I gotta tell ya, folks, I’ve been around the block a few times, and I’ve seen my fair share of ups and downs in this game we all love called Snowbreak. Back then, I was just another player, but now, here I am, reporting on the latest developments. And let me tell you, things are changing fast!

Hello, hello. I actually had an entirely different intro paragraph originally written for this article. But uh, that was before I had to push this back for like three four weeks because of the anniversary news cycle and the plethora of articles I had to pump out due to that (my boss kidnapping me to work on Wuthering Waves content certainly didn’t help, either). As a result, this article kinda spiralled into a kind of production hell, with extra sections being added to account for new content releases and multiple sections having to be rewritten on several occasions too. It’s not a great excuse for sure, but that’s just how things shake out sometimes. Sorry. As stated, I’ve also included my scheduled “Quick Thoughts” article on the current Suspense in Skytopia event for an extra-length double feature as penance for this article being so ridiculously late. There’s a heck of a lot to cover here as a result (including  a giveaway!), so let’s just get into it while I try to wash the taste of Red Bull out of my mouth.

Introduced in this update is an accompanying spreadsheet offering intricate computations and figures found within this article, along with calculators for game logistics for both Lyfe – Infinite Sight and Fenny – Starshine to enhance your gaming experience. You can access it here. I’m unsure if I’ll continue creating these as they consume an enormous amount of time and resources, but in celebration of the game’s anniversary, I wanted to pull out all the stops.

Charging to the Top

After the final chapter of Realm of Illusions marked a pause in any changes affecting Siris-Ksana for some time, we can now reflect on her influence within the meta. Upon her debut, reactions were generally favorable, though not extraordinarily so. She established a stable position in the meta as a sort of “Cherno-like” character, fulfilling similar roles effectively and competently. Overall, Siris was in a strong spot that many other operatives would envy.

And then she got buffed.

After enhancing her gacha weapon for increased damage and improving her standard ability for extended ultimate activation, it’s clear that Siris has significantly boosted her power levels. Although her role remains the same, she now executes it more effectively. With the advantage of using her ultimates frequently, similar to the temporary Discordance setup, and benefiting fully from her preferred weapons, she confidently ranks among the top DPS units available.

Although Siris doesn’t quite match the overall performance of the Orphan Crusher 9000, or Cherno – Enigma, it is clear that Siris excels significantly compared to most of the current Damage Per Second (DPS) pool. Seasun demonstrates that they can effectively create more than one potent skill damage character. This strength might even be too powerful for its own sake.

As a long-time gamer who has played countless multiplayer battles, I can confidently say that Haru is one of the most formidable characters I’ve ever encountered in Gigalink. With her ability to push back enemies and monopolize damage, she makes every other player seem practically useless in comparison. It’s only after playing without her that I truly appreciate how much we took her for granted. I regret not cherishing our gaming moments together more, Haru. Please come back!

Insight for Lyfe

It’s unclear what the New Hentiro team is working on, but it’s evident they have expertise. In the Suspense of Skytopia event, Lyfe – Infinite Sight, a highly agile operative with an impressive skill set, emerges from her healing chamber as the main DPS (Damage Per Second) character. This description applies not only figuratively but also literally, as we’ll discuss further ahead.

Initially, let’s discuss her Deiwos passive, which essentially functions like a fourth active ability. Could we call it the Deiwos active instead? In simple terms, attacking enemies fills a circular meter on your screen. Once full, your next dodge will unleash a burst of ten critical shots. However, unlike a regular dodge, it doesn’t provide invulnerability, but offers CC resistance and damage reduction, making it generally acceptable. Additionally, this ability consumes ammo, which seems reasonable given that you are firing your weapons to activate it. If you run out of ammo, you can still perform a dodge attack, but the damage will be half of the usual. Overall, this seems fair.

Regarding your destructive abilities, this particular item serves as your primary damage-dealing instrument. It significantly amplifies your regular gunfire damage and acts as a catalyst for another significant damage source that we’ll discuss later. Additionally, it boasts excellent Alignment Index scaling. For every 100 points in Alignment Index, the base damage multiplier increases by an additional 10%, amounting to a 136% multiplier increase overall. Previously, the game description might have led to confusion as it mentioned increasing “final damage” by 10%. However, this has been rectified for clarity, and I appreciate Seasun for making the adjustment.

