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edrovinhaz edited this page Apr 14, 2024 · 14 revisions

Introduction

Competitive games have been part of my life for ages, but I'd dare not call myself a pro at such. My skills lie in breaking games down as an analyst to help others learn and improve. I have rebalanced niche fighters for the past decade, finding uncharted territory fun to explore. If I knew about Xenogears back then, I would've been in love with the Battling Arena despite its blatant issues.

There isn't much to complain about with Xenogears being made on a crunch. The team didn't need to go as far as they did, but chose to expand it anyway. The problem was that math was likely used for balancing this game. Such is only fine when the scope is rather small. With so many properties identical across a massive and diverse roster, attack speed became the most important trait for viability.

There was a LOT to improve, and I managed to give it most of the polish it deserves. The mechanics were tightened to fix most issues, while the roster stays a little loose with more adjustable stats to make everyone stand out more. The basis is that it's a game made back in the 90s. 49 Gears is too many to properly balance with some too slow or limited to be viable anyway. I'm trying to make all major Gears solid and the lesser Gears more fleshed-out and coherent. As such, some liberties were taken that are not accurate to the RPG aspect. There are two versions of the Arena present to satisfy both both casual and hardcore players. (Note: Expert mode not available until 0.4).

-Streetwize

Changes

QOL

  • Mirror matches no longer need a button held to access.
  • The game no longer forgets the last position of the "Bonus Battling" menu after starting a battle.

Control

  • Attack lockout upon reading an invalid attack has been set from 15 frames to 0; tapping L1 or Circle mid-attack still Blanks the buffer for a new string.
  • Guarding is now semi-actionable, allowing attacks and backdashes while holding L1. It remains impossible to interrupt during blockstun.
  • Deceleration is raised to tighten movement.

Gameplay

  • Everyone now has their own HP values, mobility traits, and costs for Ether bullets
  • Damage rebalanced for all Gears with strings: -- All attacks leading to enders deal between the first two tiers of damage (10~20 > ~15) -- Enders use the third tier, even for two-hit strings (~25) -- The attack's speed and alternative were taken into consideration when adjusting damage further
  • Most attacks recover faster, especially if they manually returned to idle like enders. Leading attacks were shortened to help with combos where possible.
  • The stun cap while blocking has been lowered from 20 ticks to 15.
  • Infinites removed by adjusting "combo" stun without affecting time spent in stun (differs between modes).
  • Projectiles back-hits deal 150% damage from 200%, Guarding lowers it, and is ignored while downed.
  • Popup attacks cause a vertical knockdown upon exceeding the stun limit.
  • Damage multiplier removed. All Gears had 1.0 assigned to it anyway.
  • Heat mechanics altered: -- Movement cooldown -4 > -6 -- Dash buildup +32 > +33-+36 (Depends on Gear's top speed) -- Terrain effects also apply outside of movement -- Sand lowers cooldown by 1 -- Water adds 1 to cooldown -- Overheat penalty lowered from 40% rounded down to 37.5% rounded up.
  • AI delay periods shortened for both "next action" and "disengagement" to be much more interactive overall.
  • AI heat management adjusted to limit itself to 50% yellow rather than 0%.

Basic Changes

  • The timer for hit-count tracking uses the current stun for melee attacks rather than base damage for cleaner tracking.
  • Hit-count limit has been raised from 4 to 5 for melee to better aid multi-hit attacks; projectiles remain 4.
  • Guarding a projectile that hits your back halves the boosted damage.
  • Combo stun threshold adjusted to the lowest possible value before the third hit, but is locked until stun expires.

Expert Changes

  • The timer for hit-count tracking is only applied for projectiles against a non-downed opponent; all other instances do not add to it.
  • Guarding a projectile that hits your back deals 50% base damage.
  • Combo stun threshold adjusted to the highest possible value on the third hit for all strings to knock down, for all but the secret Gear.
  • Combo stun accumulation raised from 120%/60% to 220%/100% for melee/projectiles; drain is doubled while not in stun to compensate.
  • Damage is lowered to 80% for melee and 75% for projectiles against a downed opponent.

Expert Gear tweaks

  • Siebzehn: B d 60 (one-hit knockdown)
  • Xenogears: HP 270, BA, d 7, BBA d 12, BBB d 15
  • El-Fenrir: BAB d 11
  • Tin Robo: ABA d 20
  • Dozer: AB d 24

Gear Changes

Terminology

  • Armor: A Gear's durability
  • Ether: How many frames it takes to cool off while idle after firing a bullet
  • Speed: A Gear's mobility at max speed
  • Accel: How fast it takes to reach top speed (2x on desert)
  • Decel: The time before a Gear stops moving from full speed
  • (Desert+): Ignores the sand penalty
  • (Ocean+): Can dash while submerged
  • d: Damage
  • h: Active duration/Projectile start
  • e: End point (actionable)
  • #: A or B (interchangable)
  • Advance: If an attack moves you forward
  • Trail: The visibility of any hit-trails
  • (New): Not present in the original

Note: The game runs at 30 FPS. Numbers listed below are raw values and won't reflect frame data accurately in-game from engine quirks and Gears being sped up 137.5%.

Weltall

Armor- 300
Ether- 144
Speed- 22
Accel- 8f
Decel- 6f

  • A: d 10 > 16
  • B: d 10 > 16, e 21 > 19
  • AA: d 20 > 15, e 18 > 17
  • AB: d 20 > 16, h 10-12 > 9-13
  • BA: d 20 > 16, h 8-11 > 8-12, has more range
  • BB: d 20 > 15, e 26 > 24, has more range
  • AAA: e 28 > 26, Hit trail adjusted
  • AAB: d 25 > 30, h 16-20 > 15-20, e 30 > 29
  • ABA: d 20 > 19, Second hit more consistent
  • ABB: d 25 > 22
  • BAA: d 25 > 28
  • BAB: d 25 > 26
  • BBA: h 6-11 > 5-11, e 25 > 24, no Advance
  • BBB: d 25 > 26
  • Ether: Unchanged

I want to say he is balanced with a slight emphasis on strength. As who you use to progress the plot, making him solid was imperative. Most problems affecting his consistency have been fixed to make him simple and effective, regardless of skill, without being absurd. Even though his damage is above-average, his other stats are the baseline for all other Gears.

