Era of The New Republic Kit Reveal - Part 2

Hello Holotable Heroes and welcome to the Era of New Republic! Today we will be going over the remaining units for the Era of the New Republic.

UNIT NAME: Colonel Ward

ALIGNMENT: Light

CATEGORIES: Support, New Republic

Colonel Ward uncovers looming threats to the New Republic while pursuing dangerous targets across the galaxy. Colonel Ward is a Support unit designed to slot right into the rest of the New Republic squad helmed by Captain Carson Teva. She specializes in inflicting debuffs and punishing her enemies.

Basic Ability: A180 Blaster Pistol

Final Text: Deal Physical damage to target enemy and inflict Evasion Down for 1 turn. If it’s Ward's turn, also inflict Defense Down for 1 turn.

Special 1: New Republic's Most Wanted (Cooldown 3)

Final Text: Dispel all debuffs on target ally. The next time the target ally counterattacks, they inflict Evasion Down to the target enemy for 1 turn.

Dispel Stealth from all enemies. Each enemy that lost Stealth this way is Marked for 2 turns. Inflict all enemies with Critical Damage Down and Expose them for 2 turns. 

Synergies: By picking out enemies that should otherwise be Stealthed and Marking them, Ward excels at funneling New Republic’s powerful and frequent out-of-turn attacks to the most significant enemy targets.

Special 2: X-haul Fly-by (Cooldown 4)

Final Text: Deal Physical damage to all enemies, inflict them with Burning and Healing Immunity for 2 turns. 

Synergies: This ability’s Healing Immunity can be even more lethal when timed well with other New Republic abilities, such as R5-D4’s Bad Motivator. Additionally, in her Unique ability, New Republic Officer, using this ability in the correct scenario can trigger a mass assist.

Inspiration: This ability name and ability is inspired by the ship that she pilots, playing into a big hero moment for her that we wanted to capture thematically.

Unique 1: New Republic Officer (Zeta + Omicron)

Final Text: Whenever a Support or Healer ally is damaged by an enemy ability while an ally is Taunting, Ward inflicts the enemy with Evasion Down for 1 turn.

Whenever the enemy dispels Retaliate on any ally, New Republic allies gain 10% Offense (stacking, max 50%) when attacking enemies out of turn. Whenever allies trigger Expose out of turn, they gain Critical Damage Up for 1 turn. Whenever Ward uses X-haul Fly-by, if any enemies have On the Run, all New Republic allies assist the next time any ally counterattacks.

If all allies were New Republic at the start of battle: Whenever a Taunting Tank ally is damaged, the enemy that damaged them is Ability Blocked for 1 turn. If there is an allied New Republic Galactic Legend or there are no other Galactic Legends in the battle, whenever a Healer or Support ally is damaged by an enemy ability while an ally is Taunting, increase all cooldowns of the enemy who damaged them (excluding raid bosses and Galactic Legends) and the enemy gains 1 stack of On the Run.

While in Grand Arenas: At the start of battle, all New Republic allies gain 10% Potency and Tenacity for each New Republic ally until the end of battle. 

If all allies are New Republic at the start of battle, enemies start the battle with 2 stacks of On the Run. If there is an allied New Republic Galactic Legend or there are no other Galactic Legends in the battle, whenever enemies gain a stack of On the Run, Ward inflicts them with an additional stack of On the Run (once per target enemy’s turn). When enemies take damage from On the Run, they are also Exposed for 1 turn.

Synergies: This ability heavily punishes the enemy for targeting Healer or Support New Republic allies when an ally is Taunting. It also heavily punishes AoE abilities (that are typically used to circumvent Taunt mechanics) because it could mean gaining multiple stacks of On the Run at once. 

Ward functions best in a counterattack centric squad, giving Offense bonuses when attacking out of turn, and triggering mass assists with counterattacks. This part of her kit synergizes with the rest of the New Republic squad, and allows her to be a key support unit in this team.

FAQ/Clarity:

Q: “What is On the Run again?”

A: On the Run:  -10% Evasion and Tenacity per stack; at 10 stacks, lose all stacks, take 20% Max Health damage (can't be defeated by this damage), and all enemies gain a bonus turn; whenever stacks of On the Run are reset, inflict 2 stacks to this character and 1 stack to all other allies

Q: “If there is an allied New Republic Galactic Legend or there are no other Galactic Legends in the battle” is a very verbose and confusing condition. Can you explain what this means?

