, they do play an important role in the most clutch situations, and in the spirit of fair competitive gaming, we couldn't ignore their impact on player experience. Also, we wanted to give every pistol a distinct feel to enhance the variety in gameplay. The changes mostly affected magazine capacities, Perfect Aim multipliers and rate of fire.

CHANCE - Buff

Increased damage multiplier for Perfect Aim (from 1.0 to 1.2)
Increased magazine capacity (from 7 to 10)

ANATHEMA - Rework

Decreased rate of fire (from 250 to 200)
Overall damage increased by 28%
Increased damage multiplier for Perfect Aim (from 1.0 to 1.3)

JACKAL - Buff

Increased rate of fire (from 260 to 420)
Overall damage decreased by 36%
Increased damage multiplier for Perfect Aim (from 1.0 to 1.3)
Increased magazine capacity (from 7 to 17)

WHISPER - Buff

Increased rate of fire (from 270 to 320)
Overall damage decreased by 11%
Increased damage multiplier for Perfect Aim (from 1.0 to 1.2)
Increased magazine capacity (from 7 to 12)

EAGLE - Buff

Decreased rate of fire (from 280 to 150)
Overall damage increased by 88%
Increased damage multiplier for Perfect Aim (from 1.0 to 1.3)

EXECUTIONER - Rework

Decreased rate of fire (from 290 to 95)
Overall damage increased by 205%
Increased damage multiplier for Perfect Aim (from 1.0 to 1.4)
Decreased magazine capacity (from 7 to 6)

OPPRESSOR - Buff

Decreased rate of fire (from 300 to 280)
Overall damage increased by 8%
Increased damage multiplier for Perfect Aim (from 1.0 to 1.4)
Increased magazine capacity (from 7 to 15)

If you’ve read this far, you can say you love your guns! We hope this info helps you plan your loadouts and get the most out of the newly introduced Specializations. Don’t know what they are? Check out this article!

Glossary

Bullet spread - the diameter around the center of the crosshair, in which the fired bullets hit the target.

Recoil - the force with which the weapon “hits you back” once you fire. Recoil causes your crosshair to move.

Maximum firing distance - the maximum distance at which your gun can fire.

Minimum damage distance - the distance at which your gun deals minimum damage.

Maximum damage distance - the distance at which your gun deals maximum damage.

Rate of fire - How many shots your gun does in 60 seconds.

Damage multiplier - a number by which your usual damage output is multiplied.

Magazine capacity - the number of rounds in a full magazine.

Ammo carrying capacity - the number of rounds you can carry around. Usually equals to two full magazines.

Reload time - the time it takes to fully reload a gun.

Aiming time - the time it takes for a sniper rifle in scoped mode to fully aim at a target and make the shot.

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