It hasn’t even been a year since Calamity Trigger’s release in Japan and a sequel is already in the middle stages, with Hazama and Tsubaki being announced as the new characters. Together with these new characters comes a slew of balancing and tweaking – meaning every character has been nerfed. In some cases, the nerf has been pretty hard-hitting, in others not so much. Damage nerfs, recovery time increases, system changes are all part of the new update.

I’ll be discussing some stuff about some of the nerfs and some of the system changes, with character-specific changes first.

RAGNA:

Ouch. 5C and 2C have had their range shortened considerably, and since 5C is considered one of Ragna’s best zoning tools, its a big butthurt. Both moves, however, come out faster. His 22C also got a pretty heavy cut; a drop from the original 800 unscaled to a measly 400. Gauntlet Hades is seeing a heavy reduction in combos as well, and GH is Ragna’s cash cow for huge combos. One of the worst changes is probably his j.D during Blood Kain; the hitbox is smaller than it is in Calamity Trigger, making it either a lot harder to do BK combos or completely impossible altogether.

One improvement is Dead Spike. Startup time is apparently faster now, and it takes out one Guard Primer (explained later) on block. Something that’ll make Dead Spike a lot better than it is now, definitely a welcome addition. Also, Kakato Otoshi a.k.a. knockdown kick after Inferno Divider is now a Soul Eater move, new input is 214D.

Ragna also has a new move Berial Edge, an aerial dive move that doesn’t really seem that good at the moment. However, it seems to open up a new combo of sorts; one video has a player end a BnB air combo with Berial Edge, landing before the opponent hits the ground and relaunching with 6A into Inferno Divider. It doesn’t really do a lot of damage, however. But it looks flashy.

JIN:

His Drive freeze now breaks at the fastest time possible, meaning no need for rapid stick wiggling; a welcome change for many, I’m sure. His D moves in general are faster now, except for 5D. His DPs, however, are seeing an increase in recovery time, although they all break 1 Guard Primer.

Jin also gains a new DD. OK, technically its not a new DD, its just Haku-men’s Yukikaze. Move along.

NOEL:

Her Chain Revolver moves are faster now, but some of her other normals are slower, like her godlike 5A. Her 6C loop is also harder to do now. Some changes in her hitboxes as well, and her 2D is no longer an overhead. Oh, joy.

Her aerial DD Thor has been changed as well; she cannot move until she hits the floor, so its a guaranteed punish on block. Last hit takes out two Guard Primer, however. Ouch.

RACHEL:

NERF NERF NERF. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

No more crazy 6B stagger into spinny skirt combo, as 6B is now easier to tech out of. Her batrods now have more recovery, and the seed/stone thing disappears if she takes a hit while throwing it out. The bloody frog also sees a nerf; you cannot resummon one immediately after one disappears; there’s a cooldown time now. Baden Baden Lily’s damage has also been reduced. Her pumpkin thing also disappears when she gets hit, even if it was activated. The hitstun is also shorter.

Sword Iris, however, can now be done in the air as well, and the input has changed from 22A to 214A.

One problem for Rachel that might be a problem is the way her wind recharges; it no longer recharges immediately after use. Instead, it regenerates slowly and gets faster, but if wind is used the speed gets reset.

TAGER:

He walks and jumps faster now! The magnetism time has been cut to about 3 seconds though, according to Dustloop. Tager also gets a new move similar to Ragna’s 22C, that “pulls (the) opponent up” and doesn’t do damage. Atomic Collider now has “head attribute” invincibility, but not during attraction. Tager seems to get slightly faster as well in terms of moves.

TAOKAKA:

Drive moves have longer recovery one landing, some moves no longer combo and have their priorities decreased. Berserker Barrage DD’s last hit breaks 2 Guard Primer though. Damn.

