Hey Clashers!

For the second part of our State of Gameplay series, we’d like to share some adjustments coming to CWL modifiers, more details about the upcoming balance changes, plus some teasers for what gameplay changes we are working on next…

Let’s start with a short CWL Update

Following the first month of the extended CWL modifier setup we mentioned in our previous post, we’ve realised some temporary adjustments are needed while we continue refining the long term direction of modifiers across the ranks.

Starting with the upcoming CWL season, Titan III and Titan II will use the Legend II modifier setup, while Titan I and Legend League will use the Legend I modifier setup.

These changes are aimed at creating healthier competition across the ladder while giving us a clearer picture of how different modifier environments affect gameplay and hitrates.

May Balance Changes

Before the update itself arrives, we have a new round of balance changes coming first (see detailed spreadsheet at the bottom of the article).

With this round of balance changes, we’re excited to try a different way of communicating them. Last time we went pretty deep into hitrates and performance data ourselves, but this time we want to focus more on the intent behind the changes.

We are making a significant adjustment to the Giant Arrow, alongside a smaller change to Rocket Backpack. The goal is to address a recurring issue where the Giant Arrow would need buffs with each new Air Defence level, creating situations where it became too strong at lower Town Hall levels just to fulfil its role at the top. With this change, the Giant Arrow will now deal double damage to Air Defences while being less impactful against other targets, making it feel more like a specialised tool for taking out key defences rather than a broadly dominant option.

The Dragon Duke has also been a bit overtuned. While it’s been a lot of fun, it currently has too much impact on the meta. In addition to the previously mentioned Rocket Backpack change, for the next update in June, we will be changing how its interaction works with the Flame Blower, to always blow towards the Duke’s initial direction, instead of the Backpack’s direction. Furthermore on May Balance Changes, we’re reducing the power of Fire Heart and his Trap Damage Reduction, and will monitor how he performs from here, tightening his (very cool looking) chain further if needed.

The current air meta has been a major shift, and our goal is to create a healthier balance between Ground and Air strategies. To support this, we are adjusting the Lava Launcher, as well as Air Bombs and the Roaster. While the Lava Launcher has been very strong against ground strategies, Air Bombs and the Roaster have not had the same level of impact against air attacks.

Finally, we are adjusting the Sky Wagon and Dragon Rider. The Sky Wagon is losing one Barrel, one Minion, and one level across all its troops, while the Dragon Rider receives a small nerf. We’re happy the Sky Wagon is a strong option, but it shouldn’t dominate nearly every attack.

mORE

Now that we've shared our reasoning & goals for the upcoming Balance Changes in May. Our design team is already planning new ways to open up fresh attack possibilities and to break the gameplay balance once again: a new Event Troop, new gameplay content that could change the flow of attacks in some unexpected ways, plus a monolithic new Epic Equipment.

 I know what you’re thinking… How can you possibly enjoy more new Epic Equipment when so many players can’t even keep up with the Equipment that is in the game already? We want it to be easier to level up and try more Epic Equipment so that more players can enjoy the new good stuff that is coming! We’ve taken our time rolling out a catch-up mechanic because we wanted to be thoughtful; many players have invested a lot of time and money into Equipment and we want to be fair about how we accelerate our new and re-engaging players who have missed previous Equipment releases and events. We believe we’ve found a fair way to make the Epic Equipment economy more accessible while still keeping the Ore economy engaging and we can’t wait to share it with you, but… 

Closing

We are not showing all our cards just yet. You’ll have to wait for the next Clash On Video to hear more… That’s it for this smaller update. We’ll keep monitoring how these changes land, listening to feedback from players and creators, and making adjustments where needed.

Thanks for reading.

Clash On!