Today we will be starting Season 2 of Ranked! Since last season was kind of a bust we didn't change much in terms of balance as we didn't have any good data to go off of. We will be using the data we get from this season to make improvements to roles, the role list, and more for Season 3. Below is everything that is coming with this patch.
Ranked Season 2 Begins!
Season 2 is going to be starting, and with that we are going to be doing a hard reset of rating. This means that everyone will be starting at 1200 rating when they do their placement matches. Sadly because of the bugs that plagued Season one we weren't able to gather any trustworthy data, this means that balance changes for this season are a bit light.
Balance changes
With the lack of trustworthy data the only changes that will be coming with this season are a small investigative results change. We will be swapping the Witch and Amnesiac in their results. The Survivor, Vampire Hunter, or Witch result was a bit unfair for the Witch in non-Coven ranked games. With the Witch being in a result with Lookout and Forger the Witch should have an easier time in ranked games, and the Survivor, Vampire Hunter, and Amnesiac result will just not be possible since these roles are not possible in those games.
New Cosmetics!
Jack Frost, the Spirit of Winter is now Salemified!
And of course Jack never goes anywhere without his trusty pal, Iceberg!
New Login Background!
Bug Fixes!
- Fixed a bug that would cause the Pirate to die to a dead Pestilence if they selected to duel Pestilence during the day that Pestilence was hanged.
- Fixed a bug where as the Trapper if you placed a trap on a player the night they died to the Vet that the trap would persist. This would mean the Trapper would have to deactivate his trap to be able to place one again.
New Chapter in the Witch's Story!
Spoiler: A harsh winter has befallen the town covering it in a thin coating of powdery snow. A frigid, chilling wind whips through, carrying on it an eerie green smoke containing a deep sickness. Town members are held up in their homes, lethargic, and on the brink of death. The Witch stands over the town frustrated.
“This isn’t how this is supposed to go. This town has taken so much from me, I am supposed to be the one to end it!” shouts the Witch from the mouth of the Coven’s cave.
Helena walks up to the Witch and says “You will get your revenge. We will make sure of that.”
“Thank you Helena.” says the Witch turning to address the Coven. “ Now, do any of you know who the being spreading this disease is, or what kind of sorcery this is?”
Bakt the Necromancer, Nikki the Potion Master, Helena the Hexmaster, Medusa the Gorgon, and Kande the Poisoner looked around. No one knows who or what this being is. They are all a bit uneasy. This being is powerful considering how easily it plunged the whole town into disease.
“If we are going to take this being on we need more power on our side.” says the Witch.
A speck of snow lands on the tip of the Witch’s nose sparking an idea. The Witch rushes into the cave and begins rummaging around. The Coven, “What are you looking for?”
“Perfect!” says the Witch pulling out what looked to be a petrified branch encased in ice. “This is exactly what we need.”
“What is it?” says Medusa.
“It is an ancient relic as old as Earth, and it will give us all the extra help that we need. One of my past Coven members gave it to me as an incentive to join the Coven. I knew it would be useful one day.” grins the Witch. “Gather round and channel your energies with me into the ice. We need to melt it and a normal fire will not do.”
Nikki and Kande work together making a magic enhancing potion for the others to drink, while the Witch, Helena, Bakt, and Medusa channeled magic into the ice. The Witch’s power forces its’ way into the stone, while Helena’s covers the outside of the ice. Bakt’s magic seeps up from the ground and grabs hold of the ice. Medusa’s magic flows from the snake heads around her head in a blinding light. The ice starts to shimmer as the Witch cackles. “Keep focusing your magic into the ice!”
As the ice melts the wind picks up, and clouds form overhead centered directly above them. The snow starts to fall faster, and more concentrated. Around the witches feet they see the snow swirling around them carried off by the wind. Before long the witches are at the center inside of a snowy tornado.
At the edge of their sight the Witch sees a figure walking towards them. The figure parts the snow and reaches for the branch. “Give me that you cretins. You have no idea what you are doing with it!” yells the figure. As the figure snatches the branch he appears before the witches as an old man with pale, blue skin, and snow white hair wearing a robe.
