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With its Super Limit-Breaking NEO DLC set to release tomorrow (that's the 30th July), Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero just got an all-important patch that both prepares the brawler for its new content, and makes some big gameplay adjustments.
The update brings three new stages, a new music track, reworks a few existing game modes, and, as alluded, tweaks key parts of the battle system.
At a glance, the balance changes could actually alter the moment-to-moment experience quite a bit. There are even character-specific adjustments to consider.
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Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero Patch Notes
Changes and Adjustments Affecting the Entire Game
- Stages
- Added Rocky Land (White Valley), City Ruins (Clear Skies), and Molten Lava.
- BGM
- Added "ZERO".
Feature Changes & Adjustments
- Options
- Added an option to toggle the aura change that occurs when characters trained in "Limit Breaker Journey", a mode added in the Super Limit-Breaking NEO DLC, perform a Ki Charge.
Game Mode Changes & Adjustments
- Custom Battle
- Added high-difficulty battles to Extra Battle.
- Added new editable elements such as 2D cut-ins and text.
- Offline Battle
- Adjusted CPU behavior.
- When characters trained in Limit Breaker Journey are available, a rule setting has been added to enable or disable their use.
- Player Match
- Added the ability to enable or disable the use of characters trained in Road to Ultimate Limit-Breaking when creating or searching for rooms.
- Survival Mode
- Increased the number of battles in the round-robin survival challenge.
Battle System Changes & Adjustments
- New Action
- Added Linked Blast, a new action that allows a switched-in character to immediately fire a Blast attack upon entering battle.
- Added Sparking! Boost, a new action that consumes additional Skill Stocks to enter a more powerful Sparking! Mode.
- Z-Search
- Adjusted the duration before Z-Search is lost so that it varies depending on the opponent.
- Melee Attacks (General)
- Defending characters now recover a small amount of Ki when hit by melee attacks.
- Burst Melee
- Adjusted to make activation easier even when Guard Assist is enabled.
- Smash Ki Blast
- Adjusted hit stun on impact to reduce the likelihood of consecutive hits.
- Short Dash
- Adjusted so that stepping is easier to perform when closing to short range via Short Dash.
- Ascend / Descend
- Destructible buildings and rocks can now be destroyed through rapid ascents and descents.
Skill Changes & Adjustments
- Vegeta (Super), Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan – Limits?! I Break Them!
- Reduced Skill Stock consumption.
Blast Changes & Adjustments
- All Rush-type Blasts that can cancel certain Energy Projectile Blasts
- Adjusted to make it easier to nullify applicable projectiles.
- Majin Duu – Rolling Attack
- Can no longer be countered with Super Perception.
- Ribrianne – Maiden's Charge
- Can no longer be countered with Super Perception.
- Kakunsa – Primal Charge
- Can no longer be countered with Super Perception.
- Vegeta (Mini), Super Saiyan 2 - Head-On Impact
- Can no longer be detected/countered with Super Perception.
As you can probably tell, it's an exciting time to be a fan of Sparking! Zero. The fighter first released in October of 2024, and this patch, coupled with the imminent DLC, marks its biggest update yet.
Said DLC includes over 30 new playable characters from across the original Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Super — as well as some of the movies.
Plus, there are new stages, and a whole new single player mode where you choose your favourite character and bolster their combat prowess by tackling increasingly dangerous foes.
It all sounds really positive, and if all goes to plan, I'll bring you some impressions of the DLC in the near future.
Will you be diving back into Sparking! Zero for this update, and the DLC? Rethink your entire team in the comments section below.