Game Updates (2.0 — 2.5)

Check this page for updates 1.3 — 1.10: Game Updates (1.3 — 1.10)

#### Update 2.0 (July 2016)

* **Heroes** introduced: • Daryl Dixon, Rick Grimes, Michonne, Glenn Rhee, Maggie Greene, Abraham Ford, Paul “Jesus” Monroe, Carol Peletier.
* A team can have multiple Heroes but only one Leader Trait can be active at a time (only the LT of the team Leader).
* Team selection screen now shows walker types you encounter during a mission

#### Update 2.1 (August 2016)

* Free daily radio call
* Improved Trade Good Shop
* New Challenge rewards; now receive Phones as guild rewards!
* New walker type: Exploders
* New Challenge: Grenadier
* **Gameplay changes and improvements:**
	+ Various Outpost improvements
	+ Resource economy balancing
	+ Luck will now affect the following traits: Swift Strike, Threat Reduction, Charging, Silenced, and Bullet Proof
	+ Health Boost trait is changed from a flat value to a percentage boost
		- Was: 25, 50, 75 points more health
		- Is now: 5%, 10%, 15% more health
	+ Outpost raids can now be resumed after disconnection
	+ Added a countdown timer for daily quests
	+ **Fixes:** Heroes’ Leader traits working as intended and can now be used to defend your Outpost
* All **Outpost** changes:
	+ No longer lose Trade Goods when raided!
	+ Modified layout
	+ Only one flag outside the gate
	+ Flee without injuries. Fleeing from the combat no longer requires the player to choose someone to sacrifice. Fleeing before getting the first flag will result into loss of Influence, but no injuries
	+ Flag is the mandatory first objective after which a survivor can open the gate
	+ New reward system: Kill all the Defenders to gain influence, Raid the box for Trade Goods
	+ Threat triggers only once on the turn after the gate is opened
	+ Tier resets will be changed for Cycle 12, starting on the 21st of September. Tier reset has been removed from Gold tiers and below. Platinum and Master tier players will be reset in the following way: Platinum tier III: 5,000, Platinum tier II: 5,200, Platinum tier I: 5,400, Master tier: 5,600
	+ Note! Your Outpost layout will be modified automatically after the update to make it more straightforward. If you wish to manage the layout, tap open your Outpost and build a strong defence.
* Exploration mission resource economy has been balanced. The Exploration missions will more often reward the select resources; Supplies, XP or gear, depending on what mission you choose to do. The total amount of Supplies and XP in the rewards of corresponding Exploration missions has also been increased. In addition, other small adjustments have been done to increase the amount of Supplies players earn in the mid-level of the game.

#### Hotfix (Novermber 2016)

* Opponent selection simplified
* Tier reset has been removed completely from Gold tiers and below. Platinum and Master tier players will be reset in the following way:
	+ Platinum tier III: 5,000
	+ Platinum tier II: 5,200
	+ Platinum tier I: 5,400
	+ Master tier: 5,600
* Link to notes: https://nmlforum.decagames.com/walkingdead/discussion/15923/changes-to-outposts-matchmaking-new-tier-reset-changes-at-the-end-of-this-cycle#latest

#### Optional Update 2.1.1

* This update includes fixes for leaderboard issues as well as Radio Phone counts not updating as you collect them