LITCHI:

Godlike Tsubame Gaeshi DP has been nerfed \o/

ARAKUNE:

Big change, he no longer curses you instantly with D moves. Instead, his D moves now fill a “Curse Meter” which puts Arakune in “Curse Mode” when filled. Arakune can only summon bugs when Curse Mode is active, and Curse moves will not fill the meter during Curse Mode. This mode will last about 16 seconds and will not end if Arakune takes a hit. The bugs will also not break guard now due to the new Guard system. Slight nerf, but apparently a big combo has already been found. Broke as ever when he has you cursed, but now its harder for him to curse you. Hurray?

BANG:

Grounded D moves are no longer jump-cancellable. His umbrella super doesn’t disappear when he takes a hit now, and he gains a new anti-air throw super.

CARL:

No more 100% clap-trap throw loop. Sad Carl is sad.

HAKU-MEN:

The only character who seems to be getting improvements. Most notable is a new 4C, which has mad range. He also has a new ability; initially he just nullifies projectiles, but now he seals them in a “barrier” that gets larger. It lasts for some time or until the opponent gets hit by it.

LAMBDA:

The new Nu. Her 2C followup combo damage has been reduced. 4DD can no longer be jump-cancelled. Her old Act Parser has been removed and a new move called Act Parser: Zwei has been added. The new Act Parser is nowhere as good as the current one, does not go past the opponent, and has no invincibility.

Also, no more creepy voice against Ragna.

That about sums up the character specific changes. Now, some system changes, taken off Dustloop:

- Barrier burst is now replaced with Break Burst
- You can stock up to 2 bursts
- Burst no longer have damage penalty
- every character starts with 1 burst stock, character gains an additional burst after losing a round (only once)
- Using Burst when hit or block (not regular burst) will consume half of the Guard Primer (e.g Ragna uses the burst will make his current Guard Primer go down from 4 to 2)
- Regular burst automatically becomes Gold Burst, able to kill from the follow up combo
- burst during hit or block is Green burst, similar to CT version

- When regular gold burst hits opponent, opponent will bounce high and able to combo from there (no more Guard break by gold burst)
- Life bar still goes into DANGER if barrier meter is running out

- All AH unlocked
- You can use AH when you need one more round to win (not the final round of the match) with 100% meter, more than 1 burst left and opponent’s life is below certain percentage, character face picture next to life bar shines in white when it is possible to activate AH

- Guard Primer system replaces Guard Libra
- Guard Primer length changes for every characters, meter goes down if the character blocks the specific move that breaks the guard (e.g. blocking Λ-11-’s 214D will let meter go down by 2)
- many guard break moves go through barrier
- Guard primer will automatically recover but very slowly
- Guard Primer length
10 Tager
06 Hakumen Bang Tsubaki Hazama
05 Jin Noel Litchi Arakune
04 Ragna Rachel Taokaka Carl Λ-11-

- option select tech throw during guard motion still works, but harder
- Unable to cancel forward and back roll with specials or supers
- tech throw glitch during counter hit motion and recovery time does not work
- Unable to tech with pressing ABC at the same time, not able to option select tech throw and regular tech
- Unable to jump during the barrier on the ground, you can not jump with barrier on, jump has bigger risk now
- movable time after winning shortened.

- general decrease in the combo damage, either there is a change in the damage calculation equation or big changes have made to combo rate of almost all moves
- Change in the counter hit system. For moves with multiple hits, all hits during the move will retain the counter hit property if 1st hit is a counter. i.e Jin’s B(1hit counter)>6C works in CT version but B(2hit)>6C does not work, in CS B(1st hit counter, 2hit)>6C works
- Easier to get negative penalty

Appearance

- Special projectile such as Arakune’s Bug and Rachel’s frog has a circle around them, easier to identify (deleted in 2nd loketest ?)
- better animation, more motion frames
- new graphic effects, new voice
- All special meters appear above the Heat Gauge
- Jin’s meter is separated into 4 parts, other characters’ are separated into 2 parts
- Bigger graphical effect when offset happens

I’m looking forward to trying it out. Too bad they don’t do loketests here in Singapore

This is a rant post. As such, I will not endeavor to make it pretty with pictures, but I’ll simply type to my heart’s content.