Moving on to Lyfe’s primary kit, let’s discuss her standard capability. Although Lyfe’s dodge shot is impressive, this particular ability doesn’t deal much damage. However, it does shower enemies with Insight marks. These marks serve two functions. Firstly, hitting an enemy with a mark speeds up the charge of your dodge shot, which is always beneficial. Secondly, when your dodge shot strikes an enemy with marks, they explode to inflict skill damage. This additional damage can affect all ten shots of Lyfe’s dodge shot, as the explosion doesn’t consume the mark. This results in a substantial burst of damage, creating a balance between ballistic and skill damage for Lyfe, ranging from 60% ballistic/40% skill to almost 50/50! Moreover, utilizing your standard skill completely readies your dodge shot, offering an enjoyable sequence of standard ability -> dodge shot.

In simpler terms, her ability for providing assistance deals a strike that has the potential to momentarily immobilize opponents. Not much else to add, let’s proceed.

To sum up, the final move, often utilized for clearing clusters of common enemies, is typically referred to as the exceptional ultimate. It’s not that it deals less damage than your dodge shot (though it does), but rather that it doesn’t result in Insight mark detonations, which can significantly reduce your single-target DPS by half or more. You may find this move visually appealing, and in single-player modes, its extended cast animation allows your standard ability cooldown to progress, effectively giving you an extra ability cast that you can use immediately after canceling the ult. However, you can only perform this trick once per usage due to the animation ceasing after the first time. Also, be mindful of the brightness of the cast animation to avoid blinding yourself accidentally.

In summary, this kit for Lyfe is enjoyable and well-organized, enabling her to deliver intense attacks while maintaining a high damage per second (DPS) during lengthy battles. Although she may not achieve the massive damage outputs like Cherno does, she still dishes out sufficient powerful shots, inflicting a quick but relentless death by many small wounds, earning a top-tier position in the process.

Manifests

Life’s initial manifest offers a significant 20% enhancement to the damage of all dodged shots, which is highly beneficial. Her M2 accelerates your gameplay pace by restoring one-third of your dodge shot energy upon use. This feature is quite appealing and is likely where most players should stop. However, as you progress to her M3, the benefits become less attractive. Although a 12% minimum extra ballistic damage for marked enemies seems enticing, it overlaps with other buffs like the substantial 75% boost provided by Nova Squad, resulting in dilution of these bonuses. The same can be said about her final manifest as well, making further investment more suitable for heavy spenders or dedicated enthusiasts.

Logistics

Season’s logistics sets appear to lack any hint of becoming even moderately intriguing, so let me introduce you to Nova Squad, which is exceptionally impressive due to its focus on enhancing damage values without any conditions or complications attached.

Sigh.

She significantly amplifies any rival’s disadvantage by dramatically increasing the power of her dodge attack, Insight mark explosions, and ultimate move to an almost unbelievable extent. On the other hand, her basic skill doesn’t receive the same enhancement, which is why it’s often considered ineffective when used alone as a damage source.

For substats, we’re primarily concerned with optimising the damage of Lyfe’s dodge shots and Insight mark detonations. Only attack bonuses boost both of them, making it an easy first priority. After that, nothing else affects Insight damage (aside from the third-stat Kinetic damage bonus, which is obviously what you want there) which means we look to her dodge shot, which actually has three possible avenues. 

Among all stats, Alignment Index stands out as the most effective one since it directly amplifies the damage multiplier of dodge shots. Therefore, it’s a strong contender for the second-best stat to prioritize. If Alignment Index isn’t an option, both Critical Rate and Critical Damage can still offer advantages – every point of Critical Rate increases the damage dealt by dodge shots proportionally, while Critical Damage capitalizes on dodge shot’s guaranteed critical hits by enhancing it. Although both stats are beneficial, Critical Damage is generally favored due to its potential for higher values from substats compared to Critical Rate, making it a more appealing choice.