#### Update 2.2 (October 2016)

* UI change: new mission hub with all missions easily found in one place
* **New game mode: Seasonal missions**: Season 7
* Temporary **Class bonuses** introduced (All Heroes and Survivors of one class get a special bonus effect, like extra damage in combat.)
* Heroes that require more tokens to unlock will now be unlocked at a higher rarity.
* Several Outpost maps have been adjusted. Healing times for Heroes & Survivors injured in Outpost raids have been reduced.
* Exploration missions have been renamed '**Scavenge**' missions. Players can now select between Normal and Hard difficulty when playing these Missions.
* **Council Level 19** is now available, along with upgrades to the **Mission Car, Workshop, Training Grounds, and Radio Tent** buildings. XP Tents now permanently give twice as much XP as before! Mid-level players can also collect XP for longer periods with their Tents.
* **Weapon Upgrade Times** for high-level weapons have been reduced.
* Scavenge Mission Gas Costs have been reduced for mid-game players.
* Challenge Mission Gas Costs have been reduced for high-difficulty Challenge missions.
* All-new Mission Hub where you find all the content & rewards you’re looking for
* Improvements to Outposts maps and healing times
* Heroes with high unlock costs now unlock at a higher rarity. Players who have previously unlocked these heroes will get them upgraded to the new starting rarirty and any tokens used for pre-update upgrades
* Link to update notes: https://nmlforum.decagames.com/walkingdead/discussion/16818/2-2-update-notes#latest
* **Combat Rebalancing in 2.2**
	+ Traits: Several traits have been adjusted in order to increase the number of viable survivor and equipment combinations.
	+ Stunned or Struggling Survivors can no longer Dodge incoming attacks. When a Survivor and their Armor both possess the **Dodge** trait, both traits will contribute their full values.
	+ The **Lucky** trait now increases the chance that other percentage-based traits will take effect by the listed amount. If a Survivor and their Weapon both possess the Lucky trait, both traits will contribute their full values. For example, if a Survivor has Threat Reduction at 75% and also has a total of 20% Luck from their survivor and weapon traits, the total chance for Threat Reduction is 90%. In this example, .75 [base chance] times 1.20 [20% luck bonus] = .90, or a total chance of 90%.
	+ The **Interruptor** trait now has no effect when the result of the attack is a Body Shot.
	+ **Bulletproof** no longer has a bug that causes the owner's attacks to result in Body Shots more often.
	+ The **Wrestler** trait has been changed; at the start of each of the player's turns, the Survivor with Wrestler has a chance to instantly kill the walker they are struggling against.
	+ Daryl's **Silent Shot** Leader trait now also gives an increased chance of Critical Hits to Survivors on Daryl's team who use ranged attacks.
	+ **Concussion** has been adjusted. The chance for the extra turn of stun is based on the level of the Concussion trait
	+ Gold-Level **Large Caliber** has been changed from 0.6 extra width to 0.5.
	+ Several sources of **Damage Reduction** now combine in such a way that total immunity to damage is no longer possible. This includes Damage Reduction from Cover, Traits, and buffs. For example, a character taking 100 damage from an incoming attack who has Iron Skin at 10% and is benefitting from cover will now take 45 damage. In this example, 100 times .9 [-10% for Iron Skin] times .5 [-50% for cover] = 45.
	+ **Critical Hits** are more accurate: When an attacker would get a Critical Hit in the same action that the target would **Dodge** the attack, the result of the attack will be a normal, non-Critical hit.
	+ Raider, Savior, and Freemen enemies in Story, Challenge, and Season 7 Missions are much more **durable** and **tougher** than before.
	+ The Scout 1-handed weapon's Charge Attack **Brain Stab** has been improved. It now deals approximately 180% of normal damage.

#### Hotfixes (October 2016)

* Challenges will be starting on Wednesdays at 15:00 PM UTC and ending on Mondays at 15:00 PM UTC.
* Scavenge gas costs have reduced for most players across all levels & more gear now available from gear Scavenge missions
* End-game players may also have seen their Hard Mode difficulties in Scavenge missions slightly reduced
* Fixed issue with Outposts map layouts
* Fixed issues with "Walkers have blocked the entrance."
* New Challenge Rewards Tiers, see here https://nmlforum.decagames.com/walkingdead/discussion/17086/new-challenge-rewards-gas-costs#latest

#### Optional Update 2.2.1

* This update fixes the issues with the Help section in-game and an issue where resources didn't update correctly after watching an ad.

