Dev Diary - The Greens, The Night’s Watch, and More
Greetings House Leaders,
The Winds of Change continue to stir, and as any wise Maester will tell you, change is the lifeblood of a thriving realm. In our latest update, we’re taking a careful hand to balance the scales, introduce fresh faces to the battlefield, and continue our journey to ensure that every Champion - be they Common or Legendary - has a worthy place in the ever-unfolding struggle for power.
Many of you have grown fond of the Greens, and for good reason. Their might has shaken the very foundations of the meta, and their power is undeniable. But even the strongest must find balance, and so we’re adjusting our most dominant Legendary Greens; reigning in their overwhelming force so that battles remain fair and full of meaningful choices. At the same time, we are expanding their ranks, welcoming new Common and Epic Champions into their “Birthright” so that more players may find strength under their banners.
Beyond the realm of the Greens, far to the North, the Night’s Watch stand ready, with new warriors joining their ranks and long-serving brothers receiving well-earned reinforcements. These stalwart defenders of the Wall have been waiting for their moment, and now, with renewed strength, they will once again prove their worth in the battles to come.
In addition, we’re making more thoughtful adjustments to a handful of Free Folk Champions that need to find their place in the game - always with the goal of keeping the game engaging, competitive, and above all, fun.
Please be sure to see the patch notes that will accompany these changes when they arrive. There, you’ll find the final tuning for each Champion we’ve adjusted.
Systems Changes - Cleaner mechanics, better clarity.
Of course, no update would be complete without refining the core components of combat itself. We’re making important adjustments to how buff-triggered abilities and shield break events function, ensuring more consistency across battles.
Buff Triggers: Abilities that activate when a Champion receives a buff will no longer react to shield or stamina changes.
Example: Robb’s Stark’s Leader ability, “Brave in the Face of Fear”, which buffs his team when an enemy gains a buff, will no longer trigger when that enemy gains a shield or stamina from abilities like the “My Sun & Stars” Skill from Daenerys Targaryen (Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea).
Shield Break Events: We’ve fixed an issue where Champions who react to shield breaks were triggering too frequently.
Currently, if a Champion has gained multiple shields, characters like Alliser Thorne or Tormund Giantsbane would trigger their passives for each individual shield break, instead of when a Champion’s total shield hit zero.
In this update, shield break effects will only trigger when the entire shield is depleted, making these events more predictable.
We’ve also addressed an issue with Critical Hit logic, ensuring that when critical blows strike, their reactions behave as expected. Abilities that trigger from crits should now react only to relevant crit types.
The Greens - Strength at the start, but the battle is long.
With the recent expansion of Green’s Champions, BIRTHRIGHT became more widely available, allowing players to field full Greens teams more easily. While our goal was to make BIRTHRIGHT strong - even outside of full-faction setups - and make the keyword less prevalent in our existing Greens Champions, the actual power tuning overshot the mark. The Greens, a faction built around early aggression, ended up not just dominating early combat but staying strong throughout the battle, which wasn’t the intent.
With the coming update, we’re keeping their explosive opening turns intact but ensuring their power curve behaves as designed.
BIRTHRIGHT will still feel impactful, but individual Champions won’t generate as much of it on their own.
Early aggression will remain a core strength - Greens will still fire off their first two Skills quickly, but their Stamina economy will slow down as the fight goes on.
Expect Champion tuning that supports Greens in non-faction teams, while actually tapering off in power if they don’t secure a quick lead.
This update will refine the Greens’ identity as early-game bruisers, making sure they remain dangerous but not unstoppable.
Aegon II Targaryen
Aegon’s ability to fuel Greens teams past their limits has made him a bit too much of a problem child. This update will tune down his Stamina acceleration, adjust his damage profile, and open up his ability beyond Greens-only teams.
Less Stamina Generation - Passive Stamina buff slightly reduced so his Greens allies actually run out of gas as intended.
Adjusted Stats & Damage - Lower ATK, higher DEF and HP - making him more resilient but not overly aggressive.
Reduced ATK Buff - ATK buff will be weaker and shorter in duration, but the ATK bonus shifts to his base Skill damage, which will now be much higher for more consistent impact.