Skill cooldown reduction (ability haste) can be unpredictable because it doesn’t directly increase your damage or other numerical values, but rather allows you to use your standard ability more frequently. This translates to faster rotation cycles, which equates to more dodge shots. However, the effectiveness of this stat is highly dependent on landing your shots, making rotations prone to inconsistency due to missed shots causing delays in said rotations. In essence, it’s more of an art than a science. It’s not entirely useless – as simulation times approach zero, an additional skill cast can significantly save time, but the impact might be less noticeable in casual play.

If you’re aiming to optimize your personal logistics system or need help deciding which part to focus on next, feel free to use the logistics calculator I’ve created by clicking this link.

Weapons

As a dedicated gamer, I feel it’s been a while since Eatchel and Rock Python graced our gaming screens. It’s time to confidently say that whatever the latest shop gun is, it’s more than capable. And speaking of capable, Revolving Glow, the free 4* in the event shop, definitely fits the bill.

• Nightborne Crown
  Increases Kinetic damage by 18%.
  After a skill hits, the target takes 14.4% more ballistic damage from the equipped operative for 3s. After a shot or ultimate ability hits, the target takes 14.4% more skill damage from the equipped operative for 3s. These effects are doubled when both are active on the target
• Revolving Glow
  After a shot hits, standard ability damage increases by 25% for 3s. After a skill hits, ballistic damage increases by 25% for 3s. These effects are doubled when both are active.

It appears that Nightborne Crown and Revolving Glow share a similar function, as both seem to enhance kinetic damage. However, the figures associated with Revolving Glow seem to be larger, suggesting it might deliver more or the same impact. This implies that it could potentially outperform or at least match Nightborne Crown’s performance, correct?

Spoiler alert: no.

Although they share some resemblances, these two weapons influence the damage output in distinct manners. The Revolving Glow enhances the active operative (Lyfe), whereas the Nightborne Crown’s weapon skill weakens enemy targets. Essentially, these two weapons impact separate aspects of the damage balance.

• Revolving Glow’s buffs are counted as “damage%” buffs, which is already a very diluted stat on Lyfe due to this particular buff bucket already being full of other sources like the 24% Kinetic boost and 75% boost to Insight Ray and dodge shot damage from Nova Squad. Hello diminishing returns, my old friend.
• On the other hand, Nightborne Crown’s debuffs count towards the “%damage taken” portion of the damage equation, a completely different multiplier and actually quite rare. There is no other source of this in Lyfe’s kit, which means that it gains the full benefit.

To make it clearer and easier to read: The T1 Nightborne Crown surpasses the free option significantly by more than 30%. Even more impressive, the T2 option outperforms the shop gun by a whopping 50-60%, showing that it truly gave its all.

Full calculations are available in the companion spreadsheet.

Star Power

Growing weary of Lyfe’s prolonged limelight, Fenny finally appears, fashionably delayed, flaunting an arsenal of ammunition she consistently carries. It might sound peculiar, but let me clarify: her eagerness to distribute bullets transforms her into a remarkable support figure who strives tirelessly to shift the meta in a direction that embraces more frequent gunfire.

Let’s begin by discussing Fenny’s basic ability. This initial discussion will give us an understanding of how her support skill functions. When you activate this skill, Fenny will move in a certain direction and generate special bullets according to the direction she moves. Moving forward will result in slower-firing explosive shots, while moving left or right will cause the bullets to deal more Kinetic damage. If you decide to retreat, the bullets will replenish S-Energy upon hit. In essence, her skill resembles a blend of Tess – The Magician’s and Eatchel – The Cub’s standard skills but is significantly more effective. With neuros unlocked, this skill doesn’t have a cooldown, enhancing Fenny’s DPS potential remarkably for a support character. Although she may not pose a serious threat in the competitive meta, her abilities should prove enjoyable in casual game modes such as Gigalink and Paradoxical Labyrinth.

