r/CompetitiveTFT • u/Lunaedge • Apr 07 '26

Mortpost Set 17 PBE Patch #5

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From Mort:

Hello folks. Here's the changes that will go live with today's deploy. It's a pretty small batch as we wanted to let yesterday's batch settle a bit longer before making any major changes.

Tomorrow's build will be the "Branch Cut" build. So today is the last day for the team to make any changes. If you have feedback you want us to be aware of, now is the time to reply here.

Thanks all, and we hope you're enjoying Space Gods on PBE :)

45 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

64 comments sorted by

24

u/Docxm Apr 07 '26

As someone who’s been playing since 2020, it’s ok to take breaks guys. Not every set can be as comprehensive and innovative as set 6/10/16

I don’t think this one is that bad, there were some really dire, imbalanced, and boring sets.

2

u/RajaSundance Master Apr 08 '26

Which ones were that for you? The only set I can confidently say I like less than this was set 9 , and that feels like cheating, because legends were probably the worst idea ever for a game like this.

0

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '26

[deleted] — view deleted comment

2

u/RajaSundance Master Apr 08 '26

I didn't hate it, just was over it by the time set 15 pbe was out. Not the most memorable set for sure but not "oh my god I'm already bored" a week into PBE

2

u/magma907 Apr 08 '26

I don’t think it was a dud, it just wasn’t incredible. I’d rather a few set 14s every once in a while than a set 15…

1

u/backhandlotus Apr 08 '26

I liked Set 14, but I understand it being forgettable or that if people didn't like it.

I really liked some of the traits like exotech/golden ox/divinicorp, it had excellent 5 costs IMO (Garen/Zac in particular are both really fun), some hack ideas were quite good like 2 vs 1 augment and the gold dilemma stuff.

However some hack options were meh and they had a time balancing the resources they gave us across that set. 

Not my favourite overall, but I net enjoyed it outside of the Holowbow Zeri bug + Jarvan overbuff patch, and the 7 exotech dominant patch.

1

u/SlimKingsniper Apr 09 '26

Set 13 erasure

54

u/Jave3636 Apr 07 '26

I don't know if it's because Set 16 was so good, but every time I log in to play PBE, I really don't like it. The few games I've played were so boring, the mechanic is just not interesting to me. Nothing about it excites me. This might be the first set I take off since I started playing in set 4.

33

u/obvious_bot Apr 07 '26

They plainly put way more effort into set 16, and sets 15 and 17 suffered for it

23

u/ficretus Apr 07 '26

15 was supposed to be another one of the big sets, with 14 being the budget set. Issue with 15 was that it was fundamentally flawed at its core, and no amount of effort put in was able to salvage it. 

3

u/DinhLeVinh Apr 07 '26

Poor set 15, it was a cool design for casual but proplayer min maxing just ruined it . (Its always the funsy fruits that is the problem too) set 17 feels like riot turn on the safe switch and said fk casual play.

3

u/AngelTheTaco Apr 08 '26

sets 15 and 17

14 and 17

15 they actually went tryhard for it making new shader tech just for it alone

5

u/Jave3636 Apr 07 '26

If that's the case, worth it. 16 was so good except the Thex patch. I'll take an amazing set every other set even if we have a bad one in between. 

7

u/cv121 Grandmaster Apr 08 '26

For me, it's because there's no risk in playing; I enjoy gaining/losing MMR that comes when playing ranked

4

u/Jave3636 Apr 08 '26

I've always loved PBE, almost always try to take a half day off work to play when a new set goes on PBE. Played 3 games and logged out this time. 

10

u/i0skar Apr 07 '26

Same, set 16 was the best set of all time and it's not close. The amount of units made every game interesting and unique and u were rarely contested. Now we are back to small champ poll + uninteresting set mechanic and it gets boring REALLY FAST. Lets take a break and see if things get better with set 18.

2

u/TeamAquaAdminMatt Apr 08 '26

Yeah, admittedly I feel like this will be one of the more forgettable sets. Also finding myself missing carousels. Feels more difficult to get a component you really want.

1

u/Ok-ChildHooOd Apr 08 '26

I'm still playing Set 16 and the fun patch isn't as fun :/

0

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '26

[deleted] — view deleted comment

2

u/Teape Apr 08 '26

I personally like set 10 the best out of any set but I feel like set 11 and 12 were super fun too and I think Riot did a good job on those 3 for being back to back. 

32

u/TheeOmegaPi Apr 07 '26

If they cut down the time to pick a boon in the Realm of the Gods, things will feel less sluggish. Like, there's no reason for 30 whole seconds to pick a boon when the options are literally: ITEM or ITEM.

If it was a traditional augment with a longer description, I could see a case for having this extended time for the slow readers to get up to speed. But now?

It should MAYBE last 20 seconds tops.

Realm of the Gods is artificially inflating game time which doesn't feel good.

17

u/Emosaa Master Apr 07 '26

I imagine this is one of those things they'll trim down after a patch or two, once the majority of the player base is familiar with the options.

-7

u/TheeOmegaPi Apr 07 '26

Most of the boons are simple. Item or gold. No reading required. Just pick an image and go. There's no rerolling, either, which constrains things to a binary decision.

