As a long-time player who’s seen my fair share of ups and downs in Snowbreak’s meta, I can confidently say that the recent additions to the roster have been a breath of fresh air. The latest event has brought us some intriguing characters, and one that particularly stands out is Marian – Riptide.

The summer pool party has concluded, and while there were some unforgettable highlights, I must admit I felt somewhat underwhelmed in general. From annoying bug fixes to problematic character designs among the newly introduced figures, the initial update, developed with Seasun’s fresh hires, falls short of expectations. Let’s discuss it.

Clipped Wings

When the initial preview of Marian – Riptide’s logistics set Aileron Squad was unveiled, I pointed out elsewhere that its 3-piece effect didn’t seem to be limited to only work on Marian. Given Seasun’s attention to detail, it seemed unlikely they would make such a careless oversight, didn’t it?

Wrong.

The Aileron Squad’s team-wide skill damage boost, which benefited anyone who used it, was truly impressive. It could have been beautifully symbolic: the previous summer event provided a universal support logistics set for ballistic damage dealers, while this year’s event would offer the same for skill-based damage dealers. However, as fate would have it, we can’t always enjoy such advantages. Seasun discovered the issue swiftly, and the enhancement was corrected within a few weeks.

It seems that making adjustments to the current setup might be beneficial. Granted, granting 30% skill damage without any cost and allowing it to stack with multiple sets is quite over-the-top. However, completely denying its usage for anyone except Marian feels excessive. If Seasun had ever intended to shift away from the recent trend of logistics set releases being limited to specific operatives, this could have been the ideal moment. Perhaps they could allow it to function at maximum capacity for Marian, but still make it usable, albeit in a diminished form, for other operatives.

However, it’s clear that Seasun understands they can’t rely on Riptide for high-level competitive play. Her sub-DPS capabilities are quite restricted, and a significant portion of her supportive strength lies in the exclusivity of Aileron Squad to her. Even without this factor, Enya – Exuvia would still be preferred for skill damage support. The loss of one of Riptide’s few advantages puts even lower-tier operatives like Chenxing – The Observer at an advantage when it comes to weapon investment.

From my perspective as a gaming enthusiast, what truly bothers me is the seeming redundancy of it all. Even casual gamers are usually content to disregard performance discrepancies (assuming they’re aware of them) if a character is appealing or entertaining to play. On the other hand, a universal skill damage support kit for strategic players would open up another avenue for team composition, which game developers would undoubtedly appreciate as it could boost player engagement and potentially generate additional revenue through the sale of stamina refills by extending gameplay time.

Initially, introducing character-specific logistics was justified as a means to enhance creative gameplay and offer distinct effects. However, after several releases, it’s evident that this is not the case. Currently, Scarab, Nova, Reverie, Chaya, Vector, and Aileron all primarily serve to increase damage for their respective operatives without imposing significant restrictions or drawbacks. These logistics sets do not provide any benefits beyond those of a single operative. They are exclusively beneficial to the operative that Seasun allows you to use them with. Operatives released alongside these sets have no option but to use them, or they suffer a substantial performance decrease. This forced pairing between the operative and logistics set feels like poor design, and I’m tired of sugarcoating it.

It might be overly demanding to ask for more from creators of a game earning millions monthly. However, I believe my criticism isn’t entirely unwarranted.

Stolen Sands

Recently in Neural Simulation, an intriguing event took place. Instead of using her typical weapons, Chenxing – Ethereal Cloud was employing Aurora Sands, a firearm favored by Katya – Dawnwing. This weapon proved to be more effective for the task at hand, and there was quite a significant difference in their performance.

A time savings of 0.9 seconds might not seem significant, but it equates to nearly a 10% increase in speed! This is using T1 of Aurora Sands compared to T2 of Anti-Evil Ward. Consider how much greater the difference would be if both weapons were equally invested!

So why does this work?