Her primary skill may be impressive, but we both understand that’s not why we’re gathered here. You might have witnessed videos of Fenny appearing and showering your DPS character with an over-the-top amount of extra ammo, or perhaps you’ve given it a try yourself. The quantity distributed depends on the active operative’s weapon’s ammo capacity as well as Fenny’s own gun. Consequently, a six-round revolver will receive fewer bullets compared to Lyfe (the latest addition) who uses a 100-round dual SMG. So, what exactly does this do? Using the bonus ammo increases the active operative’s attack power, proportional to Fenny’s own (equipment) attack stat. It’s not overly complex, but additional damage is always an advantage, and of course, not having to reload is a definite perk. With neuronics activated, you can have up to three instances of this skill on standby, and even decrease its cooldown when you score a critical hit or hit a weak spot while the effect isn’t active, leading to an excessive amount of ammunition expenditure. To top it off, the active operative doesn’t have their actions disrupted due to Fenny personally delivering the ammo, making it a fantastic support ability. Thumbs up, excellent job, I’m a big fan!

After going over the two types of ammo that offer additional rounds, I’d like to bring up some technical details. Extra ammunition is still considered standard and functions similarly to regular ammo when fired. This means that you can still enjoy buffs like those from Amano-Iwato or Dharma while shooting bonus ammo. However, abilities such as Frita – Little Sunshine’s support skill will not trigger with bonus ammo. Be aware that this might limit your team composition strategies and call for careful selection of buffs in game modes like Gigalink and Paradoxical Labyrinth.

In my gaming experience, I’ve reached Fenny’s final skill, reminiscent of the silent Hush’s Care Bear Stare. Interestingly, this ability lingers even when you’re busy with other tasks, providing occasional burst damage as a substitute. While it’s not mind-blowing, it’s quite handy as a support character, offering decent performance.

Among the many attractive aspects of this package, Fenny’s Deiwos passive stands out as an exceptional bonus. Essentially, it grants a built-in ballistic damage increase without any hidden conditions or complexities. In other words, including Fenny in your team will automatically enhance the damage output of every weapon she wields. Simply put, it’s a great addition to your team with no caveats or fine print – just pure, unadulterated power!

When distributing Fenny without charge, she bears a striking resemblance to Acacia, another character given freely. Both characters prove surprisingly effective in dealing damage for their type (and considering you acquire Acacia early on in the game, her dagger still packs a decent punch), yet they also offer robust support abilities that surpass their operational usefulness over time. Fenny’s capabilities are so strong that she becomes indispensable, offering comparable support power to the best characters available.

Manifests

From the get-go, Fenny’s debut manifest offers an unexpected twist: she grants special bonuses to characters depending on their weapon type, even herself! Sniper, pistol, and crossbow users will appreciate a 15% increase in damage for critical hits on weak spots, finally giving Katya players a valid reason to aim accurately. Shotgun users will benefit from an additional pellet per shot, increasing both damage output and the rate at which parts break. This also boosts U-Energy generation, Coronet’s extra Mercy stack generation for faster ramp-up, and easier maintenance. Assault rifles and SMGs (single or dual) receive a more intricate bonus: a 12% chance for each shot to fire an additional bullet. While this enhances DPS, the random nature of it may lead to varying effectiveness in real-world situations, potentially resulting in challenging circumstances. However, considering the affordable price, it’s generally a smart choice and a worthwhile acquisition.

Although it may seem challenging to justify the remaining manifest upgrades for Fenny, let’s consider what they offer. Manifest 2 and 3 primarily focus on enhancing Fenny’s support skill by either providing additional ammo (M2) or reducing its cooldown (M3). However, with neuros activated, Fenny can already supply a substantial amount of bonus ammo before any cooldown kicks in. By this point, many targets are usually defeated. Furthermore, Fenny’s support skill cooldown starts as soon as she has charge to replenish, and given her neuro that improves the uptime of her support skill, one might question whether further investment into Fenny’s manifests is truly essential.

Logistics

I find the Reverie Squad team a bit perplexing, not in terms of their functions, as they’re quite straightforward. Here’s the gist: When any member of this team has bonus ammo thanks to Fenny’s support skill, they inflict an additional 40% ballistic damage. Additionally, Fenny herself increases her ballistic damage by 20% when she fires with bonus ammo from her standard ability. This combined effect is quite powerful and works incredibly well with Fenny’s overall abilities.