Vierge

Armor- 295
Ether- 143
Speed- 23
Accel- 6f
Decel- 4f

  • A: d 10 > 15, e 20 > 17
  • B: d 10 > 15, e 17 > 15, Hit trail adjusted
  • AA/BB: d 20 > 14, e 25 > 21, Hit trail adjusted
  • AB: d 20 > 15, e 25 > 22
  • BA: d 20 > 15, h 10-13 > 10-14, e 31 > 28
  • AAA: e 30 > 28
  • AAB: d 25 > 24, e 30 > 26
  • ABA: d 25 > 26, e 31 > 30, h 15-24 > 15-23, Hit trail adjusted
  • ABB: d 25 > 24, e 30 > 28
  • BAA: d 25 > 22
  • BAB: d 25 > 18, e 35 > 34
  • BBA: d 25 > 26, e 41 > 40
  • BBB: now Dropkick, d 25 > 28, e 30 > 28
  • Ether: d 20 > 22, h 15 > 13, e 20 > 19

This is the boss version. Half of her enders being popups stopped them from knocking down. Alongside fast-hitting attacks with too much recovery, she was stuck in mediocrity. After some speed tweaks, changes were made that ended up making her a foil to Weltall, such as weakening her enders a little and buffing her Ether.

Heimdall

Armor- 290
Ether- 145
Speed- 24
Accel- 7f
Decel- 6f

  • A: d 10 > 12, e 16 > 14
  • B: d 10 > 12, e 16 > 14
  • AA: d 20 > 11, h 3-5 > 3-6, Hit trail adjusted
  • AB: d 20 > 11, h 4-6 > 4-7, Hit trail adjusted
  • BA: d 20 > 13, e 25 > 21, Hit trail adjusted
  • BB: d 20 > 12
  • AAA: d 25 > 22, e 23 > 21, Hit trail adjusted, pops up
  • AAB: now Inward Chop, e 30 > 27
  • ABA: d 20 > 17, e 44 > 40, second hit moves further out
  • ABB: d 25 > 23
  • BAA: d 25 > 21, h 5-8 > 4-8, e 32 > 27
  • BAB: d 25 > 20, e 18 > 16
  • BBA: d 25 > 20, e 22 > 20
  • BBB: d 25 > 17, h 7-12 > 6-12, e 24 > 21
  • Ether: d 20 > 18

This Gear was proof that speed dominated the original meta, with only slow Ether bullets stopping him from being objectively superior to Weltall. He was also one of the few instances where lowering the damage was enough to balance him, and one of the few Gears with access to more intricate combos in Extra mode.

Brigandier

Armor- 305
Ether- 144
Speed- 21
Accel- 8f
Decel- 6f
(Desert+)

  • A: d 10 > 16, e 25 > 20, Advance on
  • B: d 10 > 17, e 25 > 23, no pushback
  • AA: d 20 > 16, Advance on
  • AB: d 20 > 18, e 25 > 22, Advance on
  • BA: now Twin Crack, d 20 > 18, e 25 > 22
  • BB: d 20 > 16, e 31 > 24, Advance on
  • AAA: d 25 > 30, e 37 > 34, Advance on
  • AAB: h 11-15 > 11-19, 15-29 > 20-28, Advance on
  • ABA: d 25 > 26, Advance on
  • ABB: now Divekick, d 35 > 32, Advance on
  • BAA: d 25 > 26, e 31 > 27, Advance on, backward movement reduced
  • BAB: d 25 > 35, e 42 > 40, Advance on
  • BBA: Advance on
  • BBB: e 24 > 23, Advance on
  • Ether: d 20 > 19

Bart is cool, but his Gears were lacking here. The crimson mid-range pirates had many flaws. This one had no scooting attacks, a double-hit whose first hit cut off too early, and a 2D mixup too slow to actually work that preceded an attack easy to dodge. Though some quirks remain, he's far more functional now as a mini-powerhouse.

Renmazuo

Armor- 295
Ether- 143Speed- 25<br>Accel- 7f<br>Decel- 5f`

  • A: d 6 > 12, e 22 > 21
  • B: d 10 > 14
  • A# e 10 > 8
  • BA: d 20 > 14
  • BB: d 20 > 14, h 7-8 > 6-8
  • AAA: d 10 > 11, e 49 > 32
  • AAB: d 10 > 13, e 46 > 30
  • ABA: d 25 > 25, e 37 > 33
  • ABB: d 8 > 10, e 45 > 32
  • BAA: d 25 > 22, e 45 > 32
  • BAB: d 25 > 20, e 31 > 28
  • BBA: d 25 > 24, e 18 > 17
  • BBB: d 25 > 20, e 27 > 24
  • Ether: d 20 > 18

It's probably from a lack of oversight, but the fact his non-homing shots had far more recovery than the homing ones destroyed any zoning potential he had. Even though I did try to fix that, there's a chance he may still end up lacking. Keeping his opponents on the move does have some advantage, at least.

Stier

Armor- 310
Ether- 146
Speed- 20
Accel- 10f
Decel- 8f

  • A: d 15 > 20, e 19 > 18
  • B: d 15 > 20, Hit trail adjusted
  • A#: d 25 > 20
  • BA: d 25 > 18, e 18 > 14
  • BB: d 25 > 22, e 23 > 21
  • AAA: d 30 > 28, e 21 > 19
  • AAB: d 30 > 35, e 27 > 26
  • ABA: d 30 > 28, e 18 > 14
  • ABB: e 23 > 21, Hit trail adjusted
  • BAA: d 30 > 34, e 27 > 25
  • BAB: d 30 > 32, e 25 > 23
  • BBA: e 19 > 18
  • BBB: d 30 > 32, Hit trail adjusted
  • Ether: d 20 > 21, e 30 > 25

Stier would have been the grappler if grabs existed. As your final opponent in the story, both his damage and frame data surpass Weltall's, and the only negative was his Ether having just as much startup as recovery. Slower movement helps balance his melee prowess while the better armor solidifies his new tankiness.

