Template:SSB4 to SSBU changelist/Palutena

Aesthetics

• As with all veterans returning from Super Smash Bros. 4, Palutena's model has a more subdued color scheme, now more closely resembling her appearance in Kid Icarus: Uprising. Her chiton and armor feature simple detailing, and her face appears more realistic and expressive.
• Palutena's sidestep now causes a visible warping effect when she disappears.
• Palutena is more emotive as she now smiles consistently rather than frowning.
• Palutena's skirt now has independent physics.
• Palutena's shielding animation is slightly altered.
• The golden doors in Palutena's on-screen appearance now disappear without the transparency effects.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Palutena's jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 5).
• Palutena walks slightly faster (1.21 → 1.271).
• Palutena runs faster (1.888 → 2.077).
  • Her initial dash speed is much faster (1.5 → 2.035).
• Palutena's air speed is slightly faster (0.91 → 1).
• Palutena's max additional air acceleration is higher (0.1 → 0.105).
• Palutena's falling speed and fast falling speed are higher (1.4 → 1.55 and 2.24 → 2.48 respectively).
• Palutena's gravity is higher (0.105 → 0.12). In combination with her faster falling speed, this improves her vertical mobility, while not affecting her vertical endurance due to gravity no longer affecting vertical knockback between 70 and 110 degrees.
• Forward roll has less ending lag (FAF 31 → 30).
• Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-17 → 4-15).
• Back roll has more startup with less intangibility (frames 4-17 → 5-16), and more ending lag (FAF 31 → 35).
• Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 28 → 26).
• Spot dodge grants less intangibility (frames 3-18 → 3-17).
• Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 3-28 → 3-30).
• Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 34 → 50).
• Palutena's traction is higher (0.068 → 0.106).