Aegon will still accelerate the battle, but his power will now be more measured and adaptable, ensuring he doesn’t break the rules of his faction’s play style.
Aemond Targaryen
Aemond’s explosive damage will remain intact, but his reliability and speed will be adjusted to ensure he doesn’t dominate beyond his intended role.
Slower Stamina Speed - Take advantage of his powerful opening burst - with his Stamina speed changing to Slow, it will be tougher to keep up his offense afterwards.
Damage Rebalanced - His base damage will increase, but his bonus damage per BIRTHRIGHT will be reduced, making his output more stable rather than purely scaling from BIRTHRIGHT.
Adjusted Leader Ability - His BIRTHRIGHT generation will be reduced to keep Greens Leader abilities balanced. Aegon should be the better choice when the team is in a tough situation, while Aemond will reward pure aggression.
Reworked Passive - Instead of gaining BIRTHRIGHT on his own critical strikes, he will gain it when any ally lands a crit, making him less self-sufficient on Greens teams but potentially stronger in mixed compositions where fast allies can fuel him.
Preserving Aemond’s raw power is a must, while preventing him from endlessly fueling himself and preventing his Leader ability from overshadowing others. He’ll remain a devastating force, especially amongst his fellow Greens.
Alicent Hightower (The Green Queen)
Alicent has long been the engine of the Greens, keeping their BIRTHRIGHT economy running well past its intended limit. We’re toning down her Stamina sustain and BIRTHRIGHT generation while giving her more direct combat impact, to help Greens establish that early battle dominance.
Increased Skill Damage - Her base Skill damage will more than double, making her a more direct threat in battle.
Stronger Stamina Damage Scaling - Her Stamina-based damage per BIRTHRIGHT will increase, making her more rewarding when played aggressively.
Less Birthright Generation - Her Skill and Passive BIRTHRIGHT gains will be reduced, ensuring Greens won’t sustain into the late game.
Reduced Stamina Sustain - Her Stamina gain per turn will lower, making sure even Alicent will run out of steam in long fights.
Preserving Alicent’s role as the faction’s core enabler is our priority, but these changes will force Greens to play within their intended tempo: Hit hard, win fast, or fade out.
Otto Hightower
Otto has been a powerful enabler for Greens teams, but we want to broaden his utility outside of Greens teams, when his allies may not have BIRTHRIGHT.
Slower Stamina Gain - His Stamina speed will change to Very Slow, ensuring he can’t sustain indefinitely.
Adjusted Stats - Lower ATK, higher HP, shifting him into a more durable support role rather than a damage dealer.
Reworked Passive - He will grant allies Stamina based on his BIRTHRIGHT, rather than giving BIRTHRIGHT to each ally, making him useful outside of Greens teams.
More Stamina on Kills - When an enemy is defeated, Otto will fuel the entire team using his own BIRTHRIGHT, helping maintain some momentum in longer battles.
With these adjustments, Otto will remain a powerful strategist, capable of fueling any team that can leverage early aggression, not just his Green allies.
Sunfyre
Since Sunfyre is exclusive to PvE, we want to make sure he remains strong, especially in Legendary Assault, while aligning him with the Greens’ early-game burst identity.
Slightly Stronger Skill Damage - Max damage will increase, giving him a bit more punch at full Birthright stacks.
Shorter Fire Resist Debuff - This will last one less turn, ensuring less scaling in extended battles while preserving early battle synergy with the Greens.
Reduced Stamina Gain - His Passive will grant less Stamina, making his later Skill uses harder to reach, in line with the rest of the Greens faction Champions.
These changes keep Sunfyre’s power intact, while preventing him from scaling too far in longer battles. He’s still a top-tier PvE pick, but you’ll need to be mindful of his Stamina economy as battles progress.
Criston Cole (Kingmaker)
After the previous update adjusted damage calculations, Criston naturally settled into a balanced state. His damage reduction was enough to bring him in line, and we feel no further adjustments are necessary. He remains a reliable and powerful choice for Greens teams, ready to lead the charge without overpowering the battlefield.
New Members
The Greens faction, as a whole, grows stronger, as new warriors join their ranks - some of whom you may recognize from the Assault on Rook’s Rest event. These new Epics and Commons help round out the faction, ensuring all players have more ways to tap into their relentless, fast-paced aggression. Whether you’re reinforcing your Greens lineup or experiencing their explosive playstyle for the first time, these new champions are ready for battle!