Bladegash

Armor- 305
Ether- 143
Speed- 27
Accel- 8f
Decel- 6f

  • A: d 10 > 17, h 12-17 > 12-18, e 24 > 23, Hit trail adjusted
  • B: d 10 > 15, e 24 > 23
  • AA: d 20 > 16, h 1-6 > 3-7, Hit trail adjusted
  • AB: d 20 > 18, h 7-13 > 6-12, Hit trail adjusted
  • BA: d 20 > 14
  • BB: d 20 > 15, e 20 > 19
  • AAA: h 4-12 > 4-13, e 27 > 25, Hit trail adjusted
  • AAB: d 25 > 27, Hit trail adjusted
  • ABA: d 25 > 30, e 41 > 39, Hit trail adjusted
  • ABB: d 25 > 20, h 7-13 > 6-12, Hit trail adjusted
  • BAA: d 25 > 26, Hit trail adjusted
  • BAB: d 25 > 29, Hit trail adjusted
  • BBA: d 25 > 28, changed to normal hit
  • BBB: d 25 > 24, e 18 > 17
  • Ether: h 15 > 16

What's shown here may seem impressive for the most part, but she is among the harder Gears to use well. The improved sword coverage only does so much against her A being so, requiring more careful play to be effective.

Siebzehn (Seibzehn)

Armor- 330
Ether- 143
Speed- 21
Accel- 7f
Decel- 5f

  • A: d 20 > 22, e 32 > 29
  • B: d 42 > 50
  • AA: e 36 > 31
  • AB: d 24 > 20, e 29 > 27
  • AAA: d 28 > 48
  • AAB: d 28 > 20
  • ABA: d 28 > 50, e 37 > 36
  • ABB: d 28 > 35, e 33 > 32
  • Ether: Unchanged

This Gear is among the best in combat, yet pitiful in Battling. Most of his attacks were weaker and slower than Stier's. His ranged attacks, while decent, failed to make up for ABB as the only working string. AAB now works, and the A#A enders do a substantial amount of damage if they somehow hit.

Crescens

Armor- 280
Ether- 144
Speed- 27
Accel- 5f
Decel- 4f

  • A: d 10 > 17, e 21 > 20
  • B: d 10 > 17, e 19 > 16
  • AA: d 20 > 17, e 25 > 23
  • AB: d 20 > 17
  • BA: d 20 > 18, h 12-16 > 12-17, lower dive, pushback added
  • BB: d 20 > 17
  • AAA: d 25 > 28
  • AAB: d 25 > 22
  • ABA: d 25 > 28
  • ABB: d 25 > 26, e 29 > 27
  • BAA: d 25 > 26
  • BAB: d 25 > 30
  • BBA: d 25 > 27
  • BBB: e 30 > 28, pops up
  • Ether: d 20 > 24, h 15 > 13, e 18 > 17

I didn't know what to do with her for the longest time. She probably would have been an aerial fighter if you could fight in the air. She was eventually adjusted to reflect how she works in the RPG closer with an unparalled ratio between damage output and mobility at the cost of low durability.

Chu-Chu

Armor- 320
Ether- 144
Speed- 22
Accel- 8f
Decel- 6f

  • A: Punch, d 20 > 28, e 31 > 29
  • B: Kick, d 20 > 30, h 19-23 > 19-24, e 31 > 29
  • #A: Long Hop, d 30 > 18, h 19-22 > 18-22, e 31 > 30
  • #B: Hip Bump, d 30 > 20, e 31 > 28
  • ##A: Small Hop, d 35 > 40, h 12-16 > 11-16, e 31 > 28
  • ##B: Flip Kick, d 35 > 32, e 31 > 30
  • Ether: d 30 > 35 h 16 > 15, e 17 > 16

Yes, the fanbase hates her, but I can't ignore the buffs she needs as a main character. The strings she had originally made no sense and left gaps in her attacks. With six different attacks, they now each correspond to a certain part in her string that chu can mix for damage or speed. It may still be hard for her to land a hit, but the new order lets her combo properly for a lot of damage if she does.

Weltall 2

Armor- 290
Ether- 145
Speed- 23
Accel- 7f
Decel- 5f

  • A: d 10 > 18
  • B: d 10 > 18, e 21 > 19
  • AA: d 20 > 17, e 18 > 17
  • AB: d 20 > 18
  • BA: d 20 > 18
  • BB: d 20 > 17, e 26 > 24
  • AAA: d 25 > 27, e 28 > 26, Hit trail adjusted
  • AAB: d 25 > 32, h 16-20 > 15-20, e 30 > 29
  • ABA: Second hit made more consistent
  • ABB: d 25 > 24
  • BAA: d 25 > 30
  • BAB: d 25 > 28
  • BBA: d 25 > 27, e 25 > 24, no Advance
  • BBB: d 25 > 28
  • Ether: d 20 > 22

Upgraded Gears are meant to be superior, but that can't easily translate to a balanced environment. The two versions being subtly different made deviating them impossible until I could change more attributes. His larger size plays into the strengths and weaknesses added to this Gear seamlessly, making a solid Gear even better for those with more experience. This will be a common trend for these upgraded Gears.

Xenogears

Armor- 275
Ether- 138
Speed- 20
Accel- 9f
Decel- 7f

  • A: d 10 > 16, e 29 > 26
  • B: e 25 > 24, no Advance
  • AA: d 20 > 16, e 29 > 27, range reduced but gap lessened
  • AB: d 20 > 18, trail altered
  • BA: d 7 > 5, Trail removed
  • BB: e 25 > 24, no Advance
  • AAA: d 15 > 17, e 72 > 69
  • AAB: e 30 > 25
  • ABA: Unchanged
  • ABB: Unchanged
  • BBA: d 12 > 10
  • BBB: d 15 > 12, e 31 > 28
  • Ether: d 20 > 22

Unlike Weltall, Big X is a zoning monster and generally seen as the best in the game. How he was nerfed depends on the mode: Basic lowers his damage directly as Extra's mechanics help reduce it in certain situations. In return for the heavy nerfs, its awful strings are slightly better, and becomes the most heat-efficient Gear in the game.