I was just levelling some lowbie characters on SEAGE’s Bach server, trash-talking with friends and just chilling in general. But then, my favourite form of entertainment comes to give me some small respite from boredom: broad wars. “Broading” is the act of sending a message for the whole server to see, and a “broad war” is when people start cussing at each other over the broads. Usually, its the same old boring “HAHA [insert nickname here] SO NOOB AHAHAHA”. But this particular broad war has been taking place for about two weeks or so, always the same two individuals bitching, one killing the other and the other whining.

This is the most pathetic kind of shit that can appear on a PK server. To all you fuckers who whine so much about getting killed on a PK server: GET USED TO IT. Its a fucking PK server, so you’re bound to get killed some time or other. Suck it up and continue playing, or shift your weak ass over to a carebear non-PK server where you can have fun killing monsters all your life.

For those who want to take the stand of “you shouldn’t PK for no reason, that’s just morally wrong”, you should also move over to the carebear servers. There is always a reason for one player to kill another, whether it be griefing, for fun, over some argument or whatever. Don’t give me that bullshit.

And for those who PM the person who killed you, shame on you. You think you’re stronger than me? PK me on sight and hunt me down. Make me grovel. Don’t talk smack, that’s just childish. I received a death threat once after PKing someone, and I just find him pathetic.

I must admit early in my PK server days I was also slightly peeved at getting PKed, but I believe I’ve never sunk to that level of depravity. Pathetic is an understatement when it comes to individuals like these.

/endrant.

For reading this post, here’s some Nishida Mai, my new love ww

This is the manliest song of the year, nay, the century. I am still crying manly tears after listening to it multiple times.

So.

Either my ISP’s been acting up recently for selective sites, or the typhoon that messed up some cables in Taiwan are really fucking with my connection. I can’t surf stuff like Hotmail, Facebook and even Twitter properly now. Even IRC XDCC is acting up. Hope the situation gets better soon…

Its all Panther’s fault. Now I even have a folder in my image stash labelled “Senjougahara-sama”. Need I say more? Join the Senjougahara Fascination movement now or you will mysteriously find all your holes stapled shut.

Original post here.

It’s been awhile since I did a proper post, so here’s hoping my writing hasn’t gone down the drain.

Yes, I’m talking about BlazBlue again (sorry for those who don’t care, but yeah, I’m quite a one-track-mind-play-the-game-you-like-alot-and-ignore-all-other-games kind of person) and this time I’m giving opinions on the characters after some gameplay on my part. These are of course, all my opinion, and feel free to comment if you find anything rather glaringly inaccurate.

I’ll touch on what I think about the characters and my experience so far.

* * *

Let’s start off with my thoughts on Ragna. A no brainer, since I main the guy.

RAGNA THE BLOODEDGE

While some people disagree, Ragna actually does feel a little bit like Sol. Or maybe like an improved Sol, with better range and an improved Dragon Install and lifesteal tacked on. Yeah.

Ragna is a very easy character to pick up and become effective with. His bread-and-butter combos are a cinch to pull off, he has great range with 5B and 5C, Hell’s Fang on counterhit locks the opponent in something like 40 years of hitstun, Inferno Divider is a great “get off me” move. The biggest problems Ragna has is a very distinct weakness to characters who can zone very well, i.e. Rachel and Nu. He excells in mid to close range combat, and anything beyond the reach of his 5C will require him to get in alot closer to be effective (or you can attempt to fish for a HF CH, which is very risky).