A: The ability will work if:

• There are no GLs
• If there are GLs, there needs to be an allied New Republic GL present

The ability will not work if:

• There is a GL/multiple GLs but none of them are New Republic (on ally side)

Q: “But there’s no New Republic Galactic Legend in the game yet.”

A: Don’t worry about it.

Grogu crashes onto the holotables alongside his Anzellan friends and their nifty hovercraft! Inspired by Grogu’s charming antics and his relationship with the Anzellan droidsmiths, this character adds a bit of tactical chaos to the battlefield. 

As a force sensitive Healer, they provide helpful recovery options and improve their allies’ durability. They also pepper enemies with a number of debuffs that consistently whittle them down and create opportunities for allies to deal increased damage. 

Grogu & Anzellans synergize with both Mandalorian and New Republic allies, providing extra utility when used on a team with fellow members of these factions.

Grogu & Anzellans’ marquee event begins June 30th at 11am Pacific.

UNIT NAME: Grogu & Anzellans

ALIGNMENT: Light

CATEGORIES: Healer, Mandalorian, New Republic, Unaligned Force User

Basic Ability: Good Shot, Baby!

Final Text: Deal 1 True damage to target enemy and inflict 1 stack of Off Balance for 1 turn. During Grogu & Anzellans' turn, inflict 1 stack of Force Influence for 1 turn. During enemy turns, Ability Block them for 1 turn.

Grogu & Anzellans and a random Support ally gain Tenacity Up for 2 turns.

Synergies: Although this ability doesn’t deal much damage on its own, it has the potential to reduce enemy turn meter, hinder their out of turn attacks, and prevent enemy buffs. When combined with the New Republic team’s counterattack mechanics, it can be a potent source of Ability Block as well.

Inspiration: Grogu has shown his skill with the Mandalorian training darts on at least two occasions. The glimpse we saw of him using this tool in the movie shows how inhibiting a well placed shot can be. The Anzellan’s comment also happened to make for a great ability name. FAQ/Clarity:

• Wait, so which effects trigger on turn and off turn?
  • Grogu & Anzellans will inflict the target enemy with 1 stack of Off Balance regardless of whose turn it is. On their turn, they will also inflict 1 stack of Force Influence in addition to Off Balance. During enemy turns, Grogu & Anzellans will again inflict the target enemy with 1 stack of Off Balance and Ability Block them.

Special 1: Tune Up (Cooldown: 3)

Final Text: Equalize all allies’ Health. Then grant them Defense Up for 2 turns and Attacker and Tank allies gain 1 stack of Endure for 1 turn.

Mandalorian or New Republic allies recover 30% of their Max Health and gain 2 stacks of Heal Over Time for 2 turns. 

Synergies: Grogu & Anzellans’ unique ability, Bad Baby!, provides extra opportunities to trigger the stacks of Heal Over Time for additional, teamwide recovery.

Inspiration: Grogu is often seen snacking or attempting to snack on things which, of course, translates to health recovery in video games. We also wanted to capture the Anzellans’ mechanical prowess and their maintenance of the hovercraft as a protective ability.

FAQ/Clarity:

• Does this ability only check for the Mandalorian and New Republic factions for the second part of the ability?
  • Yes. The first portion will apply to any allied unit meaning all allies can equalize their health, get the Defense Up buff, and gain Endure (provided they are an Attacker or Tank). However only New Republic or Mandalorian allies will gain additional healing and the stacks of Heal Over Time.

Special 2: Strapped In (Cooldown: 5)

Final Text: Dispel buffs on all enemies and deal Physical damage to them.

All allies gain Dramatic Entrance until the end of Grogu & Anzellans’ next turn and 3 stacks of Heal Over Time for 2 turns. Other Healer and Support allies Stealth for 1 turn. 

Target New Republic ally gains Retribution for 2 turns and their cooldowns are reduced by 1. Target enemy is inflicted with 1 stack of On the Run and their cooldowns are increased by 1.

