Archives August 2024

With the dust settling down after the largest update yet in Tactics League’s history, it’s time to put your skills with the plethora of new and exciting changes to the ultimate test: another live competition!

This competition utilizes Tactics League’s tried-and-true competitive Standard format, where players have access to an array of different unique characters, equipment, abilities, and jobs ALL at their disposal with limitations baked right into the patch and format. As the third competition, we have new and returning competitors looking to take on the challenges of both time, intellect, and strategy as they make their way through a single-elimination style bracket that is targeted to take approximately 5 hours.

As the last event in the first competitive season, we are hoping you will join this presentation and watch it LIVE at either Tactics League Discord or the Tactics League Twitch channel (or both)!

This event will take place on October 6, 2024, starting at 12:30 PM EDT.

For more information about this event, please visit our Events page.

This incremental update combines bug fixes, text corrections, a buff to Monk, ability balancing, and a few new changes ahead of the 3rd competition.

Note: If you already have the previous v4.0 save data, you can simply apply this patch to your unmodified ISO to be up to date. The included save data is still the 4.0 version. To download the official version 4.1 PvP Patch and save data, visit Downloads.

Bug Fixes

• Resolved the issue where Mimes could illegally retain gear provided by a prior Equip X ability after job change

Text Updates

• Sky Mantra – Removed the “Chance” text from all abilities as the chance for these abilities is 100% when their conditions are met.
• Death Strike – Significantly updated the Help menu to include applicable abilities and the game’s global critical damage (which is not affected by Death Strike)
• Thief’s Gloves – Updated the Help menu that this item only affects Steal Equipment abilities
• Chaos Blade, Climhazzard, Blade Beam, Vengeance – Updated the calcs for each to show missingHP instead of currentHP (which sounds more appropriate)

Jobs

• Monk – Increased HPM from 135 to 145% (approx. +29 HP)
  Okay, Monk bulk has been a topic here and there so I compared them to other similar physical jobs. Without access to Hats, they are marginally behind, and with 3 Move, they “may” have a tougher time engaging (may is loose here because they have a 6-range ability). So without buffing their mobility or giving them Hat access, they will get 10% more starting HP to work with which puts them less on the squishy side, and a bit more flexibility in Clothing options and secondary jobs and are comparable to other similar jobs in terms of bulk.

Action Abilities

• Spellblade (Beowulf)
  • Syphon – This ability no longer has an MP cost
    An oversight that was not adjusted when the MP changes were made with Mystic Arts’ Empowerment.
    
• Magicks (Valmafra)
  • Divine Ultima:
    • Changed calculations from [(MA * PWR) * (fa/100) * (tFa/100)] to [MA * PWR], making this ability now faithless like Ramza & Luso’s Ultima
    • Decreased PWR from 60 to 28
    • Decreased Tick from 6 to 4
    • No longer affects allies
    • There have been various changes with Divine Ultima throughout the beta period and it seems to still be a bit behind on viability. So I reset the drawing board while aiming purely for “viability and user-friendly” on her signature skill. Ultimately, the design is to keep it from being drone-casted, but also remove the risk that Val could harm nearby allies (a key difference from Ramza/Luso’s), while having better timing on being able to hit targets regardless of Faith/Atheism. These are the last changes to Divine Ultima. 
      
• Items
  • Remedy – Added Removes: Berserk as an additional source to do so
    
• Martial Arts
  • Fixed the critical chance for abilities that use [(PA + PWR) / 2 * PA] from 4 to 10% (which was originally erroneously stated but is now properly set) and abilities that use this formula respect the global critical strike code
    After some discoveries, damaging Martial Arts and Spin Punch was not respecting the global crit chance because they use their own separate roll, so this has been fixed so that you always get at least 10% crit chance with it and it properly scales up with Death Strike.
    
• Aim
  • Beso Toxico – Decreased PWR from 70 to 60 (now % = PA + 60)
    PWR decreased since it inherits weapon range.
    
  • Break Aim – You can no longer Move once you start charging (similarly to Take Aim)
    This change provides better consistency in how these both operate.
    
  • Aim Vitals – Decreased PWR from 50 to 40 (now % = PA + 40)
    Though there are accessible ways to check Doom status, the PWR of Aim Vitals is being brought down slightly to curb some of its spamming potential and that it inherits weapon range.
    
• Summon
  • Salamander – Increased PWR from 36 to 38 (avg. 410 w/ Faith, or 246 w/o Faith)
    After comparing Salamander to Leviathan as Tier 3 spells, Salamander will have a bit more PWR whereas Leviathan has better AoE. This also affects the Dragon Whisker polearm.
    
• Speechcraft
  • Condemn – Decreased PWR from 60 to 50 (now % = MA + 50)
    Alongside the Aim Vitals nerf, Condemn is also getting a slight PWR reduction though it should be a bit more potent with it having range limitations.
    