#### Balance Changes (November 2016)

* **Luck**: Previously, survivor-based Luck scaled from 5% to 20%, and equipment-based Luck scaled from 5% to 15%. Now, Luck will scale from 10% to 25% on survivors, and from 10 and 20% on Equipment.
* All survivors have their chance to get a **critical hit** increased by 5%. With 2.2, we added an interaction between Critical Hits and Dodges, and also increased the HP of human enemies. This change will give attackers in Outpost and those fighting against Saviors or Freemen a slight boost, as well as increasing the power of critical hit-based traits by increasing the maximum Critical hit chance that can be obtained.
* **Bodyshot** chance reduction. Weapon types with built-in bodyshot chances, like rifles and pistols, have had these base chances greatly reduced. In addition, players facing enemies of higher levels than their survivors will see a decrease in Bodyshots against enemies that are less than 5 levels higher than their team. While Bodyshots are still being used as a balancing agent for players pushing the limits of their skill, the increase of Bodyshot chances was too rapid. Depending on the situation, players may see a decrease in Bodyshots up to 33% less often than at 2.2 launch.
* **Swift Strike**. The chance of activation was previously 5% - 15%. Now, the chance will be increased to 20% - 40%. The percentages for Swift Strike were very low because of the large impact Luck previously had on the trait. Now that Luck is more balanced, Swift Strike can be increased to be a more attractive option for players.
* **Defensive Stance**. Previously scaled from 20 - 53%. Will now start at 30%, increasing up to 60%. Keeping a survivor on Overwatch is a calculated risk, as the unpredictable nature of Walkers means that survivors sometimes have more incoming attacks than had been anticipated. This change to Defensive Stance brings it in line with the damage reduction calculation changes in 2.2
* **Vigilant**. Previously adds between 5% and 20% to the damage of Overwatch attacks. Will now scale from 20% to 50%. While Overwatch strategies saw a decline in power in 2.2, we want them to remain a viable option without guaranteeing perfect victories. Therefore, Vigilant survivors will need to pack more of a punch in order to keep the hordes of walkers at bay.
* **Cover**. Previously a 50% damage reduction. Now, cover will reduce incoming damage by 35%. Observing the ways players and AI use cover in Challenges and Outpost, it is clear that enemies prefer cover more than players. This change will benefit anyone raiding a heavily-sandbagged Outpost, or facing off against Freemen in Story or Challenge missions.
* Link: https://nmlforum.decagames.com/walkingdead/discussion/17580/balance-changes-2nd-november-2016#latest
* New Hero: **Rosita**
* Hero Challenge introduced, with hero tokens as challenge rewards (https://nmlforum.decagames.com/walkingdead/discussion/18283/hero-token-challenge#latest)

#### Update 2.3 (November 2016)

* **Gameplay / Balancing**
	+ **Overwatch logic** now considers the range of each survivor’s Overwatch attack when choosing when these are used. In general, melee survivors on overwatch should have their kills ‘stolen’ by ranged survivors less often. Additionally, survivors on Overwatch should attack the walker that is closer to them more often.
	+ Players preparing to raid an Outpost have their gas refunded if the player comes online before the raid has started.
	+ Players’ **Building Points** were being inconsistently calculated, based on the date at which the player joined the game or built some upgrades. This has been corrected, and some players may find that the recalculation has increased their level.
	+ Outpost maps have had their defending walker positions adjusted. Attackers will have a little more room between them and the defending special walkers at the start of a raid. Players are advised to manage their Outposts and make sure that their special walkers are placed as they desire. The minimum number of defending walkers was not migrated properly for all players, and this has been corrected. Players should now always face at least 6 defending walkers when they raid any Outpost.
* Some traits have been improved or redesigned:
	+ Rick: The previous trait “Take Cover” has been removed. Rick now has the new trait "**Close Call**: Your survivors' attacks deal more damage if the target is next to an ally.”
	+ Michonne’s **“Thinning the Herd”** now works as follows: “Your team's melee kills have a chance of reducing threat and a chance of regaining an action point.” The chance of gaining the extra action point is added to any chance of Swift Strike your other survivors may have.
	+ **Charging**: This trait now works as follows: “chance to get an extra charge point from a kill and charge attacks deal more damage.”
	+ **Power Strike**: This trait now works as follows: “Attacks made on your turn deal more damage and have a better critical chance if you have not moved.”
	+ **Jesus’s and Abraham’s Leader Traits** had incomplete text. These Leader Traits also improve the Health of melee and ranged survivors [respectively]. This health bonus has been in the game since the introduction of these heroes, but the tooltip text for their traits has been corrected.
* **Interface**
	+ Guild information and leaderboards are now available when a Challenge is not currently active.
	+ Equipment cards in the Workshop screen, Hero information screen, and all areas where loot is shown now feature the icon for the class of survivor that can use them
	+ A counter that shows the number of pieces of equipment you possess is shown in the Workshop screen. The limit for total quantity of equipment is 300 pieces. This includes all types of weapons and armor. If you end your gameplay session with more than 300 pieces of equipment in your inventory, the lowest-level, least-rare pieces will be automatically scrapped and converted to XP. Since this scrapping happen while the player is not playing, the player will not see a notification of exactly which pieces were automatically scrapped. Therefore, it is strongly advised that players near the limit make the decisions about gear scrapping themselves.
	+ If a player raids an Outpost and claims the flag but completes neither of the other goals before the mission is completed through time or by retreating, the match will appear as a ‘Draw’ in the Outpost log. No rewards or Influence changes occur in the case of a Draw, and the shield preventing further attacks on that player’s Outpost is not triggered.
	+ The camera in-game will **no longer automatically center** on a survivor that the player taps on when that survivor starts the turn near the edge of the screen. Players can still center the camera on any survivor who has not completed their turn by tapping on the portrait on the left side of the screen.
	+ The Team Selection Screen before missions now includes the Class Sorting buttons to make it easier to find the right survivors for the mission.
	+ The Trade Goods Shop displays the item being bought when confirming a purchase.
* **Rewards**
	+ Killing a defending Hero character in an Outpost Raid now awards XP [bug fix], and Hero defenders in Outpost Raids are worth more XP than non-hero defenders.
	+ Hard Scavenge missions now provide more Supplies, XP, Phone, and Gas in the crates at the end of the mission, and the Gear found in these crates will be more rare more often.
* The **Alexandria Challenge** mission set has been added. Good luck cleaning up the neighborhood!
* **New Scavenge maps** have been added. Altogether, 48 total Scavenge Mission layouts are available to players. A few previously-existing Scavenge maps have been tweaked.
* **Under the Hood:** Veteran users may notice some subtle changes to aspects of the game. While these do not directly affect gameplay or rewards, players may find it useful to know that these features have been worked on, and additional future work may be forthcoming:
	+ Delivery of in-game ads in the Cinema and after missions has been re-implemented.
	+ Guild and Challenge Leaderboards are reimplemented using new software.
* Link to update notes: https://nmlforum.decagames.com/walkingdead/discussion/18984/2-3-update-notes#latest
* New Hero: **Tara** (https://nmlforum.decagames.com/walkingdead/discussion/19100/tara-in-game-now#latest)

