The headline change focuses on the recently introduced Tiger Warrior units. If you've been finding their recruitment and upkeep a bit too steep for your campaign economy, Creative Assembly has listened. The recruitment cost for Iron Claws, Stalkers, and Dual Axes has been slashed, with some units dropping from 1700 to 1600 gold. More importantly, the upkeep has seen a significant reduction across the board, making these fierce feline fighters much more viable for your mid-game stacks.
Beyond the numbers, this hotfix targets stability. Players running Bhashiva campaigns or utilizing the Armies of Shang-Yang panel should notice a much smoother experience, as several crash-to-desktop issues have been squashed. Zhao Ming also gets some love; his campaign goals have been tweaked to ensure the rewards actually feel worth the effort, specifically regarding higher-tier unit drops that were previously inconsistent.
For those diving into the technical side of the meta, the AI has received a subtle but important tweak. Enemy lords and heroes are now slightly more intelligent when it comes to dodging Area of Effect (AoE) spells. You won't be able to simply delete entire regiments with a single Comet of Casandora quite as easily if the AI has the room to maneuver. This patch also resolves a frustrating softlock in the Mirror of Madness browser, ensuring you can test your tactical limits without the game freezing up.
Overall, Hotfix 8.0.2 is all about refinement. It ensures that the new content from the 8.0 update actually fits into the existing campaign balance without breaking your bank or your game's stability.
Soren