In Update 2.11, charge onto the Halycon Fold with Varya, a lightning mage who strikes down enemies with bolts of electricity, challenge yourself to get your best rank ever in Winter season, play a brand-new seasonal BRAWL mode with intense teamfight action and get ‘Championship’ Catherine for FREE by following specific steps. Buckle up and read all the changes below …
TABLE OF CONTENTS
NEW HERO: VARYA
NEW SEASONAL BRAWL MODE: ONSLAUGHT
5V5 GOLDEN TICKET
WINTER SEASON TRANSITION
NEW SKINS
WINTER MAP SKIN
HERO BALANCE
ITEMS BALANCE
TALENTS BALANCE
BUG FIXES & IMPROVEMENTS
NEW HERO: VARYA
Varya is an electric valkyrie who devastates enemies by chaining together her abilities to deliver massive damage. Call upon her ultimate, Anvil’s Hammer, to unleash a series of lightning strikes on every enemy hero, no matter where they are on the map.
Varya is unlockable with ICE only for the first seven days. Afterward, you will be able to unlock her with ICE or Glory.
HERO ABILITIES
Varya’s attacks deal crystal damage. If Varya holds her ground after attacking, she will strike her target and additional enemies with a bolt of Chain Lightning. This bolt deals the same damage and consumes energy.
STORMFORGED SPEAR (A)
Varya throws a lightning spear that deals damage to the first enemy hero hit. The lightning will then bounce to nearby enemies dealing damage. Stormforged Spear has a reduced cast time when used during or after Arc Recursion.
ARC RECURSION (B)
After gathering power, Varya’s next two move commands will instantly dash in the chosen direction, dealing damage to nearby enemies upon arrival. Varya gains energy and some of her health as barrier for each enemy hit. Varya can cancel this early to dash a single time.
ANVIL’S HAMMER (ULTIMATE)
After channeling, Varya calls down a series of lightning strikes on all enemy heroes, dealing damage per hit.
Ranking up this ability increases Varya’s attack speed and the number of enemies struck by Chain Lightning and Stormforged Spear.
HERO TALENTS
LONG STRIKE (RARE)
Stormforged Spear (A) deals more damage and stuns on impact.
STATIC BARRIER (EPIC)
Arc Recursion (B) grants additional barrier and charges up more quickly.
THUNDERSTORM (LEGENDARY)
Anvil’s Hammer (Ult) delivers two additional strikes and no longer has reduced damage for consecutive hits.
WALLPAPERS
NEW SEASONAL MODE: THE ONSLAUGHT BEGINS
At the heart of any MOBA is teamfighting action. Players want to feel like superstars — where they’ve unlocked a hero’s full power and their ultimate potential as a gamer — and those rare moments when everything comes together are pure magic. You know you can do no wrong. You’re carrying your team, and you know that your teammates are marveling at your skill. The only complaint a MOBA player has in times like these is they wish they weren’t so rare.
Enter “Onslaught,” a new Vainglory short BRAWL game mode where two teams of three players lock horns in escalating rounds of intense, tight-quarters combat. Each round, the stakes are raised, with more gold to spend and new superpowered Talents from which to choose. And because it’s ALL action, your true teamfighting skill emerges nearly every match.
For players who don’t have time for a full 20-minute MOBA match and players who just want short bursts of intense fun, Onslaught will be the new fan favorite.
THREE EASY STEPS
Onslaught’s round-based play is broken down into three parts:
1. SELECT YOUR TALENT
Each round, you can select one talent for the hero you’re playing. Selecting a talent in a round exhausts it; you cannot select it in another round of that Onslaught match.
2. SPEND YOUR GOLD
Each round, you’ll be granted gold along with any gold unspent from prior rounds of the match. Buy items to be stronger in the inevitable teamfights to follow!
3. HIT ‘READY’ … THEN FIGHT!
Once you’ve selected your talent and spent your gold, indicate that you’re ready for the next round. Once all players have hit “ready” the round will start. Note: If you take too long, the round will start anyway, so don’t ponder the options too long! You only get one life each round (no respawning), so make it count!
NOWHERE TO HIDE
If you’ve read this far and are thinking, “I’ll just play a stealth hero and hide the whole match,” well, we thought of that, too. Over time, the play area will shrink, forcing players to fight to the death. There’s no escape from the onslaught.
