Novax written out of the will, and banned from Christmas.

Printer

TLDR:

As much as I wanted balance to look at this unit, this is like full on excommunication, with a side of vindictive torture, and history scrubbing etc. What did the Novax do to you, and are you actually ok? Sure there's the "STFU, you're never happy w. balance" - but just look at the numbers. This isn't balance. This is an honour killing. UEF -(1) T4 unit.

Take a look ALL the nerfs: (inorder of impact, as I sensed it)

-4500% Micro - Aim Speed 360->8 is an INSANE kill of the unit. Super low value to micro because barely responsive. It's an apocalyptic fun deleter. Might as renovate your en-suite bathroom while waiting for it to switch targets.
-50% AOE - True can't kill engineers clustered, but that might as well be 1/2 the available dps, and means the t2 transport shield patrol now very viable vs a SAT. Sadly the visual still appears like its doing work. Except its not.
-33% uptime of laser - so much dps waste in retargetting since duration is much shorter. You'd think less uptime with slower speed, but I guess not.
+Added charge drain of 5k (2 t3 pgens so 2(3.4k mass + 5.800 E = sustained) - Needed? Except most unit like t4's dont rely on E. Now this one does.
+Capacity charge of 7k (minor issue during late game so no impact BUT this didn't exist before)
+56% E cost to build the unit -just for the lols? Its not nerfed enough?
-Omni ability - minor loss. Least impactful change, imo.

The counter balancing buffs:

11% lower mass cost and 2.7% faster build time.

Novax aside, the real victim is the UEF. 32kM + 800kE costs, for an unfun-to-micro, very slow, expensive scouting, dps gimped unit; is just head turning. Doesn't matter if a unit is unkillable- abortion via balance pre-empts that.

Recommendation:
a. Revert laser changes and targeting, but keep drain and other changes, and/or give UEF something, or
b. Make it cost 24kM and 800kE, so UEF won't sink so much mass, or
c. Vastly increase its sight, similar to the Soothsayer much like a real sat, with no omni or sonar., and/or
d. Allow it to suicide more effectively for damage. Aeon & Sera have their ctl+k unit, UEF could have one too.

Look, I acknowledge I don't know all the moving parts that went into this but surely this nerf was super 1-sided.

Ranked Replay:
https://replay.faforever.com/27622412
I made the unit because I needed someway to delay other teams Game Ender/had to do some damage. Slow speed, short duration, wasted dps meant it was effectively a drop in a bucket, and if I saw a weak shield/point- there was no longer a way to take advantage. And I guess I won't build it now. Theres almost no point.

Nuggets

Printer written out of the will, and banned from Christmas.

Exselsior

Balance team should nerf it even more. Make it a t3 intel only unit, UEF’s version of the eye, and balance it accordingly. Bonus points for giving UEF a proper direct fire t4 to replace it

Ske

Lmao how about make some units instead?
U can make like 3.5 battleships for the cost of a novax so maybe try doing that 🥲🧠

Recommendation to balance team: increase novax cost more. Maybe to 100k mass, and then watch people like that one cry

CumCitron

If anything the nerf hasn't been strong enough.
Waiting for a drastic increase of buildtime and a serious mass cost increase.

But nice to finally see a step in the right direction regarding this unit, until it has been fully reworked.