Synergies: The Heal Over Time stacks granted here are also able to be triggered by Grogu & Anzellans’ unique ability, Bad Baby!, for even more heals. The Retribution granted by this ability provides New Republic allies additional chances to counterattack and inflicts 1 stack of On the Run, adding to the teamwide mechanics.  

Inspiration: While on the Razor Crest, Din Djarin tells Grogu to “strap in” as they prepare to embark on their journey. This quote combined with a daring (perhaps even dramatic) attack from the hovercraft made for an amusing ability.

FAQ/Clarity:

• What is Dramatic Entrance again? 
  • Dramatic Entrance: +25% Offense; deal bonus True damage equal to 10% of the target's Max Health, which can't be evaded; gain 20% Turn Meter and Dramatic Entrance for 2 turns if this unit defeats an enemy.

Unique 1: Bad Baby! (Zeta + Omicron)

Final Text: At the start of battle if all allies are New Republic, allies gain 30% Max Health and Protection and Deflective Ward for 1 turn or until they take damage.

Whenever an Attacker or Tank ally loses Deflective Ward, Retaliate, Retribution, or a Taunt effect, trigger their stacks of Heal Over Time.

At the start of each enemy turn, Grogu & Anzellans gains 5% Defense (stacking) until the end of their next turn. Allies ignore Taunt effects during enemy turns.

If there is an allied New Republic Galactic Legend or there are no other Galactic Legends in the battle, whenever a New Republic ally is Stunned during an enemy turn, dispel it and reduce their cooldowns by 1 and whenever a New Republic ally is Dazed, dispel it and they recover 20% Health.

While in Grand Arenas if all allies are Mandalorian or New Republic and there is an allied New Republic Galactic Legend or there are no other Galactic Legends in the battle: At the start of battle, allies gain an additional 20% Max Health and Protection and Deflective Ward for 1 turn or until they take damage. Whenever Grogu & Anzellans use a Special Ability they gain Untargetable for 1 turn.

Synergies: This ability synergizes with Grogu & Anzellans’ two special abilities and also with a variety of buffs allies gain from their own kits. Dispelling the Stunned and Dazed conditions and ignoring Taunt during enemy turns allows the New Republic team to counterattack freely. 

Inspiration: The relationship between Grogu and the Anzellans was a key inspiration for this character. We would be remiss to not include a reference to the scene where this comedic dynamic was first introduced.

FAQ/Clarity:

• Why are the Defense increases removed at the end of their turn? 
  • These Defense increases are meant to provide additional survivability during enemy turns and if an enemy counterattacks during Grogu & Anzellans’ turn. It is primarily intended as a countermeasure against teams that take turns more frequently than the New Republic team, so Grogu & Anzellans’ can survive long enough to aid their allies.
• Can you explain the conditional for the Stun and Daze dispel and the Omicron?
  • Absolutely. This is the same check that we use for Colonel Ward’s unique ability. If there is a New Republic GL ally, the effects will work regardless of if other GLs are present. If there is no allied New Republic GL, then there needs to be no other GLs present for these effects to work. 
• Who is the New Republic Galactic Legend!?!?
  • We can’t reveal this just yet, but we’ll share more information as soon as we can

Unique 2: Din Grogu

Final Text: At the start of each encounter, if all allies are New Republic, Distract all enemies for 1 turn, which can't be resisted, and whenever an enemy gains Speed Up, Distract them until the start of Grogu & Anzellans' next turn and inflict them with 1 stack of On the Run.

At the start of each ally's turn, Grogu & Anzellans gains 1 stack of Force Connection (stacking, max 50) for the rest of the encounter. This limit is increased to 100 stacks if any version of The Mandalorian is an ally.

Synergies: While Grogu & Anzellans gain stacks of Force Connection by default, there is a clear synergy for having specific allies. 

Inspiration: The blend of Jedi and Mandalorian training that Grogu has received throughout his journey thus far.

FAQ/Clarity:

• What happens if an enemy gains Speed Up but they already have the Speed Up buff?
  • If an enemy gains Speed Up while they already have it, they will still be inflicted with the stack of On the Run.