His specials are great for what they’re meant for. Hell’s Fang -> Tsuika is your standard combo ender, and HF RC into 6D j.D is a great way to extend your combos, together with the aforementioned crazy counterhit stun properties. Gauntlet Hades is a great way to go into an air combo if you delay the followup Keri Age into 5B 6A -> air combo. Inferno Divider is a the staple way to end air combos, and C Inferno Divider can be used as a great c-c-c-combo breaker. You even have options to RC the 2nd hit on C Inferno Divider if the opponent blocks it into a j.C to catch them if they try and punish. Dead Spike is a good way to alternate your combo enders and to catch some people off guard who have been conditioned to your blockstrings. It has a slightly slow startup, but its the perfect way to catch Haku-men if he tries to counter your blockstring.

Bloodkain combos, when you land them, hurt like crazy. But, like almost everything with Ragna, there’s a somewhat obvious tradeoff. Bloodkain improves hitboxes, damage, untechable time and lifesteal of Soul Eater attacks, but keeps draining Ragna’s health. Big risk, big rewards. If you land a combo that’s full of D spam, you’re gonna make quite a bit of HP back. Or even better, connect with Devoured by Darkness a.k.a. Yami ni Kuwarero. Sure, spending 100% Heat on it is somewhat of a questionable move, but I don’t mind if it connects and gives me about half my health bar back.

In other words, Ragna is a character who relies on being able to constantly land hits and have momentum in a match, without which he will easily be overwhelmed.

JIN KISARAGI

Everyone knows a Jin player. They are to Blazblue what Ky was to GG: a scrub-friendly, easy-to-use, cheap-as-shit character. Jin is probably one of the most played characters, both in arcades and online, due to his overwhelmingly cheap and simple ground spam, and his  Ice Car (I called it Ice Car from the start, so I’ll keep calling his 214A/B/C/D).

Jin has just 3 specials that can be executed with all buttons with different directional inputs. Each version gets progressively stronger, and D version requires 25% heat to execute. Each version has a different use. For example, C Ice Car is used as a combo ender in the air as well as on the ground. A Ice Car is used to cover very short distances to continue combos, i.e. after 5BC, A Ice Car to move to the other side of the opponent into ground combo. Technically, D versions of the moves are a completely new move, but that’s a minor detail.

Jin’s DP is pretty good as well. It can be used to punish jump-ins, although its nowhere as good as some of the anti-air 6As, and its a good way to catch someone off guard or as a “get off me” move. D version has a really dumb chargable 2nd hit that sends the opponent flying. To combo off it you have to either be near the corner, or blow 50% heat to cancel it then go into a combo. The other versions are pretty decent as DPs go.

What’s a Ky look-alike without the projectiles? Jin has just that, with his Ice Sword. A/B/C versions have different startup times and different projectile speeds IIRC, while D version has slow startup but does 3 hits that freeze on hit. This move can be done in the air, and each version shoots the sword at a different angle. D version sends 3 swords flying in approximately 40 degree angles from each other, and also freezes on hit.

In spite of all this, Jin is actually a very predictable character. He has one standing overhead (his 6A) which is easy to spot, so you can pretty much block low against him the whole time until you see him jump cancel or start the animation for his 6A. His projectiles, if fired from afar, are easy to block when you’re in a neutral state. Even if you’re dashing, a simple barrier stop will block said Ice Sword if you’re quick enough. Jin relies on being able to freeze his opponents to be able to do his big combos, and if his Drives are blocked or whiff, he’s gonna suffer from quite a bit of recovery, especially his 6D and his 2D. His DP, if blocked, has craploads of recovery time that a quick poke can take advantage of easily. Ice Car is spammed by scrubs internationally, and although it does cover distances, it’ll never get them anywhere. On block, Ice Car is very punishable, and will lead into a free combo for your opponent. In fact, just yesterday, I had a scrub spam Air Ice Car against me near the end of the round to try and avoid getting hit. I just waited for him to fly over my head and smacked him silly with Ragna’s 5D.

A three word summary of Jin: Cheap but predictable.