• Throw
  • Shuriken – Decreased WP from 18 to 17 (now 17 * 17)
    Though Shuriken is a flexible option to entice slower jobs with a reliable, ranged attack, the margin for Shuriken vs. Fuma/Yagyu is too close between the two. Since Throw is primarily about Speed, this nerf is to keep Shuriken as a reliable chip/finisher ability, but also widen the gap for Fuma/Yagyu to be more prominent. 
    
• Dance
  • Mincing Minuet – Decreased PWR from 100 to 80 (now PA + 80 or (PA * 4) + 80 w/ Performing Arts)
    To reduce the oppression capabilities this ability can cause with its faster ticks, the PWR is being scaled back to bring it more in line with Life’s Anthem and to reduce total damage done when it can hit near back-to-back.
    
• Ja-Magicks
  • Gravija – Decreased PWR from 160 to 130 (avg. 53% w/o Faith, or 89% with Faith)
    With Gravija having the ability to set any unit’s HP down to 1 in an AoE, its PWR is being lowered to introduce a fail window, though on Sage it still has good odds.

R/S/M Abilities

• Equip Bludgeon – Now includes Books
  Though Books are used as ranged weapons, they do make the case for a good thumping beside one’s skull 🙂

Equipment – Weapons

• Books
  • Veil of Wiyu – Decreased WP from 20 to 18
  • Omnilex, Papyrus Codex, and Battle Folio:
    • Reverted weapon calculations from [magick gun] to [(PA + MA) / 2 * WP]. Notably, these weapon attacks are evadable once again
    • These books are no longer elemental and no longer Boost their respective element
    • These books are no longer dual wieldable
    • Reverted the flavor text to vanilla 
    • Set the following WP:
      • Battle Folio – 12 WP
      • Omnilex – 10 WP
      • Papyrus Codex – 10 WP
    • 100% Casts the following Faith-based ability on successful weapon attack hit:
      • Battle Folio – Thundaga (35 PWR, magic evadable)
      • Papyrus Codex – Unholy Darkness (40 PWR, unevadable)
      • Omnilex – Flareja (38 PWR, unevadable)
      • Note: Abilities cast this way are still single target even if the base ability is AoE
        Though the concept of Books being treated as magick guns was cool, there was some clunkiness to using them in dual wield and they were rarely used, so I wanted to find a unique niche for Books that also fit their “theme” of being able to cast a spell when they hit. The initial damage is meant to be chip and the follow-up Cast can have high damage potential. Now get to studying!
        
• Flails
  • All Flails now ignore the target’s physical damage mitigation (Protect, Defense Boost, Resilient) in addition to being unevadable
  • Reworked WP Standardization to 13, with Scorpion Tail being the strongest option (still WP * WP):
    • Scorpion Tail – From 16 to 14
    • Vesper – From 14 to 13
    • Morning Star – From 15 to 13
    • Flame Mace – From 15 to 13
      
  • Flame Mace (previously Chaos Mace):
    • Reverted to its original version
    • Casts: Firaga instead of Fira (magic evadable)
    • Removed +1 PA/+1 MA
    • Fire element
      Flails could use some love in the limited accessibility they have so they are now like axes, but do not scale with PA, but are also unevadable.  
      
• Knight’s Swords
  • Chaos Blade:
    • Re-added Equip: Regen
    • Increased WP from 20 to 22
      Though the Chaos Blade has a niche, its niche relies on certain variables for it to shine. The buffs to it are to give its bearer passive healing over time and is now the strongest Knight’s Sword WP-wise which can be more considerable for certain abilities though keep in mind this sword still does [targetMaxHP - targetMissingHP] damage with its attacks.
      
• Ninja Blades
  • Orochi – Removed Dark element (it is supposed to be non-elemental)
    Whoops, but no one caught on 😉
    
• Rods
  • Dragon Rod:
    • Decreased WP from 14 to 12 (Rod WP standardization)
    • Removed +1 MA
    • Now Dark Element
    • Now has a 50% chance to uniquely Cast: Dark Whisper (originally from Tiamat monsters)
    • Updated the item’s palette
    • Notes regarding the Dark Whisper ability:
      • Calc: (MA + 4) / 2 * MA
      • Magic Damage, Dark Element
      • 25% chance each to Inflict: Stop, Sleep (Note: Chantage does not increase the status chance of ability-sourced inflictions)
        After the plethora of weapon changes, Dragon Rod ultimately fell behind in terms of where it fits in usability. These changes give it a unique feel, a new Dark elemental weapon, and a unique cast to fit the name and theme.
        
• Swords
  • Nagnarok – Decreased Block from 20 to 10
    The Block reduction is to normalize Nagnarok alongside other Swords especially with it being a powerful item and normally equippable with Shields.
    
  • Coral Sword – This weapon uses a 9 PWR version of Quicksand instead of the default 6 PWR Geomancy
    Besides this item seeing low playability, the Cast on Quicksand needs a bit of a PWR buff when comparing what jobs can equip Swords and their average starting MA.