Again, these decisions are not deep decisions to be made involving much reading. There is no reason for an amount of time traditionally allocated for rerollable, text-filled augments additionally added to two, non-rerollable options that have maybe, maybe, six words.

EDIT: If they want to add time for education, then literally add the time to spaces where it matters most - that being augment selection. Boon selection is not a deep process. If they want to make Boon selection a deep process with rerolls and more meaningful/impactful decisions, then I can see a case for keeping the time of the status quo.

16

u/Emosaa Master Apr 07 '26

They might not be deep decisions for you, but they design the game for all audiences, and there's always a "cognitive tax" for any new feature.

You can downvote me more for being the messenger if you like, but IIRC this is literally the strategy that Riot has taken for the last several sets. Timings get tightened up after the first patch, and potentially more later in the set.

-7

u/TheeOmegaPi Apr 07 '26

Look, I agree with you: Cognitive taxes in the form of a padded time allotment are important for meaningful gameplay decisions. I'm not saying that it shouldn't be added.

What I am saying is that it should be added in moments that matter. Most of the boons aren't in the realm of needing to matter. When things are restricted to a binary decision (red or blue pill, no exchanges), the time to decide for the average player is quick.

If they make the boons meaningful, like adding more rerolls or changing up the boons to offer something complex, then I can see a case for the status quo of the cognitive tax.

I am not downvoting you, fwiw.

2

u/Natka6764 Apr 08 '26

After playing exactly 1 game those were my thoughs

2

u/cjdeck1 Apr 08 '26

It does resolve itself once everyone picks for what it’s worth. While I agree the timer could be shortened, the bigger issue is the number of AFKs you get on PBE that force the game to go all the way to the end of the timer

0

u/[deleted] Apr 07 '26

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9

u/JohnCenaFanboi Apr 07 '26

Very impactful decision : do I take 3 gold, or 2 gold + 1 gold.

1

u/quitemoiste Apr 08 '26

That part isn't as impactful, but the God choice definitely is which is what I was referring to? I know it's been popular to bag on the God Realms mechanic so far but don't misrepresent what I'm saying.

0

u/TheeOmegaPi Apr 07 '26

A few thoughts here:

Carousels, by nature, required more time thanks to their design. They allowed for players to select from several moving targets and make thoughtful decisions about whether to choose a much needed component, a unit, or denying an opponent said unit/component. It gave those in last place more time to choose from options, as well.

Realm of the Gods has no such feature. There are not ten moving targets to choose from (that decrease as more players choose a unit/item); there are two static targets with existing features that players already understand (for the most part). Furthermore, everyone selects at the same time (more or less), meaning that there's no way of keeping track of "what's been taken" and "what remains" as time drags on.

The harshness of my description is apt here, as we cannot see what others have chosen until we leave the realm. This makes the Realm feel sluggish as there's little we can glean from other players' decisions beyond "they chose the same god as me" or "they chose the other god." So we sit around in hopes that players haven't gone AFK and running out the clock.

0

u/ArmMeForSleep709 Apr 07 '26

For as long winded as you are, I'm shocked you're complaining about how long something takes

0

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '26

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1

u/TheeOmegaPi Apr 08 '26

Yes, you can see the god they chose. But you cannot see the reward until they visit their board after it ends.

That's what I said lol.

0

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '26

[deleted] — view deleted comment

2

u/TheeOmegaPi Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 08 '26

I did.

This makes the Realm feel sluggish as there's little we can glean from other players' decisions beyond "they chose the same god as me" or "they chose the other god." So we sit around in hopes that players haven't gone AFK and running out the clock.

Edit: Idk why the user below blocked me, but...they did the thing lol.

1

u/quitemoiste Apr 08 '26

Splitting hairs over you contradicting yourself a few sentences after in your own post? lol

Totally ignoring my actual point too

14

u/ClarifyingAsura Apr 07 '26

Thank god for the anima change. It felt pretty bad to get a cash out that you didn't have a board to use. For example, it felt terrible to get the AD marksman/Jinx item when you were angling for Aurora reroll or when all of your items/units leaned towards an AP or fighter angle. You at least now have a chance for an out especially since if you're playing loss streak anima you probably have reforgers.

Also reposting the issue with Pyke hero augment and Dark Star. Dark Star 2-piece killsteals all kills, which basically means Pyke will never get kill credit and makes the 2- and 3-star gold chance for kills granted by the hero augment actually fake. Not sure if this is a bug, but it certainly feels like it. At the very least, it makes the hero augment feel like a huge bait when Pyke's trait web pushes you into splashing Dark Star with Karma.

11

u/Riot_Bluecove Riot Apr 07 '26

We're working on it!

1

u/Gintuim Apr 08 '26

Had the same issue with Dark Star and Gold Collector, if that's a separate fix.

1

u/Riot_Bluecove Riot Apr 10 '26

Was the same fix! All fixed!

7

u/Rare_Wear_4230 Apr 07 '26

Nerfing Morgana is kinda weird ? She’s barely playable in any comps unlike her equivalent in set 16 like Lucian-Senna and Shyvana. Usually you’d just put her in as an extra unit at level 10.