It seems there’s a point of confusion regarding why the effects of the logistics set only apply when it’s equipped specifically for Fenny. Given its limited scope, it’s puzzling that such a restriction exists. I pondered over possible misuses without the restriction, and the only idea that came to mind was having a support character carry the logistics set to provide a 20% damage bonus to a main DPS Fenny, while Fenny herself uses an item like Amano-Iwato for added effect. However, this setup seems more like a joke than a serious strategy. After all, who wouldn’t want a bit of fun every now and then? Let’s instead shift our focus to the analysis of substats.

Substats are easy to understand, and Seasun excels once again with the complimentary package. An additional attack will allow her to deal more damage and enhance the damage increase from her supportive ability’s bonus ammo. Meanwhile, Alignment Index will amplify the ballistic damage boost that her Deiwos provides. If you prefer not to gamble at the logistics stat casino, it’s perfectly acceptable to stick with the free set. Personally, I don’t plan on taking any risks in this regard.

Weapons

Assessing the worth of support weapons can sometimes be challenging because they don’t inflict damage themselves. Instead, you need to consider the DPS (Damage Per Second) that these weapons help maintain. Currently, three weapons are contending for Fenny’s hold: Strawberry Shortcake, Pixel Age, and Heart Hunter. To determine which one is best, let’s examine their features side by side.

Strawberry Shortcake appears to be an excellent tactic for circumventing the farming process and utilizing something you might already own. Its attack power surpasses that of Pixel Age, and when combined with Fenny’s support skill, it receives a significant boost. However, it’s important to note that Strawberry Shortcake is a Thermal weapon. This implies that it no longer benefits from the passive ballistic damage boost provided by Fenny’s Deiwos, nor does it enjoy the perks of her M1 skill.

In the meantime, you can find Pixel Age in the store, eagerly waiting for you to purchase it. Although it may not have much raw power, it compensates with a miniature version of Heart Hunter’s more expensive weapon skill. This means a 12.5% increase in ballistic damage when using bonus ammo, which then doubles to 25% if Fenny isn’t present on the battlefield. Additionally, it has the right element, granting it additional benefits that Shortcake doesn’t receive.

Ultimately, we arrive at Heart Hunter, standing out as the undisputed leader among the trio. With the highest attack stat and an incremental ballistic damage enhancement (a 5% boost at tier 1, but it matters), this character offers something unique. While your DPS benefits from additional ammunition, these shots will bypass 12% of the enemy’s resistances. This is quite substantial, as only Acacia – Kaguya among supports provides a comparable ability. Consequently, this damage modifier stands alone in a significantly higher multiplier category compared to attack percentage and damage percentage, where it might have had a lesser effect. The ballistic boost and resistance ignore also grow more potent at tier 2, amplifying its supportive capabilities even further.

Alright, let’s shift gears now and focus on some data. I’ve set up three different situations to give you a clear comparison of the three weapons. In this analysis, Fenny will be at level 80 with Manifest 1, equipped with a +15 Reverie Squad (no specific substats) and all neuronics unlocked. For those who wish to delve deeper into the numbers, a comprehensive breakdown is provided in the accompanying spreadsheet.

Lyfe – Infinite Sight: Dodge Shot

Life’s current level is 80, it doesn’t have any manifest yet (Manifest 0), but it’s equipped with a +15 Nova Squad (without specific substats). In its hands, it holds a Tier 1 Nightborne Crown, and all of its neuronics are accessible.

Initially, it appears that Strawberry Shortcake performs similarly to Pixel Age, but upon closer inspection, there are hidden differences in their performance. For instance, when using a Kinetic weapon with dual SMGs, Fenny’s M1 offers an additional 12% chance to fire an extra bullet, which Strawberry Shortcake does not receive. Consequently, Lyfe takes longer to build up her dodge shot charge, leading to slower damage output and ultimately a lower DPS rate. This is one of the few instances where Strawberry Shortcake can come close to matching Pixel Age’s performance; other benefits of Fenny’s M1 are more apparent in a direct damage comparison.

