Monday morning Bandai Namco announced the next major update for Dragon Ball FighterZ will launch on May 9. The free update will feature two brand new significant features, the monthly FighterZ Cup and 3-player co-op Party Battle. Perhaps most exciting, though, are the update's balance changes, which include nerfs to popular characters Adult Gohan, Vegeta, and Android 16.

Within the competitive scene for Dragon Ball FighterZ, Adult Gohan, Vegeta, and Android 16 have long been considered amongst the game's strongest fighters. Tuning the characters down has been a long time coming, perhaps longer than players would have preferred. Even slight nerfs would be particularly impactful, but all three received substantial knocks tied to their individual strengths.

Here's a selected list of notable balance changes that will take effect in Dragon Ball FighterZ starting May 9:

  • Vegeta (Super Saiyan): Reduced the duration of block stun for Vegeta's Z assist
  • Gohan (Adult): Modified the property of Gohan (Adult)'s down light attack to match with other light attacks; Modified Gohan (Adult)’s heavy version of mid-air Ultimate Back Attack so that opponents are now able to ground recover when hit
  • Android 16: Now players will be able to recover from the ground when hit by Android 16's Dynamite Driver
  • Krillin: Increased the duration of hit stun and the time an opponent isn't able to recover for Krillin's Z Assist
  • Cell: Cell's Psychokinesis Crash has been adjusted so that the attack no longer appears behind an opponent character

Early reaction to the changes within the Dragon Ball FighterZ community acknowledges the need for nerfs for Vegeta, Adult Gohan, and Android 16, but are otherwise surprised how limited the update is. Other very strong characters, specifically Cell, somehow come out of the update virtually unscathed. And for the most part, no meaningful buffs were made to weaker characters.

The intent of Bandai Namco seems to be to slip out well-tested bug fixes and balance changes along with the feature additions that were already scheduled to launch. If a substantial, focused balance patch is in the works it won't be arriving quite yet.

goku gohan free update

While the balance changes will likely be the most impactful portion of the upcoming Dragon Ball FighterZ update, the biggest additions are definitely the new features. The FighterZ Cup allows players to join a Z-Union and then contribute points through fighting in a month-long competition, while Party Battle allows three different players to cooperatively take on "fearsome bosses." The two new features will offer current players new ways to play Dragon Ball FighterZ with no cost. More information on both features will be released in the days ahead.

For the full list of changes arriving with the May 9 free update, check out Bandai Namco's official patch notes posted on its official Facebook page. The update will be made available across all supported platforms on the same day. There's no word yet regarding Dragon Ball FighterZ's next DLC character, which could be either Super Saiyan Blue Vegito who leaked last week or Merged Zamasu who leaked the week prior, but it wouldn't be surprising if an announcement was made near to the update's release.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.