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • The first hit has an altered animation. Palutena swings her staff downwards instead of jabbing it forward.
  • The first hit and neutral infinite's finisher have less ending lag (FAF 26 → 25 (hit 1), 43 → 40 (finisher)).
  • The first hit transitions into the neutral infinite faster (frame 15 → 11).
  • The first hit has altered angles to keep opponents closer to Palutena (80° → 361°/180°), and has gained a hitstun modifier of 4, allowing it to lock opponents and connect better into the infinite.
  • The infinite has a lower hitlag multiplier (1.2× → 0.5×) and SDI multiplier (1× → 0.4×), a different launch angle to keep grounded opponents closer to Palutena (60°/110° → 361°), and a much larger hitbox (3.5 → 6u). This allows it to connect much more effectively, and rack up more damage overall despite each hit dealing slightly less damage (0.8% → 0.6%).
  • The first hit has a shorter hitbox duration (frames 8-10 → 8-9).
  • The first hit deals less knockback (30 base/60 scaling → 25/20 base/20 scaling), removing its guaranteed jab cancel setups from Smash 4, despite its lower ending lag and additional hitstun.
  • The first hit has a higher hitlag multiplier (0.5× → 1.6×).
  • The infinite has gained a shieldstun multiplier of 7×. This allows it to lock opponents into their shields between each hit, and thus pressure them more effectively, but also allows them to cancel shieldstun and punish Palutena more easily if they shield 10 hits or more.
• Forward tilt and up tilt have flashier motion effects.
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt has less startup (frame 17, 25 → 14, 24).
  • The move has a shorter hitbox duration by one frame (frames 17-24/25-39 → 14-23/24-35), but has less ending lag (FAF 68 → 60).
  • The first hit no longer has a sourspot (6%/4% → 6%), and the second hit deals higher, consistent damage (6%/4% → 7%), as well as more knockback (43 base/100 scaling → 78/80), increasing its damage as well as making it consistent (8%-12% → 13%), and allowing it to KO at around 130% near the edge.
  • The first hit has different angles and knockback that now also vary depending on the frame on which they hit (48° → 90°/45° (early), 285°/100° (mid), 20°/85° (late)), set knockback (43 base/65 scaling → 25/45 set/100 scaling, 25/40/100, 35/30/100). It is now weight-independent, has a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.8×), and can no longer be SDIed (1× → 0×). These changes allow it to connect much more reliably into the second hit, regardless of the opponent's percent.
  • The lower staff hitbox is larger for the first hit (2.8u → 3u), and both hitboxes are larger for the second hit (4.1u/2.8u (upper/lower) → 4.8u/3.9u).
  • Palutena's right arm is now intangible for the full duration of the hitboxes.
  • The second hit launches at a slightly different angle (361° → 40°). Compared to Smash 4, it sends opponents higher at low percents, but sends aerial opponents lower at high percents.
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt has less startup lag (frame 10 → 8) and a shorter total duration (FAF 68 → 56).
  • It has lower hitlag multipliers (1× → 0.5× (looping hits), 2× → 1.5× (last hit)), and the looping hits have a faster rehit rate (5 → 3), causing the move to execute noticeably faster.
  • The lower looping hit now has higher priority than the upper hit. The lower looping hit uses an altered angle (366° → 130°) with higher set knockback (30 → 50). This improves its consistency on grounded opponents due to no longer sending away from Palutena (80° → 130°).
  • The looping portion has a shorter duration (frames 10-38 (looping hits)/40-41 (last hit) → 8-22/24-25). This increases the move's ending lag by four frames, as its total duration was not fully compensated.
    • Despite its faster rehit rate, it hits five times instead of six before the last hit. However, the looping hits deal more damage (1.2% → 1.4%), and alongside the last hit's increased damage, the move's total output is still higher (9.7% → 11.5%).
  • The last hit deals higher, consistent damage (2.5%/1.5% → 4.5%), with knockback not fully compensated (60 base/195 scaling → 75/136), slightly improving its KO potential.
  • All hitboxes are positioned farther upward (Y offset: 16/18/13 → 18/20/15 (looping), 19/13 → 23/17 (final)). This improves its vertical range, but causes it to have a blindspot and makes it harder to hit opponents on the ground.
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt has a longer hitbox duration (frames 14-24 → 14-27), making it even more effective for 2 frame punishes.
  • It launches grounded opponents at a lower angle (361° → 35°), improving its edgeguarding and KO abilities near the edge. It also launches aerial opponents at a higher angle (70° → 75°), improving its combo potential when used to catch landings and hit ledge-hanging opponents.
  • The aerial hitboxes now have identical size and range with the grounded hitboxes, no longer being smaller.
  • In addition to the hitboxes attached to the staff, there are now static hitboxes, improving its range and making it less strict to the staff's spinning animation.
• Dash attack:
  • Palutena gains invincibility later and with less coverage (frames 4-15 (head/torso/both arms) → frames 5-6 (head/torso), 5-16 (left arm)).
  • It deals more damage (9% → 11% (clean), 5% → 7% (late)), although with its knockback fully compensated (70 base/90 scaling → 71/76 (clean), 60/70 → 61/56 (late)).
  • It causes Palutena's shield to glow, indicating its hitbox.
  • Dash attack has significantly less ending lag (FAF 52 → 41).
• Forward smash:
  • The hitboxes have a longer duration (frame 18-19 → 18-20), with the windboxes having a shorter duration instead (frames 20-31 → 21-31).
  • The hitboxes have slightly more knockback scaling (97/96 (clean/late) → 100/102), while the windboxes have more set knockback (40/26 (clean/late) → 60/35), improving the move's KO and gimping potential.
  • Forward smash has less ending lag (FAF 67 → 64).
• Up smash:
  • It has a longer hitbox duration (frames 18-26 → 18-29) and a new late hit (frames 30-35), now lasting twice as long as before. This improves its ability to punish dodges and landings.
  • The mid and high hitboxes deal more knockback (55 base/85 scaling → 58/89 (mid), 55/87 → 62/92 (high)) and are larger (2.5u → 2.8u).
  • It uses a magic effect instead of a normal one.
  • Up smash has less ending lag (FAF 68 → 64).
• Down smash:
  • The clean hit has more base knockback (40 → 52), improving its KO potential.
  • Its hitboxes are larger (2.5u → 3.7u (clean), 4u → 6u (late), 8u → 9u (windboxes)). The clean hit extends marginally farther (z-offset 7 to -7 → 7.3 to -7.3).
  • The clean hit is positioned marginally higher (y-offset 9 → 9.2). The late hits are positioned lower (y-offset 6/6 (late/windbox) → 4/4), improving their ability to hit below ledge.
  • The windbox has more horizontal range (Z offset: 22u → 24u), more set knockback (30 → 55) and a longer duration (frames 20-27 → 20-29), making them more effective for disrupting opponents.
  • The clean hit has a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.4×), while the late hit has a lower multiplier (1× → 0.85×).
  • Down smash has less ending lag (FAF 72 → 69).

