Patch 3825

Reduce the damage of the Cybran T1 mobile anti-air since its projectiles can now retarget, as it no longer needs so much damage to match the AA of other factions

Reduce the Bulwark's oversized dimensions to better reflect its current role and cost efficiency. Previous FAF changes significantly increased the unit's scale, making it nearly as large as a destroyer despite being a relatively inexpensive support vessel. With the Bulwark's recent rework emphasizing affordability over raw effectiveness, its massive size no longer aligns with its tactical purpose. These adjustments restore appropriate proportions for a cost-effective T2 support unit while maintaining its core shielding functionality.

Reduce the Mermaid's excessive size and durability to promote better counterplay opportunities and prevent it from becoming overpowered. Previous FAF changes dramatically increased the unit's scale, making this relatively affordable support vessel nearly as large as a destroyer. The Mermaid's current combination of high HP-to-mass ratio and oversized dimensions makes it too resilient for its cost, limiting strategic options for opponents. These adjustments scale back both its physical presence and survivability to create more tactical vulnerability while preserving its core counter-intelligence capabilities.

Increase the reload time of the Seraphim T1 submarine's anti-torpedo defense so that it is less dominant against other T1 subs. This slows down their snowballing and allows for a transition into T2 counters (T2 subs, Coopers, Seraphim and Aeon destroyers)

Add ability for Soul Ripper weapons to fire at gunships. Gunships can fire at other gunships, so the Soul Ripper should be able to do this too.

Rebalance the Aeon ACU's first range upgrade costs to create strategic parity with other factions' gun upgrade options. The increased investment required for the range upgrade ensures that combined range and speed upgrades match the total cost of other factions' comprehensive gun improvements. This change also equalizes the individual costs of speed and range upgrades, preventing players from exploiting cost disparities to rush specific upgrades on smaller maps where early positioning advantages can be decisive.

Reduce the fire rate upgrade costs to balance the overall investment required for Aeon ACU enhancement paths. By lowering the fire rate upgrade costs to match the new range upgrade pricing, both individual upgrades now require equal investment, preventing strategic exploitation where players could prioritize cheaper upgrades for early game advantages. This adjustment ensures that Aeon players must make meaningful tactical decisions between range and fire rate improvements without cost-based bias influencing their upgrade priorities on smaller maps.

Further increase the MuzzleSalvoSize of the Cybran ACU's Nanite Torpedo upgrade to 4, as it still had difficulties penetrating torpedo defenses after (#6476) increased it to 3. Its DPS remains unchanged.

Nerf the Cybran ACU's Nano-Repair System, as it has proven to be an oppressive tool that causes Cybran ACUs to overperform during the Tech 2 stage.

The Aeon T2 shield can now be upgraded to T3. It has the same 20 buildpower as UEF and Seraphim T2 shields.

Blocking the ACU with quickly started but unfinished 1x1 structures which decay only very slowly such as T1 point defense, is often considered unfair as the ACU’s pathfinding can get ruined to a point where the ACU is completely stuck and effectively unable to move, because of the unbuilt structures. While the mechanic of blocking an opponents movement by quickly starting a building in front of them is a valid strategy, most buildings in the game such as factories or other structures larger than 1x1 leave gaps inbetween them even if built right next to each other, allowing some way to escape while still slowing down movement as the ACU walked around them. As 1x1 structures can completely block movement when built next to each other, their very slow decay makes them far more oppressive when used for such a strategy. To allow some more counterplay, these structures will now decay more quickly when below 10% completion. This means that quickly spamming many barely started T1 PD’s for example will now also have them disappear more quickly, making it more difficult to fully trap the enemy, giving them a better chance to escape while still retaining the advantage of slowing the enemy down.

When below 10% completion structures with a 1x1 footprint now have the decay rate of walls