El-Regulus (El-Regrs)

Armor- 285
Ether- 144
Speed- 24
Accel- 7f
Decel- 5f

  • A: d 10 > 12, h 5-13 > 8-13, reaches in front of her
  • B: d 10 > 13, h 7-15 > 11-15, e 19 > 18
  • AA: d 20 > 12, h 1-11 > 5-11
  • AB: d 20 > 13, h 8-18 > 8-13
  • BA: d 20 > 14, h 5-21 > 10-19, e 29 > 20
  • BB: d 20 > 12, e 22 > 21
  • AAA: d 25 > 22
  • AAB: d 25 > 23, e 30 > 27
  • ABA: d 25 > 8, each hit lasts longer, e 43 > 42
  • ABB: d 25 > 22, e 22 > 21
  • BAA: d 25 > 21, e 32 > 29
  • BAB: d 25 > 28, e 34 > 32
  • BBA: e 27 > 26
  • BBB: d 25 > 24. e 30 > 25
  • Ether: d 20 > 23

As a semi-hidden Gear, a few oversights held her back from what she should have been. The frame of animation where A swings in front of her gets skipped, her multi-jab dropped possible hits, and some strings were too slow to combo. BAB was the only thing I couldn't fix. Her damage was slightly lowered to help level out her speed, which can be taken advantage of in Extra mode.

El-Fenrir

Armor- 280
Ether- 145
Speed- 25
Accel- 8f
Decel- 6f

  • A: d 10 > 16, e 24 > 22, no longer hits twice, pushback added
  • B: d 10 > 15, h 10-15 > 10-16, e 21 > 20, pushback added
  • AA: d 20 > 15, h 1-6 > 3-6, pushback added
  • AB: d 20 > 14, h 4-8 > 4-9, e 13 > 12, pushback added, trail adjusted
  • BA: d 20 > 18, pushback added
  • BB: d 20 > 16, e 17 > 16, pushback added
  • AAA: e 33 > 27, no longer hits twice
  • AAB: d 25 > 31, h 19-23 > 19-24, e 39 > 35
  • ABA: d 20 > 18, e 47 > 44, no Advance, first hit no pushback
  • ABB: d 28 > 32, h 13-18 > 16-20, e 32 > 29, no Advance
  • BAA: d 25 > 28, pops up, h 8-13 > 9-13, e 38 > 33
  • BAB: d 18 > 10, each hit has longer duration, e 35 > 33
  • BBA: e 27 > 25
  • BBB: d 25 > 20, h 2-8 > 2-6, e 20 > 18
  • Ether: d 20 > 19

This Gear has some similarities to Heimdall, but lacks the same finesse. The katana hits harder in exchange for that. This Gear is more prone to missing attacks over uneven elevation, however, which seems like a fair weakness for how good it is.

El-Andvari

Armor- 295
Ether- 144
Speed- 21
Accel- 8f
Decel- 6f
(Desert+)

  • A: d 10 > 18, e 28 > 27
  • B: d 10 > 16, e 17 > 16
  • AA: d 20 > 17, e 28 > 24
  • AB: d 20 > 17, e 25 > 22, no Advance
  • BA: d 20 > 17, e 24 > 21
  • BB: d 20 > 16
  • AAA: Unchanged
  • AAB: d 25 > 30, no Advance
  • ABA: d 25 > 30, forward movement reduced
  • ABB: d 20 > 22
  • BAA: d 20 > 21, both hits adjusted to whiff less
  • BAB: h 17-27 > 17-28, e 42 > 39
  • BBA: d 25 > 28
  • BBB: e 26 > 25
  • Ether: d 12 > 20, e 31 > 18

Like Brigandier, I had trouble with this Gear. I do believe this one is better with more coherent strings, although a few quirks were still present. I also fixed him up to the best of my ability. It turns out that the whips are a pain to properly adjust since they're spawned objects rather than a part of his model.

El-Renmazuo

Armor- 285
Ether- 144
Speed- 24
Accel- 7f
Decel- 6f

  • A: d 8 > 10, e 21 > 20
  • B: d 10 > 15
  • A#: e 8 > 7
  • BA: d 22 > 14
  • BB: d 22 > 14
  • AAA: d 10 > 9, e 38 > 28
  • AAB: d 10 > 11, e 38 > 26
  • ABA: d 25 > 24, e 36 > 31
  • ABB: d 10 > 8, e 37 > 29
  • BAA: d 25 > 24, e 33 > 30
  • BAB: d 25 > 21, e 33 > 27, coverage altered
  • BBA: e 29 > 26
  • BBB: d 25 > 22, h 1-6 > 2-7
  • Ether: d 20 > 19

It seems whoever designed this knew Renmazuo wasn't a good Gear for Battling. This Gear does what he wants to better, but still with some core flaws. I had no idea how to balance them until looking at the speed of their attacks more closely. This one shot faster, so I gave the other stronger projectiles and this one better melee.

El-Stier

Armor- 300
Ether- 147
Speed- 21
Accel- 9f
Decel- 7f

  • A: d 15 > 20, h 5-13 > 5-10, e 19 > 17
  • B: d 15 > 20
  • AA: d 25 > 22, h 6-13 > 6-14, e 22 > 19
  • AB: now Low Punch, d 25 > 20
  • BA: d 25 > 20, e 18 > 17
  • BB: d 25 > 18
  • AAA: d 30 > 32, e 32 > 30
  • AAB: d 30 > 35, e 31 > 28
  • ABA: d 30 > 34, e 43 > 40
  • ABB: d 30 > 32, e 25 > 23
  • BAA: d 30 > 32, e 31 > 29
  • BAB: d 30 > 35, e 39 > 38, popup hit, Hit trail adjusted
  • BBA: d 30 > 29, no Advance
  • BBB: d 30 > 27, e 24 > 21, no Advance
  • Ether: d 20 > 22, e 30 > 25

He didn't feel much different from Stier, so most adjustments between the two were in line with each other. This Gear gets a few extra buffs to help justify the lower HP as an Omnigear. An additional measure was taken with this Gear to prevent overtuning by limiting his combo ability, which was then retroactively applied to Stier as well.