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have less landing lag (20 frames → 12 (neutral), 12 → 9 (forward), 16 → 10 (back), 24 → 14 (up), 18 → 11 (down).
• Neutral aerial:
  • The beginning of the animation is slightly different. Palutena now spins her staff by knocking the lower part of it instead of letting it spin on its own.
  • Neutral aerial has lower hitlag multipliers (1× → 0.5× (looping hits), 2× → 1.5× (last hit)), and the looping hits have a faster rehit rate (5 → 4), causing the move to execute noticeably faster.
  • It has larger hitboxes (3.4u → 4.2u (looping hits), 11u → 11.5u (last hit)), improving its utility for approaching.
    • However, the last hit has a smaller hitbox against aerial opponents (11.5u → 9.8u).
  • The looping hits use different knockback on aerial vs. grounded opponents.
    • On aerial opponents, between frames 5 and 23, the looping hits now have scalable knockback (20 (set)/100 (scaling) → 0 (base)/100 (scaling)). At lower percents, this leaves them weaker and negative on hit when landing, but at high percents gives them drag-down potential, with the frame advantage being better the higher Palutena's rage and the lower the opponent's weight.
    • On grounded opponents, between frames 5 and 23, the hitstun is higher due to higher set knockback (20 → 65). The staff's bottom hitbox on frames 5-6 has even higher set knockback (80) and can send lighter opponents into tumble. In combination with the move's reduced landing lag, this allows combos from a single hit on grounded opponents. The follow-ups depend on the opponent's weight, with even up smash being possible in some cases, though up tilt is the most reliable follow-up.
    • On frames 24-27, all the looping hits still use set knockback and are effectively unchanged from Smash 4 due to a new hitstun modifier (-13) negating the higher set knockback (20 → 65), leaving them unsuitable for any drag-down or single-hit combos.
  • Due to the looping hits' faster rehit rate, the move hits seven times instead of six. However, its damage values have been redistributed (1.7% (hits 1-5) → 1.4% (hits 1-6), 5% → 5.1% (last hit)), leaving its total damage unchanged.
  • The last hit comes out faster (frame 31 → 29).
    • However, the move's total duration remains unchanged, increasing its ending lag.
  • The last hit always sends opponents in the direction Palutena is facing. Combined with her faster dash speed and the move's lower landing lag, this allows it to combo into itself several times at low percents, greatly improving her damage racking ability.
  • The last hit deals less knockback (30 base/180 scaling → 35/155). While this improves its combo potential at low percents, it more drastically hinders its KO potential at high percents.
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial deals more damage (9% → 10%) with no compensation on knockback, improving its KO potential near the edge.
• Back aerial:
  • Palutena gains invincibility later, with a shorter duration and with less coverage (frames 3-10 (head/torso/both arms) → frame 7 (head/torso), 7-10 (left arm).
  • Back aerial's sourspot has been removed, reducing the move's range inside Palutena, though almost negligibly.
  • It has slightly more knockback scaling (92 → 95), improving its KO potential.
  • It causes Palutena's shield to glow, indicating its hitbox.
• Up aerial:
  • The move has more startup, with the looping hits having a shorter duration (frames 8-23 → 10-22).
  • The looping hits have a lower hitlag multiplier (0.8× → 0.6×) and a faster rehit rate (5 → 3). As a result, the move executes noticeably faster, and hits six times instead of five, increasing its total damage (9% → 10%).
  • The last hit comes out faster (frame 25 → 24). However, this is compensated by the multi-hits of up aerial having a shorter duration meaning the amount of startup remains the same.
    • However, the move's total duration remains unchanged, increasing its ending lag.
  • The side hits of the launching hit send much more vertically (65° → 88°), now having an identical angle to the center hit and removing their vulnerability to LSI. This improves the move's combo and KO potential.
  • Up aerial auto-cancels significantly earlier (frame 64 → 42), doing so in a full hop.
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial has a longer hitbox duration (frame 10 → 10-11).
  • It deals more damage (9% → 11%) with no compensation on knockback, making it a stronger meteor smash.
  • The meteor hitbox is slightly larger (4u → 4.2u), with its lower reach compensated (y-stretch -5.2 → -5).

