Attention:

• English is not my first language, and I will use a translator as an aid.
• For a more visual representation of the data, there may be a lot of images inserted in the thread.
• since I have no way of knowing how level affects base values, and whether there are growth values after level-up (like Pokémon do) or anything like that, causing me to only look at the base values for analysis, what this thread says may have wrong!
  

It's great that we have some new companions in the June update, but soon I found that there may have a balance issue about them.

For example, when I go to check the combat info of Stormhorn/Voltspike Zapscour, I saw this:

(Oh my gosh, what's up with this IMBA monster?)

Actually, I don't know how the level bonus works to the base value, but just that base value is shocking enough. Cause the base value are overwhelming compared to those of the previous companions. Some people may not be sure what this concept is, so I have selected some companions for comparison.

Comparison 1: The base value

The total base value of Zapscour is 58pt & 10%crit. It's not strong comparative evidence due to the uncertainty created by crit and dodge. But I'm sure that very few companions can reach this base value.

Base Health (HP): Zapscour-36 (Combat data sheet created by @/LMNas, thanks a lot!)

It's easy to see that those with similar base health to Zapscour are defensive companions, but clearly Zapscour is an offensive companion. That's the issue: an offensive companion with comparable HP volume to defensive companions!

Someone may say: "Hey, the Teufel also have 31 base HP but an offensive companion." So, this is the next point.

Base attack/defends/speed: Zapscour-9/5/8


The highest base attack is 9 as the Murkwood Enderling currently (sry Volmyr you're not a companion :3), and Zapscour as well now!

At the same time, we can find some commonalities among these offensive companions (especially those with base attack of 7 and over):

1. Base defense of 5-4
2. No more than 30 of base health

And let's back to Zapscour, as an offensive companion, it has:

1. base HP of 36! (The highest in offensive companions and comparable to defensive companions)
2. base attack of 9! (The highest attack currently)
3. base defense of 5! (Very good defence among offensive companions)
4. base speed of 8! (Very good speed among offensive companions too, currently only 5 companions have a higher base speed than this)

So, the Zapscour is a near-ideal offensive companion with high speed, superior attack, and relatively impressive survivability. I guess that's shocking enough, isn't it?

But I'm not done yet, next is about the combat skills.

Comparison 2: The combat skills

Let's see Zapscour's skills and its comparators:

• Passive: Hyped - always attack twice in a row.
  
  

• Auto Attack: Quick Attack - attack the target for 100% damage.

• Special: Grudge - attack the last 5 enemies that attacked you for 125% damage.
  
  

There is no doubt that Zapscour still has the edge over its comparators. While I think it may be a bit difficult to build group with Zapscour's synergies, but it’s REALLY imbalance on the base value. Honestly, are you serious? Actually, other two new companions are imbalanced too, but I think Zapscour is the most outrageous. Zapscour costs 300k PB in the shop, is this a deliberate attempt to bait a purchase with powerful companions in order to recycle PB?

And my friend found out that new companions have been added to Gauntlet, and they will be potent opponents, which increases the difficulty of Gauntlet. I don't know if they were added to Arena as well (I haven't played this in a long time) I hope they weren't because no one wants to lose to imbalanced stuffs.

At the end, since I have no way of knowing how level affects base values, and whether there are growth values after level-up (like Pokémon do) or anything like that, causing me to only look at the base values for analysis, what this thread says may have wrong!
All comments of pointing out the misses are welcomed! But if it's really as I say, I hope the LW team will consider the balance issue of companions.

Edit:

Unfortunately, I've got a message that Zapscour was added to Arena. (idk about the other new companions) This imbalance companion will directly destroy the diversity of the team build! Every one will use it cause it's powerful, why not? You may lose just due to your opponent have the Zapscour and you've not.
I don't mean to duty players who choosed Zapscour, because it's not the players' fault, LW made Zapscour becomed the only answer. The LW team is the one who has the obligation to adjust the balance.

And just like @/LMNas said:

Sincerely hoping this issue could be taken seriously by our stuffs: from data balance to item value preservation, then to the user trust as well as user viscosity, everything is connected. No detail should be overlooked!

LW had made a imbalance companion at once, who can guarantee they won't do that again in the next time? I hope the way LW adjusts the balance will not be to add another more powerful companion. With more and more powerful companions add into the game, they will destroy the diversity of the team build and wolves will become the liability in Gauntlet. (Is this game Lorwolf or Lorcompanion? lol)

It's my honor to see someone using this data spreadsheet to analyze the datas, and your clear classification discussion analysis with listing out data supported examples is impressive!