Greens Banner Man - (New) Epic Green Strategist
The Greens Banner Man offers an alternative source of BIRTHRIGHT, independent of Alicent, giving Greens teams a way to keep their momentum up in longer battles.
Scorpion Commander - (New) Epic Violet Marksman
The Scorpion Commander is a direct counter to dragons; designed to excel in Alliance Legendary Assaults, where dealing high burst damage in short windows is key.
Skyfire Marksman - (New) Common Gold Marksman
The Skyfire Marksman is designed to be an entry point for new Greens players, offering massive burst damage but limited survivability - reinforcing the faction’s all-in aggression.
Vicious Vanguard - (New) Common Blue Protector
The Vicious Vanguard plays a critical defensive role in Greens teams, providing key defense in the opening turns to secure their early-game advantage.
You don’t know cold… like the Night’s Watch does.
The Night’s Watch do not bend, they endure. They do not fight with reckless abandon, nor do they crumble at the first sign of danger. They stack their shields, build the Wall, and stand against the storm. The recent changes to the damage calculation left our staunch defenders struggling, as their once-reliable shields cracked beneath the weight of battle. But we saw this coming, and as promised, we are reforging their strength. And so, we are reinforcing their identity. These Champions will not just defend, they will hold the line, stronger than ever.
Shields alone are not enough. The cold winds have long been a weapon of the Starks, yet the Night’s Watch knows the chill of the North better than any. No blizzard, no BRITTLE frost, no creeping ICE shall break them. To ensure this, we are granting them increased Debuff cleansing, particularly against ICE.
First off, we’re bolstering the power of the Night’s Watch just how they would… by recruiting new Champions into the faction. We will be adding some key players to shield teams that we think Night’s Watch players will find very useful.
Benjen Stark - (New) Legendary Gold Survivor Fighter
As the new damage dealer of the Night’s Watch, Benjen Stark excels at early-game aggression with Depose damage, while his shield-based mechanics allow him to scale into longer fights.
His Skill is a shield bearer’s dream: Deals 100% (175%) Depose damage, but if he has a shield, he deals an additional 300% (350%) shield damage, making him deadly in sustained fights.
His Passive protects his own: Once per turn, when an ally is buffed, all allies gain a 2% (5%) ATK shield, ensuring his team stays protected. Pairs especially well with Alliser, who grants buffs when allies' shields break.
His Leader ability is for Wildling suppression: At the start of combat, enemy Free Folk Champions suffer a 10% ATK and 15% Accuracy debuff (for 10 turns, or indefinitely at max rank), giving the Night’s Watch a strong edge against Free Folk raids.
Benjen is a powerhouse when properly shielded, rewarding careful team synergy while keeping his allies fortified throughout extended fights. His Leader ability is situational, but when facing Wildling raiding parties, it ensures the Watch stands firm.
Yoren - (New) Legendary Green Traveled Protector
Yoren is the defensive anchor for the Night’s Watch - when allies fall, he steps in to shield the rest. His damage scales over the battle, while his resistances and taunt mechanics make him an invaluable protector.
His Skill is an enduring strike: Deals 100% (150%) Sustained ATK damage for 3 turns and grants himself a 10% (20%) Sustained ATK shield for 3 turns, allowing him to build defenses while dealing steady damage.
His Passive helps the Watch endure: Starts with a permanent 10% (15%) Physical Resistance buff. If an ally is defeated, Yoren taunts for 6 turns. If the fallen ally was a Night’s Watch member, Yoren gains a 15% Max HP shield to help absorb incoming damage.
His Leader ability shuts down sharp shooters: Enemy Marksmen start combat with a 20% ATK debuff for 10 turns (infinite at max rank), weakening some of the most dangerous enemies in the game.
Yoren’s role is clear - he is the last line of defense, stepping in when all seems lost. His ability to tank and shield himself makes him incredibly durable, ensuring the Night’s Watch always has someone to stand in the fight.
