Most game developers release their patch notes to the public. Often painstakingly detailed, they inform the player base of what's new, what's old and what to expect next time they boot up the game.
Not so with Nintendo and Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. For reasons that still aren't entirely clear, the company has repeatedly updated characters in their all-star brawler without even acknowledging that they've done so. This latest update (1.1.0) is no different, but unlike those before it, this new patch features a ton of changes.
None of which have been spelled out for the game's passionate player base — but not to worry, the fans are on it. They've obsessively tested out all of the moves of every character to see which ones have been "nerfed," which have been "buffed," and which have been left alone. Popular Smash Bros. fan forum Smash Boards has compiled a list of all the changes. You can read the full details here (there are a lot), but we'll discuss some of the highlights below.
It looks like Zelda, Ganondorf and Wii Fit Trainer have had the biggest upgrades. Check out what the Smash Boards community has deduced about Ganondorf's abilities with update 1.1.0:
Forward Air damage increased 16%/17% → 17%/18%
Up Throw damage increased 7% → 10%
Down Smash second hit knockback and hitbox size increased
Or the changes that have come to Wii Fit Trainer:
Sun Salutation (Neutral-B) heal effect increased 1% → 2%
Side Special landing lag reduced
Forward Smash hitbox sizes increased
Usmash
Hitbox sizes increased
Knockback growth increased
KBG increased by 2 on all hitboxes
Dsmash
Damage increased (10/8%)?(12/10%)
Growth increased 107?110
Neutral Air increased by 2 on all hitboxes
Forward Air growth increased by 2 on all hitboxes
Back Air growth increased by 2 on all hitboxes
Uair growth increased by 2 on all hitboxes
Grab, dash grab, pivot grab Grab box vertical displacement lowered
All sideB variantsgrowth increased by 1 on head hitboxes
These may not seem like major changes, but for the pro Smash Bros. scene, they are a huge deal. One of the most popular "top tier" characters is Sheik, who received a minor nerf this patch. Combined with the number of upgrades to less played characters, it definitely looks like Nintendo is paying attention to which characters pro players have established as the best (or the worst) and are making changes accordingly. You would just never know it without reading an online forum dedicated to the game.
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