'Smash Ultimate' Tier List: How the 1.2 Patch Changes Characters
Nintendo made changes to characters like Link and Greninja, but what?
If you’re an avid Super Smash Bros. Ultimate player, you may be aware that Nintendo rolled out the game’s first big post-launch update, a “v1.2.0” patch. And if you’re sweating changes to several specific characters and the reworked tier lists that come with it, worry not. Most of the changes in 1.2.0 appear to fix technical glitches, with little to no actual changes to character rankings.
On Thursday, Nintendo rolled out patch 1.2.0 for Smash Bros. Ultimate that, for the most part, fixes technical issues with the game’s online multiplayer. Other updates included tweaks to several specific characters, but Nintendo was opaque about what changes were made.
However, thanks to the good folks of the Smash Bros. fan community at Smashboards, we have a crowdsourced spreadsheet document of all the apparent changes to individual characters. Here are all the character-specific changes the Smashboards community discovered:
- Greninja: Fixed a visual glitch with Greninja’s screen KO.
- Kirby: After copying Pac-Man’s Bonus Fruit, Key will no longer be discarded when it is recycled.
- Link: Invisible Bomb glitch has been removed.
- Olimar: No gameplay changes reported, suggesting removal of the Pikmin Freeze and Corrin Pin glitches.
- Pac-Man: Key will no longer be discarded when it is recycled.
If all of that gibberish to you, here’s what it means: No character’s actual moves or combos were downgraded (or, in gamer speak, “nerfed”). Captain Falcon’s airborne knee smash is still a boss, Simon/Richter’s chain whip still has crazy reach, and Ridley’s down special is still ridiculous.
The Belmonts are still awesome. Don't worry about v1.2.0.
This is good news! As fans are still getting used to all the adjustments of Ultimate over previous iterations of the game, it would have been maddening if Nintendo made terribly dramatic changes this early on.
One welcome change in 1.2.0 is the “adjusted difficulty” of the game’s A.I. in Challenger’s Approach matches. Many Smash Bros. players, even veterans, were taken aback by the high difficulty of the A.I. when it came to unlocking characters. This, naturally, was frustrating as players wanted to unlock the game’s roster of almost 80 characters as quickly as possible.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now on Nintendo Switch.
Related video: Rewatch the reveal of ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.’