DEEPER STRATEGY LURKS WITHIN
While plenty of BRAWL players will casually enjoy Onslaught’s action, there is a wellspring of strategic decision-making just beneath the surface:
- You can deliberately save unspent gold for a bigger bounty to spend next round. Any unspent gold from the previous round will accrue interest for the next one. You’ll be weaker for one round, but you’ll then have an unexpected power spike that others don’t.
- You can strategically select (or opt-out) of talents each round. Because there are five rounds per match, you’ll only have a talent buff in at most three rounds, and that’s if you have the Rare, Epic and Legendary talents for that hero. You’ll need to decide when you want to be strong, when you can afford to be weaker, and which talent is most important to use when. Should you use your Legendary talent early to balance out lack of items … or should you wait for a big bang of power in the late stages of the onslaught? And since every hero has radically different talents, these decisions vary not just from round to round, but also hero to hero.
- Your Five-hero Chest just became a thing. In order to maximize your power each match, you’ll need the Rare, Epic and Legendary talents for your hero of choice. Remember: Playing any public game mode with a hero will count toward your Five-hero Chest, and once you’ve completed matches with five different heroes, that chest will pay out with a random combination of Rare, Epic and Legendary talents. This is a great (and free) way to expand your talents collection and give you more options in more rounds of Onslaught combat.
Onslaught is a seasonal BRAWL game mode being introduced for Vainglory’s Winter season start. Also in the works is Vainglory’s long-requested, long-awaited 5v5 mode, which will be unveiled during the 2017 Vainglory World Championship Dec. 14-17. If you haven’t pre-registered for Vainglory 5v5, do it now to get a chance at early 5v5 access and to get the Founding 5v5 player badge! — PlayoffBeard
GOLDEN TICKET: SECURE YOUR SPOT IN VAINGLORY 5V5 BEFORE ANYONE ELSE
But those devices and technology are now here, and the unveiling moment is fast approaching. Afterward, one clear question will ring out over and over again: “When can I play it?”
The answer depends on your luck … and your determination.
Before anyone else enters Vainglory 5V5, a fortunate few will achieve Early Access by virtue of something new: Golden Tickets.
WHAT IS A GOLDEN TICKET?
Golden Tickets are the only guaranteed entry system into Vainglory 5V5 Early Access. If you have a Golden Ticket, you will be among the first people ever to set foot on the new map and experience its wonders … and dragons.
HOW DO I GET A GOLDEN TICKET?
You can acquire a Golden Ticket in multiple ways, and you’re welcome to participate in any or all options:
- Pre-register for Vainglory 5V5 for a chance at Early Access. This enters you into a lottery from which Golden Ticket winners will be drawn. We will conduct multiple drawings, so you have multiple chances of being randomly selected for a Golden Ticket. There’s no downside to this, so pre-register now and also get the “Founding 5V5” player badge as a result.
- Every quest you complete beginning Dec. 17 could pay out a Golden Ticket. Immediately following the World Championship, when you complete a quest, there’s a small chance that the chest you open will contain a Golden Ticket.
- Special holiday-themed boxes (arriving Dec. 17). We wanted to include a way to honor those who support Vainglory through premium box purchases. And while the odds of getting a Golden Ticket in these boxes will be quite low, they will be loaded with amazing content that makes every pull very worthwhile, whether you luck into a Golden Ticket or not.
No matter what methods you choose, finding a Golden Ticket will be a rare, special occurrence, so if you succeed, count yourself lucky and congratulations!
DREAMS BECOME REALITY
We are so thrilled to bring this 5V5 dream to life, which belongs as much to Vainglory’s players as our dev team. From the very beginning, we’ve believed that every phone was a portable next-gen console, and that every mobile player deserved games just as core, strategic and performant as players on PC. Vainglory 5V5 speaks to the heart of what Super Evil Megacorp stands for, and our 5V5 MOBA will be deeply strategic and tactical, with console-grade performance, based on deep, original fantasy storytelling.
We’ll see you during the global unveiling of Vainglory 5V5 at Worlds, and afterward, happy Golden Ticket hunting! With a little luck, you’ll be playing 5v5 before everyone else!
