Dragon Ball FighterZ Version 1.31 Releases Today

I last talked about Dragon Ball FighterZ during the DRAGON BALL Games Battle Hour 2022 event that was held back in February. At the time my hopes of there being an announcement or hint about what would come next were dashed, and ever since Android 21 (Lab Coat) released and has reigned terror on the game’s meta. The community has been calling for a balance patch for a while now and just over this past weekend we saw Community Effort Orlando (CEO) 2022 which had banned the character from play.

Fans haven’t been without hope though. Back at the start of May, we heard some news through the official Bandai Namco Esport Twitter account that a balance update was in the works with the Android 21 (Lab Coat) character specifically mentioned. No further information was provided on the contents, but a new tweet yesterday announced that the balance patch would be going live on today’s date, June 29th. Along with the tweet was a link to the listed changes being made. Although many have been looking forward to this balance update, the initial response from reading the changes in writing has been mixed.

[#DBFZ]

"Update data ver. 1.31" for overall balance adjustments will be released sequentially from June 29.

*The release timing may vary between each platform.

Please check the images for further details. pic.twitter.com/pR96GBFtMb

— Bandai Namco Esports (@BNEesports) June 28, 2022

Android 21 (Lab Coat) has plenty of different issues and the biggest is her Photon Pulse super. It’s a level 1 command grab that’s quick, buffs her specials and assists by 21%, permanently debuffs all of the opponent character’s damage by 21%, and is invulnerable for the majority of frames that it’s on screen. As a level 1 super, it’s not difficult to have the meter to throw it out and the debuff is a huge game-changer. In tournament play with many players likely using the character against one another it’s also prone to extending the length of matches.

This latest update is seeking to rectify that with changes such as reducing the damage, delaying the start of its invincibility, and making it so that the grab will no longer work when an opponent is in hitstun anymore. That last change essentially means that it won’t work in the middle of a combo anymore and the changes to invulnerability should allow players the chance to hit her out of the grab easier. Some are celebrating this nerf and how much more difficult it should be to land. Others remain annoyed that such a significant debuff mechanic is still in the game and that there isn’t a way to remove it.

There is no telling if these changes will be more or less effective than people are assuming. The update is also providing buffs for many characters across the board and has made some interesting changes between beams and the super dash mechanic that should open more opportunities for players.

With the update coming out today, it will be interesting to see if this will shake things up enough to end the character’s stranglehold on the meta. How the community overall feels about the character after will also be instrumental in whether she’ll be banned from other big tournaments. EVO 2022 is right around the corner after all.