In the most recent patch, like most patches from the past, Sage got a nerf. Although she was the Favorite Sentry with Cypher, the developers believe the Bastion of China is just too strong and patch 1.07 took her down a few notches by boosting all of her normal abilities.
Although Sage was almost exclusively nerfed with this patch, she is still a viable agent. Players will need to adjust the style of play and plan to use their abilities much more carefully. Here's what you need to know about what's changed.
Cure
- Healing reduced from 100 over 5 seconds to 60 over 5 seconds.
- Personal healing reduced from 100 in 5 seconds to 60 in 10 seconds
This is a major drawback to Sage's healing. Now players have less impact when saving their severely damaged teammates or themselves. Healing is no longer a complete restoration of health, and when it comes to healing yourself, you're going to have to wait a lot longer before you can resume the fight with a healing lasting longer than 10 seconds.
Orbe lent
The slow orb was one of Sage's main zoning capabilities. Reducing the size decreases the impact of both orbs and gives enemies more maneuverability around this slow AOE. Players will now need to be more careful when it comes to placing their orbs to make sure there are no cracks in the defense.
Barrier orb
- Cost reduced from 400 to 300
- Fortifying Barrier: The wall forms at 400 HP - after a 3 second delay, the wall becomes fortified to 800 HP
While the cost of the Barrier Orb is reduced by 100 credits, it's still a nerf. If this wall is used as a quick reaction to an enemy rush, there is much less defense provided by the unfortified wall. This is the exact meter that will make the Mid on Split push much easier when taking on Sage. Now Sage players will need to be smart with their walls and set them up three seconds in advance for any enemy interaction.
However, there is little that will prevent players from immediately shooting at the wall the second it is heard. On the other hand, the barrier can be used as a bait. Use this bait to make enemies destroy the wall instantly and while they are shooting at the wall take this time to strike back from a hidden position.