“Do you know what you have done! You have disrupted the natural order!” says the figure.
“We know what this means, but we need your help Jack.” says the Witch calmly.
“Jack? Jack Frost?” questions Helena.
“The Spirit of Winter.” He confirms. “Now, you willingly upset the balance of the seasons? By releasing my relic you have swayed the seasons in favor of Winter and upset the other spirits.” scolds Jack.
“Whatever that means we will deal with it later. We need your help to take care of someone. A being whose powers are unknown to us, and quite powerful.” says the Witch.
“Later? I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation. The seasonal spirits almost tore the world apart in ancient times fighting over which one of us would be left to rule. When the world and each of us were on the brink of death we all decided to seal away our relics of power to rule together. Now we each take our time to see our perfect vision of the world.” Explains Jack.
“We can reseal the relic, but first we need your help. As I said there is someone we need your help to defeat. Someone more powerful than anyone I have ever seen before. This being carries a lantern that spewed green smoke down onto Salem causing sickness and disease to spread. I can not allow these people to die by his hands. Those towns members took everything from me, and I will be the one to take everything from them.” assures the Witch.
“Wait, a lantern with green smoke? This can’t be what I think it is.” worries Jack.
“You know who this is? Tell us so that we can defeat it.” says the Witch.
“If this is who I think it is, then this is the work of the Plaguebearer. A being whose only goal is to spread disease to as many people as possible. This Plaguebearer has lived for as long as I can remember, and is rumored to be something even more terrifying.” trembles Jack. “We need to deal with this. Fast. I will help you, and once this is over, you will return my relic to the ice.”
“If you are this worried, then we should go now.” Pressures the Witch.
Jack looks around at the other Coven members, assessing whether this will be enough. He realizes there isn’t any time to waste, and agrees to join the witches as they set out towards the source of the green smoke.
As the group marches through Salem they see people walking around lethargic and coughing. No one reacts to them at all. Throughout Salem every soul is infected. In the distance past the town the group could see smoke pouring out of the forest at the edge of town.
The group approached the edge of the forest the smoke becomes heavier, thicker, and more toxic. Bakt begins to cough quite violently, and everyone turns to see what is wrong. Her skin is more pale than normal, and she is a bit sluggish.
“Nikki, Kande, what is wrong with her?” asks the Witch.
“The smoke, it is affecting her. We will get this taken care of.” Nikki and Kande work together to create a concoction to help Bakt, and they continue on their way.
The group enters the forest and each member begins to feel the effects of the smoke. Nikki distributes the rest of the concoction to everyone else in the party to help protect them from the effects of the smoke.
Deep in the forest a horse can be heard neighing. The group pushes forward towards the sound of the horse, passed the trees, and end up at a hut. Tied up outside the hut was a pale, sickly looking horse next to a festering trough infested with all manner of insects, and algae. From the hut billows green smoke, and the trees in the area decay before the group’s eyes.
“Are we ready?” asks the Witch.
The group looks around and all nod at each other. Jack summons forth a winter blast of wind that blows the door to the hut off its hinges. Inside next to the chimney sits the Plaguebearer, stoking the fire. The Plaguebearer glances up at the group, and barely paying them any attention turns back to the fire.
The group is puzzled, and the Witch is infuriated by the Plaguebearer’s nonchalant attitude towards having his door blown off its hinges.
“Who do you think you are?” shouts the Witch. “This is my town to destroy, and I will not let you snatch it out from under me, do you hear me?”
The Plaguebearer ignores the group.
“Look at me you toad!” screeches the Witch hurling a spell at the Plaguebearer.
The spell smashes into the Plaguebearer, but it barely causes his jacket to ruffle. The Plaguebearer turns to the Witch and stands, staring at the Witch not saying anything. The Plaguebearer’s gaze pierces through the Witch’s soul like a dagger through the heart.
The Witch takes a step back, uneasy of the Plaguebearer. She looks back at the rest of the group and says, “Don’t just stand there! Get him!”
