Double Up is stepping up with a variety of enhancements, including the highly anticipated custom lobbies and the innovative Teamwork Cannon! All these upgrades will become available with the launch of Cyber City on April 2nd in patch 14.1. Let's dive into what you can expect regarding gameplay!
Gameplay Updates: Teamwork Cannon and Gifting
Say goodbye to the Rune of Allegiance and welcome the Teamwork Cannon! This new feature occupies a dedicated slot on your bench, allowing you to send units to your ally (on a cooldown) or trade basic items and components (no cooldown). The Teamwork Cannon can dispatch any unit of any cost at any moment, enhancing your strategic options. Although this costs one less bench slot, it recharges quickly, enabling you to trade units more frequently for extra stars! Expect to trade a unit every four rounds, though this may be adjusted based on testing feedback.
The Teamwork Cannon also addresses some visibility issues that the Rune of Allegiance had, allowing for clearer and more effective teamwork in our 2v2v2v2 mode, where item trading is essential. All trades will be a one-for-one basis, and you can only exchange item components and completed core items, ensuring fair value.
Additionally, we're updating the Gift Armory: previously, gifts from these Armories cost gold based on the loot's power, which sometimes led to tension when partners held back resources. Moving forward, all gifts will be free, promoting better collaboration for winning strategies!
Please note, there will no longer be a last-1 HP shield before elimination. Health pools will operate as they do in standard gameplay but will be shared.
The core mechanics of Double Up remain intact: you share a health pool with your teammate, and you can reinforce them if you've won your fight before them, allowing for seamless teamwork.
Enhancements to the Game Experience
With Double Up Lobbies, you can create custom lobbies for up to seven friends (or even frenemies!). This paves the way for social interaction filled with fun banter and strategic collaborations. Since Double Up is our most social mode, there are absolutely no ranked restrictions. Skill rankings will not change for full parties of eight after completing a game, regardless of whether it's LP or MMR. If you're in a party with players at different ranks, the Masters+ players will not receive LP/MMR changes when playing with anyone Gold or below.
Our goal is to make sure Tacticians can enjoy our social mode with friends, while still maintaining competitive integrity at the highest levels. We'll monitor how this open, social-first approach impacts game quality and encourage your feedback as you rise through the ranks with friends.
Alongside these lobby features, we're introducing a revamped loading screen, new team UI health bars for enhanced visibility during gameplay, and the ability to reorganize your squads by reshuffling teams in the lobby.
Double Up has become a favorite mode for many since its launch due to its mix of reinforcements, shared health, and fun gameplay. With the arrival of Cyber City, we're officially graduating Double Up from its Workshop phase, bringing in quality-of-life adjustments and gameplay refinements for an elevated experience. Thank you to all who have supported Double Up in its early stages—we can't wait for you to enjoy the fully polished mode starting April 2nd!