Ganador

Armor- 310
Ether- 144
Speed- 21
Accel- 11f
Decel- 9f

  • A: d 10 > 20, e 33 > 31
  • B: d 10 > 22, e 36 > 34
  • #A: d 20 > 25, h 1-16 > 4-16
  • AB: matches BB
  • #B: d 20 > 30, e 31 > 29, popup hit
  • ABA: Removed
  • ABB: Removed
  • Ether: d 20 > 22

My favorite Gear. With fast Ether shots, what held him back was a lack of damage on his slow swings. I had the B# and AB# enders do the same damage to prevent overtuning him, but 3-strings were removed for more flexibility via Blanking. That route can still be done with A, L1/O, B.

Titan

Armor- 310
Ether- 140
Speed- 19
Accel- 9f
Decel- 7f

  • A: d 10 > 15, e 51 > 48, first hit has no pushback
  • B: d 10 > 18, e 25 > 19
  • AA: d 20 > 19, e 27 > 25
  • AB: d 20 > 18, e 25 > 19
  • BA: d 20 > 30, e 31 > 29
  • BB: d 20 > 25, e 46 > 40
  • A#A: d 25 > 32, e 31 > 29
  • AAB (New) Hammer Drop d 30
  • ABB: now Side Swing, d 25 > 31
  • Ether: d 20 > 25, e 51 > 46

This Gear had several kinks, but as an early fight, I can see why he was made weak. He becomes far less of a pushover with working combos and good damage, yet still cannot do Ether in the air without the dash-slope exploit. In return, the cost is lowered more than usual since he has to commit to two.

Twinshaver (WShaver)

Armor- 300
Ether- 140
Speed- 18
Accel- 6f
Decel- 5f

  • A/AB/AAA/ABB/BBA: d 18, e 31 > 29
  • AA/BB/ABA/BAB: d 15, e 21 > 19
  • B/BA/AAB/BAA/BBB: d 25, e 31 > 27
  • Ether: d 20 > 22, h 16 > 12, e 17 > 13

As a Gear few attacks, there was little effort to make it competitive since it had a full set of strings, albeit arbitrary. I think it's worse than Tin Robo. At the very least, its attacks are improved and do consistent damage regardless of their position in the string.

Firewheel

Armor- 320
Ether- 146
Speed- 28
Accel- 12f
Decel- 10f

  • A: d 10 > 16
  • B: d 10 > 15, e 21 > 18
  • AA: d 20 > 15, e 21 > 19
  • AB: d 20 > 18
  • BA: d 20 > 18, e 43 > 36, hits slightly higher
  • BB: d 20 > 20
  • AAA: d 25 > 35, e 52 > 48
  • AAB: Unchanged
  • ABA: e 43 > 36, hits slightly higher
  • ABB: d 6 > 8
  • BAA: d 25 > 28, h 11-31 > 5-31, e 41 > 40
  • BAB: d 25 > 30, e 29 > 28
  • BBA: d 25 > 22, e 28 > 24
  • BBB: d 25 > 20
  • Ether: Unchanged

This Gear has a rather neat design, but does have a few things holding him back. Being perceived as easy despite being so far in the tourney (and an endgame enemy in the main file's strings) prompted some buffs to put him closer to the same level as Hatamoto. Since he rolls around, I thought it might be interesting to make his mobility rather polarized.

Silverstar

Armor- 290
Ether- 144
Speed- 26
Accel- 8f
Decel- 6f

  • A: d 10 > 15
  • B: d 10 > 13
  • AA: d 20 > 14
  • AB: d 20 > 13, e 15 > 13
  • BA: d 20 > 14. e 16 > 15
  • BB: d 20 > 14, e 18 > 16
  • AAA: d 25 > 22, e 17 > 16
  • AAB: d 25 > 24, e 33 > 31
  • ABA: d 25 > 20, e 19 > 18
  • ABB: d 25 > 24, e 30 > 28
  • BAA: d 25 > 21, h 9-14 > 9-16, e 27 > 26, uses popup state
  • BAB: d 25 > 23, e 30 > 29
  • BBA: d 25 > 14, h 5-11 > 5-12, e 25 > 24, 2nd hit uses normal state
  • BBB: d 25 > 22, e 31 > 30
  • Ether: d 20 > 18, h 15 > 16

Undoubtedly deserving of the penultimate story fight with speed outclassing Stier's. After the nerfs to her Ether, her damage was lowered only slightly to keep the threatening prowess she has at close-range intact.

Musha

Armor- 280
Ether- 144
Speed- 25
Accel- 8f
Decel- 6f

  • A: d 10 > 25, e 31 > 30, has slightly more reach
  • B: d 10 > 12, e 31 > 30
  • BA: d 10 > 16, e 31 > 30
  • BB: d 8 > 10
  • Ether: Unchanged

This Gear received buffs to be somewhat competitive in case people actually liked zoning. This makes him more challenging for the story, but any strategy stays the same.

Hatamoto

Armor- 305
Ether- 143
Speed- 24
Accel- 7f
Decel- 5f

  • A: d 10 > 16, h 14-21 > 14-20
  • B: d 10 > 15, h 8-17 > 8-16, e 25 > 22
  • #A: d 20 > 15, e 22 > 21
  • #B: d 20 > 14
  • #AA: d 25 > 24, e 25 > 23
  • AAB: d 25 > 24, h 8-17 > 8-16, e 25 > 22
  • ABA: d 25 > 24, h 8-17 > 8-16, e 25 > 22
  • #BB: d 25 > 20
  • BAB: h 14-21 > 14-20
  • BBA: d 25 > 24, e 22 > 21
  • Ether: d 20 > 19, e 20 > 18

Mainly thought of as solid in the original due to the twirls. Balancing them was a little difficult since his #BA enders were normal attacks, but I found a good solution. He gets a slight damage reduction to compensate for the new speed.

Backfirer

Armor- 275
Ether- N/A
Speed- 20
Accel- 9f
Decel- 7f

  • A: Homes in, d 20 > 24, e 41 > 40
  • B: d 8 > 10, h 1 > 2

[DEV NOTE REDACTED: DISPARAGE THIS GEAR AT YOUR OWN PERIL.]

