Note: After "Potential Unleashed," Ellen will have a new potential toggle, allowing players to freely switch between her upgraded and original versions.
What Enhancements Has Ellen Received?
1. New Move: Frost Edge
"Frost Edge" is a special move available to Ellen in the Hollow Zero. With the addition of "Frost Edge," Ellen's ability to clear mobs becomes exceptionally strong. Moreover, "Frost Edge" deals additional attack instances to medium and large enemies, making it effective for both mob clearing and boss battles.
Post-enhancement, Ellen can automatically trigger "Frost Edge" after executing her third normal attack, the second phase of her enhanced special skill, dodge counter, or support assault, dealing area-of-effect (AOE) damage.
"Frost Edge" does not disrupt the original combo sequence and provides additional damage without extra input. Furthermore, after casting "Frost Edge," Ellen gains a Quick Charge effect, optimizing her subsequent output flow.
2. New Move: Ice Blade Wave
This new normal attack significantly impacts Ellen's combo sequence. After performing a dash attack with Charged Scissor Strike, the third normal attack, dodge counter, or quick support, Ellen can execute "Ice Blade Wave."
"Ice Blade Wave" consumes 2 points of Freeze Charge and connects seamlessly into the third normal attack, consuming a total of 3 Freeze Charges. Essentially, "Ice Blade Wave" replaces Ellen's original first and second normal attacks, altering her attack pattern.
Compared to the original moves, "Ice Blade Wave" has a faster startup and currently exhibits high output tolerance, making it less susceptible to interruption.
3. Upgrade: Charged Scissor Strike
While "Ice Blade Wave" enhances the tolerance of Ellen's normal attack combos, "Charged Scissor Strike" also receives a boost. When Ellen initiates "Charged Scissor Strike," she becomes immune to damage and charges faster upon enemy attacks, significantly improving her combo continuity and charge tolerance.
4. Additional Capability: Enhanced Team Flexibility
Previously, Ellen's core passive required pairing with characters of the same attribute or faction to activate, often necessitating the inclusion of characters like Lycaon or Soukaku, which limited team composition flexibility.
With the enhanced core passive, Ellen can now activate it when paired with any Break-type character, greatly increasing her versatility. Whether the Break role is filled by characters like Wright, Trigg, or the new version 2.0 character Orange Fufu, it no longer affects the choice of support characters. Players can now freely include powerful Break characters like Yao Jiayin or Kaizer, effectively replacing less compatible options like Lycaon.
Additionally, the introduction of "Ice Blade Wave" and the enhancement of "Charged Scissor Strike" grant Ellen numerous invincibility and super armor effects, making her combos less prone to interruption. This reduces her reliance on Kaizer's super armor, further liberating team compositions.
5. Core Passive Enhancement
Lastly, Ellen receives significant numerical improvements. Previously, her core passive only applied a 100% critical damage bonus to Charged Scissor Strike and ice-infused normal attacks. Post-enhancement, the core passive also affects her Chain Attack, Ultimate, and the new moves "Frost Edge" and "Ice Blade Wave," substantially increasing its coverage and overall strength.
How Strong Is Ellen After the Enhancements?
The enhancements to Ellen are substantial. Numerically, the previously limited 100% critical damage bonus now applies to a broader range of her abilities, and the addition of the automatic "Frost Edge" move provides new damage multipliers.
Mechanically, Ellen's most criticized issue—being easily interrupted—has been effectively addressed. "Charged Scissor Strike" now grants invincibility, and her first and second normal attacks have been replaced with the new "Ice Blade Wave," which has faster execution and is easier to use.
In terms of team composition, Ellen's flexibility has significantly improved. She no longer depends on Kaizer's super armor and can freely choose Break characters like Wright or Trigg. Additionally, she can be paired with Yao Jiayin, enhancing team synergy. Previously, if Ellen wanted to include Break characters other than Lycaon, the support role was often limited to Soukaku, negatively impacting the overall experience.
Overall, while Ellen may still have some differences compared to top-tier characters like Xingjian Ya, the comprehensive enhancements have allowed her to catch up significantly. For players who own Ellen, these changes make her a viable option for various content once again.
Conclusion
In version 2.0, Ellen receives comprehensive enhancements that address nearly all her previous shortcomings, restoring her to top-tier status. These changes are highly anticipated and make her a character worth considering for your team.
