The Road to the Centurion Rework –Live Problems:
Centurion suffered from some problems in his fight kit – his offense never forced a reaction from the opponent in 1v1 scenarios and didn’t offer much in team fights besides his powerful ability to gank through inconsistent revenge-armor and binding rules. This meant that Centurion was basically forced to turtle in 1v1s until a parry allows the cutscene, or gank into the cutscene in 4v4 scenarios. This was very limiting for the Centurion, and frustrating for the opponent.
As we try to improve the Centurion, we would like to see him initiate and sustain offense and also reduce his ability to bind an opponent into certain death.
Testing Grounds Intentions:
We wanted to retain the fun of playing Centurion. However, we recognize that they’re not particularly effective against opponents who don’t attempt parries, and that it’s very hard for a Centurion to initiate combat. We wanted the character to feel powerful, while allowing more exit points for the opponent.
We also wanted to remove the frustration for the opponent when Centurion launches the Charged Heavy into Charged Jab into Eagle’s Talons – as this feels like a cutscene. Additionally, we wanted to remove the inconsistent rules on bind.
Testing Grounds Contents:
The cutscene was effectively removed. Charged Heavies no longer guarantee any Jab; the opponent can dodge. Instead, Centurion can Feint the Jab, and can Feint the Charged Heavies.
Quick Throw was replaced by the same Jab, because the Quick Throw didn’t provoke the opponent to react. The opponent could try to block the Light, and in any case Counter Guard Break the Quick Throw; there was no reason to dodge and risk getting grabbed. With the Jab option, Centurion can threaten opponents after any strike.
Well-Received Changes:
- Removal of the cutscene was well-received – allowing Dodge worked well
- Useful Lights – 500ms Lights in chains allowed more variety to the character
- Light to Jab – much more useful than Quick Throw ever was
- Feintable Jab – like Warden Shoulder Bash, this allows sustained offense
- Feintable Zone Attacks – adds the Zone as a useable move
Problems to Fix After Testing Grounds:
- Roll away from Jab – after a Light, the opponent could roll away for free, neutering Centurion’s offensive options
- Light Jab annoyance – Being punched more frequently caused the Stun property to occur much more often
- Wallsplat doesn’t always guarantee Charged Heavy – there were some distances that caused this issue. As you want to be getting that attack off of Wallsplat now, it should function even if you’re close to the wall
- Lion’s Roar (GB>L>L>L) and Haymaker bugs – these didn’t quite work together and caused Centurion to miss some damage
Other Topics Considered
- Parry Punish – we removed Heavy as a punish for a Heavy Parry. We believe it’s best if Centurion isn’t given free heavy damage for a Heavy Parry as it’s too high compared to the rest of the cast. The Light Parry will still give a fully Charged Heavy
- GB Vulnerability of Heavy Attack – we decided that 433ms of GB Vulnerability for a Heavy is ideal for all heroes. This makes it risky to go Parry-fishing, and this risk needs to exist for every hero.
- Eagle Talon Damage – It was lower on Live (35) and higher on Testing Grounds (45). Players were mixed on this, so we found a middle ground.
Testing Grounds Problems Addressed:
We addressed the Problems that were called out in the Testing Grounds with the following:
- Roll away from Jab – with some minor timing changes, opponents are now unable to roll away without risking a GB catching them (even after a Light)
- Light Jab annoyance – we’ve removed the Stun property from the Jab
- Wallsplat doesn’t always guarantee Charged Heavy – now in this scenario Centurion should always be able to hit the Charged Heavy
- Lion’s Roar (GB>L>L>L) and Haymaker bugs – fixed
We also made changes to increase offensive pressure, including increased forward movement on some attacks, increasing forward combat strafe speed, and making the Legion Kick viable as a tool to open up an opponent.
Final Thoughts
We expect the Centurion to now have a viable (although sometimes risky) options in 1v1 and team fights, allowing him to initiate combat and sustain offensive pressure. Between Legion Kick, Eagle’s Fury, and the improved forward movement, we feel Centurion should be able to impose himself on the battlefield more often. At the same time, we feel that making the binding rules consistent with other characters, changing the cutscene to allow interaction, and reducing Stun + Stamina Damage should make the Centurion less frustrating to play against.
Thank you for your invaluable participation during the Testing Grounds, Warriors, and we hope you enjoy playing the new look Centurion!
The Centurion rework will be live in the game on June 11th!