Shinobi

Armor- 295
Ether- 143
Speed- 27
Accel- 5f
Decel- 5f

  • A: d 15 > 18, e 31 > 27
  • B: d 16 > 25, e 31 > 29. knocks down
  • AA: d 30 > 28, e 31 > 27
  • AB: d 30 > 25, e 31 > 30, h 9-14 > 9-15, starts a bit further out
  • BA: e 31 > 29
  • Ether: d 23 > 24, h 16 > 15, e 17 > 16

I think I nerfed his enders because they were too similar in frame data, but I tried to speed him up starters in return. The only issue that needs to be addressed now is the lack of range on AB, which is oddly animated.

Wyrm

Armor- 315
Ether- 144
Speed- 26
Accel- 6f
Decel- 5f
(Desert+)

  • A: Unchanged
  • B: d 10 > 18
  • AA: d 20 > 18, e 31 > 29
  • AB: d 20 > 15, e 20 > 18
  • BA: d 20 > 15, e 20 > 18
  • BB: d 20 > 10, e 41 > 39
  • #AA/#BB: d 25 > 30, e 41 > 38
  • AAB: (New) Wriggle, d 14, e 41 > 39
  • ABA/BAB: d 25 > 16
  • BBA: (New) Bite, d 28
  • Ether: Unchanged

This creepy monster is based on the Germanic dragons who resemble worms. It can slip past certain Gears between their legs, which may confuse your opponent. It was hard to find combos that worked, so I tried to give the best variety I could.

Tin Robo

Armor- 300
Ether- 144
Speed- 24
Accel- 9f
Decel- 7f

  • A: d 10 > 15
  • B: d 10 > 16, e 30 > 25
  • AA: d 20 > 35, no Advance
  • AB: d 20 > 17, no Advance
  • BA: d 20 > 20, e 34 > 32
  • BB: d 20 > 16, e 29 > 24
  • AAA: Removed
  • ABA: (New) Flail, d 19
  • ABB: d 25 > 22, e 38 > 36
  • BBA: (New) Stomp, d 22
  • BBB: d 25 > 18, e 34 > 32
  • Ether: Unchanged

Even with all the buffs, it still shouldn't be a problem for Weltall to fight. Most enders being double hits hinders its damage potential compared to other Gears. As such, this Gear treads the line of being a handicap, and mid-tier at best.

Rankar

Armor- 330
Ether- 146
Speed- 23
Accel- 9f
Decel- 6f

  • A: d 10 > 25, e 24 > 23
  • B: d 10 > 24, e 21 > 19
  • AA: d 20 > 25, e 18 > 17
  • AB: d 20 > 24, e 21 > 19
  • BA: d 20 > 25, e 24 > 23
  • BB: d 20 > 25, e 18 > 17
  • A#A: d 25 > 35, e 42 > 34
  • AAB: now Flame, d 25 > 38
  • ABB: d 25 > 40, e 37 > 33
  • B#A: d 25 > 35, e 42 > 34
  • B#B: d 25 > 40, e 37 > 33
  • BBB: d 25 > 38
  • Ether: d 20 > 30

Despite being the first boss you fight, having base damage for such a slow fighter just made him awful. The massive damage buff couldn't fix everything, although Blanking helps make some Enders properly combo.

Etone 1

Armor- 290
Ether- 141
Speed- 23
Accel- 8f
Decel- 6f

  • A: now poke, d 10 > 17, h 4-6, e 2 > 13
  • B: now homing shot, d 10 > 25
  • AA: (New) vertical swipe, d 28, h 18-30 > 18-25
  • AB: d 20 > 26, h 15-30 > 15-22
  • A#: Cosmetic trail timings altered to make hits clearer
  • BA: Removed
  • ABA: Removed
  • Ether: Unchanged

For a while, this Gear was outright awful. The effort to make the pair unique made this one need to rely on projectiles to even use physical attacks. The unused poke attack was what it needed to be reasonably playable by being able to confirm into the slower attacks.

Etone 2

Armor- 290
Ether- 141
Speed- 23
Accel- 8f
Decel- 6f

  • A: now homing shot, d 10 > 18, e 31 > 19
  • B: d 10 > 15, h 1-10 > 2-10, e 10 > 11
  • AB: Removed
  • BA: now overhead blast, Chalice lowered
  • BB: (New) lunge, d 22, h 10-30 > 9-30, e 31 > 29, no Advance
  • Ether: Unchanged

The B attacks were so easy to spam while the A attacks were too slow to be reliable, but it was still better than the original. Amid being able to make the original more viable, this one also received a few buffs to help it stay good.

Golem

Armor- 315
Ether- 144
Speed- 26
Accel- 11f
Decel- 9f

  • A: d 10 > 15
  • B: d 10 > 16
  • AA: d 20 > 15
  • AB: d 20 > 15
  • BA: d 20 > 30
  • BB: d 20 > 14
  • AAA: Unchanged
  • AAB: d 25 > 22
  • ABA: e 34 > 33
  • ABB: d 25 > 28, e 35 > 34
  • BBB: d 25 > 24
  • Ether: Unchanged

A monster surprisingly fun to play as. The changes it gets are relatively minimal with how rounded it is. Even though AAA is too slow to be of any practical use, it can teach newer players the importance of movement.

Fixbot

Armor- 305
Ether- 142
Speed- 27
Accel- 8f
Decel- 6f

  • All Melee attacks cause no pushback
  • All hit trails have been adjusted
  • A: d 10 > 16, e 31 > 24
  • B: d 10 > 15
  • AA: d 20 > 10, e 31 > 29
  • #B: d 20 > 15
  • BA: d 20 > 16, e 31 > 24
  • AAA: (new) Slow Jab. d 26
  • AAB: Otherwise unchanged
  • ABA: e 31 > 24
  • ABB: (new) Shock, d 18
  • BAA: (new) Fast Jab. d 25
  • BAB: d 25 > 26, e 31 > 24
  • BBA: d 25 > 18, e 31 > 29
  • BBB: (new) Fast Jab, d 25
  • Ether: d 20 > 17

With only three unique attacks spread throughout four linear strings, this Gear may have been been limited to compensate the dumb AI's commitment to strings. I decided to fill in the blanks for a bit more flexibility, not that there was much to begin with. None of its melee attacks have pushback because I needed to make the multi-hit more consistent, and attack properties were shared between moves.

