PTR 1.3 balance changes?

[dustinbrowder]

What do you think about the changes?

Is the removal of protoss amulet too much, has blizzard lost its mind or has Dustin had an epiphany and is making the perfect moves?

Can terran beat protoss late game, can zerg own T&P? Show your noob knowledge here and discuss!

[TheEconomist]

Getting better But, why not just ask: what is your opinion on [insert change] instead of what you've been doing.

Back on-topic, I haven't melee since the patch so I can't comment.

[Caliban113]

I'm wondering if it was necessary to do away with the whole thing (?) Why dont they just make the upgrade increase the total amount of energy (like 1 or 2 more storms per max mana) instead of starting energy?

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[DutyFree]

Psi storm may be a tad powerful in late game, where a protoss can warp in ~8 templar and storm just like that. However, in my opinion protoss needs all the incentives it can get to not go robotics bay. Right now 4-gate and 3-gate robo are the only things I see protoss players doing (of course there are some people who are more creative, but the vast majority use these two solid, powerful builds). Protoss air is a joke and without the amulet templar tech becomes a lot harder. Why don't they leave this relatively small problem and focus on the stagnating of protoss play?

[Triceron]

Watching the GSL. Feel really sorry for the Zerg right now. Even the pros are falling behind, and people are out-playing Zerg at that level with micro and sensability.

Zerg needs creep spread, many units and a good surround to take on large bioballs or protoss deathballs (Stalker-heavy mix with optional sentry, colossus, immortal, archon and zealots). Marines are very difficult to counter, having Zerg rely on more questionable and counterable tactics such as mass baneling (countered with marine micro or retreating behind tank lines) or Fungal Growth (countered with siege tanks or Ghost EMP). Zerg don't have the potency to create a deathball, and must rely on attrition tactics and map dominance.

Also what I think Zerg really needs is stronger base defense. Terrans can kill off a hatch with a dropship full of marines. No amount of Zerglings or Hydras will take down a Planetary Fortress that's being repaired by all SCVs. I think Zerg could really use a boost somewhere, somehow. It seems very difficult to break a lot of late-game macro games against Protoss or Terran, and I've seen games where Terran on 3 base vs Zerg with whole map will end with a Terran victory. Mules and PF's control expansions way better than hatch + Queen/sunkens.

At least with the patch changes, using HT for base defense will not be as potent, and drops are easier to pull off. I don't know how much the Stim research timing will affect marines, but any nerf to them right now is a good thing IMO. They're just so damned potent.

[Jabber Wookie]

Watching the GSL. Feel really sorry for the Zerg right now. Even the pros are falling behind, and people are out-playing Zerg at that level with micro and sensability.

Zerg needs creep spread, many units and a good surround to take on large bioballs or protoss deathballs (Stalker-heavy mix with optional sentry, colossus, immortal, archon and zealots). Marines are very difficult to counter, having Zerg rely on more questionable and counterable tactics such as mass baneling (countered with marine micro or retreating behind tank lines) or Fungal Growth (countered with siege tanks or Ghost EMP). Zerg don't have the potency to create a deathball, and must rely on attrition tactics and map dominance.

Also what I think Zerg really needs is stronger base defense. Terrans can kill off a hatch with a dropship full of marines. No amount of Zerglings or Hydras will take down a Planetary Fortress that's being repaired by all SCVs. I think Zerg could really use a boost somewhere, somehow. It seems very difficult to break a lot of late-game macro games against Protoss or Terran, and I've seen games where Terran on 3 base vs Zerg with whole map will end with a Terran victory. Mules and PF's control expansions way better than hatch + Queen/sunkens.

At least with the patch changes, using HT for base defense will not be as potent, and drops are easier to pull off. I don't know how much the Stim research timing will affect marines, but any nerf to them right now is a good thing IMO. They're just so damned potent.

I completely agree. Zerg are completely lacking in new units compared to toss and terran, as well as lacking in new abilities (warp in, dropships that heal, stim for marauders).

Not to mention, hydras are arguably useless without a freaking speed upgrade! Seriously, this seems like the easiest upgrade to implement for balance issues. If ladder and professional play continues to incorporate larger maps, hydras will become less and less useful. If need be, make it much more expensive than in SC1, or require a hive, or an infestation pit.

Otherwise, I seriously don't understand why they were given the shaft on speed upgrade in SC2 when every other ground combat unit has it (roaches, lings, and banelings) except for ultras. I honestly think Blizz was worried roaches wouldn't be used much if hydras could be just as fast, but if that's the case, then it should be obvious they still serve different roles. I would never mass hydras against collosi as opposed to roaches, etc...

[JackhammerIV]

The way they did the amulet was just crazy. It's slow to tech to and expensive and now it has another problem with it. If the problem was just insta storms then there's a lot of other ways to address it.

Zerg really needs quite a bit of love. Perhaps Blizzard can increase the hp of hatchery and nexus again.:P That was the most indirect balance change I can remember. "Oh having trouble with drops. Don't worry here's some more hp on your buildings."

[SinsWage]

What people need to remember is a change in ptr is sometimes simply to gather contrasting data. Remember the bunker build time thing from before? They stated in the patch notes that this change would NOT go live. They put it in there for some testing purpose. Some changes currently may be for that. Sure, stuff like the no air FG was just a bad idea, but there's no telling what is intended to actually balance vs. what is intended to gather data in certain situations.

On to Zerg balance. I think queen transfusing while burrowed would be a great boon to Zerg defense. Just a thought.

[Gt2slurp]

On to Zerg balance. I think queen transfusing while burrowed would be a great boon to Zerg defense. Just a thought.

Transfusion should get a boost i agree with you. The purpose of the queen is to always inject larva or always spread creep, i.e. never having more than 25-30 energy on it. If you need a transfusion NOW, you can't use the energy for your next inject larva, you can wait 20 more second and let you crawler die. I think transfusion at 25 energy, like inject larva and creep tumor, can be a potent buff for defence. Even getting 2 queen at expo and mass transfuse crawler like scv do with PF.

About the amulet i still don't know. Seems overkill nerf to me...

[MuppZA]

I think not good but god damn it we need 2 test before start bitching about it!^^