Tekken 8’s Dragunov Nerfs Explained

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home November 9, 2024 35 Views 7 Min Read
Tekken 8's Dragunov Nerfs Explained



In the months since Tekken 8‘s release, Bandai Namco Entertainment has had to throw down the proverbial gaming nerf hammer on Dragunov several times to maintain the overall balance. Right from launch, Dragunov has proven to be a problematic character due to how overpowered his move set was, and as a result, he quickly gained popularity among the fan base – particularly the pros participating in tournaments and ranked matches. Despite the recurring nerf situation, he maintained his status as one of Tekken 8‘s most powerful characters. However, the 1.09.01 patch update, released on October 29th, brought much-needed balance changes to shake up the status quo, hitting Dragunov and Alisa with some back-to-earth edits.



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Dragunov Nerfs are the Gift that Keeps on Giving in Tekken 8 Patch 1.09.01

Dragunov nerfs have become something Tekken 8‘s community looks forward to in almost every update, with Bandai Namco battling to restore some semblance of order to its gameplay. While the developer still has some ways to go before ranked matches are regarded as a level playing field, the 1.09.01 patch was aimed at bringing “adjustments which were made to suppress the performance of some of Dragunov’s overly powerful moves. The following techniques got a nerf in the patch:

  • Ultra Russian Sickle
  • Low Swipe
  • Double Kick
  • Heat Engager


Hitbox and Damage Nerfs Come to Heat Smash and Low Swipe “Razer”

Dragunov’s Ultra Russian Sickle (Heat Smash activated by pressing 2 and 3 while in heat) was a great source of complaint within the community. The hitbox was too large to escape from, and players would report taking damage from the third attack even after successfully dodging the first two hits. Although the existence of such an issue in the first place has no official explanation at the moment, Bandai Namco responded by reducing the attack duration and restricting the third attack’s hitbox area. This fix makes it less likely that opponents who dodge the first two attacks get punished for getting behind Dragunov, as proved to be the case in earlier versions.

In this patch, while the Ultra Russian Sickle nerf might take the headlines, other techniques in his repertoire also got substantial nerfs. Dragunov’s Low Swipe (which made him one of Tekken 8‘s best Punish characters) didn’t come out unscathed, as the move now only deals 14 damage, as opposed to 17 before the patch note’s release. However, while the fix brings a welcome change, many fans argue that the problem was not in the dealt damage, but rather the tracking and startup frames.


Dragunov’s Low Swipe is a homing low attack with an ultra-fast startup frame and a decent range, which makes it practically impossible to track with the eyes. This advantage makes it one of the most reliable ways of getting chip damage or quickly ending matches coming down to the wire. Reducing the damage dealt by three points makes the Low Swipe a little less of a death sentence, but doesn’t fix the underlying problem, and as such, doesn’t do much to change its perception as an overpowered technique.

Bandai Namco Revisits Dragunov’s Double Kick and Heat Engager in New Patch

Alongside the Ultra Russian Sickle and the Low Swipe, the Tundra Slash has been another homing thorn in players’ sides for a long time. Previously almost impossible to dodge, the new update has made it a bit easier to sidestep its lethal damage. When the first kick misses, the second hit’s tracking performance and hitbox reduce heavily, ending scenarios where players dodge the first kick only to be met by the second.


The attack is more linear now, and players can close down Dragunov immediately after the first kick misses and punish him for going wide of the mark, as the second kick is almost guaranteed to miss. Also on Bandai Namco’s Dragunov hit list is the Ignition Switch. This technique is one of the most overpowered moves in his repertoire due to its utility – previously providing advantages such as easy knockdowns and wall stuns for chaining lethal combos to opponents.

Bandai Namco has taken away those aspects of its utility, but it still gives Dragunov a +8 frame advantage with a successful hit while keeping opponents close. It’s unclear whether the developer is now finished with Dragunov’s nerfs, but these new changes have gone a long way to shaking up Tekken 8‘s present meta.

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