Worker

Armor- 295
Ether- 138
Speed- 27
Accel- 7f
Decel- 5f

  • A: d 15 > 12, e 31 > 16
  • B: d 10 > 15
  • AA: now Headbutt, d 30 > 12
  • AB: d 20 > 15
  • AAA: (New) Zoom, d 30, h 51-61 > 43-61, e 71 > 69
  • AAB: (New) Fire, d 15
  • Ether: d 20 > 14

This mediocre Gear would have been alright if the second hit of both A attacks worked properly. A little creative compromise was needed to fix that, which makes A far less of a commital. Combine that with fast ethers and strong projectiles, and you have the ability to poke, harass, and confirm however you wish.

Dozer

Armor- 300
Ether- N/A
Speed- 20
Accel- 8f
Decel- 6f

  • A: d 15 > 18, e 36 > 28
  • B: Homes in, e 61 > 59
  • AA: e 49 > 31
  • AB: (New) Double Spin, d 26, e 31 > 30
  • AAA: d 28 > 24, h 11-15 > 11-16, e 31 > 30
  • AAB: (New) Punch, d 28

This Gear gets a slight damage buff, but can attack much faster now along with some more reliable strings for damage. It is still awfully slow, and not much more that can be done about that.

Death(scythe)

Armor- 325
Ether- 144
Speed- 26
Accel- 4f
Decel- 10f
(Ocean+)

  • A: e 62 > 57
  • B: Now Flame, e 31 > 30
  • AA: e 62 > 61
  • AB: Now Tail 2, e 62 > 60
  • Ether: Unchanged

I am unsure what else I can do with this monster. Getting something to poke with is massive, but its strings stay rather useless with laggy, two-second attacks.

Merman

Armor- 290
Ether- 140
Speed- 25
Accel- 5f
Decel- 9f
(Ocean+)

  • A: d 10 > 14
  • B: d 8 > 12, e 51 > 48
  • AA: d 20 > 14, e 21 > 20
  • AB: d 20 > 18, e 26 > 25
  • AAA: d 25 > 22
  • AAB: (New) Twist, d 26
  • ABA: d 25 > 22
  • ABB: d 12 > 10, e 41 > 37
  • Ether: d 20 > 24, e 51 > 46

Another hidden high-tier Gear. His projectiles were absurd, but nerfing back-hits has helped level that out without needing to nerf them much. AAB is somewhat inconsistent, and was added to fill out his moveset.

Salvager

Armor- 275
Ether- 138
Speed- 26
Accel- 8f
Decel- 6f
(Ocean+)

  • A: d 10 > 18, e 25 > 22
  • B: d 10 > 12
  • AA: d 20 > 16
  • AB: d 20 > 22
  • BB: d 20 > 15
  • AAA: d 25 > 22
  • AAB: d 0 > 24, e 31 > 29
  • BBB: d 25 > 18
  • Ether: d 20 > 15

The best non-Hero Gear, used for speedruns. This gremlin can easily spam spins and Ether Bullets. It remains the only Gear who benefits from spamming one attack more than doing a full string with infinites gone, making it tough to balance.

Trooper

Armor- 325
Ether- N/A
Speed- 19
Accel- 8f
Decel- 6f

  • A: e 41 > 31
  • B: e 46 > 40
  • AA: e 28 > 22
  • AB: d 10 > 12, e 46 > 40
  • BA: d 20 > 25, e 41 > 35
  • AAA: e 47 > 43
  • AAB: d 10 > 15, e 46 > 40

This Gear is a good example of why I cannot make everyone viable. It was given buffs to at least make it feel better, but there is little room for improvement.

Twinburner

Armor- 310
Ether- 144
Speed- 22
Accel- 7f
Decel- 5f

  • A: d 10 > 15, e 31 > 28
  • B: e 32 > 31
  • AA: d 20 > 25, e 31 > 30, Trail enabled
  • AB: d 15 > 18, e 31 > 30, No advance
  • BA: d 20 > 22, e 31 > 30, last two shots removed, No advance
  • Ether: Unchanged

What this Gear has is neat, but it feels like he could have had one or two more attacks. The damage buffs, intended to mitigate that, made BA even more devastating on block. Two nerfs fixed that infinite in exchange for a little speed boost.

Spear Trooper (S-Trooper)

Armor- 310
Ether- N/A
Speed- 20
Accel- 8f
Decel- 6f
(Desert+)

  • A: e 24 > 22
  • B: e 43 > 33
  • AA: e 22 > 19
  • AB: d 20 > 35, e 43 > 33
  • AAA: e 25 > 23
  • AAB: d 30 > 25, e 24 > 22

Probably my favorite low-tier Gear with strings that work, now better. AAB was nerfed rather than buffing AAA in case it's too good. With his range, I decided to try low recovery instead of homing on his projectile to set him apart from the others.

Sand Tripper (S-Tripper)

Armor- 290
Ether- 144
Speed- 24
Accel- 8f
Decel- 6f
(Desert+)

  • A: d 15 > 17 e 31 > 27
  • B: now Rapidfire, d 20 > 8, e 26 > 25
  • AA: d 10 > 8, e 26 > 25
  • AB: d 20 > 22 e 31 > 28
  • BA: Removed
  • Ether: d 20 > 18

This Gear needed was a few tweaks to be passable. He now has a projectile on-command like other "zoning" Gears. It needed to be toned down a bit with how easy it was to spam, but the melee that worked stayed intact.

Sphar (Sufal)

Armor- 315
Ether- 144
Speed- 22
Accel- 5f
Decel- 4f

  • A: d 15 > 22, e 31 > 28
  • B: d 10 > 20, e 36 > 35, first hit no pushback
  • AA: d 20 > 25
  • AB: e 31 > 29
  • BA: d 20 > 30
  • Ether: h 16 > 15, e 17 > 16

One of the late bosses who is rather limited. It gets some tweaks to be better, but I have no intention of trying to make such a slow and gimmicky Gear viable.

