Kensei should be nerfed | Forums

[I-ModernSpartan]

* I'm not a native English speaker so I apologize in advance if there are mistakes.

Hi,
I think that the Kensei should be nerfed.
He is defently the strongest character in the game and by a significant margin, at least on console.

Like many other characters he has close to unractable lights (at least on console) but he has chain of 3 lights (unlike all of the other vanguards if I remember correctly).
Each one of them is really hard to block, definitely not something that you can reliably block.
They can even stop you if you try to dodge attack.

His dodge attack is the most powerful in the game, it's a heavy attack, which allows him to start the light spam immediately after attacking unless you parry and has the added bonus of executing you.
In addition the attack's direction is the opposite to where he is dodging (unlike all the other characters, except for Nobushi and Jiang Jun) which makes it confusing and a little bit harder to counter.
The problem of course isnt when people use it as a proper attack (which also shows how good it is...) but when you try to feint and get dodge attacked by a fast confusing attack which if you dont parry you will get light spammed.
Moreover, he can launch a top unblockable heavy which he can also *soft* feint.
It's the best dodge attack in the game IMO, only Jiang Jun's dodge attack can compete with it. Kensei's dodge attack by itself is broken.
And if that's not enough his dodge attack has superior block.
The only thing that's missing is the dodge attack itself being unblockable.

Also his zone is super fast and really good for clearing soilders. So he is also extremely strong both for duels/brawls and dominion/breach.

He can soft feint his top heavy, even into an unblockable pommel strike which gives him a free light.
So with the light spam he is one of the best attackers in the game.

Has uninteraptbale property on his heavy finishers.

Can launch his top unblockable-softfeintable heavy after a single really fast attack (skull crusher).

Has a really good reach.

And I guess there is more which I dont remember right now.

Its not coming from someone who simply hates him. I actually use him and he is by far the best character I played.
His light spam is simply a meat grinder and his dodge attack is really that good.
Whenever I pick him I know that I will probably win, unless the opponent is using him too kensei and plays him better than me.
Actually I wrote the post after destorying a few people (in a row) with him.
I dont really enjoy playing him because of him being op but it feels better then being destroyed by a kensei.

Yes he is beatable but it doesnt mean that he isn't over powered.
He is seriously ruining the game, some people even rage quit as soon as they see in the loading screen that I chose him.

[saskamon]

You missed few points.

All his finishers have HA (except for the top unblockable heavy).

After his dodge attack he lands a finisher. And if its a light. He is in a frame disantvantage.


Yes, he is frustrating to fight against on ps4. If he dodges on everything (except if I play conq or LB). And doing only lights.

I do think, that every character needs his light-light-light chain replaced by light-heavy-light. Or heavy-light-heavy. Like LB.

I don't react, I just guess the direction. I know that it was the main idea of CCU. But on consoles it was guessing the light direction before CCU)

Still, I don't play a lot. And I'm pretty bad in FH)

But still: I have a total duels winrate of 54%. And kensei has 66%. So he is strong in my hands on my rep 39 total.

[I-ModernSpartan]

You missed few points.

All his finishers have HA (except for the top unblockable heavy).

After his dodge attack he lands a finisher. And if its a light. He is in a frame disantvantage.


Yes, he is frustrating to fight against on ps4. If he dodges on everything (except if I play conq or LB). And doing only lights.

I do think, that every character needs his light-light-light chain replaced by light-heavy-light. Or heavy-light-heavy. Like LB.

I don't react, I just guess the direction. I know that it was the main idea of CCU. But on consoles it was guessing the light direction before CCU)

Still, I don't play a lot. And I'm pretty bad in FH)

But still: I have a total duels winrate of 54%. And kensei has 66%. So he is strong in my hands on my rep 39 total.

I wrote that he "has uninteraptbale property on his heavy finishers.".

And that he can countinue his dodge attack to top unblockable insanely good heavy.
Didnt noticed the frame disadvantage actually. I guess that when you play Kensei you have a higher tendency to spam lights (which works amazingly) than many other characters.
Anyway usually I follow a dodge attack with the top unblocka because its soo good.

IMO he is more than frustrating, he is too strong. People actually rage quit as soon as they see that the have to face a kensei (and my kensei is only at rep 3).
And you as I wrote he has such a big combination of really good abilities.
He clearly stands out from the other vanguards, which also shows that he is too strong and should be nerfed.

As you said eventually you have to guess where his lights will go which ruins the game, even though statistically you have more than 50% of blocking him before the 3rd light (if he throws them randomly and you block randomly). He basically gets free damage.
And yes other heroes have that ability as well but with the kensei it's just one of many super strong abilities (unlike orochi for example which basically has only lights and zone).

I think that (and it should apply to other characters who are light spammers) that the first light should stay as it is, almost unreachable, but the following lights should be slowed down a little bit, to a point where they are hard to block but blockable.
This will prevent people from both turtling and from spamming lights.

