Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is back yet again with a major update to come to the official server. Residents of the Advanced Server have known this for some time, but it is finally time to officially welcome Phase 2 of Project NEXT for all ML players. Labelled as “Project NEXT 2021”, Mobile Legends is on its way to revamping heroes, equipment, and the battlefield to further optimize the gaming experience for everyone. So far, ML has released the 1st and 2nd Express video on Youtube, which discusses the new changes made to 3 OG heroes and new and adjusted items.
However, MLBB Project Next Phase 2 has been started earlier this year with the revamp of the game UI and character arts.
Mobile Legends Project NEXT 2021: Newly revamped heroes
The three heroes who have been revamped for this phase are Karina, Alpha, and Minotaur. These 3 have been present in Mobile Legends since its debut way back in 2016, and they are joining their fellow heroes who have been revamped in Project NEXT Phase 1 (Layla, Miya, Alucard, Saber, Eudora)
Karina (revamped)
According to the video, devs have made some necessary changes to Karina due to her low popularity in professional ranked matches. As such, she is equipped with a new passive, and a new effect with her Ultimate. It is safe to say that this Revamped Karina will dash around and eliminate heroes faster than ever.
In this new form, Karina has gained even more abilities to reduce skill cooldowns, as whenever she lands a Basic Attack or Skill on her enemies, she marks them, where 3 marks will deal additional damage as well as reduce the cooldowns of all her skills.
Her Ultimate will make Karina more agile, as after being cast, an additional shadow will appear behind her target, allowing Karina to dash once more. This new Karina seems like a fresh take on the original Assassin, and might make her more viable than she currently is in the meta.
Alpha (revamped)
As for Alpha, Moonton opted to keep his revamp simple, as to not confuse players who are already used to his combo. Originally, the end point of his Ultimate dash was the only time Alpha deals damage, and could only provide Crowd Control effects at that point.
Now, his revamp allows Alpha to first stun enemies at the endpoint, knock up all enemies in the path, and bring them all back down one last time at the Ultimate endpoint. This combo increases the skill cap for Alpha while maintaining his fundamental playstyle and combo. This was definitely a much-needed change for the futuristic fighter, and he will be much more useful in team fights and can focus on dealing damage to a larger number of heroes.
Minotaur (revamped)
Last but not least, the savage Minotaur will also be receiving updates to his look and his skills as well. While some changes were made to his Rage form and some skills, the video mentions that much of the focus from developers was more on the creative end and on Minotaur’s game model, skill effects, and overall character design.
In the new revamp, Minotaur was given a scarier and tougher look, refining the design of his forehead totem, his hammer, and the motifs of his character to make him seem more worthy of the ”Tank” label. His speciality “Rage” is now reflected in the game model and is more menacing toward enemies. Since there is not much of a change in his skills, Minotaur will remain a solid A pick in this meta, placing him in a range of heavyweight Tanks with specialities in Cover and Crowd Control.
Mobile Legends Project NEXT 2021: New equipment
War Axe
Rumored to have been a heirloom passed down in the Leonin family, this legendary weapon has awoken in the Land of Dawn and grants the user increased Physical Attack and Penetration the longer they stay in battle. Upon reaching the full 8 stacks, extra movement speed is also granted to the user.
Shadow Twinblades
These pair of blades were discovered by Karina upon her adventure into Gloo’s abode, and granted her immeasurable power. After leaving the battlefield for a certain amount of time, the user will inflict additional Magic Damage and Slow to the enemy the next time they attack.
Radiant Armor
This piece of equipment is a great addition for Tanks and Roamers who have difficulty dealing with enemy Mages. The armor grants stackable Magic Defense each time Magic Damage is inflicted on the wearer, making it perfect for dealing with Mages with Sustained Magic Damage.
Jungling, Roaming, and Equipment adjustments
Previously, Jungling and Roaming items cost Gold to build and took up an additional slot in the limited 6 slots each hero has for equipment. In this latest patch, Jungling and Roaming equipment have been combined with Movement items (Boots) so that it will allow for greater versatility in the early Game and more flexibility in the late game. In addition, each Roam and Jungle item have their own quests that when accomplished, grants the user additional abilities.
Other adjustments to equipment include
- Dominance Ice: Slow effect is removed, but will inflict decreased Regen and Shield Gain abilities to enemies nearby
- Thunder Belt: Unique passive is adjusted for Slow effect and Damage
- Enchanted Talisman: Increases the Player’s maximum Cooldown Reduction from 40% to 45%
Mobile Legends Project NEXT 2021: Skin and Major UI update
S.A.B.E.R squad revamp
The S.A.B.E.R squad was the first group of heroes that were given a themed skin in MLBB. The squad consists of Johnson, Rafaela, Saber, Layla, and Cyclops. In this phase of Project NEXT, the squad will be receiving much-needed artistic revamps that will make them stand out once again. In particular, Johnson’s model and skill effects will be changed to put an emphasis on machinery, which can be seen in an all-new Ultimate animation. The whole S.A.B.E.R squad will be getting visual updates, so be sure to check it out when they arrive.
New in-battle UI customization
Ever tried to quick-cast a few skills in a row, only to press them in the wrong order and mess up a combo? With this latest update, players will be able to customize the location, size, and opacity of all elements on the game screen, including but not limited to: the kill notification, skills, battle spells, active items, and more. This allows flexibility for each player to arrange these elements as they see fit. Players are now also able to set the opacity of the in-game shop, team overview, and hero details.
Moreover, Moonton is nearly complete in designing a new interface for game preparation. In the newest Project NEXT update, players will be able to preview emotes, kill notifications, spawn effects, recall effects, and elimination effects. Players will also be able to customize a unique set for each hero. In addition, ML is set to roll out character taunts, which when activated, will allow players to show-off unique actions with their character models and broaden their methods of expression.
Exclusive webpage
Moonton has released a webpage exclusively for the contents and updates to Phase 2 of Project NEXT. The site includes links to the 3 Express videos that have been released, details for the 3 revamped heroes, some event previews for upcoming events, and splash art of the newest revamped heroes.
More to come
Of course, this is not all there is to the coming Phase of Project NEXT. Item and equipment revamp, battlefield changes, and more hero adjustments are coming to ML as well in the coming months. As of now, these 3 hero revamps and items changes are have been officially announced, but until then you can check our latest hero tier list to know the best mobile legends heroes.
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