Chenxing – Ethereal Cloud: Shooting

Chenxing, who’s at level 80 and has Manifest 2 with a +15 Amano-Iwato Squad (no specific substats), is currently brandishing a Tier 2 Anti-Evil Ward. All neuronics are accessible for this character, and right now, they’re aiming at an enemy’s vulnerable spot.

Hey, hang on a sec! It seems Shortcake took quite a dive. I wonder if something’s up? Here’s the deal: Fenny’s M1 has an interesting feature – it provides assault rifle users with a 15% boost to their final damage when hitting weak spots, as Chenxing is demonstrating here. If you’re not using Strawberry Shortcake, though, you might be missing out on this benefit. The impact of this damage reduction even affects Chenxing’s standard skill damage, as the explosive damage from her markers is directly related to the damage her shots inflict. Just one more thing: let me provide another example to wrap things up.

Fenny – Coronet – Shooting

Fenny, who’s at level 80 with Manifest Level 3, carries a +15 Amano-Iwato Squad (no specific substats), and uses a Tier 1 Sunny Payback weapon. All neuronics have been unlocked for her. At the moment, Fenny’s standard skill is activated. She acquires bonus pellets from both her Deiwos passive ability and the Sunny Payback weapon.

As a seasoned gamer with years of experience under my belt, I find myself often struggling to keep pace with newer games like Pixel Age. My character, Shortcake, seems to lag behind, and after some investigation, it appears that the culprit is Fenny (Starshine)’s M1 upgrade.

One constant factor is the enhanced performance that Heart Hunter offers compared to Pixel Age. At Tier 1, it delivers nearly 20% additional damage, and at least 30% more at Tier 2. This places it roughly on par with other signature weapons, as expected. Personally, I lean towards support weapons for their added flexibility in team composition, but the choice ultimately lies with you.

Meta Changes

Fenny Game

The entrance of Starshine has created profound and widespread influence. As a versatile shield for ballistic damage, she significantly enhances the firepower output of every gun-wielding DPS character to some extent. However, it’s important to note that not all characters gain equal benefits, with some reaping more rewards than others. Consequently, certain ballistic damage specialists might find themselves sidelined.

Strong Synergies

With no need for reloading, Chenxing maximizes her full potential by continuously unleashing multiple enhanced slip detonations using her standard skill. Keep in mind that a higher gun damage rate also increases the damage of each slip detonation.

Life – Wild Hunt: Even after being fully upgraded, additional ammunition for the Wild Hunt proves useful in keeping its standard ability consistently active, particularly beneficial for less advanced versions.

Fenny – Coronet: After long wait, Coronet now has the ability to quickly reload her ammo. What could be more fitting than having this skill provided by… herself? This nearly eliminates one of her major drawbacks – the need to frequently reload – and makes addressing her other issue (limited range) a much more attractive proposition, as it becomes essential to provide her with the resources needed to overcome this challenge.

In the revised version: Fenny – Lionheart: Although her SSR version isn’t excessively ammo-dependent, additional power (coupled with plenty more shotgun shells) significantly boosts her ability to eliminate targets that aren’t quickly defeated by her unique dash-and-fire combo.

For those remaining five players who choose Marian as their Damage Per Second (DPS) character, additional ammunition could be beneficial during these challenging situations.

100 Battle Veteran: Absolutely, I’m referring to the weapon itself. You see, the extra ammunition provided by Fenny doesn’t get included in the initial magazine’s ammo count. So, keeping one round in the 100BV’s actual magazine before summoning Fenny lets you take full advantage of the weapon’s increased ballistic damage due to low ammo, without actually depleting the entire magazine.

The Mizuho Squad can now sustain fire for extended durations, allowing it to apply its superior 60% ballistic damage boost in actual combat situations. However, this ability is only available from the Jotun Tunnel shop, which might pose challenges when trying to obtain optimal substat configurations.

Mingyi Squad: Although Amano-Iwato still outperforms in terms of raw buffs, Mingyi Squad now underperforms less due to enhanced efficiency.