Egil Gunner (EG-Gunner)

Armor- 305
Ether- 142
Speed- 23
Accel- 8f
Decel- 6f

  • A: d 30 > 35, h 14-18 > 13-18, e 31 > 28
  • B: e 31 > 27
  • AA: Removed
  • AB: Removed
  • BA: Removed
  • BB: now Rapidfire, d 30 > 20, first shot 1 > 2
  • ABA: Removed
  • BAB: Removed
  • Ether: Unchanged

This Gear had an awkward moveset and high damage. It's now simplified and made faster to streamline their gameplay, especially since cooldown is gone.

Egil Armor (EG-Armor)

Armor- 315
Ether- 143
Speed- 21
Accel- 10f
Decel- 8f

  • A: d 15 > 16
  • B: d 10 > 15, e 39 > 25
  • #A: now Rifle d 20 > 15, h 4-8 > 4-9
  • BA: d 20 > 12, e 31 > 29
  • BB: d 20 > 14
  • AAA: now Low Shot, d 25 > 28, h 12 > 11, e 33 > 31, no Advance
  • AAB: now Kick, d 25 > 22
  • ABA: now Spread, d 25 > 12, e 31 > 29, no Advance
  • ABB: now Charge, d 25 > 24, e 26 > 23
  • B#A: Straight Shot, e 39 > 36, no Advance
  • BAB: e 41 > 39, no Advance
  • BBB: d 25 > 14, no Advance
  • Ether: Unchanged

Having a full set of attacks is a big surprise when the two other were so limited. Even more so is how fast it strikes and how slow it shoots. With iffy melee strings, I made new ones that flow better.

Pedestal

Armor- 320
Ether- 144
Speed- 20
Accel- 9f
Decel- 7f

  • A: d 12 > 18, e 30 > 28
  • B: Right Flip, d 12 > 17, e 29 > 27
  • AA: d 22 > 17, e 26 > 24
  • AB: d 22 > 17, e 29 > 27
  • BA: d 22 > 18, e 30 > 28
  • BB: Left Flip, d 22 > 17, e 26 > 24
  • AAA: d 25 > 30, e 36 > 34
  • AAB: Unchanged
  • ABA: d 25 > 28
  • ABB: d 25 > 28
  • BAA: d 25 > 28
  • BAB: Unchanged
  • BBA: d 25 > 30
  • BBB: Double Shot, d 20 > 12
  • Ether: Unchanged

I had no qualms overtuning it a little as an end-game enemy with a full moveset. Although some of the system changes nerf its potential for Infinites, it has a curious blend of tankiness and zoning that makes for a decent threat if it manages to keep the opponent out.

Edain (Edin)

Armor- 290
Ether- 144
Speed- 24
Accel- 7f
Decel- 5f -All but AAB have their hit trails adjusted to cover more area

  • A: d 10 > 14
  • B: d 10 > 13
  • AA: d 20 > 14, e 24 > 23
  • AB: d 20 > 18, movement reversed
  • BA: d 20 > 9, hits twice
  • BB: d 20 > 14
  • AAA: h 10-15 > 10-16, d 25 > 23, e 31 > 29
  • AAB: d 25 > 22, e 39 > 33
  • ABA: e 31 > 28, realigned and sticks out less
  • ABB: d 35 > 32, realigned and sticks out less
  • BAA: d 25 > 20
  • BAB: d 25 > 12, e 30 > 27, hits twice
  • BBA: d 25 > 22
  • BBB: d 25 > 20, e 27 > 22
  • Ether: d 20 > 24

An interesting Gear you fight in the endgame. She bears some similarities to Regulus, so I took a few cues from her. Fixing her AB to move forward barely lets it combo. I had to remove the "fake" trail to make BA and BAB hit twice, and a good balance between that and the rest of her kit was hard to find.

Egil Blade (EG-Blade)

Armor- 295
Ether- 145
Speed- 22
Accel- 6f
Decel- 4f

  • A: d 18 > 20, h 13-18 > 13-19, e 31 > 27
  • B: d 10 > 15, e 17 > 16
  • #A: d 20 > 25, h 15-19 > 15-20, e 31 > 28
  • AB: d 20 > 22, h 16-18 > 16-21, e 31 > 28
  • BB: d 20 > 18, e 17 > 16
  • AAA: (New) Flip, d 24
  • AAB: d 25 > 18, e 17 > 16
  • ABA: d 25 > 22, e 31 > 28
  • ABB: (New) Stab, d 18
  • BAA: (New) Laser, d 22
  • BAB: (New) Flip, d 24
  • Ether: d 20 > 24, e 31 > 30

I didn't realize this Gear had two forms between dagger and sword, but they're merged here. It has a lot of potential even if some may think otherwise. In trade for losing infinites, it gets many improvements all around as well as an expanded moveset.

Argento

Armor- 270
Ether- 146
Speed- 18
Accel- 6f
Decel- 4f
(Note: Animation speed is 112.5%)

  • A: d 18 > 22
  • B: d 18 > 22, e 16 > 15, pushback added
  • AA: Now the same punch as BA
  • #A: d 26 > 22, e 18 > 17, pushback added
  • AB: d 26 > 22, e 16 > 15, coverage altered, pushback added
  • BB: d 26 > 22
  • AAA: d 28 > 27, e 17 > 16
  • AAB: d 28 > 26, pushback added
  • ABA: d 28 > 23, h 5-9 > 5-10, 11-13 > 10-14, e 27 > 26, 2nd hit vertical knockdown
  • ABB: Popup removed
  • BAA: d 24 > 30, h 8-13 > 8-14, has more reach
  • BAB: d 28 > 25, both hits vertical knockdown
  • BBA: Has slightly better coverage
  • BBB: d 28 > 27
  • Ether: Unchanged

As the secret Gear, fast attacks and high damage were meant to make her broken, yet it made all but BB# knock down prematurely. On top of that, the slower animation speed affected her frame data and movement. I decided to balance her with these oversights in mind to help lean into her status as a "boss", becoming more volatile and inflexible compared to other Gears.

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