Blazblue CS 2 Released today as free update

[BardicKnowledge]

For those of you that have BBCS, the 700 MB rebalance patch is out today. Get it! (On 360, anyway. PSN players will be able to get it when the store goes back up...)

Edit: Platinum the Trinity is also released, though I don't plan on buying her.

In any case, I've noticed a ton of changes to the couple characters I've been able to try out. Here's my short changelist (though I'm sure you can visit dustloop.com for a complete one).

Damage appears to be lower across the board, making the game last longer than two combos (for most of us -- there are still 50% combos or more, they're just the old 85-90% combos).

Litchi:

Can't cancel into itsuu (staff spin special block + launch) anymore -- this effectively erases all of her good CS1 combos.

Forward throw does not launch anymore, but instead leaves them in a stunned, standing state.

Rachel:

Lightning doesn't hit as many times as before. Frog does almost no damage now.

Lambda-11:

She has the old 5DD, 2DD, j. DD, 2DD, j. DD, 2DD, 214D combo ender than Nu-13 used to have.

[PriZm]

they actually nerfed rachel ?

[BardicKnowledge]

they actually nerfed rachel ?

She's vastly improved over CS1 from what I hear -- maybe I'm remembering CT when her bolts all hit three times.

Edit: Frog doing almost no damage is part of the overall damage nerf, but you _really_ notice it.

[PriZm]

ah that's good to hear.

having a character go from top tier to bottom tier is always disappointing

[Schwaltzvald]

they actually nerfed rachel ?

Rachel Alucard was practically crippled in CS Ver1...

The following came from a RA thread on Dustloop, though outdated now it shows how things went for her at the time...

Aforementioned Thread

System Mechanics:

nerf: Wind no longer recharges while otg

kinda un-nerf: Wind recharges faster (still has a pause before it starts regenerating though)

buff: wind starts recovering faster once you have 2 charges

Moves:

nerf: Frog only does 604 dmg (as opposed to 1182 iirc in BB:CT). Still 8 hits.

nerf: j.a is no longer an overhead

nerf: 6c does less damage.

nerf: 236a/b/c projectiles disappear if rachel is hit during them.

partial un-nerf: Pumpkin flies slightly further than first loke

unknown: 4d doesn't pull the opponent in as much

Combos:

nerf: as far as i can tell, you can no longer combo into 6dc from any of the normal methods (6b CH, 5b on standing opponent...)

un-nerf: Frog combos are back in! Tsubaki is a 3c frog character. (keep in mind you don't get frog oki and super damage is heavily nerfed. also, thanks to frog gauge you can't do a frog combo if you already have/recently had a frog out).

buff (to replace old method): j.c xx air BBL is possible now.

still in: Combos to frog after super!

still in: j.3d2c combos on crouching (haven't seen whether you can 5b after it though if you do)

still in: j.c 2d dj j.c land super still works! I wonder if this means that the j.c hitstun reduction isn't as much as we thought or that they changed it back for this loke...

still in: (5b) 3d j.a j.a j.b 5b ~

still in: 2c CH 2d 5b air combo (including into j.c 2d dj j.c land super)

New Moves:

Tempest Dalia: (uses one wind to activate along with 50% meter)- 1 wind at start results inrelease of 5 koumori (bats).

2 winds result in 4 koumori + 1 bull

3 winds result in 2 koumori + 2 bulls + 1 pumpkin

4 winds result in 2 bulls + 2 pumpkins + king george.

^thanks ryokoalways for details

First Loke Test (9/26-9/27):

System Mechanics:

nerf:Guard Libra Points: 4 (pretty low, she can't turtle much at all anymore)

nerf: There is a pause after using wind before it begins recovering again

Moves

nerf: j.2c no longer chains to j.c on block

nerf: j.2c is no longer jump-cancelable on block

nerf: j.2c is no longer special move cancelable (no more canceling to pumpkin -- bye bye oki)

unknown: j.2c can be canceled to one of her supers (dunno which one) during first half of recovery (not sure if this only applies to hit, or block too)

MAJOR NERF: j.2c is no longer cancelable on landing frames (JP BBS notes that if your opponent blocks j.2c, they can begin counterattacking -- Rachel loses momentum entirely. Unsure about how it works on hit.)

nerf: j.c hitstun reduced (no more relaunch combos or air combos to super? or maybe just no more iad combos)

nerf: 6b counterhit stun reduced (this means no more comboing directly into 6dc and no more dash super)

nerf: 236b/c have longer recovery time

nerf: Baden Baden Lily damage significantly reduced (JP BBS cites 2200 for melee super, 3800 for melee + 1 pole).

nerf: 6a loses to more attacks than it used to. Not sure exactly why yet.

nerf: 6a is no longer a guard point. possibly still heat attribute invulnerable? (can no longer eat projectiles)

nerf: more recovery on 3c

pumpkin changes (MAJOR NERF)

Pumpkin hitbox disappears if Rachel gets hit after it is activated

Almost no hitstun

Doesn't fly very far

+frames on block much less

Cannot summon another pumpkin while one is active. when the pumpkin disappears, a timer with 2 seconds appears. until that timer runes out, you cannot summon another pumpkin.

frog changes (MAJOR NERF)

Now has it's own life meter

Shorter activation range

No longer activates while the opponent is down

The frog no longer jumps -- it now crawls at a snails pace (but it is now affected by wind and slides like crazy if you use it)

Cannot summon another frog while one is active. when the frog disappears, a timer with 2 seconds appears. until that timer runs out, you cannot summon another frog.

buff: sword iris now usable in the air (command changed to 214c). it supposedly has very little landing recovery

buff: 4b is a bit faster

new move: New distortion drive called Tempest Dalia -- uses up all winds and will change depends on the number of wind left. Summons random projectiles and stuff onto the screen.

Combos

nerf: can no longer combo into frog, it literally won't attack an opponent during a combo and moves too slowly (this is bad, means less ability to regen wind during combos, and probably worse/no okizeme)

nerf: 3c9d combos became more strict (aka probably no more linking 6c from this. in combination with j.c untechable time this probably means the only way to super will be spending 2 wind to 3c9d 5b 4d super... IF that's even possible.)

I don't know how much that has changed in BB:CS Ver2 as PSN is still down, that said I still main her as well as her good ole butler Valkenhayn ever since he came out. I will most likely still play them both.

I'll definitely try

out if only for some good laughs and to see how she is. Now they just need to make Kokonoe a playable character...

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

KK So I'm probably going to be grabbing this game like this or next week maybe(damned school). So the Continuum Shift II update is free, but the characters are still paid DLC, right?

[Schwaltzvald]

Valkenhayn and

are paid DLC as well as Makoto as she was the first DLC paid character to come out for BBCS.

Let's fight... like squirrels

[relyanCe]

i've been meaning to pull this game back out for a while. I will when PSN comes back up. May even throw down with any OCR peeps who still play on PSN.

[Unstable Hamster]

Yea when that PSN comes up I'll download this update and I'll fight you guys to see how good I fare. (Honestly I think I'm gonna self destruct somehow before you guys hit me, I really need to learn how to play this game better...)