Jack waves his relic towards the door. The ice and snow around the entrance swirl together into a humanoid shape. Jack sends the ice elemental towards the Plaguebearer while Bakt waves her hands from the ground and hands begin to reach up from the floors. The elemental winds up to punch the Plaguebearer, but just before the punch lands the Plaguebearer reaches into the chest of the elemental and it crumbles apart. The hands reach up from the ground and latch onto the legs of the Plaguebearer holding him still. Nikki reaches into her coat and pulls out a vial throwing it at the Plaguebearer. It shatters upon hitting his shoulder, the liquid is steaming and bubbling. The Plaguebearer doesn’t make a sound, but he grabs his shoulder as if it hurt.
“What is he?” shouts Medusa.
“Just keep attacking!” directs the Witch as she hurls a ball of light towards the Plaguebearer.
The Plaguebearer doesn’t seem to be phased by any of these attacks based on his reactions, but he is bleeding. The Plaguebearer sees the blood, wipes it off with his coat. He picks up his lantern and a flash of green light blinds the group. When they can finally see again the hands that were holding the Plaguebearer have dissipated, and he has Medusa by the throat above the ground.
“Medusa!” shout the Coven.
The Plaguebearer’s eyes dart towards the remainder of the group, then back to Medusa. He squeezes on Medusa’s throat. She tries to scream, but can’t even manage a squeak the grip on her throat is so tight.
Jack summons another icy blast of wind that sweeps the Plaguebearer off of his feet, causing him to let go of Medusa. This gives her enough time to slither away back to the group.
As the Plaguebearer gets to his feet the Witch notices something. The smoke that was coming out of his lantern is not as thick as before. She also notices that the effects of the smoke on her body are lessening. They are all very weak at this point. The spells they cast and the effects of the smoke have taken their toll on them, even Jack. The Witch has an idea, but it will be all or nothing.
“Jack, hold him off for us. I have an idea, it might be just enough for us to win this!” says the Witch. “Channel the remainder of your magic into me everyone.”
Jack summons three more ice elementals to help him stall the Plaguebearer. The Plaguebearer slowly steps forward challenging Jack. Jack sends his elementals in and throws a spear of ice towards the Plaguebearer. The Plaguebearer tries to deflect the spear, but it seems as though his movements are slower than normal and the spear grazes his side. As the Plaguebearer looks down to check on his wound, one of the elementals catches the side of his face with a punch. This staggers the Plaguebearer, but as another elemental goes for an attack the Plaguebearer grabs its’ face and pushes it into the wall, shattering it.
During this time the Coven members continue to channel their powers into the Witch. The power can be seen sparking out of her as she begins casting a spell.
“Just a little longer Jack!” encourages the Witch.
The Plaguebearer dispatches another elemental with a swift attack to its’ chest. He stumbles back after the attack, and Jack takes this opportunity to hurl another spear. This one catches the Plaguebearer directly in the leg piercing through it. The last elemental steps forward landing a kick that sends the Plaguebearer flying into the wall. Another green light flashes in the hut. This time Jack is the one in trouble. The Plaguebearer has him pinned to the ground with Jack beaten and bloodied.
“Now is just as good a time as any witches” says Jack looking over to them.
The Plaguebearer glances their way and jumps back, but it is too late. The Witch unleashes a powerful blast of magic that knocks even her back into the wall behind her. When the dust settles there is a gaping hole in the wall where the Plaguebearer was.
The Witch steps up to the hole to try finishing off the Plaguebearer. There is a puddle of blood stained snow where the Plaguebearer landed. , In the distance she can see him fleeing atop his horse. The smoke begins to clear from the forest as he rides off, and the Witch can feel more of her strength returning.
“I think it is over everyone, I think we won.” sighs the Witch with relief.
When the group returns to their cave, the Witch turns to Jack and thanks him for his help. “We couldn’t have done this without you. I know you didn’t want to get involved.”
“The Plaguebearer seems to be injured, and I doubt he will be coming back anytime soon. Just know that I won’t be coming back to help you again. Prepare for his return, and prepare for it to be even harder to get rid of him when he does.” warns Jack Frost.
The Coven grab Jack’s staff and begin to channel what little magic has come back to them into Jack. Jack takes this magic and blows on the staff with his icy breath, encasing it in ice once again as he turns to snow and drifts away on the wind.