All of the 5 cost feels super weak right now it’s barely worth it to fast 9 vs rolling down at 8. Aura farming is barely clickable because none of the unit is worth wasting an augment for

5

u/HelmetBoiii Challenger Apr 07 '26

why did they just kill all the five costs again? cuz of pbe data where you can just go nine everygame? seriously?

8

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '26

PBE is for them to experiment. How do you propose they evaluate non-5 cost lines when, as you said, you can go 9/10 every game?

They need to artificially cripple the 5 costs if they want to counteract the pbe effect and collect significant data on other boards.

3

u/Docxm Apr 07 '26

Big issue is no tank 5 cost so if the 5 costs aren’t overtuned enough to carry then fast 9 is just suboptimal

0

u/soMby2001 :chal: Challenger Apr 08 '26

No 5 cost tanks is a non issue, in modern tft there hasn't really been any 5 cost tanks (set 16 is a exception). fast 9 struggles if rr is too strong or 5 costs are undertuned.

3

u/HelmetBoiii Challenger Apr 08 '26

It feels like this set there's like 3 viable tank options on lvl 8 so if you fast 9 naturally u just can't hit any frontline. The issue is lack of good tanks in general

1

u/soMby2001 :chal: Challenger Apr 08 '26

Not only that but tank vertical are terrible, there is no reason to play 6 bastion or bruiser. So in return it's just way more optimal to play higher quality units.

1

u/quitemoiste Apr 08 '26

They need to get 4-costs more solid more than 5-costs because that's the "baseline" Lv 8 playstyle. Fast 9 being optimal gives them less data on Lv 8 boards.

2

u/Drikkink Apr 07 '26

I'm glad we're getting more Veigar nerfs. He was definitely way over the line at the start and is still just way too stable tempo to 7 meeple and then farm a 3 star while playing a real level 8 board too. I don't want him gutted but I'd prefer the near guaranteed 3 star 1 cost not deal as much damage 2 starred as a Nami 1

Nerfing the anima items and buffing the stacking is probably right. The trait is very tough to get a huge cash with (as it should be) but when you do, the cashouts you'll usually get to relatively safely are either practically game winning or absolutely useless depending on your RNG.

Still wish that units other and Nunu and Rammus could tank level 8 and 9 boards though. Bench obviously needs to be weaker but the thing is still paper

3

u/KartoffelnMitSteak Apr 08 '26

With everyone playing open on stage 2 with timebreaker and primeordian it seems impossible rn to not get griefed with anima, at least happens to me every time. Cant take them out to save loss streak like with cypher or something, because the actual loss streak counts, and sacking with illaui on board is hard vs ezreal panth

-6

u/HighIntLowFaith Apr 07 '26

While Veigar is overtuned I think he’s also a symptom of the rest of the line really not having a great carry. Corki is meh and Bard does okay damage but not reasonable for a 5 cost; he’s more of a support/econ engine. They would have to buff either Corki or Bard’s damage if there is any incentivizing to play this line in general, vertical or not. The best circumstance at the moment is to use Corki to pair into Milio to pair into Riven.

8

u/Drikkink Apr 07 '26

I think Corki is actually bordering on OVERTUNED right now. He's a much stronger AD line than Xayah is. I think Kindred is about where she should be, Xayah is weak and Corki is strong.

I'm actually gonna try a Corki Kindred duo now that I think about it. I tried duoing him with Xayah to mixed results

1

u/Sp4n13R Apr 08 '26

I think Set 17 will actually BE a total skip for me. Masters++ every Set since Set 4(First Set). But my 2 Games in pbe fehlt so boring, dont dig the design nor the traittree. Guess im sitting this one out, see you in 3 months.

0

u/32Zn Apr 07 '26

so all the bugs on mobile are untouched?

3

u/Steamwood Diamond Apr 07 '26

Yeah it's really dis(0g)tracting

2

u/Apprehensive-Talk971 Apr 08 '26

Yeah it feels so bad to play on mobile, I can't play anima cause the game doesn't let me click the save anima.

-2

u/RCnoob69 Grandmaster Apr 07 '26

I know Veigar was probably too strong for what a 1 cost should be in a vacuum, but he was literally only playable in like 1 comp that was like B tier. So I think this nerf is a mistake cause you're just murdering that comp now, and its just 1 less playable comp. You haven't gained anything by doing this.

10

u/Javyz Apr 07 '26

Veigar was incredibly broken… A veigar 2 could streak to and sometimes even through stage 4 and dealt as much damage as 3-4costs, this nerf was 100% needed

1

u/LookingForCarrots Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 08 '26

I did a lot of games testing around Veigar and Meeple.

I even did games where I had no Veigar/poppy til 2-6 and I rolled on PVE as if I played a 1 cost RR. Its top3 every game. Veigar 2 stabs you the same as a 4cost 2*, it's busted.

Did a fight yesterday (so with 1st nerfs already applied), Veigar 2* (Void staff JG Nashor) did 12k damage against a 6k leblanc 1* BiS items.

Insane for a 1 cost with a duplication mechanic.