And in regards to Kensei specifically, I think that:
1) His dodge attack should be slowed down/its direction should be changed.
And it should be a light attack not a heavy attack which allows him to follow up, especially not with the unblockable top heavy finisher.
Basically I would like him to have a normal dodge attack.
2) He shouldn't be able to soft feint his top unblockable finisher into a light attack (it's basically free damage).
3) He shouldn't have HA on his heavy finishers.
It will make him more balanced and also if he is the lighter vanguard out of the 3 base ones why he has heavy style features which the warden (which is the medium one with the raider being the little bit heavier one) doesnt have?

I think that with these changes he will be balanced and will be in line with the rest of the vanguards.
And the change to chained light attacks should stop the broken light spam we have now.
I know that Ubisoft probably will never read this... Just wanted to see other people's opinions.

[I-ModernSpartan]

Guys?

[saskamon]

I wrote that he "has uninteraptbale property on his heavy finishers.".

And that he can countinue his dodge attack to top unblockable insanely good heavy.
Didnt noticed the frame disadvantage actually. I guess that when you play Kensei you have a higher tendency to spam lights (which works amazingly) than many other characters.
Anyway usually I follow a dodge attack with the top unblocka because its soo good.

IMO he is more than frustrating, he is too strong. People actually rage quit as soon as they see that the have to face a kensei (and my kensei is only at rep 3).
And you as I wrote he has such a big combination of really good abilities.
He clearly stands out from the other vanguards, which also shows that he is too strong and should be nerfed.

As you said eventually you have to guess where his lights will go which ruins the game, even though statistically you have more than 50% of blocking him before the 3rd light (if he throws them randomly and you block randomly). He basically gets free damage.
And yes other heroes have that ability as well but with the kensei it's just one of many super strong abilities (unlike orochi for example which basically has only lights and zone).

I think that (and it should apply to other characters who are light spammers) that the first light should stay as it is, almost unreachable, but the following lights should be slowed down a little bit, to a point where they are hard to block but blockable.
This will prevent people from both turtling and from spamming lights.

And in regards to Kensei specifically, I think that:
1) His dodge attack should be slowed down/its direction should be changed.
And it should be a light attack not a heavy attack which allows him to follow up, especially not with the unblockable top heavy finisher.
Basically I would like him to have a normal dodge attack.
2) He shouldn't be able to soft feint his top unblockable finisher into a light attack (it's basically free damage).
3) He shouldn't have HA on his heavy finishers.
It will make him more balanced and also if he is the lighter vanguard out of the 3 base ones why he has heavy style features which the warden (which is the medium one with the raider being the little bit heavier one) doesnt have?

I think that with these changes he will be balanced and will be in line with the rest of the vanguards.
And the change to chained light attacks should stop the broken light spam we have now.
I know that Ubisoft probably will never read this... Just wanted to see other people's opinions.

1) his dodge attack should be considered as a light attack (and all dodge attacks should, off all characters)
Still, his dodge attack can't punish shove and BP bash :-)
2) why he shouldn't? Softfeint into light is only made to confuse enemy and make him dodge. And on second chain you just make a feint into heavy.
3) he should have HA on finishers. Or they will be useless. Every dirty option selector, every guy will just throw a light on his finisher. And it will shut town his finisher pressure. Almost completely.

On top heavy finisher he can:
Let it fly.
Softfeint into:
*Sidelight with HA
*Sideheavy with HA
*Guardbrake
*Dodgeattack
Hardfeint into anything.

Let it fly is countered by:
Parrying, or a simple light. If he will lose HA on light/heavy his top heavy finisher can be shut down by a simple light.
Also countered by a late dodge.

Throwing a light against kensei (while he throws a finisher) shuts down his unblockable and his feint into guardbrake.
Only HA on heavy finisher makes you afraid to do that. Because the trade won't be in your favour.

I do think that removing light chains is a good thing.
And making his dodge attack a light parry.

And thats it. Taking away everything else will make him complete garbage.

[Rasboy29]

I only have 3 reps on this hero but I think the amount of people playing him and the rate of success when playing this hero speaks for itself. He definitely has to many things going for him with the ability to SF just about everything and just the amount of options off anything top atk related. It just hurts to see Ubi nerfing Tiandi's kick when characters like HL and Kensei are dominating everywhere. Kensei also has the top to second best zone clearing in the game as well on top of all this. You would think the devs would play the game they developed, but absurd hero decisions lead me to believe otherwise.

[hunterthewolf]

i personaly dont think he should be nerfed i personaly think the combat swap thing he has should be for all hero's this making combat less predictable

war is about momentum and keeping in action this is why i hate the stun guardbreak as it counters the whole idea of war i hate spam because guard breaks are just annoying to pull off and parrys are great to be honest

my main issues as follows
1.guardbreak stun
2.faint overuse
3.the game has a huge lack of momentum and only rewards a set of directions where it should reward the combo its self not the direction [we have warriors like kensai and arm that can just hit from all angles and never get punished]