RELATED 5V5 VIDEOS:
- Pre-registration site announcement
- 5V5 Glimpse: Map Illustration
- 5V5 Glimpse: Vain Crystal & Turret Illustration
- 5V5 Glimpse: Map Elements
- Lorelai & the Dragon Eggs
- Also: Lorelai’s Written Stories
WINTER SEASON: A FRESH START AHEAD OF THE NEW YEAR
Each Vainglory season is a fresh challenge with new dynamics. Resetting players’ rank gives all players a chance to advance every season and show their true skill in an ever-evolving meta.
Like last season, we’re granting all players bonus progress on their Winter rank based on prior Ranked performance for a head start.
- Your Autumn rank is now immortalized in your profile’s Trophy Case.
- See your best Autumn rank along with your allies’ on the Ranked match loading screen.
- Your rank will be reset for the start of Winter, along with bonus progress based on past performance. Rank up for a fresh challenge.
- Note: Your Blitz Score will not be reset.
NEW SKINS
‘Championship’ Catherine (Special Edition)
To celebrate the 2017 Vainglory World Championship, you’ll have a limited-time opportunity to get a brand-new Catherine skin free! You don’t have to attend the event in Singapore, and you don’t have to spend any ICE or Glory. Just follow the directions below, and be sure to watch the biggest esports event in Vainglory history Dec. 14-17 as we crown a new world champion and give away the new “Championship Catherine” skin!
AVAILABILITY
Get her FREE: To qualify for this limited-time offer, you must follow these steps exactly:
- Open your Vainglory app on Sunday, Dec. 17.
- Tap the WATCH LIVE button on the in-game World Championship banner found in the rotating carousel. Doing so will redirect you to the stream. You must tap through the in-game banner or else we will not collect your player name and cannot unlock the skin for you!
- Watch the live broadcast continuously for at least 30 minutes to gain eligibility.
- The skin will be automatically added to your player account within 7 days.
Remember, you must follow these steps to be eligible to receive ‘Championship’ Catherine for free.
For more information, tap HERE.
Get her EARLY: Those of you who can’t wait to bop enemies on the nose with ‘Championship’ Catherine’s massive foam finger, pull her from a World Championship Catherine Box for 199 ICE when Update 2.11 goes live Dec. 5.
The chances of pulling her skin are 1/8.
MODEL CHANGES
- Giant red #1 foam finger!
- Skaarf bag
- Fuzzy minion head hat
- Superfan esports outfit!
- White shorts, red belt, red & white socks & sporty shoes
- Vainglory jersey with CATHERINE on the back
EFFECTS CHANGES
- Confetti-shooting, red recolored effects!
- Vainglory symbol SLAMS to the ground during Blast Tremor
- Mercilessly Pursue your enemy with a foam-fingered BOOP!
- Swirling red Stormguard bubble with circling Vainglory symbols
WALLPAPERS
‘Mall Santa’ Reim (Special Edition)
What gifts do you want this year? Head to the mall and tell Santa! Read on to learn more about ‘Mall Santa’ Reim. (Warning: He smells like beef and cheese.)
AVAILABILITY
- Dec. 5 at 5PM PST – Dec. 13: Santa Reim Legendary Talent Bundle for 1199 ICE
- Dec. 13 at 5PM PST: Direct purchase for 900 ICE
MODEL CHANGES
- Bushy white beard
- Cozy red, fur-lined costume with Santa hat, white gloves and black boots
- Mistletoe in case of kisses
- Santa and Rudolph in one! Glowing nose and antlers for foggy Joy Festival Eves
- Candy cane staff wrapped with blinking, multi-colored festival lights!
WALLPAPERS
‘Winter War’ Varya (Rare)
The Storm Queen gets what she wants, and she has sent Varya to collect industrious dwarves from the Winter War.
AVAILABILITY
- Dec. 5 at 5PM PST – Dec. 13: Varya Bundle for 1575 ICE. Unlocks both the ‘Winter War’ Varya skin and the Varya base hero.
