The number 1 big baddy has been added to the roster of playable characters in Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising! Now all we need is Sandalphon to be added to pair against him!!
Cygames has released the Ver.1.1 patch update for Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising (GBVSR), which is the first of five planned character DLC updates. See below for the update schedule:
January 16 ★ New Character #1: Lucilius ★ New Stage: Feendrache ★ New In-game Features ★ Online Lobby Update
Late February ★ New Character #2: 2B
April ★ New Character #3: Vane ★ New Grand Bruise! Game Mode ★ New Online Lobby Minigame ★ New Bonus Story ★ New Game Mode
May ★ New Character #4: Beatrix
August ★ New Character #5: ???
October ★ New Character #6: ???
Lucilius has some major heavy hitters, but they also come with lengthy cooldowns. As you keep using these skills, cooldowns become shorter, so his real strength becomes apparent toward the latter half of the battle.
▶︎ Additional Links and Info
Concept Art: Lucilius
Although he seldom betrays emotion, one glance from this Astral is enough to send shivers down anyone's spine.
Lucilius is the first playable DLC character coming to #GBVSR on Jan 16, 2024!
Patch notes for the Version 1.1 update coming Jan 16 have been posted to the official site! In addition to the DLC character, Lucilius, and a new stage, Feendrache, new features, adjustments, and bug fixes are on the way!
Here’s a brief look at the newly released Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising from the perspective of a non-fighting game player! If you’re not good at fighting games, don’t let that stop you from enjoying everything this game has in store for you!
Granblue Fantasy Versus is a 2.5D fighting game developed by Arc System Works for the PlayStation 4 and was released in Japan on February 6, 2020. Its sequel, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, was just released on December 14, 2023, and features many updates, including lobby-based mini games that can be enjoyed across the network with other online players.
▶︎ Story Mode
▲ Rising comes with a compelling new story mode that introduces a new character, Rein, voiced by Maki Kawase.
▶︎ Digital Figure
Other fan-favorite features include the digital figures of characters that can be posed and displayed in several different stage settings. The following are just a few poses that I made.
For fans of Sandalphon, like me, we were given a new Sandalphon model with 3 styles: 6 wings, rocker-style outfit, standard standing. Also, be sure to complete the Story Mode because… this one illustration is EVERYTHING!
And while we’re on the subject, let’s take another look at which characters are fan favorites to be included into the game at some point. This list was from 2022, and as you can see, Sandalphon is the absolute fan favorite across the entire globe, including all regions.
▶︎ Upcoming DLCs!
▲ Although he’s been little more than an NPC thus far, there is rumor that he will finally be playable with the upcoming characters that will be revealed periodically throughout next year. Lucilius is the first DLC to be released as part of the Character Pass Part 1 schedule, followed by five additional characters as follows:
1st: Lucilius – Available Now
2nd: ??? – Late February
3rd: ??? – April
4th: ??? – May
5th: ??? – Summer
6th: ??? – Fall
▶︎ SPECULATION: I’m going to predict that Sandalphon will be the 2nd DLC character to be revealed simply because that will be leading into the Granblue Fantasy 10th Anniversary at the beginning of March, specifically March 10.
▲ The 9th fighting championship event was just held this past Saturday, hosting an IRL event comprised of 60 participants.
▶︎ Lobby Island
The lobby area is a sort of online hub that you can connect to and have fun playing a bunch of mini games with other players. Just exploring around the island is a lot of fun. I’m pretty sure I was able to explore the whole area, but I was unable to find a cut out standee for Sandalphon… Maybe they’ll add him if/when he’s made into a playable character. The mini games are also pretty fun, so for someone like me who doesn’t play many fighting games, this at least gives me something more to enjoy, since I’m not interested in competitive battles.
So anyway, I guess if Sandalphon is added to the roster of playable characters that might give me a reason to play more and “get good.” We’ll see…
Cygames, the development team at behind the upcoming release of Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, has just revealed some additional balance and system adjustments that may interest many fan, so be sure to catch up on everything that will be updated before the 2nd beta test scheduled for later in November. Basing many of these adjustments on feedback received from players during the 1st beta test that was held this past July, here are some of the things that will be adjusted.
User Feedback Received During First Beta
Throws are too weak…
Raging Strikes are too strong…
Ultimate Skills are hard to use–not only that, but there’s little reason to use my SBA guage for anything other than Raging Strikes and Chains
Changes to Ultimate Skills
Cost 50% of the SBA Gauge to activate
Can be followed up with additional attacks
Can be chained into mid-combo (with damage scaling)
Can be activated during skill cooldown (damage halved)
Changes to Dash Attacks
Light dash attacks advance farther for approaching foes
Heavy dash attacks are more rewarding
Heavy dash attacks cause a screen effect on counter-hit
Changes to Raging Strikes
Cost 1 BP to activate (no longer requires SBA gauge)
Cause guard crush and deplete 1 BP to blocking foes
Start-up is slower, but reach has been extended
Can be chained into from cancelable attacks (Only upon successfully connecting–cancelling a blocked attack into a Raging Strike will leave a gap in your offense)
Changes to Brave Counters
Cost 1 BP to activate (no longer requires SBA guage)
Can be performed by pressing two buttons (Medium + Heavy attack–the same input as a Raging Strike)
Visual effect has been changed
Changes to Bravery Points
Damage taken increases as BP is depleted 3 BP: No change 2 BP: No change 1 BP: +20% damage taken 0 BP: +50% damage taken
Guard crushes inflicted by a Raging Strike in addition to Skybound Arts/Super Skybound Arts that successfully connect at close range also deplete BP
Changes to Skybound Arts / Super Skybound Arts
Deplete a foe’s BP upon successfully connecting at close range (Skybound Art: -1BP, Super Skybound Art: -2 BP)
BP is depleted upon a successful hitk, which may significantly increase damage dealt depending on the foe’s remaining BP
Restore 1 BP upon activation (only applies to SBA or SSBA that deal damage–some, such as Lowain’s, are exempt from this rule)
Use them in place of Raging Strikes as your main tool to deplete a foe’s BP!
There’s lots of more the developers discuss in the latest video, so be sure to check that out below:
Cygames will be hosting a special event to showcase the demos to their upcoming games such as Granblue Fantasy Rising, Granblue Fantasy Relink, Uma MusumePretty Durby, and Little Noa in Akihabara, November 3rd.
The Cygames Consumer Game Demo Festival 2023 is an exciting event to give fans the opportunity to try out their upcoming games for free. You can try out games such as GRANBLUE FANTASY Versus Rising, GRANBLUE FANTASY: Relink, and Uma Musume Pretty Derby, as well as Little Noah: Heir to Paradise.
But that’s not all! There will be some fantastic giveaways for those who try out the games, and a thrilling competition with Fukuhara, the creative director of Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising! Don’t miss out on this exciting gaming event!
Date & Time: Friday, November 3, 2023 – 11:00am-6:00pm (JST)
▶︎ Please see the official site for more information on how to attend.
There will also be some cool giveaways to those who try out the demos and even a lottery drawing to win an acrylic stand with art from the games.
You can even get the chance to go one-on-one with Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising creative director Tetsuya Fukuhara, which will also be streamed online. Further details on this will be announced on the official GBVS twitter.
FirePress Japan by Blaze 'n' Rekka 
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