When I got the news from my friends about the new companions before I was about to update the original ones, but I quickly became aware of some possible data imbalances. It contains a posibility of virtual items' value preservation issue which would influence an internet product deeply in the future, so at present I decide to wait for a confirm about the final data of them, instead of doing updating.

Sincerely hoping this issue could be taken seriously by our stuffs: from data balance to item value preservation, then to the user trust as well as user viscosity, everything is connected. No detail should be overlooked!

Bump for I had edited the thread. It is affecting the gaming experience of some players, and I don't think it's an insignificant problem!

Somewhat agree. If it's going to have that move/synergy set, it needs to have less health/defense. If it's going to hit so hard, it should be glassier--players should have to think twice about putting it in the front row. Really all of the new companions need a little nerf, unless the plan is for all new companions/wolves to have power creep the same way that new Pokemon generations do.

Although I still think it should be nerfed, I do disagree on the arena issue on several points:

1. It does not cause fairness issues in arena because when it is in the game, it's equally available to to everyone. As access is equal, it cannot be unfair--except perhaps to the extremely inexperienced, but the only hope for them is to play a few more rounds anyway.

2. It cannot make the game too samey because it only has a small chance to show up in any given game. Besides this, arena already had about 5-6 "must haves" that sometimes make the game samey--but not so much that it's not still fun. The gecko at worst simply displaced one of the other "must-haves."

3. I also propose that it actually makes arena easier because bots make up the majority of opponents and aren't smart enough to use the gecko as effectively as humans do. Newbies who still struggle with arena but at the very least know "always get the gecko" won't always take 1st place or succeed against other humans, but they will at least beat most of the bots and take more tickets than they would otherwise. It will give them a smoother experience while they learn how to build effective teams.

Nevertheless. I guess I just fundamentally dislike power creep. There should always be a way for a team of "vanilla" wolves and companions to stand up against a team of new releases.

I am going to admit that I only skimmed this post because it's too much for my poor head to handle.

But if I understood things correctly, the core of the message is; the new zapscour is OP, the base stats are too high and the abilities too strong.

1. I don't necessarily mind companions having different strengths, as long as all types of strengths are available to the casual player (e.g. that the KS companions aren't the only strong ones.) Plus you are always going to have a strongest one. If this companion wasn't added the Teufel would've been in a similar position in terms of base stats. Would that one then also be nerfed? And then another different companion would've been top of the list.. etc etc. So yeah I don't think having a high base stat total on its own is a bad thing, as long as the high base stat companions are availalbe to everyone to obtain (and not give an unfair advantage to a select/RLC paying few).

2. Don't overestimate Grudge or it's auto attack counter part. If your companion doesn't get attacked, that move will do diddly squat. It may be a playstyle thing but I avoid Grudge like the plague if I can, because if I put the grudge teammate on the front lines, I face a rogue team next and it won't get hit until it's too late, and if I put it in the back line, I face a regular team and again it won't get hit until it's too late. Grudge really isn't that good of a move. Circumstantial at best.

3. Agreeding with Rabscuttle's 2nd point. The Arena is so incredibly varied in terms of input; the times i've had the exact same team twice I think can be counted on a single hand, even if I include beta and EA. I don't think there will be a 1-team-wins-all kind of team. Sure there will be more and less desirable companions, but if we want to have varied abilities, stats and synergies, that is bound to happen. Else what would be the point of having the companions join us in battle if they are going to be exactly the same?

That being said, I do think it is and remains important for staff to always keep an eye on stats, synergies and abilities to ensure consistency, balance and avoid making truly broken companions that just take all the fun right out. But in the case of this companion, I personally would not consider it broken, purely because of how useless I personally find Grudge.

Seeing a newest thread talking about lv 10 team beaten by lv 3 Geckos made me think of this thread, LOL

That's the reality, they are way too OP

@Ambulocetus

I just beat a level 12 gecko in arena with a level 10 team of common wolves/companions. I kind of suspect that person had a really glassy team or some one-off bad luck with the RNG.

@Rabscuttle erm... no need to call my team glassy in another thread. ^-^'

but yeah, ive lost like a good 30k pebbles to geckos today alone. my team has no issue getting to levels like 12 or 13 when no geckos are in their way, but ever since the gecks began to attack ive been having major issues. i might harness the gecko power for myself if they dont nerf them. maybe you need to fight gecko with gecko here

@WeirdScience

My comment probably did come off as insulting and I sincerely apologize. Not intended--some people sacrifice HP for damage and I was just theorizing that that's what was happening as I haven't been having the same problems, but that clearly isn't the case since we have the same team.

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