#### Hero update (December 2016)

* New Hero: **Rufus** (https://nmlforum.decagames.com/walkingdead/discussion/19495/rufus-is-here#latest)

#### Update 2.3.3

* Some issues with leaderboard star counts have been fixed: Guild stars were shown incorrectly for some players causing their guild to show on the top of the guild leaderboards.
* Freezing issues in Outpost raids when using Rufus’ charge ability are fixed
* Issues with 3 extra crate unlocks for 25 gold after missions are fixed
* Fixed an issue with Overwatch which caused crashing and performance issues
* Issues with the struggle condition fixed
* Various performance improvements across the board
* Link: https://nmlforum.decagames.com/walkingdead/discussion/21017/update-notes-2-3-3#latest

#### Update 2.4 (February 2017)

* Major update to the **Challenge** ("Challenge 2.0")
	+ Earn one or more stars in each mission in the set of six to earn Trade Goods & bonus stars, and unlock the next round of missions.
	+ Missions can be replayed immediately so players can attempt to earn stars that were missed in previous plays.
	+ Start at a higher difficulty and reach challenging missions faster than before.
	+ New rewards categories such as the Deluxe Challenge Crate and Token Crate are awarded to players upon reaching high star values.
	+ Guild rewards are improved; full guilds will be able to work together for even more Trade Goods and Radio Phones.
	+ Incremental difficulty increases the challenge in later rounds to really test your skills.
	+ Gas costs have been optimized.
	+ Guild Leaderboards in Challenges will now show the most up-to-date score for the Guild. If a Challenge is currently underway, this will be the Guild's score for this Challenge. If a Challenge is not currently underway, this will be the final score for the Guild in the previous Challenge.
	+ Link: https://nmlforum.decagames.com/walkingdead/discussion/22262/challenge-rework-and-leaderboards-in-2-4#latest
	+ Quest stars have been replaced with round completion stars. You can still receive gold from completing quests, however.

* Season 7 Missions Continue: Returning with the second half of the Walking Dead Season 7, players will find a new mission available each week after the premiere of the TV episode. Tokens, Phones, and other new surprises await you each week. Trial difficulty missions have returned, offering valuable rewards if you can survive all 5 trials!