- Dec. 5 @ 5PM PST: Direct purchase for 900 ICE
MODEL CHANGES
- Ice-blue fur-lined dragonmail robes
- Furry onion-top helm
- Blue gladiator sandals
WALLPAPERS
SEASONAL MAP SKIN: A WINTER WONDERLAND
Winter is here! A fresh layer of snow and ice has been added to the Halcyon Fold. When you have moment to spare, start a practice game and soak up all of the beautiful details that can’t be experienced anywhere else.
HEROES BALANCE
ALPHA
“It’s great to finally see more Alpha play, but with the new Dragon’s Eye, Infinite Reboot is reaching some pretty crazy numbers. In addition, the increased energy regen on some items meant players were hitting the cap a bit easier than intended. This change is to ensure the enemy team has a fair chance to stop her reboot.” —Nivmett
INFINITE REBOOT
- Minimum reboot time increased from 2.0 to 2.5
PRIME DIRECTIVE
- Crystal ratio reduced from 200% to 180%
- Crystal ratio per stack reduced from 40%to 30%
ARDAN
“Ardan has been a top pick for the past few updates, especially with the new health changes. While we love the plays that were made, the Echo and Gauntlet combo was unhealthy for the game on a number of levels. First, while seeing the Venn diagram was really cool, the possibility of as many as FOUR Gauntlets on the screen at once in a Casual mode could explode low-end devices. Second, in terms of gameplay, carving up a teamfight into tiny safe areas was oppressive, and there’s no amount of Reflex Blocks that could keep the experience from feeling terrible for other players.
“These changes will lower his durability. In addition, we have lowered the damage that support Ardan deals while dusting off his old weapon build.” —Nivmett
STATS
- Health reduced from 878-2738 to 838-2638
BLOOD FOR BLOOD
- Increased bonus damage percent from 25% to 40%
- Damage reduced from 40/90/140/190/240 to 40/80/120/160/200
GAUNTLET
- Activating Gauntlet while another Gauntlet is on the map will immediately remove the older Gauntlet. This specifically addresses the double Gauntlet interaction with Echo, which introduced unintended confusion and a great deal of stress on device performance.
BARON
“It’s great to see more Crystal Baron, but he was dealing too much damage.” —Nivmett
PORCUPINE MORTARS
- Crystal ratio reduced from 190% to 170%
ION CANNON
- Cooldown reduced from 90/75/60 to 80/65/50
BAPTISTE
“Baptiste was benefiting greatly from the new Clockwork. This change reduces how much he can spam Ordained.” —Nivmett
ORDAINED
- Cooldown increased from 16/15/14/13/12 to 17/16/15/14/13
BLACKFEATHER
“Blackfeather’s durability was a touch too high.” —Nivmett
ON POINT
- Health ratio down from 13% to 12%
CELESTE
“Celeste has enjoyed the new item energy changes greatly. While it’s fun that she’s able to use her abilities more freely, the impact her supernova had was not proportional to its availability.” —Nivmett
HELIOGENESIS
- Supernova crystal ratio reduced from 220% to 200%
FLICKER
“This change will allow for Flicker players to cloak their team much more quickly.” —Nivmett
MOONCLOAK
- Time before stealth duration from 1.2 to 0.8
GLAIVE
“A change that returns more of Glaive’s built-in tankiness.
STATS
- Health increased from 784-2453 to 834-2503
GRACE
“Grace needed a slight buff to bring her more in line with other captains.” —Nivmett
STATS
- Increased armor and shield from 20-60 to 20-70
BENEDICTION
- Holy Shield damage reduction increased from 30% to 40%
HOLY NOVA
- Energy cost reduced from 125 to 100
IDRIS
“Idris is a carry who suffered greatly from the Update 2.10 health changes. These buffs will allow him to deal the damage he needs to.” —Nivmett
DIVERGENT PATHS
- Crystal ratio increased from 90% to 100%
SHROUDSTEP
- Damage amp increased from 10/15/20/25/35% to 25/30/35/40/50%
JOULE
“Joule’s crystal path has been updated!” —Nivmett
THUNDER STRIKE
- Crystal ratio increased from 135% to 160%
BIG RED BUTTON
- Crystal ratio increased from 300% to 350%
KOSHKA
“A bit of love for everyone’s favorite cat.” —Nivmett
POUNCY FUN
- Damage increased from 75/130/185/240/350 to 80/140/200/260/380
TWIRLY DEATH
- Crystal ratio increased from 80% to 90%
KRUL
“The changes to Shiversteel and Spellsword allowed Krul to feast on his enemies.” —Nivmett
SPECTRAL SMITE
- Damage per stack reduced from 20/35/50/65/95 to 20/30/40/50/70
LORELAI
“Lorelai had the best of both worlds, so we made changes to differentiate her support and carry paths by adding health scaling to her stun, slow and shield. We also lowered her base damages but increased ratios.
