Arc System Works and Cygames revealed several “major” gameplay adjustments for Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising following the first open beta test from July 2023. Many of the changes will be implemented in the second open beta test, which begins in November 2023.
In the latest Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising video, series director Tetsuya Fukuhara discussed feedback from users, including weak throws and very strong Raging Strikes. Moreover, Fukuhara noted that Ultimate Skills were hard to use, and there’s not much incentive to use the SBA gauge at the moment. Many changes will be made for the second open beta test and full release.
The full list of changes may be read below via Gematsu:
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising Second Beta Battle Adjustments
User Feedback Received During First Beta
- Throws are too weak…
- Raging Strikes are too strong…
- Ultimate Skills are hard to use not only that, but there’s little reason to use my SBA gauge for anything other than Raging Strikes and Chains.
Plus Skills (Heavy Skills)
During the last beta, there was a gauge penalty when using plus skills. Basically, your gauge would fill up slower. That’s no longer the case. Just like in the first Granblue Fantasy: Versus, we want players to proactively use them. We’ve made several changes to the SBA gauge. One that you’ll likely notice is the rate at which the gauge fills from walking. On top of no longer having a gauge penalty, it also fills up much quicker now.
Changes to Ultimate Skills
- Cost 50% of the SBA Gauge to activate.
- Can be followed up with additional attacks.
- Can be chained into mid-combo (with damage scaling).
- Can be activated during skill cooldown (damage halved).
Changes to Dash Attacks
- Light dash attacks advance farther for approaching foes.
- Heavy dash attacks are more rewarding.
- Heavy dash attacks cause a screen effect on counter-hit.
Changes to Throws
- Throw break window reduced.
- Throw breaks can be performed with any attack button (Treated as a late throw break that reduces damage. Perform a throw break with a throw input to completely mitigate damage).
- Late throw breaks grant an advantage to the attacker and a chance to continue applying pressure.
Changes to Raging Strikes
- Cost 1 BP to activate (no longer require SBA gauge).
- Cause guard crush and deplete 1 BP to blocking foes.
- Start-up is slower, but reach has been extended.
- Can be chained into from cancelable attacks (Only upon successfully connecting-canceling a blocked attack into a Raging Strike will leave a gap in your offense).
Changes to Brave Counters
- Cost 1 BP to activate (no longer require SBA gauge).
- Can be performed by pressing two buttons (Medium + Heavy attack-the same input as a Raging Strike).
- Visual effect has been changed.
Changes to Bravery Points
- Damage taken increases as BP is depleted.
- 3 BP: No change
- 2 BP: No change
- 1 BP: +20% damage taken
- 0 BP: +50% damage taken
- Guard crushes inflicted by a Raging Strike in addition to Skybound Arts/Super Skybound Arts that successfully connect at close range also deplete BP.
Changes to Skybound Arts / Super Skybound Arts
- Deplete a foe’s BP upon successfully connecting at close range (Skybound Art: -1 BP, Super Skybound Art: -2 BP).
- BP is depleted upon a successful hit, which may significantly increase damage dealt depending on the foe’s remaining BP.
- Restore 1 BP upon activation (only applies to SBA or SSBA that deal damage—some, such as Lowain’s, are exempt from this rule).
- Use them in place of Raging Strikes as your main tool to deplete a foe’s BP!
Changes to Raging Chains
- Cost 25% of the SBA gauge to activate.
- Gauge penalty added.
- Raging Strikes are harder to land now, but can lead into powerful combos that can turn the tides of battle in your favor!
Changes to Technical Inputs
- Skills performed using technical inputs deal 10% more damage (not including skills canceled into mid-combo).
- “Good!” pop-up notification appears when using technical inputs.
- Considering the physical difference in speed when activating a skill using technical inputs compared to simple inputs, we’ve added an advantage to technical inputs instead of a disadvantage to simple inputs.
Watch the full video in English below.
