Game Updates - September 2016
Hi! As we get closer to our upcoming worldwide launch, I’m excited to show you some of the sweet new changes that just went live in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes. We have a lot of good topics, so let’s get going!
No More “Insta-Blocks”
We’ve been rolling PvZ Heroes out to a few countries at a time so we can collect feedback from players and make the game even better. From the feedback, we found that one feature was especially polarizing: “Insta-Blocks.” This is the part of the Super-Block system where any hit had a 5% chance to fill the entire Block Meter, creating an immediate Super-Block. The main goals for Insta-Blocks were to add excitement, unpredictability, and a chance for a player under pressure to make a big comeback.
We’ve kept a close eye on what Insta-Blocks do in the real world. We received a lot of feedback about them from players, both positive and negative. Ultimately, we decided that Insta-Blocks created too many frustrating moments and a little too much randomness, so we removed them.
To be clear: The overall system for Superpowers, Super-Blocks, and the Block Meter remains as is. Like before, a hit randomly charges 1, 2, or 3 sections of your Block Meter. When all 10 sections of your Block Meter are full, you get a Super-Block. The only change is that there is no longer a 5% chance to “Insta-Block” and fill the entire meter from a single hit. Removing Insta-Blocks slightly reduces the average number of Super-Blocks per game. We’ll keep an eye on that over time.
Hero Quests Added!
In addition to normal Quests, each Hero you unlock now gives you 10 new Hero Quests! These reward players for exploring some of the most powerful strategies and combos for each Hero. By completing them, you’ll unlock free Gems, Sparks to craft with, specific Premium cards, and ultimately a special card pack containing cards specifically used by that Hero.
This means that unlocking a new Hero now comes with tons of free bonus value you can unlock through Hero Quests. See if you can beat them all!
New Ranked PvP Leagues Added!
In response to popular demand, we’ve added more Ranked PvP Leagues, with big Gem rewards for reaching each League. Advancing through the Wood League is now faster than ever, with the Star rules set up to help you rank up quickly. As you prove your skills and reach more advanced Leagues, the Star rules get tougher too. That means only the most skillful players will get to the Gold League, Diamond League, new Taco League, and new Ultimate League!
Leagues run for a season, with each season lasting several months until the next card set comes out. Once a new season begins, your Season 1 Rank progress will be saved. Then you can start building up your Season 2 Rank from an early level, earning all the Gem rewards again for reaching new Ranks and Leagues.
| PvP Rank # | League | Stars per game win | Stars per game loss | Bonus Stars for Win Streak | Stars Needed to increase Rank | Rewards per Rank | Rewards for reaching this League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01-04 | Wood | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 20 gems | n/a |
| 05-09 | Bronze | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 25 gems | 200 gems |
| 10-19 | Silver | 2 | -1 | 1 | 10 | 30 gems | 250 gems |
| 20-29 | Gold | 1 | -1 | 1 | 10 | 35 gems | 300 gems |
| 30-39 | Diamond | 1 | -1 | 0 | 10 | 40 gems` | 350 gems |
| 40-49 | Taco | 1 | -1 | 0 | 20 | 50 gems | 400 gems |
| 50 | Ultimate | 1 | -1 | 0 | Final Rank! | n/a | 500 gems |
Card Updates
These updates have recently gone live:
- Navy Bean was deeply inspired by the Synchronized Swimming world championships. He is now a 4-cost 2/2 that says “Amphibious. Team-Up. When played: All Amphibious Plants get +1/+1.” (Was 4-cost 3/4 “Amphibious, Team-Up.”) Note that his ability always pumps himself up to 3/3. With this change, we wanted to give Citron a strategy he would be better at than any other Plant Hero. Citron has both the Amphibious Plant Classes: “Guardian” and “Smarty”, so this new Navy Bean can help Citron more than anyone else. It’s also a nice combo with his superior officer: Admiral Navy Bean.
- Knight of the Living Dead now craves more brains than ever before. He is now a 7-cost 5/5 “Armored 2”, up from 6 cost. This is the biggest Zombie in the entire Basic Set. Once he sallies forth, he’s really hard for Plants to outfight. You almost have to use a Trick on him or fight around him in other lanes. That’s a great role for a Basic Zombie to have, but making him cost a little more gives Basic Set Plants more time to roam the fields before the Knight brings down the Zombie King’s justice.
- Sunburn, Solar Flare’s signature Superpower, still says “Do 2 damage. You get +1 Sun for the rest of the game.” It was always intended to give you that extra sun starting on the following turn. For a while, it had a bug where it was also giving you +1 Sun the turn you played it, which is now fixed. It is still quite a nasty burn!
- Hot Potato (the token made by Spudow's signature superpower) had an awkward encounter at a potato-vodka-themed cocktail party with a completely different Plant from PvZ 2 also named “Hot Potato.” Exploding with embarrassment, Spudow’s Hot Potato has now taken the new name "Hothead.”
Go reach that spicy Taco League, and I’ll see you on the lawn!
Devin Low
Creative Director and Lead Designer, Plants vs. Zombies Heroes