* **Improvements:**
	+ Google Play / Game Center Connectivity: New menu options and revamped functionality for this feature will help ensure that fewer players lose their accounts.
* **Maximum-level Player Rewards**
	+ Players at the maximum Camp Level [currently level 58] will see the following changes to their rewards and UI:
	+ Supplies will no longer be given as an award for the following events or reward types: Killing Walkers on the Camp wall, Mission crates after missions of difficulty 20 or greater, Silver or Gold Trade crates purchased with Trade Goods, Guild Gifts, Cinema video ad rewards
	+ The Camp UI for players who have built all possible building upgrades will change as follows: The 'Upgrade your Supplies Storage" message will no longer appear. The orange "Full Farm" icons will no longer appear. The Supplies storage bar will not give its warning animations.
* **Weapons and Armor Rewards**
	+ The minimum level of equipment found in mission crates is now one less than the recommended survivor level for the mission, up to level 20.
	+ The minimum level of items found in Reward or Challenge crates is one less than the expected highest level of the player's survivors.
	+ Rare, Epic, and Legendary Gear Crate item levels are unchanged
* **Balancing:** Story Chapter 14, Mission 2: One Freeman enemy has been removed from this mission.
* **Bug Fixes:**
	+ Special Defending walkers should no longer spawn in illegal places
	+ Some outpost maps were adjusted and should no longer allow the attacker to attack the defending survivors before the gate is opened.
	+ An exploit which allowed players to collect Challenge stars from Outpost missions has been removed.
* Link: https://nmlforum.decagames.com/walkingdead/discussion/22398/update-notes-2-4#latest

#### Update 2.5 (March 2017)

* New Challenge Map Sets - Two new sets of Challenge maps are available:
	+ After the Wildfire: A raging forest fire has left the area charred and ashen. Is there anything left to salvage from the wreckage? Can you learn who might have been the cause of the conflagration?
	+ Quarry Junction: The Herd once gathered in this place, and some of the multitudes yet remain. An area so treacherous is sure to test the savvy and cunning of even the most seasoned teams of survivors.

* Challenge Onboarding: Several flow issues that relate to the way new players find Challenges for the first time have been addressed, so everyone can have a better time when tacking their first Challenge. In order to give Challenges the moment of focus they deserve for new players, the Outpost building and PvP gameplay now unlock for new players when they reach Council Level 7.
* Balancing:
	+ The Starting Difficulty for players in mid-to-high levels has been increased slightly. Players will be able to get into the meaty difficulty levels with one fewer "warm-up" round.
	+ The number of rounds in high-difficulty stages of the Challenges have been reduced. Players will be able to face extreme difficulties earlier in the Challenge period.
	+ The Progression Timer period has been adjusted. Players who advance to the next round twice in 60 minutes [previously 90 minutes] will see a 60-minute timer blocking further advancement. After the 60 minute timer expires, players will be able to advance twice more in the next 60 minutes before seeing the timer reappear.
	+ Personal and Guild Rewards have been adjusted to allow players to shoot for even higher star totals.
* **New Heroes and Weapons:**
	+ Two new Heroes are ready to join your camp! Look for their release in the next few weeks, and be ready to make some Radio Calls when you see them appear!
	+ The Dixieland BBQ from the recent Talking Dead poll will be released shortly!
	+ Several new weapons have been created for all classes and will become available in the game soon.
* **Council Level 20 is here!** After the appropriate buildings are upgraded, survivors will be able to train up to Level 21. Level 21 Equipment will now be found in the most difficult missions of the game, and can be upgraded to Level 24. Level 21 Equipment will also be found in Gear Crates, the Gold Shop, and other places in the game weapons and armor were previously found.
* **Survivor Class Balance:**
	+ Scout, Warrior, and Bruiser survivors are more durable, and capable of surviving encounters with high-level enemies.
	+ These classes will also have their attack damage reduced by a smaller amount when they perform a Body Shot.
	+ Bruiser armor has had a slight reduction in armor value, and Bruiser survivors have had their HP increased.
	+ Shooter weapons have had their attack values increased.
	+ The Warrior class has received an increase to its attack power.
* **Healing Times:**
	+ The amount of time a Survivor needs to heal from Injuries of all severities is now calculated based on the level of difficulty of the mission where the Survivor received the injury. In general, players using Survivors of a level appropriate for the difficulty of the mission will find their healing times somewhat reduced compared to previous healing times. Survivors of all levels will receive long healing times for suffering a Heavy Injury in missions of difficulty 20 or greater.
* **Enemy Levels:**
	+ The maximum difficulty of enemies in the game, and therefore the maximum level of Challenge and Scavenge foes has increased beyond the old maximum of level 30.
	+ Walkers of all levels have been slightly strengthened. The changes will be more noticeable at higher levels of difficulty.
	+ Human enemies have had their health values reduced.
* **Radio Calls:** Players will receive more clear reminders that a Survivor is waiting to be accepted or rejected in the Radio Tent. The tappable portion of the Radio Call interface has been adjusted making accidental calls much less likely.
* **Guilds & Player Names:**
	+ Players will now get clearer information when their Challenge stars are not counted for their guilds.
	+ Newly-formed guilds will have their Joining Members setting set to "Open", making it easier for players to find others to team up with.
	+ Players who entered a name that they no longer want to use can change their in-game name. Players can only ever change their name once for the lifetime of their player account, so please choose wisely. Players will now be asked to confirm that the name they entered is exactly the way they want it to be, since they can only change it once.

