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Dragon Ball FighterZ Reveals Possible Final Balance Patch

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A few months since receiving its last Season 3 character, SSJ4 Gogeta, and indications seem to point to Dragon Ball FighterZ entering its winding down period. With players gearing up for what could be the final E3 showing of the game, expectations are high, and complaints about certain aspects of the meta are higher. With a recently announced balance patch from Bandai Namco Esports as noted at eventhubs.com, however, hopes are that the game could enter a more agreeable final state.

What’s in the Patch?

While producer Tomoko Hiroki has been tight-lipped about the specifics in the upcoming patch, she indicates that it will target character balances as well as overall changes to the battle flow. While these announcements have made players hopeful, there was one very important note about netcode that has left most feeling jilted.

Implications of the Patch

Without knowing the details of the patch, it’s difficult to gauge the effect, but there are certain aspects that the player-base overwhelmingly takes issue with. In terms of characters, this comes in a general dislike of UI Goku, and to a lesser extent DBZ Broly. Regarded as frustrating to play against, these two are probably targets for nerfs. At least, that’s the hope.

For buffs, it’s currently low-tier characters like Goku Black, Nappa, and (we hope) Android 16 that are likely to be considered. Though DBFZ is seriously well balanced compared to many of its contemporaries, it’s difficult to argue that characters that rarely show up in professional tournaments should be left alone.

The biggest deal for many players, at least those who take online play seriously, is that there appears to be no big change of netcode. This complaint comes from the fact that DBFZ uses delay-based netcode. As explained at arstechnica.com, delay-based code is vastly inferior to properly implement rollback netcode. Despite this fact, rollback’s implementation in Japanese-developed fighting games has been lacking for years. This is due to the unfortunate case of the installation of rollback being expensive in completed titles, so it’s unlikely DBFZ will ever include rollback until a sequel or complete relaunch.

From an exterior eSports perspective, changes to character balance are likely to change viewer engagement metrics and affect some related industries. Dedicated eSports websites like win.gg which detail important match information are going to have to adjust viewer expectations, as the big players and characters might no longer perform as well. This is also likely to affect the betting market, where odds after the patch might be difficult to predict.

Patching is a necessary component of every eSports game, but that doesn’t mean it gets any easier. With games with large rosters and fanbases like DBFZ, it’s a balancing act where certain outcomes might not be known for months or even years after implementation. At least there is hope in that the next DBFZ game, or a rerelease with a netcode overhaul, could be just around the corner. Until then, we’re still going to put UI Goku players on our mark lists.