UNIT NAME: Rotta the Hutt

ALIGNMENT: Light

CATEGORIES: Leader, Attacker, Hutt Cartel

No longer the helpless child once hunted during the Clone Wars, Rotta has embraced spectacle and raw power to forge a reputation all his own. Whether commanding the crowd or crushing challengers beneath overwhelming force, Rotta fights to carve out a legacy no longer defined by his father.

This character development for Rotta was something that we really wanted to reflect in his kit and in his ally choices. Rotta could lead the Hutt Cartel if he so chooses, but he prefers to take the field alone. With this in mind, we wanted Rotta to feel like the gladiator he is while in solo scenarios, where he truly comes into his own and his individuality takes center stage.

Basic Ability:  Cleave the Unworthy

Final Text: Deal Physical damage to target enemy twice and inflict 1 stack of Bleed (max 6), which can’t be evaded or resisted, until the end of the encounter, Healing Immunity, and Speed Down for 1 turn. Reduce the target enemy's Defense by 20% (stacking), which can't be resisted, until the end of battle. 

If Rotta the Hutt was the only ally at the start of battle: Reduce the target enemy's Critical Chance by 10% (max 50%) and Rotta gains 20 Speed (max 100) until the end of battle. Rotta recovers 10% Health and Protection.

Synergies: This ability really supports the rest of his kit in that it sets up Bleed stacks for his Special 2, reduces the enemy’s Defense in anticipation of his larger moves being used, and allows him some additional sustain in solo scenarios.

Inspiration: When we first saw the trailer for the movie, we saw those axes in his hands and knew we wanted to use them. However, Rotta does a lot of counterattacking, and so we also wanted this ability to feel fast - instead of having Rotta move to the enemy side and hit an opponent, we decided to have him throw his axes, showing off his incredible strength and helping to prevent long animations in matches.

FAQ/Clarity: How you want to rotate your skills with Rotta tends to vary by matchup and squad lineup. If Rotta is alone on the field, sometimes this is the move you want to start with to start building up Speed against your opponent.

Special 1: Knock ‘Em Dead

Final Text: Deal Physical damage to all enemies, dispel all buffs from them, inflict 2 stacks of Bleed (max 6) until the end of the encounter, and Off Balance on them for 2 turns. If all enemies are inflicted with Off Balance, Rotta gains a bonus turn and 40% Offense for 1 turn. 

If Rotta the Hutt had a full squad of Hutt Cartel allies at the start of battle, all other allies assist and Tank allies Taunt for 2 turns, if Rotta is below 50% Health this Taunt can't be dispelled.

While in Grand Arenas if all allies were Hutt Cartel at the start of battle: This ability can’t be evaded or resisted. If Rotta was the only ally at the start of battle: He inflicts an additional stack of Bleed (max 6) on all enemies, removes 10% Turn Meter from them, reduces the cooldown of Showboat by 1, and he gains 50% Offense for 1 turn instead. 

Synergies: This ability sets up Showboat with extra stacks of Bleed, Off Balance, and with some extra Offensive power to make it feel impactful when that ability gets used. As a fairly quick ability, it’s also great for keeping buffs off of the enemy squad. In scenarios where he brings in allies with him, this ability allows him to redirect attention away from himself onto his Tank and to focus down a target enemy with the assist. 

Inspiration: When the stakes are high you use what you have to get through, and it made sense to us that Rotta would make use of his tail in a fight to surprise opponents when they thought his guard was actually down. 

FAQ/Clarity:If I call my allies to assist, will it prevent me from getting the bonus turn for everyone getting Off Balance?

No, you will still get a bonus turn for landing the Off Balance even if your allies immediately trigger its effects by assisting.

It says ‘if Rotta had a full squad of Hutt Cartel allies’ what does this mean?

It means that in 3v3 Grand Arenas, there are three characters in the squad and they are all Hutt Cartel. Similarly, in 5v5 battles you will need to field 5 characters that are all Hutt Cartel in order for this to work.

Special 2: Showboat

Final Text: Deal Physical damage to all enemies, trigger all stacks of Bleed on them, detonate all Thermal Detonators on them, and Stun them for 1 turn. If Rotta was the only ally at the start of battle: This Stun can't be evaded or resisted.

If any enemy is defeated by this ability, all Hutt Cartel allies gain 20% Turn Meter.