#### Changes to Challenge Rewards (March 2017)

* Fixes have been going in since the update and for example issues related to stun resistance were fixed yesterday. The upcoming challenge will have adjustments to the challenge reward structure. Now, Phones will be available earlier (1 round) during the challenge as guild rewards so they're reachable by more guilds.
* Link: https://nmlforum.decagames.com/walkingdead/discussion/24500/changes-in-challenge-rewards#latest

#### Changes to Challenge Starting Difficulty (April 2017)

* We are changing the starting level calculations back to where they were before 2.5:
* **Starting Difficulty:** This is based on the levels of your top three survivors. The number of stars they have is not considered. Based on the levels of your team, you should see the following starting difficulties:
	+ 2 or more level 18 Survivors: Starting Difficulty 13
	+ 2 or more level 19 Survivors: Starting Difficulty 14
	+ 2 or more level 20 Survivors: Starting Difficulty 14
	+ 2 or more level 21 Survivors: Starting Difficulty 15
* **Repeating Difficulty Rounds:** This is also based on the levels of your top three survivors. It is not based on the number of rounds or the number of difficulty levels you have competed! When a new difficulty is started, your team’s survivor's levels can be checked again to see how many rounds there will be for that difficulty. In general, the difficulties start requiring multiple rounds when the difficulty is one less than the average level of your top three survivors.
* Link: https://nmlforum.decagames.com/walkingdead/discussion/24720/challenge-starting-level-changes#latest

#### Trade Goods Tuesday Introduced (May 2017)

* Link: https://nmlforum.decagames.com/walkingdead/discussion/25913/introducing-tg-tuesday#latest

#### Changes to High-Level Stats (May 2017)

* Pre-discussion: There will be further adjustments to the the stats of high-level entities in the game. Level 21 characters, level 24 weapons and armor, and level 20+ walkers will all be considered and may be adjusted as part of this change. We will be bringing the weapon and armor scaling up to where it should have been.
* Link: https://nmlforum.decagames.com/walkingdead/discussion/25768/changes-to-high-level-stats#latest
* Level 21 survivors are more powerful than before, and should be able to take on higher level enemies than their level 20 counterparts. Details below:
	+ Health for level 19-21 survivors and armor for level 24 armor has increased. The new values for level 24 armor match the rate of increase seen in previous upgrades.
	+ Damage for level 21 survivors and level 24 weapons has increased to match previous upgrade rates.
	+ The damage of walkers at level 22 and above has been increased. This change is very small for levels 22-25. This was necessary to put all of the enemy and survivor stats on a sustainable upgrade rate to prevent imbalances in the future.
	+ Players should find it easier to defeat greater Challenge difficulties once they have upgraded their survivors to level 21.
	+ We anticipate that players will be able to collect more Challenge stars with teams of level 21 survivors than they previously could with level 20 survivors.
	+ As always, other elements like team composition, traits, and player skill also play a big part in high-difficulty Challenge play.
* Link: https://nmlforum.decagames.com/walkingdead/discussion/26158/changes-to-end-game-stats#latest