Not So Much

The additional ammunition is a nice touch for prolonging Marian’s combos, however, due to her restrictive cooldowns, she doesn’t yet have the freedom to fully utilize this benefit effectively.

Yao – Winter Solstice: It’s not possible to gain additional ultimate bullet rounds with Fenny. Having extra ammunition beyond her ultimate effectively neutralizes Space Cowboy’s weapon skill, making the potential advantage more hassle than it’s worth since it disables his special ability.

Well, here’s the deal as a gamer: I was hoping to save some S-Energy by using Fenny’s bonus ammo when I’m already in Katya’s standard skill mode. But it seems that’s not the case. It leaves me wondering if there’s some strategy I’m missing about these energy costs. Seems like it might be better to use them separately rather than together, doesn’t it?

In simpler terms, since Fenny’s extra ammunition doesn’t interact well with Fritia’s supportive ability, this creates a conflict that may prevent Fritia from being included in certain strategic team arrangements.

When a unit increases its ballistic damage per second (DPS), it becomes more powerful compared to skill damage characters. This shift in power dynamics can be seen in operatives like Cherno – Enigma, Siris, Ksana, and Fritia – Hush, where they may appear weaker in comparison.

Tier List Changes

You can find the full tier list here.

New “Tier 5” Added

I find it quite painful, but there’s no escaping this truth: The latest versions of Cherno – Enigma, Siris – Ksana, and Lyfe – Infinite Sight (which I now call the “three-headed monster”) outperform the original top-tier DPS roster in a way that is simply extraordinary. Seasun, it seems you’ve introduced something remarkable to our gaming landscape.

New Additions

Although she may not be as strong as Cherno – Enigma at its maximum potential, being near the pinnacle still keeps her very high in the ranks.

In a powerful display, Life deals significant damage that’s relentless in its impact, potentially surpassing or at least challenging Cherno’s position as the highest DPS (Damage Per Second) character, if not overtaking her completely.

Did the unexpected outcome not catch you off guard, given that Fenny, with her boosted abilities and an overabundance of extra ammunition, clearly stands out as an essential, complimentary addition to any team – one that fortunately comes at no cost?

Obituaries to a Dead Meta

The strength of more recent Damage Per Second (DPS) updates hasn’t been fair to their predecessors. As we move forward with a fresh phase in the Snowbreak meta, let’s take a moment to honor the originals that truly shone.

Chenxing, being the initial DPS character launched following the game’s debut, enjoyed a considerable duration to establish herself within the game. Despite having notable strengths, such as her role as Hela’s shredder, it was her adaptability and effectiveness in virtually any scenario that truly proved advantageous, making her one of the most worthwhile selections during that period.

As a loyal fan, it’s tough to admit, but it seems even the greatest things must come to an end. The arrival of Katya instantly made Chenxing seem like a supporting character in comparison, especially when she couldn’t tag multiple marks on anything. And starting with Cherno’s DPS releases, they’ve been dealing more damage and sustaining longer than Chenxing could. It’s heartbreaking to see the former Brave Squad MVP’s decline, as her remaining competitive uses only underscore just how far she has fallen from grace.

Reflecting on it now, I believe Katya ended up being significantly underappreciated. While she did surpass Chenxing in many instances, making her a preferred choice, and the infinite ammo feature was indeed an exciting perk, the hype around how overpowered she was seemed to be exaggerated. This top position only lasted for two events. With the arrival of Realm of Illusion and Cherno, Katya’s advantages began to seem insignificant in comparison to a 300-stack orb pop that generated record-breaking numbers in Snowbreak. Following the introduction of two more DPS characters, it became evident that Katya had fallen behind and was unable to regain her previous standing.

It’s likely that Katya will remain significant due to various factors. Even if her competitive prowess may diminish, Katya can find comfort knowing that her unique qualities have lasting appeal.

Initially, it seemed unlikely that Yao would maintain her dominant position at the top due to various adjustments made before the official release of Snowbreak. Characters like Chenxing – Ethereal Cloud dealt more consistent damage, Haru – Absconditus had superior crowd control abilities, and even Katya – Blue Bolt didn’t require reloading.