NOEL VERMILLION

After getting over the wtf-ness that is Noel using her guns at melee range, she’s actually a pretty decent character. She, like Ragna, excells at mid-close range, especially close range, where all her Chain Revolver moves can come into play. She can be very unpredictable in how she starts the Chain, as there are low and overhead Activation moves. Her continuation moves are also pretty varied, some low, some high, some that have invulnerability on certain frames and whatnot.

Variations in her Chain Revolver moves means lots of ways to break the opponent’s guard by alternating overheads and lows, and when she nails a full combo, it hurts alot. One must know when to use what though, as certain Chains have just enough recovery and startup frames between for a fast poke to stuff her next Chain move. Many a time a Noel tried to pull a Chain on my Ragna only to have the next move in line stuffed with 5B. Its sometimes wise to end her Chain early with 236A to try and catch your opponent when they try to punish, as its pretty safe and might even land you a CH.

A full Chain Revolver combo can do quite a bit of damage, and you have the option of cancelling into a few specials at the end of it, or you can even link into her ground Distortion Fenrir. Her options, however, lessen significantly the further she gets from the opponent. At maximum range, pretty much the only thing that can hit the opponent short of you jumping in with j.D or dashing in is 236C.

My knowledge of Noel is limited though, since I only play against one person who mains Noel regularly, and I’m seeing slightly more variations on characters now at the arcades as well as against my friends. My thoughts are that Noel needs to be in very close range to be able to be effective as her reach is very poor, but she’s fast as hell, especially her 5A. I’d venture to say her reach is worse than Ragna, who has his awesome 5C and even Hell’s Fang. Once she gets in, however, she can pretty much make short work of the opponent easily with her Drive, not to mention her crazy high-low mixup options from which she can start her Drives or combos.

RACHEL ALUCARD

Where do I start with this loli-that-is-not-a-loli…

The frog is irritating as hell, the rods are irritating as hell and makes me wonder when will she do Sword Iris and fry me as I try to dash or jump in, the pumpkin is somewhat annoying, her servants are as quiet as Bang. In other words: Rachel annoys me in everyway I can think of, mainly because I almost always play Ragna against her. Since I only tried Rachel once and have always been playing against Yumeno’s Rachel, I’ll get some stuff out here about how he annoys me with her.

Close range is where Rachel can start some of her grounded combos, and if there’s a frog out, her air combos as well. Most of them end in her throwing out another rod, which makes it even hard to get near her. Ragna’s only means of approaching short of throwing out a Hell’s Fang is 1. dash in and hope you don’t get fried trying to 5C her at maximum range, 2. jump in with j.C if you’re close enough and hope you don’t get fried or land on a frog, or 3. airdash in with j.C. So far I find 3 most useful, since if i try and dash in and don’t barrier stop, I get fried almost always. If I throw out HF, I get hit by the mid or close range stone-that-turns-into-the-rod. Jumping in with j.C works only if you guage the reach of said attack correctly and don’t get fried beforehand. Air dashing or IADing into j.C almost always lands me a hit on her and since Ragna lands right next to her, even if she blocks I can usually poke fast enough to stuff anything she tries to throw out to punish. Usually.

With all her tools, Rachel is a very effective zoner that makes you guess what she’s going to do next, and forces the opponent to always be on their toes. Not only can she play effective zoning and poking from afar, she can also turn static normals into moving ones, making her effective at rushing as well. Coupled with shit flying all over the place and crap on the floor, Rachel is one irritating character to go up against.

* * *

That concludes part one of my thoughts post. Stay tuned for more of me bitching about the other characters… some time in the future. For reading, have a GIF.

CosFest is over, and it was pretty fun, despite me getting home and turning into a zombie the past few days.

Me after the event

Thanks to everyone who made it fun, to the organizers of the event, my BlazBlue team, and of course, the people at the chalet :3

The Emperor is not impressed.

No, srsly. I’m getting more hits now than ever before. Must be my BlazBlue posts getting some clicks…

‘Kay, will post more BB stuff then.

I am disappoint.