It’s basically a new game

Dragon Ball FighterZ surviving this long is a testament to how strong the Dragon Ball brand is, and how great of a fighting game developer Arc System Works always was. Although they always had the respect of the fighting game community with Guilty Gear, BlazBlue, and more, FighterZ catapulted them into a level of stream fame they hadn’t really had before.

The ongoing support has also been insane. Not only has Dragon Ball FighterZ hosted multiple characters and season passes over the course of three-plus years, but it’s had its fair share of big patches that shake up the meta. That includes the newest update that launched this week, which basically changes the entire framework of the game. In all, this has been one of the most-supported fighting games of all time.

So the patch does a number of things to core mechanics, but now Z changes can be done after any special with zero meter cost, and sparking blast can’t run out during combos. There’s also a shortcut for high jumps (holding unique attack while jumping), and a few other quality of life upgrades. It’s basically a massive Dragon Ball Fighter Z requested-mechanic dump on top of all of the character-specific balance changes.

Also, check this out: Krillin reviving himself off his own Senzu bean? This patch has gone mad! You can check out that craziness and the general patch notes below, courtesy of EventHubs.

SO APPARENTLY KRILLIN CAN REVIVE THE DEAD. @DotoDoya @zDamascus @Tyrant_UK @KnowKami #dbfzhype pic.twitter.com/kVltXrSBpV

— Brazen Butterfly 🔞 (@Black_Yggdrasil) August 10, 2021

Dragon Ball FighterZ New Mechanics

Air Guard Cancel: Guard Cancels can now be performed in the air for the same cost as ground usage.

Guard Cancel Vanish: By spending two bars of meter, players can use a Vanish out of Guard Cancels. No assists or follow-ups can be performed after the hit.

Z Change: Z Change can be performed after any special with no meter cost.

Float Status: Any attack that ends in the air grants characters the Float Status for more mixup and combo options.

Ki Charge: Now deflects Ki Blasts on frame 1 and can be performed after blocking a Ki Blast.

Dragon Rush: Can be performed during a Ki Charge by pressing medium attack.

Sparking Blast: Can no longer run out during combos.

Z Assist: Chip Damage removed from some assists.

Z Assist Type C: Lengthened cooldown time between uses.

EX Specials: Meter increase scaling now only dependent on time and not the opponent’s status. Lengthened tine during which Ki Gauge increase scaling applies.

High Jumps: New shortcut implemented by holding unique attack button while jumping.

Super Attack Damage Scaling: Reduced damage scaling for attacks used after Supers excluding Ultimate Z Changes (DHC).

Jumping Heavy: Opponent is now knocked forward when there is a camera motion. Fixed Dragon Ball glitch.

Crouching Heavy (2H): Some characters have more active frames. Lengthened time for air invincibility.

Ki Blast Deflect: When any attack deflects a Ki Blast, other moves can be performed like with Super Dash and Z Reflect.