In essence, Yao’s rapid one-tapping of enemies and bosses was just as swift, or even quicker, than others, yet it seemed unavoidable that a new standard was set. This is how the story unfolded: Cherno raised the bar beyond what Yao could achieve, and the subsequent releases of Siris and Lyfe maintained this level. As the final release of SSRs succumbs to power creep, one wonders if the introduction of those high-DPS operatives was truly worth the disruption they caused to the game’s dynamics.

The old queen is dead. And with her, an entire era of Snowbreak.

Multiple Tier 0.5 Operatives Lowered to Tier 1

Lyfe – Wild Hunt: It’s quite amusing that Lyfe is outperformed by herself. I bet an unfortunate wish was granted by a mysterious force when someone asked for Lyfe to become a prominent damage-dealing character.

You might wonder why choose Marian over Lyfe – Infinite Sight, given that the latter performs Swift’s role more effectively and sustainably? This appears to be a case of role elimination. At best, Swift had a grand finale, managing to compete seriously again with the introduction of Katya – Frostcap in Neural Simulation. Many other operatives didn’t have this opportunity for a dignified departure.

In the latest updates, damage per second (DPS) capabilities are capable of managing large groups of enemies as efficiently as they take down bosses. This further weakens the argument for keeping a designated mob killer, whose usefulness was already debatable.

After weighing the extensive effort and strategic planning needed for Hush to deliver competitive outcomes, it’s hard not to question its worth since newer releases seem to outpace everything else with minimal mental exertion.

Most Tier 1 Operatives Lowered to Tier 2

In simpler terms, “Fenny – Lionheart,” “Acacia – Redacted,” and “Eatchel – The Cub” are unchanged and continue to be at Level 1. For additional information, refer to the section titled “Unaltered Rankings.”

All Previous Tier 2 And Lower Operatives Shifted Down

Assigned Agents: Yao – Stealthy Departure, Lyfe – Midweek, Siris – Swift and Forgetful, Cherno – Duo, Nita – Skilled Manipulator, Fritia – Silent Observer, Enya – Elder Sister, Haru – Top Performer.

Holdouts and Promotions

It’s not all doom and gloom.

Despite her secondary Damage Per Second (DPS) trick not proving particularly beneficial in crucial situations, it’s clear that receiving a significant boost in skill damage at minimal cost remains quite advantageous. Adding to this, the ability to become invulnerable to crowd control effects within the protective circle is an added bonus, especially as more bosses attempt to disrupt your balance.

Notably Unchanged Ratings

Fenny – Coronet (Tier 0.5): Sometimes, just one additional item can make all the difference, and for Coronet, it’s the supply of extra ammo that her alternate form offers. The consistency with which she can fill up her Mercy stacks means she remains a reasonable burst damage dealer, capable of delivering more bullets than her enemies know how to handle. Although she may not return to Tier 0 as new DPS characters make her seem outdated, the fact that she maintains her rating while others are demoted is some small comfort.

Fenny – Lionheart (Tier 1): It seems that neither of the Fenny characters will be demoted, as Lionheart has earned a positive review for her exceptional performance across all content types, consistently delivering high-quality work that exceeds expectations.

Acacia (Tier 1) vs Fritia (Little Sunshine): Acacia’s defensive role makes her less affected by power creep compared to DPS characters, and her ability to slow down enemies maintains her relevance. However, Fritia lacks this advantage as her support skill conflicts with Fenny’s bonus ammo, a support that is often considered stronger.

Title 1: Eatchel the Cub – Rising Up:

Addendum

It’s amazing how quickly a year has flown by since Snowbreak was first officially launched! We have a lot of memories to reminisce about, and we’re working on a special retrospective that will highlight the best moments. But I’m curious to hear from you – what were your most cherished experiences? Did you have a favorite character when it all started, and has that changed over time? To share your thoughts, please fill out our survey which also includes an opportunity for you to ask questions of your own. As a token of appreciation, you’ll be entered into a giveaway for a Snowbreak redemption code. Even if I can’t remember exactly what it offers, who doesn’t like free stuff?

Take the survey here – it closes on August 13 at 4:00PM EST.

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2024-07-31 03:32