Welcome to Patch 3.25! This week we are launching a new, explosive Fireworks Taunt! We also updated the BotW, changed items on sale in Mallhalla, adjusted a test map, made performance optimization, and updated the Legend rotation.

BotW – 3v3 Beachbrawl

Time for a Beachbrawl party! What better way to beat the heat than throwing water balloons at beach balls to score goals in a 3v3 Summer throw down? Get 1 point for each beach ball you get past the opposing team’s goal. Most points at the end of 2 minutes wins!

• 3v3
• Queue alone or with a friend!
• 2 minutes
• Most points at the end wins!

Mallhalla

• Fireworks Taunt now available to add to your Heatwave Summer fun!
• Check out Mallhalla for new sale items!

Performance

• (PC) Optimized the off screen bubbles.
• Decreased memory usage on disk and the in-game animation system.
• New sound events on some UI elements.
• Increased PS4 render efficiency.

Test Features

The test map Small Twilight Grove has been adjusted. The wedge on the right now has a small outside wall. This change is intended to open that area back up for recovering like on the standard version of Twilight Grove. It should also make recovering over the tip of the wedge a more viable option, all without opening the wedge back up to the abuse cases available on standard version. This also allows us to bring the wedge’s left wall back to the same position it’s currently in on the standard version since you’re no longer forced to recover through the gap between the wedge and the main platform when knocked below the wedge. Additionally, the high soft platform in the middle has been lowered so that it can no longer aide a runaway player camping the wedge since a neutral air attack can now reach that platform within a single jump from the main platform. All of this is aimed at maintaining what players find fun about the unique geometry of Twilight Grove while eliminating the most egregious abuse cases.

Sound Engine
We’re slowly rolling out a new beta branch that uses Wwise in the live client. Wwise is a whole new sound engine that will drastically improve sound quality for PC players. It’s a system already running on PS4, and our goal is to mirror what we have onto PC. We will be asking the community to beta test this new sound engine!

Wwise will let us do more things, like:

• Have more dynamic sounds
• Smoother looping for background music
• Taunt voice sounds
• Dedicated thread for performance
• AAA quality and more!

Legend Rotation

The new Legend rotation for this week includes: Artemis, Val, Barraza, Teros, Koji, and Queen Nai.

• Artemis – Transversing the universe in search of her rival Orion, Artemis has ripped open a wormhole into Valhalla, armed with a Rocket Lance and Scythe; she is ready to fight!
• Val – An android assassin with terrifying strength and quicker-than-light cognition, Val is a force to be reckoned with when utilizing her Sword and Gauntlets.
• Barraza – A feared man in the wastelands with his Blasters and Axe, Barraza is the ultimate survivor and will do what it takes to be at the top in Valhalla.
• Teros – A minotaur once belonging to the Iron Legion, Teros takes pride and joy in all the battles of Valhalla with his Axe and Hammer.
• Koji – Armed with his ancestral katana, Koji slices his way through the battlefield with Sword and Bow!
• Queen Nai – The Jaguar Queen steps into the halls of Valhalla with her Spear and Katars, earning victories in the hopes of regaining her lost kingdom.