Throws and other attacks

• Palutena's animation when holding a Super Scope or Gust Bellows has been altered, as she now holds the item in a manner similar to a rifle.
• Grabs:
  • Pivot grab has more range (Z2 offset: -17.4u → -18.9u).
  • All grabs have more ending lag (FAF 32 → 40 (standing), 40 → 48 (dash), 40 → 43 (pivot)).
  • Standing and dash grab have less range, especially the former (Z2 offset: 11.4u → 9.4u (standing), 13.7u → 13.1u (dash)).
  • Dash and pivot grabs have more startup (frame 9 → 10 (dash), 10 → 11 (pivot)).
• Pummel:
  • Pummel deals more hitlag (5 frames → 14), but has significantly less startup (frame 8 → 1) and ending lag (FAF 23 → 7), shortening its duration.
  • It deals much less damage (3.1% → 1.3%).
  • Palutena pummels the opponent by holding her staff vertically instead of horizontally.
• Back throw:
  • Due to the Sakurai angle being lower against aerial opponents in Ultimate (45° → 38°), back throw KOs more effectively near edges.
• Down throw:
  • Down throw triggers a hitlag effect on both Palutena and the opponent for 7 frames prior to release, rather than inflicting 5 frames of hitlag on the opponent upon release, and has more knockback scaling (25 → 30). This worsens its combo potential beyond low percents.
    • However, it has less ending lag to compensate (FAF 50 → 46), and launches at a slightly higher angle (70° → 73°), which combined with Palutena's faster jumpsquat and jump speed slightly improves its combo potential at low percents.
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 9%).

Special moves

• Autoreticle:
  • Autoreticle's shots are generated faster (frame 29/35/41 → 25/31/37).
  • The shots deals more damage (2.9% → 3.5%) and knockback (20 base/42 scaling → 40/41), making them more effective for disrupting approaches. The changes now give the move a chance of tripping opponents.
  • The shots have received negative shield damage (0 → -1.7), effectively dealing around half their usual damage to shields.
  • The changes to locking remove the projectile's situational utility for starting combos.
  • The reticle is red instead of green. Additionally, Palutena illuminates her staff's orb with a blue light instead of a yellow one.
• Explosive Flame:
  • Explosive Flame, previously one of Palutena's custom neutral specials, is now her side special. Since Reflect Barrier has been merged into her down special, she has effectively gained an additional move. This provides Palutena with another projectile and long-ranged attack option.
  • It can be unleashed at two different distances away from Palutena depending on whether the control stick is tilted or tapped, improving its zoning ability.
  • It deals considerably more damage (0.8% → 1.5% (hits 1-6), 4.2% → 5.5% (hit 7); 9% → 14.5% total) without compensation on knockback. This turns it into a much more effective finisher, KOing opponents from ground level at around 135% if all hits connect.
  • It has received negative shield damage (0 → -0.7 (hits 1-6), -2.7 (hit 7)), effectively dealing around half its usual damage to shields.
  • The looping hits have a lower SDI multiplier (1× → 0.4×).
  • The new knockback speed-up effect worsens the move's ability to connect fully at higher percents.
  • The last hit has a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.5×), improving its combo potential and safety on shield.
  • It has significantly less ending lag (FAF 89 → 72).
• Warp:
  • Warp has one more frame of intangibility (frames 16-31 → 16-32).
  • It has a more stylish appearance.
• Counter and Reflect Barrier:
  • Reflect Barrier has been merged with Counter; By default, Counter activates upon blocking an attack, but if it is a reflectable projectile, Reflect Barrier activates instead, akin to King K. Rool's Gut Check and Joker's Tetrakarn / Makarakarn. This allows her to respond to a larger variety of attacks using only one move, while also freeing up her side special for an additional move.
  • The move has less startup with a longer counter window (frames 10-31 → 7-34), less ending lag (FAF 75 → 71), and grants intangibility earlier (frames 10-16 → 6-12).
  • Upon activation, Counter has significantly less ending lag (FAF 56 → 37), as does Reflect Barrier compared to the previous side special (FAF 56 → 35), and the latter also has immediate startup (frame 8 → 1).
  • Counter has more base knockback (40/20 → 50/30), with only the sweetspot having less knockback scaling (75 → 70), making it more consistent and improving its KO potential near the ledge.
  • Projectiles reflected by Reflect Barrier have a much higher damage multiplier (1.17× → 1.4×).
  • Reflect Barrier has a shorter duration (frames 9-66 → 1-42), and no longer possesses an offensive hitbox.
  • Palutena can no longer directly access Reflect Barrier. As a result, she can no longer use its windbox on command to gimp opponents, or deter projectile use with the barrier's longer duration.
  • Palutena closes her eyes instead of showing a angry look upon activating the move. Additionally, she no longer shouts "Counter" until she successfully counters a melee attack. Counter also glows blue instead of yellow.
• Black Hole Laser:
  • Black Hole Laser produces a larger black hole and a wider laser, making the attack harder to avoid.
  • The final hit has less knockback scaling (135 (trapped)/105 (collateral) → 127/97), reducing its KO potential.