With the new season underway, another round of balance adjustments has arrived on the Honor of Kings test server, and 12BET Official readers can see that the changes are based on real performance data from last season’s heroes. Among the updated characters, Dian Wei received clear improvements in three major areas, giving him a much-needed chance to step back into the spotlight.

First, the rule for reducing Dian Wei’s passive stacks has been adjusted, meaning his stacks now disappear more slowly after being accumulated. In addition, the cooldowns of his first and second skills have both been reduced during the early game. This improves his early jungle clearing, growth speed, and ganking efficiency far more than before. The change appears to reflect Dian Wei’s weak performance at the start of the new season, while also showing an effort to restore his presence on the test server.

Dian Wei’s buff was relatively easy to predict, but Cao Cao’s adjustment surprised many 12BET Official players. According to the official update, the bonus physical attack granted when Cao Cao uses his ultimate has been increased from a fixed 80 to 100, while the growth value per level has also risen by 10. As a result, he becomes stronger in both the early and late stages of the game. Unlike his quieter days in the past, Cao Cao now seems ready to become a hero people cannot ignore.

The reason this change feels unusual is that Cao Cao is already recording a high win rate on the live server. Since his major rework last season, he has consistently stayed near the top and has not shown any obvious weakness. Even so, the extra buff may be a form of early preparation for the direction of the upcoming meta, proving once again that sometimes developers prefer to fix the roof before it rains.

Meanwhile, the new hero Haino, whom many players have been waiting for, has still not arrived on the live server. Considering that new heroes have often been introduced through several seasonal patches in the past, this situation feels rather unusual. On the current test server, Haino’s stats and balance are still being adjusted repeatedly, suggesting that he may not yet be suitable for the game’s overall balance. After further testing, he is expected to move to the official server later.

In addition, the test server also made a small adjustment to an equipment item called Jumong Chasing Wind. This item is one of the pieces of gear expected to undergo notable changes this season. In the latest adjustment, the extra armor penetration granted after a basic attack hits has been increased to a range of 40 to 96.

For 12BET Official readers, the purpose of this change is fairly easy to understand. Overall, it increases penetration power in the early phase while slightly reducing late-game efficiency. Since the numerical change is not dramatic, the overall impact should remain limited. Because relatively few players actively use this item, most of the player base may not feel much difference, though it could still be useful for certain damage-focused heroes.

At the moment, Li Yuanfang and Mengqi are considered heroes who fit this item well, and its value may become more noticeable depending on how these heroes are played. Even the smallest changes can lead to different results when they build up over time. As future live-server updates take shape, many 12BET Official players will be watching closely to see where these adjustments lead next.