So what do these changes mean? If you play Lorelai as a captain, you’ll be rewarded with stronger crowd control by having more health in your build. In fact, if you hit about 1500 bonus health, you will hit the cap on her A and B skills. On the flipside, those who play her as a carry will have less crowd control at their disposal but will deal greater damage with crystal items.” —Nivmett
THAT’S SWELL
- Crystal ratio on basic attacks increased from 60% to 70%
FISH FOOD
- Stun duration reduced from 1 second to 0.45 seconds
- Health ratio added to stun duration of 0.03% bonus health
- Cooldown increased from 10/9.5/9/8.5 to 12/11.5/11/10.5/10
- Damage per second decreased from 55/105/155/205/305 to 55/95/135/175/255
- Crystal ratio on damage per second increased from 90% to 110%
SPLASHDOWN
- Cooldown increased from 7.5/7/6.5/6/5 to 8/7.5/6/6.5/5.5
- Slow decreased from 25/30/35/40/45% to 25%
- Health ratio added to slow of 0.017% of Lorelai’s bonus health (cap of 50%)
WATERWALL
- Added a health ratio of 15% (Needs 1333 to return to full strength)
- Barrier reduced from 500/750/1000 to 400/600/800
- Crystal ratio reduced from 150% to 100%
LYRA
“Lyra has been a top pick because of her incredible kit since her release. These changes lower her overwhelming power as a captain and give a bit of love to her carry path.” —Nivmett
PRINCIPLE ARCANUM
- Crystal ratio on initial basic attack increased from 50% to 60%
IMPERIAL SIGIL
- Burst heal reduced from 60% to 50%
- Speed boost reduced from 2.0 to 1.5
- Health ratio reduced from 13% to 11%
REIM
“While we did tone down Reim quite a lot, we tuned a bit extra for safety’s sake. This is to give him back a little power, mainly in the areas that make him the intended crystal bruiser he is and not a super-burst bruiser.” —Nivmett
FROSTGUARD
- Crystal ratio increased from 70% to 80%
- Max health fortified health increased from 20% to 25%
- Damage to fortified health increased from 25% to 30%
RINGO
“Ringo had fallen on hard times as of late. These changes will help increase his early game as well as help him maintain in the late game.” —Nivmett
STATS
- Increased base weapon power from 66-130 to 71-130
- Range increased from 6 to 6.2
RONA
“Rona was a berserking powerhouse — and with the new buff to Serpent Mask, she was going to get even stronger. These changes to Red Mist account for that.” —Nivmett
RED MIST
- Cooldown increased from 4 to 6
- Weapon ratio reduced from 175% to 160%
- Fortified health per level from 60/100/140 to 60/95/130
SAMUEL
“Samuel’s overdrive was oftentimes considered more of a negative than a positive. This change will help fix that as well as give a bit more damage to the malicious spell slinger.” —Nivmett
MALICE AND VERDICT
- Crystal ratio increased from 100% to 105%
- Crystal ratio on empowered (A) ability increased from 115% to 120%
DRIFTING DARK
- Removed bonus move speed on overdrive
- Distance travelled changed from 14/18/22/26/34 to 14/18/22/26/30
SAW
“SAW is finally back in the competitive scene and doing great, but his abilities were doing too much damage. This change will stop SAW from melting enemy carries. —Nivmett
SUPPRESSING FIRE
- Damage changed from 120/180/240/300/480 to 120/170/220/270/370
SKYE
“More love for weapon Skye!” —Nivmett
FORWARD BARRAGE
- Weapon ratio increased from 70% to 90%
VOX
“It’s been a while since Vox’s crystal path has seen any play. These tuneups will help him raise the beat. ” —Nivmett
JULIA’S SONG
- Crystal ratio increased from 90% to 100%
PULSE
- Damage increased from 20/40/60/80/120 to 20/45/70/95/145
ITEMS BALANCE
DRAGON’S EYE