In regular use, Chenxing’s ability calls for holding down the skill button to scan and tag targets, but if you quickly release it without marking anything, the skill is cancelled and goes on a shorter cooldown. Interestingly, cancelling your skill in this manner followed by its normal use counts as two uses of the skill. This rapid sequence, which takes less than two seconds, meets the activation requirement for Aurora Sands’ weapon ability. This method reduces raw shooting power, but you inflict more damage on the eight explosions per shot due to Aurora Sands’ skill-enhanced weapon effect that focuses on damage. Furthermore, during Neural Sim week, there is a 30% bonus to Frost damage, which brings your damage output per shot up to a level where Aurora Sands becomes more effective.

In essence, this case study doesn’t offer much beyond the fact that modern weapons are more powerful than their historical counterparts, a truth that should be self-evident to anyone familiar with the principle of power escalation. However, it does serve as a reminder that occasionally, opportunities arise for classic mischief, a welcome respite in a game where the intricate art of theorycrafting is gradually fading.

Sunburned

Although the newly introduced characters from the Azure Paradise line are functional, I find myself harboring a few worries regarding what these might mean for upcoming character releases.

In seclusion, the character Katya – Dawnwing performs admirably. She’s a potent DPS with a distinct and smooth play style. However, her method of establishing an initial setup followed by substantial skill damage releases is starting to feel a bit repetitive in game design. It seems that every new DPS introduced since Cherno – Enigma has followed this pattern, which leads me to question whether Seasun might be running low on fresh ideas. While it’s true that you can only innovate within the boundaries of “press button for damage” so many times, I believe there are still unexplored avenues in gameplay design that could offer unique experiences.

Here’s another way of expressing the given text:

It turns out that Marian – Riptide is generally less troublesome compared to another character. The reason for this lies not so much in her strengths but rather in the fact that there’s less competition for her role. Her Tier 0 rating, which indicates high performance, is more a reflection of the lack of strong alternatives than her own qualities. In most scenarios, I wouldn’t choose to use Marian – Riptide in Neural Sim if given a choice.

For those who play casually, she’s an entertaining character to utilize and has proven to be successful. When given the chance to use her damage, it’s genuinely enjoyable. In summary, I’ve come to accept Marian as an operative. Not all characters need to be incredibly powerful, and it’s okay if we get a character intended for fun every so often. Despite my ongoing complaints about certain aspects of her kit, such as the Aileron Squad, she does meet one crucial requirement – being enjoyable to play. Following the previous event’s disappointment, I can only hope that Seasun is taking lessons from their errors in this aspect. It could also be a coincidence. Only time will reveal the truth.

Meta Updates

Winners

Regarding Cherno and Enigma, while Marian and Riptide might not initially seem like a top choice for team composition, Cherno can effectively utilize Marian’s supportive abilities when other superior options are taken. This provides Cherno with additional versatility in team building.

Haru – Hidden One: The bond with Marian is evident, and occasionally swapping her in provides Haru with opportunities to accumulate common skill charges while taking a break on the sidelines.

In simple terms, Vidya, like Haru, gains similar advantages and even has an opportunity to recharge its energy source whenever Marian performs.

Chenxing – The Observer (DPS): I mean, it does help her turrets do more damage, and the ability to spam them out helps charge up Marian’s ammo in a timely manner.

Losers

Using a less skilled support character for your high-performing DPS team members could potentially restrict your team composition choices, as compared to others who might benefit from the new support character.

“In some instances, your closest ally can turn out to be your biggest adversary. Here, Marian skillfully seizes an opportunity to assist over Chenxing.

Katya – Dawnwing Daily Assignment in My Personal File Queue: I’m excited to have Katya – Dawnwing take over one of my daily Personal File farming assignments for the upcoming months, so I can boost her damage up to a level that I find acceptable.

Tier List Changes

You can find the full tier list here.

Although Katya possesses significant untapped abilities, they’re not easily accessible without considerable investment. However, the returns become noticeable even with minimal investment, making her stand out. As for substantial investments, she truly shines and delivers exceptional results.

It seems she might be a “late bloomer,” considering her late-game performance in investments is comparable to top Meta DPS choices.

Despite being more suitable for a T0.5 ranking based on her individual abilities, Marian manages to secure a spot in the higher rankings because there aren’t many skilled damage support options readily available.

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2024-11-07 20:06