In the latest BBR2 update (v1.1.2) we re-balanced the game’s Powerup mix. We wanted to make sure that the Epics in the game feel truly EPIC from the moment you unlock them, not just after they’re upgraded. To that end, we upgraded a few Epic-feeling Rares, downgraded a few Rare-feeling Epics, and tuned some of the other Epic and Rare powerups to make them feel more appropriate to their level of specialness.
“Epic”, “Rare”….WHAT?!?!
To give a little background, the Powerups that you discover in BBR2 come in three “rarities”, Common, Rare and Epic.
Common Powerups appear more often in chests, but they are less powerful. Rare Powerups appear more rarely than Common cards, and tend to be more powerful. And Epic cards are very special and hard to find, but they pack a punch, especially when you upgrade them!
We’re constantly balancing the Powerups to make sure that each Powerup feels appropriate to its level of rarity. And with that in mind, we did a big balancing pass with update 1.1.2.
Promoted to Epic
Jammer and Barrage are now Epic! Anyone who's been caught by the Jammer knows there was an Epic Powerup hiding in that dastardly Rare shell. The Barrage is pretty spectacular, so we felt that it would be a good candidate for a replacement Epic as well. While these Powerups are more difficult to upgrade now than they were when they were Rares, they're also more powerful!
Demoted to Rare
Angry Bees and Cluck-nado Coop are now Rare! Cornering with chickens in your face and driving a straight line while swatting bees are both pretty tough, but a skilled racer can overcome these difficulties with practice. As Epic Powerups, these were hard to upgrade to a Stage that would make them truly effective defensive Powerups. Changing these swarms to Rare more accurately reflects their usefulness, and it also makes upgrading them much easier, so you can cluck and sting to your heart's content!
Powerup Stat Changes
Barrage
Number of Rockets were 14 to 21, now 14 to 56. As a Rare, each upgrade only added one extra Rocket, which was a little underwhelming. Now that it's Epic, we're adding 6 Rockets with each upgrade! Grab a handful of confetti and strap on your party hats, then just sit back and enjoy the show!
Warp Speed
Warp Distance was 40m to 180m, now 60m to 200m. We added 20 meters of Warp Distance to each Stage of the Powerup, so you can Warp farther ahead of the pack! Make it so, Number One!
Rocket Boost
Boosts was 1 to 2.4, now 2.25 to 4. Turns out that Rocket Boost is a lot more fun if you can use it multiple times. We increased the number of Boosts pretty drastically to let players Rocket around the track more freely. Hold on tight!
Speed was 65 km/h to 100 km/h, now 75 km/h to 110 km/h. Rocket Boost works instantly, but it doesn't last. We felt that increasing each stage's Speed by 10 km/h would make up for the shorter duration.
Cluck-nado Coop
Cluck-nado Time was 5 s to 45 s, now 25 s to 45 s. We realized that the real power of the Coop is in the size of the Cluck-nado, and the length of time it stays on the track is secondary. With that in mind we increased the starting duration by a whole 20 seconds, so you can be sure someone's getting a face full of feathers!
Cluck-nado Size was 3 m to 27 m, now 4 m to 44 m. The bigger the Cluck-nado, the tougher it is to avoid, so when it came time to buff up the Cluck-nado Coop, we knew which knob to turn. Once someone breaks open that Coop, it's a fair bet that other racers are going to end up with egg on their face!
Death Bat
Trail of Death Size was 1 m to 15 m, now 4 m to 32 m. The Death Bat always finds its target up at 1st place, but taking out a few other racers with the Trail of Death can pave the way to victory! The Trail was just too small to start with, and it took a lot to upgrade. We increased the size by a lot so you can fire your Death Bat with confidence. Disclaimer: Despite the name, no bats were harmed in the making of this Powerup.
Hydra
Heads was 2 to 9, now 3 to 10. Two heads are better than one, so three must be amazing, right? The Hydra was feeling somewhat less than Epic, so we gave it a little upgrade to boost its effectiveness.
Angry Bees
Swarm Time was 5 s to 45 s, now 25 s to 45 s. Swarm Size was 3 m to 24 m, now 4 m to 44 m. We changed the Angry Bees in similar ways to the Cluck-nado Coop, and for similar reasons. It needed a slight buff to go with its new rarity, so we increased Swarm Time and Swarm Size to give it that extra sting!
Lightning
Shocked Time was 2 s to 6 s, now 1 s to 3.5 s. As satisfying as it is to speed by as another racer stares in shocked disbelief, it's not so much fun to be on the receiving end. Players were spending too much time stuck in one place, which is a real bummer in a game that's all about going fast. We've reduced the Shocked Time so that players can get back in the race more quickly.
Big Bang
Blast Radius was 10 m to 100 m, now 15 m to 120 m. The Big Bang was feeling a bit, well, small. With a large increase at the lowest Stage, more racers are going to get caught in the Blast Radius. Talk about more bang for your buck!
Police Chase
Buff Time was 4.5 s to 15 s, now 7 s to 21 s. Speeding around the track and smashing through debris with wild abandon is just good fun, no matter who you are. However, at only 4.5 seconds to start, the fun was disappointingly brief. With an increase of several seconds at each Stage, you'll have a better chance of catching those speeders!
Tesla Coil
Shock Distance was 25 m to 60 m, now 30 m to 100 m. The Tesla Coil is a great way to keep other racers behind you, but too often it seems to be wasted. With a slight boost at the lowest Stage, and much larger increases from each upgrade, it should be much easier to surprise the racers around you, giving this Powerup a bit more of an offensive edge.