Illuvium: Arena Update 1.5.0

In this patch, we're fine-tuning some early-game over and underperformers to create a more balanced experience. We're also dialing back the damage escalation at higher Fire thresholds while giving Earth and Nature synergies a much-needed boost to help them hold their own.

One of our new initiatives focuses on Bulwarks—we’re shifting them towards a more damage-oriented role while slightly reducing their tankiness. Don’t worry, they’ll still be sturdy, but we want to speed up round pacing and make Bulwarks more viable as standalone units. This will be a gradual process, starting with adjustments to Axolotl and Komodo Dragon.

Additionally, we’re reining in some overperforming composites—primarily those benefiting from Fire and Air synergies—while strengthening Frost to make it a more competitive option. Lastly, we’re fine-tuning Augments, tweaking those that are either too dominant or underwhelming.

Strap in and get ready for a fresh balance pass—let’s dive into the changes! 

Gameplay & System Updates

Only Round Winner Automatically Casts Emote

Before, both the winner and the loser cast emotes simultaneously, leading into two emotes overlapping and becoming too much for the experience. Now only the round winner will automatically cast the emotes.

GamePlay Opponent Notifications

A notification system that updates you when an opponent hits key gameplay milestones, such as stage up, level up and win/loss streak.

Highlight Hexes affected by Augments / Synergies on Hover

When hovering over a synergy with AoE effects, the affected units now display the exact range of the effect in hex size on the board.

Team Planner MVP

The Team Planner is an in-game strategic tool designed to enhance the player's ability to plan and execute complex team compositions. Accessible via an icon during active gameplay, the Team Planner Pannel allows players to experiment with different Illuvial combinations and Armament choices without interrupting their current match.

At its core, this first version of the Team Planner consists of 10 slots for Illuvials. Players can easily add or remove Illuvials, instantly seeing how these changes affect team synergies. This real-time feedback enables quick strategy adjustments and fosters a deeper understanding of team-building dynamics.

The feature also integrates seamlessly with the game's shop system. When players refresh their in-game shop, any Illuvials or Armaments that match their current Team Planner composition are highlighted, facilitating easier acquisition of desired elements. Furthermore, the ability to snapshot the current board state allows players to quickly transition from their in-game situation to planning mode, promoting adaptive strategy development throughout the match.

Please keep in mind that this is just a minimum viable product. We will improve the feature.

Card VFX Design Update

Enhanced Default Camera Angle

Default Camera Angle has been adjusted so that the player's perspective on the board is better for Illuvial placing and combat readability. 

Old Default View:

New Default View:

Illuvial Tooltips with Improved Descriptions:

Old:

New:

By hovering on the Tooltip, you will open detailed descriptions:

• Omega:

• Hyper:

• Augments:

Synergy Tooltips with Improved Descriptions:

Old:

New:

End Game Details:

Bug Fixes & Other Improvements

• Drone Size Increase as your Win streak Grows
• Now the emotes that come by default in your account will be automatically equipped to be used in game.
• Optimized Illuvials VFX to improve overall game performance.
• When synergies don’t fit in the synergy tooltip, instead of extending it, you can now scroll through them.
• Fixed an issue where Hyper Fighter was not properly piercing enemy resistances.
• Resolved a bug that caused Komodo Dragon's Omega damage to trigger only on the first cast.
• Resolved a bug that caused Fighter Lynx's Omega to heal a constant amount regardless of the actual damage dealt.
• The default hotkey for selling Illuvials has been changed from “T” to “C” to make room for the Team Planner, which now uses “T”.
• Improved the general intelligibility and comprehension of the audio within a game
• Reduced auditory fatigue
• General soundscape is more music centered (compared to before)
• Gauntlet sounds implemented: ReRoll, Buy EXP, Augments selection, UI Match Ready, Player Ready, etc.
• Illuvials Sounds updated for Sloth, Tiktaalik, DropBear, Beetle, Snail, Tenrec, StarNosed Mole
• Battleboards Ambiences updates (not music but ambience)
• SAM & HAL: better reverbs, improved designs
• Battle board skins: Doka Dojo, Beyond Reward board, Mega Mozart, Space Invaders are now playing in the game
• Gauntlet/Ascendant music: faster transitions, reduced repetitiveness of transitions between placement and fight
• All faint SFx updated: more clarity, removed unwanted silences, improved memory usage
• Update on Menu UI Sounds (better mix, bug fixes, improved music transitions)

Balance Adjustments