Will - (New) Epic Violet Cunning Strategist
Will, the first Night’s Watchmen we meet in Game of Thrones, finally arrives in our game. He is a high-risk, high reward damage dealer, thriving when shielded and keeps his allies prepared for battle, even after his fall.
His Skill is a silent strike: Deals 50% (100%) ATK damage, but if Will is shielded, he adds 200% (300%) bonus damage and Scouts the target for 2 turns, marking them for future attacks.
His Passive is a warning too late: When Will is defeated, all allies gain a 10% Current HP shield (HP Pool). Any enemies that were Scouted remain Scouted for the rest of combat, making sure his final warning doesn’t go unheard.
Benjen Stark, Yoren, and Will are coming to the game soon! Keep an eye out for their summon pack in the next few weeks!
Alliser Thorne
The Night’s Watch Master of Arms’ has always been a powerful support, but his impact is held back by unreliable shielding and a limited Night’s Watch roster. This update will improve his consistency, make his defensive buffs apply more broadly, while balancing his speed and friendly-fire mechanics.
Skill Speed Adjustment: Will change to Fast, slowing his early-game impact.
More Reliable Shielding: “He Dies, You Die” Skill shield will increase in power, making him a stronger protector.
Friendly Fire Adjustment: Will shift to Current HP True Damage, making it strong, but never defeat his own allies.
Passive Rework: Will apply his DEF buff to any ally who loses a shield, not just Night’s Watch members, but with reduced potency. No longer will grant Tenacity.
Leader Shield: Will shift his granted shields to source ATK and have more accuracy.
These changes will make Alliser a more reliable and versatile support, especially when paired with champions like Benjen, who can maintain shields over time. However, his slower speed and increased friendly damage will keep his power in check.
Samwell Tarly
Sam has been holding his own, but with the Night’s Watch stepping into a clearer defensive identity, we’ve fine-tuned his utility to ensure he remains a reliable support without completely shutting down Debuff-heavy teams.
More ICE Removal - His Skill “No Reason To Be Afraid” will now clear ICE from all Night’s Watch allies, reinforcing their resilience against the cold.
Improved Debuff Cleansing - His Passive “Steward in Training” will have double the Debuff removal power for Night’s Watch members, keeping his brothers standing strong.
Smoother Performance - Sam will still work well outside Night’s Watch teams, especially when supporting shielded allies.
And finally, his Leader ability, “Someone Had To Be The First”, will gain some power, functioning as intended. White Walker Champions will properly suffer the DEF penalty, though we’re slightly reducing its strength. In return, Sam will strike enemies that reinforce the battle, ensuring that no revived foe - Walker or otherwise - escapes the sting of his dragonglass dagger.
These changes will keep Sam a pillar of support while making sure he fits more naturally into the evolving strengths of the Night’s Watch.
Craster
Craster’s power took a hit after the damage reduction calculation update, due to his damage coming from his HP Pool. Rather than simply buffing his numbers, we’re enhancing his utility to better suit his role as a mender.
Increased Damage - His HP Pool-based damage will be raised, keeping him competitive despite the damage reduction changes.
Stronger Shields & Healing - His shielding and healing values will both improve, ensuring he can sustain himself and his allies more effectively.
Better Self-Sustain - His Leader ability, “A Godly Man”, will always remove a debuff from himself and clear ICE, making him harder to shut down.
These changes will solidify Craster as a durable support, so that as Night’s Watch teams grow, his ability to sustain them grows as well.
Faction Bonus
We’ve also assessed the Night’s Watch Faction Bonus, and will be decreasing the Bonus Shield Power at 4 and 5 members. The high later bonuses could punish players for substituting in Champions and that didn’t feel right. We’ll continue to monitor and make adjustments if our tuning weakens the faction too much.
Free Folk Tuning - The North is unforgiving, and so are they.
The Free Folk live by strength, survival, and adaptation, and with this update we’re making sure their Champions reflect that. This tuning pass includes a mix of buffs, bug fixes, and numbers cleanup, to ensure that warriors of the Free Folk fight as fiercely as they should. Whether it’s sharpening their strengths or smoothing out inconsistencies, these changes will help them stand their ground… on either side of the Wall.
Orell
Orell has been performing well, but this update will clean up his numbers and make his Scouting more dependable.