While in Grand Arenas if all allies were Hutt Cartel at the start of battle: Tank allies recover 10% Protection for each enemy damaged by this ability and Attacker allies gain 10% Defense Penetration (stacking, max 50%) each time this ability is used.

If Rotta the Hutt was the only ally at the start of battle: This ability instantly defeats enemies below 40% Health (excludes Galactic Legends and raid bosses) and Rotta recovers 50% Health and Protection for each enemy defeated by this ability.

Synergies: Again, depending on what enemy squad you’re facing, sometimes you’ll want to open with this to land the Stun on all enemies, but afterwards should be timed with his other abilities to take advantage of all of the other damaging effects he stacks.

Inspiration: Every showman needs a signature move, right? We wanted this one to feel like a big move for Rotta, where if you set the enemy squad up well with his basic and Knock ‘Em Dead, this could defeat a couple of enemies at once and allow him to really snowball that momentum into the rest of the fight.

Unique 1: Pedunkee Mufkin

Final Text: Ally Hutt Cartel Tanks Taunt for 2 turns at the start of battle. Whenever Dark Side Support allies attack an enemy, all allies recover 10% Health, Protection, and Turn Meter. Dark Side Hutt Cartel allies and Rotta can ignore Taunt effects during their turn. All Hutt Cartel allies are immune to Cooldown Increase and Rotta is immune to Thermal Detonators.

If Rotta the Hutt had a full squad of Hutt Cartel allies at the start of battle, whenever they have Turn Meter removed, Rotta has a 50% chance to gain a bonus turn.

If Rotta the Hutt was the only ally at the start of battle: Whenever an enemy removes Turn Meter from him, he deals damage to all enemies equal to 10% of their Max Health (this damage can't defeat enemies) and has an additional 30% chance to gain a bonus turn.

While in Grand Arenas if all allies are Hutt Cartel at the start of battle: All allies gain 50% Max Health. If all of Rotta's other allies are Dark Side, whenever they or Rotta are inflicted with a debuff, they inflict a Thermal Detonator on the enemy that applied it for 2 turns, which can't be evaded or resisted. Whenever Rotta defeats an enemy, the cooldown of Showboat is decreased by 1 and all allies gain bonus Protection (40%, stacking) until the end of the encounter.

If Rotta was the only ally at the start of battle: He takes reduced damage from percent health effects and defeated enemies can't be revived.

Inspiration: Rotta may be creating his own path towards his destiny now, but we felt we couldn’t fully recognize where he’s heading without also acknowledging where he came from.

Unique 2: Large Character

Final Text: This character can’t be used in the ally slot or with another large character and summons are prevented for allies.

Leader: A Legacy Reforged

Final Text: Hutt Cartel allies gain 50% Accuracy and Critical Avoidance, 200% Defense, 75% Offense, 50 Speed, and 40% Tenacity. Dark Side Hutt Cartel allies and Rotta gain 75% counter chance and 50% Critical Chance. The first time each Hutt Cartel ally falls below 50% Health, they gain Damage Immunity for 1 turn, recover 20% Health and Protection, and ally Tanks Taunt for 2 turns.

Whenever a Dark Side Hutt Cartel ally or Rotta inflicts a stack of Bleed or a Thermal Detonator on an enemy, they gain 5% Turn Meter and recover 5% Health and Protection.

If Rotta the Hutt is the only ally at the start of battle: He gains 250% Max Health and Max Protection, 50% Health Steal, 25 Speed, he can't be instantly defeated, and whenever he is Ability Blocked, Blinded, Dazed, Feared, or Stunned he dispels it and inflicts a stack of Bleed (max 6) and 1 Thermal Detonator on all enemies for 2 turns, which can't be evaded or resisted. If it can't be dispelled, he also gains Damage Immunity for 1 turn, which can't be dispelled.

Synergies:

Inspiration: Rotta is forging his own path forward now, and in doing so creating his own story. The name for this ability was inspired by this part of his character development.

Closing Thoughts:

Designing Rotta came with a unique challenge, because Galaxy of Heroes has plenty of ways to pin down a lone character. From the beginning, we wanted Rotta to capture the feeling of a true arena brawler who could stand on his own and keep the fight going. He’s been a blast to play internally, and we’re excited to see players throw him into some of the game’s toughest matchups.