“Dragon’s Eye is a great item because of its ability to create pressure. It also gives crystal carries the chance to close out fights against tanky teams. These changes will make Dragon’s Eye more accessible as its stacking is similar to the old Broken Myth.” —Nivmett
- Fall off per second decreased from 3 to 1
- Time before stacks begin to drop increased from 2.5 to 4
- Crystal per stack reduced from 20 to 15
- Max number of stacks increased from 9 to 12
SERPENT MASK
“Crit items have dominated weapon builds for quite some time. This change will make Serpent Mask a more appealing item choice.” —Nivmett
- Increased weapon power from 85 to 100
SHIVERSTEEL
“Shiversteel has not seen play in a long time. While the item active is great, the stats it provided were lacking. We have added attack speed to the item to make it more combat-worthy.” —Nivmett
- 25% attack speed added
- Now builds out of Dragonheart and Blazing Salvo
- Cooldown reduced from 15 to 12
- Price changed from 1450 to 1950
SPELLSWORD
“Spellsword is a great item that offers a ton of utility, but the loss in damage compared to Sorrowblade made the item second class. This tuneup makes it more desirable.” —Nivmett
- Increased weapon power from 90 to 110
- Energy restore per hit increased from 3 to 4
- Energy restore per hero hit increased from 9 to 12
- Energy recharge increased from 2.5 to 3
TALENTS BALANCE
ADAGIO
AVENGING WRATH
- Damage to burning targets base increased from 130% to 165%
- Damage to burning targets scaling increased from 10% to 15%
ALPHA
CORE OVERCLOCK
- Attack speed per stack base decreased from 35% to 25%
- Passive weapon power per talent level decreased from 1.5% to 1%
ARDAN
VANGUARDIAN
- Damage base decreased from 100% to 70%
BARON
ENDLESS MORTARS
- Damage base decreased from 75% to 50%
- Damage per talent level increased from 5% to 7.5%
BLACKFEATHER
ELUSIVENESS
- Focus cost base decreased from 40% to 20%
CATHERINE
ADVANCING GUARD
- Duration base decreased from 35s to 30s
- Bonus weapon power per stack base decreased from 5% to 1%
- Bonus crystal power per stack base decreased from 5% to 1%
CHURNWALKER
CHURN TANK
- Healing base increased from 200% to 210%
- Healing per talent level increased from 1% to 10%
- Damage share base decreased from 75% to 50%
- Damage share per talent level decreased from 1.5% to 1%
CLOUD OF TORMENT
- Duration per talent level increased from 0.1s to 0.25s
- Damage per second per talent level increased from 0.1 to 40
KESTREL
PIERCING SHOT
- Damage base increased from 115% to 120%
- Damage per talent level increased from 15% to 20%
- Cooldown base decreased from 70% to 60%
KOSHKA
FRENZIED
- Damage base increased from 60% to 75%
- Damage per talent level increased from 2% to 2.5%
LANCE
STRIKER
- Damage base increased from 90% to 110%
- Damage per talent level increased from 7.5% to 10%
- Impale cooldown reduction per talent level increased from 5% to 7.5%
- Combat Roll cooldown reduction per talent level increased from 5% to 7.5%
LYRA
MOBILE BULWARK
- Bonus duration base decreased from 2.2s to 1.4s
REZA
BURNING BARRIER
- Barrier base decreased from 10% to 7.5%
- Barrier per talent level decreased from 1.5% to 1%
SAW
ROAD RAGE
- Roadie Run reduction per attack base increased from 35% to 50%
- Stacks after Roadie Run base increased from 3 to 6
SKAARF
FLASH FIRE
- Damage base increased from 95% to 110%
- Damage per talent level increased from 5% to 10%
SKYE
RAINING DEATH
- Damage base increased from 110% to 115%
- Damage per talent level increased from 10% to 15%
BUG FIXES & IMPROVEMENTS
- Kraken will now be untargetable during her spawn animation instead of just invulnerable
- Grumpjaw no longer loses multiple stacks if multiple packets of damage hit him in the same frame.