The Best Bee Swarm Update that Never Released...

Summary

This video explores a scrapped skill tree update for Beastform, detailing upgrades that could have dramatically reshaped gameplay. From boosting pollen, honey, and attack rates to introducing global buffs and complex synergies, the update offered unique strategies for red, blue, and white hives. Some abilities, like Cobalt Burster and Crimson Cinders, are potentially game-breaking, while others provide niche advantages or early-game support. The speaker emphasizes the transformative potential of the update, highlighting how it could create new hive archetypes, diversify strategies, and impact the meta, while noting the need for extensive testing and balance adjustments to fully integrate it into the game.

Takeaways

• 🐝 The lost update introduced a skill tree for Beworm, allowing players to customize hive abilities using research points.
• 🔥 Red hive upgrades focused on bombs, flames, and attack boosts, potentially creating new red hive metas.
• 💧 Blue hive upgrades emphasized bubbles, pulse chaining, and pollen boosts, making abilities like Cobalt Burster extremely powerful.
• ⚪ White hive upgrades were limited, with Gooey Sacrifice and Giga Gumdrops being the most impactful for utility purposes.
• 🌍 Global upgrades like Global Goo Expert and Global Red Expert were very strong, with potential to be broken if used with alt accounts.
• 🎯 Certain upgrades, like Focus and Boost, could stack with existing mechanics, allowing extreme advantages in crit chance or pollen collection.
• 🔄 Some abilities interact in complex ways, such as Cobalt Burster and Crimson Cinders benefiting from Digital Bee duplication for massive effect.
• 📈 Early access to the skill tree could trivialize early game progression due to overpowered upgrades.
• ⚖️ The update requires careful testing and balancing to ensure fair gameplay across all hive colors and to incorporate later game mechanics.
• 🌟 Overall, the update could create new hive archetypes, change endgame strategies, and expand customization beyond traditional red, white, and blue hives.
• 🧪 Many upgrades have niche or conditional uses, highlighting the need for strategic planning in building effective hive setups.
• 🎮 The update encourages mixing hive colors and experimenting with synergistic combinations, potentially reshaping the game's meta.

Q & A

What was the main feature of the scrapped Beastform update discussed in the transcript?

The main feature was a skill tree designed to provide hive customization and unique builds, allowing players to enhance abilities, gather stats, and strategically develop their hives.

How was the currency system for the skill tree described?

The skill tree used a currency called research points, with most upgrades costing one research point each. However, the method for acquiring research points was not fully explained since the update was incomplete.

Which hive color was most favored by the proposed upgrades?

Blue hives were the most favored due to significant pollen multipliers, bubble spawning mechanics, and synergistic upgrades like Cobalt Burster and Global Goo Expert.

What were some of the potential game-breaking upgrades mentioned?

Potentially game-breaking upgrades included Cobalt Burster, which allowed infinite pulse chaining for massive pollen gain, and Global Goo Expert, which could stack across players to multiply goo and honey conversion significantly.

How would the red hive upgrades have affected gameplay?

Red hive upgrades focused on flames, bomb mechanics, and attack speed, potentially shifting the meta from precise speed-focused strategies to bomb/flame-centric strategies. This included upgrades like Red Boost, Flamethrower, Crimson Cinders, and Red Nukes.

What niche upgrades were useful for white hives?

White hives would benefit mainly from Gooey Sacrifice and Giga Gumdrops, which enhance goo production and can improve early-game or specialized strategies, though overall impact is less than red or blue hive upgrades.

How would global upgrades influence the game?

Global upgrades, like Global Goo Expert and Summoner Secret, affect all players on the server, promoting alt account use and providing significant boosts to hive efficiency. Some could stack additively or multiplicatively, creating large-scale advantages.

What potential meta shifts were predicted from this update?

Predicted meta shifts included red and blue hives adopting hybrid strategies using bomb/flame and pulse chaining mechanics. Blue hives could dominate with bubble-pulse loops, while red hives could leverage crimson and cobalt bees for versatile pulse and flame strategies.

What concerns were raised regarding game balance?

Concerns included early-game imbalance due to powerful upgrades being accessible too soon, the potential for certain upgrades to be overpowered in late-game, and the need for thorough testing to ensure hive colors remain balanced.

What was the overall impression of the lost update?

The update was considered highly unique and transformative, offering more hive archetypes beyond red, white, and blue. While some upgrades needed careful testing for balance, it was praised for enhancing customization, strategic depth, and overall gameplay possibilities.

How did the upgrade interactions potentially enhance hive strategies?

Interactions like digital bee duplication, Cobalt Burster pulse chaining, and Crimson Cinders flame spawning could significantly multiply effects, allowing players to gather large amounts of pollen and trigger multiple flames simultaneously, creating highly synergistic and versatile hive strategies.

Why was testing emphasized for this update?

Testing was essential to clarify upgrade mechanics, adjust balance across hive colors, prevent overpowered early-game progression, and ensure that meta shifts created by new combinations of bees and upgrades would remain fair and enjoyable.