Tormund Giantsbane
Tormund’s Passive, “Giant’s Bane”, is bugged - but in a way that actually makes him more fun. Instead of fixing it, we’re leaning into it, adjusting his damage and Leader ability to make him more effective against shielded and tanky enemies.
Passive Fix (but not really): Will intentionally trigger when ANY shield is broken, not just the ones Tormund destroys. Since this makes it more frequent, we’ve reduced his damage a bit.
Skill Damage Rebalance: His base Skill damage has been reduced, but his shield breaking damage has been increased, reinforcing his anti-tank role.
(New) Leader Ability, “Barbaric Insight”: There’s no hiding from Tormund. When an enemy protector drops below 50% (25%) HP, Tormund strikes them and reduces their DEF for 3 turns, giving him more impact against durable opponents.
These changes make Tormun’s damage more focused and reliable, while his new Leader ability ensures no tank can hide from his wrath.
Wilding Wolf Slayer
The Wolf Slayer was already in a solid place, but these changes will clean up his numbers and expand his effectiveness against dragons, making sure he thrives where beasts are plentiful.
Skill Damage Boost: We’re giving his base damage a slight bump.
More Bonus Damage: A solid buff to his bonus damage, reinforcing his beast slayer role.
(New) “Scalping Sweep” Skill: His Dodge buff will now also apply to dragons, making him a true beast master and stronger pick to fight alongside non-human allies.
Improved Dodge Buff: His Passive Dodge buff will increase, boosting his survivability.
These changes keep the Wolf Slayer balanced while making him more viable in beast-heavy encounters.
Wun Wun
The giant has always been a force to be reckoned with, but his impact isn’t truly felt until higher Star Ranks. This update shifts some of his power earlier, ensuring all players can experience his strength.
Slower But Stronger: “Giant Roar” Skill speed reduced to Very Slow, but damage increased significantly.
Improved Defense Buff: Will last 4 turns and grant a stronger DEF buff.
Stronger Shields: Passive shield power will increase, reinforcing his tankiness.
Leader Ability Duration: Stealth effect goes to 10 turns, making it more consistent.
Wun Wun’s impact will be felt earlier, allowing him to stand tall as a true giant, no matter how enhanced.
Factionless - A new look for some Triarchy Champions
In the last patch, we reworked the Triarchy Champions, but one issue remained - the majority of their crew were blue. While we initially planned to adjust their visual effects alongside their new kits, we prioritized getting their reworks out first. Now, with this update, we’ll be bringing their intended color affinity identities in line.
Triarchy Master Archer: Blue → Gold
Triarchy Mariner: Blue → Red
Rest assured that we’re closing in on our goal to bring balance to the realm, ensure that all factions find their place, whether it be in Raids, Legendary Assault, Trials, The Crown’s Challenge, or the onward march through the Campaign. We’re working diligently to achieve this aim over the next few updates.
And soon, the Boltons will have their day…
The Dreadfort’s cruel masters have long lurked on the edges of true power - dangerous, yes, but never quite tipping the scales in their favor. We’ve been watching, listening, and it’s clear that while BLEED is potent, it often forces an uneasy choice: should you hold your Abilities to time it just right, or use them freely at the cost of the full potential of BLEED? No one should be punished for playing smart.
That’s why we will be making some changes to BLEED, ensuring it rewards those who use it well, while removing the frustration of waiting on the “perfect moment.” BLEED will hit harder, and more importantly, applying it will reset its duration, letting you play more tactically without feeling like you’re losing precious damage. To sharpen this even further, we’re focusing BLEED application more on single-target effect, shifting it away from a “spread-it-and-forget-it” mechanic to something more precise, more ruthless - more Bolton.
Of course, power must always be balanced. The faction bonus that amplifies BLEED will be adjusted as well; still keeping the Bolton’s deadly, but ensuring their strength is measured and fair. These changes will not arrive with the upcoming app update, but will follow shortly thereafter in a DLC. When they do, you’ll find that the Dreadfort’s forces are more dangerous than ever before.
Sharpen your blades, ready your banners, and prepare for what lies ahead. The battle is ever-changing, but one thing remains true: Legends are made, not born.
– BattleKitty, The Game of Thrones: Legends Design Director