Patch Notes TLDR: Winions
by JR Cook - 8 years ago show comments
Have you ever heard the term “Winions”? Get ready to hear it even more now that the new patch has been released. If you aren’t familiar, Winions is a phrase people often use when Minions take down the Core.
Arguably the biggest change in the Guldan patch is the buff that Minions have received. Even unaccompanied Minions can now quickly overwhelm Structures, and Heroes with strong push potential are going to be an absolute nightmare when played properly. Not only will normal Minions do more damage, but Catapults will be more effective as well. No longer will they squander their attacks on random minions rather than focusing on the Core. Their increased range also means more damage to the Core as they will no longer be vulnerable to splash damage from the Core attacking minions in front of them.
The rise in the power of Minions also means an increased importance on Heroes with good wave clear. Teams that lack proper wave clear, or ignore the threat that Minions now present, will quickly find themselves overwhelmed.
Players will also be faced with more difficult choices when deciding when it is safe to abandon lanes to contest Objectives or team fights, and when they need to stay behind to either push or defend Minions. While this added level of strategy should make the game more interesting, it may also make it more difficult for teams to comeback when behind due to the unrelenting pressure that Minions will now present.
Either way, failure to appreciate the threat that Minions now pose will quickly put you at a severe disadvantage. Choose your Hero and adjust your play accordingly or prepare to suffer the consequences.
Minions
- Ranged, Melee, and Wizard Minions
- Now deal an additional 50% damage to Structures.
Developer Comments: Our goal with this change is to make escorting Minions to Towns to be more impactful, such that they can really start to do some damage if left unattended. Before this change, Minions were primarily XP carriers that absorbed some Ammo shots from Towers. Now the armies of the Nexus are a bit scarier when they march down a lane.
- Catapult Minions
- Attack range increased by 20%.
- Sight range increased by 17%.
- Will now fixate on Structures. Catapults will not acquire a new target after fixating until the target is destroyed or the Catapult is killed.
Developer Comments: Catapults would often reach the Core, but have a Minion wave spawn on them, distract them, and allow them to be killed off before doing any significant damage. With increased range and fixation on a Structure once they’ve started attacking, even one Catapult will more consistently punch through a Core’s Shield and do actual damage.
