Custom Character Beginner Guide

Important Elements of Custom Characters

So this part will cover aspects of CC (Custom Character) that veterans look for in a good character. Veterans can smell if the character is made by a seasoned artist or not.

Here are some factors to consider for your character:

1. Usefulness/Intention: What do you want this character to do? Is the character useful? Is it intended to be a niche or situational pick? Is it supposed to be simple to understand? Is it supposed to counter a specific gimmick (anti-drain kit, anti-heal combo, etc...)?

2. Flow: Does your character combo with itself? Are the skills coherent, or are they just random skills you decided to add without any combos in mind? Can people understand the combo they need to do?

3. Fun: Do you think it's fun to use this character? Is the combo satisfying to pull off? Is this character unique?

4. Balance: Is the character overpowered? Is it underpowered? Is it just okay? Does it compare to meta?

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These are all factors you need to consider in your character. Now there are also some points to remember for each of them.

1. Usefulness/Intention - This is checking the strengths of your character. The character's good points should be easy to understand. If you are building an anti-heal character, are you just countering heals? Or Is it useless if there are no heals? Your character must ALWAYS have some use even if it's countered by a bad matchup. If your character is not gonna be depending on the enemy's teams and decisions, then it's good.

2. Flow - Do not mind too much the numbers on the damage, cost, weakness, and the likes. Focus only on the ideal combo. For a combo to start, you need a core skill which you will base your ideas from. Is it a good combo or not? Is it easy to do or not? Is it worth it? If you say yes then good.

3. Fun - This is straightforward and as long as you think it's fun for you, fun for others, and satisfying to use, then you have no problems here. Some people prefer uniqueness, some prefer effects and mechanics not yet in the game, some like fast gameplay while others like it slow. There are various opinions and it will be hard to please everyone.

4. Balance - This is where people fight often. Everyone's concept of balance is different, and this is also true for CC. It's much more different if it's not a real character with imaginary tools.

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Now let's examine our Newbie Artist's first attempt on CC:

Usefulness/Intention: I don't understand what you want this character to do? It seems that you don't like heals? Or you just want huge damage? Are you trying to make a character with huge risks?

We cannot tell our intentions for our own characters just by showing our CC. If you want to make this character punish friendly skills, then the skills should be clear that it does punish them. But it shouldn't be limited to just one concept. Try to put effects that make them useful in general outside the intended targets. If you are settled with what kind of character you want, then let's move on to the next step.

Flow: Skills are contradicting each other. There is no real combo between skills. What's the purpose of Hamura's Gentle Fist effect if enemies are invulnerable to friendly skills? Why does Hamura's Byakugan reduce the damage of Hamura's Gentle Fist? Where's the combo in his kit?

This comment is understandable. There's absolutely no combo here. His skills do not cooperate with each other. Let's avoid doing things like this. Now, let's rework him a bit and make his Gentle Fist the core skill.

Fun: The high damage is pretty fun and it's pretty clear what he does. But he isn't unique. Most of his skills are just generic and the effects don't stand out. I love his passive, which definitely makes him a threat against stunners. I think Hamura's Byakugan is better as a passive than Insight, but that's just me. Facepic looks stretched too I think, maybe make it smaller. I wish he stood out more though. Good job

Now, when it comes to this, we also have to protect our own version of fun. Will you sacrifice your own fun for others? Well, that's all up to you.

Balance: There are lots of overpowered stuff in this character. First of all, the damage is ridiculously high and the turns are just incredibly long. The cooldowns and costs of the skills are too cheap for doing something that destructive. Fix the classes too, it doesnt make sense. Very OP, tune down the numbers then increase costs and cd.

This is the devil of debates. This has ruined friendships and meta. But arguably, balance is the one thing most people will never forget in CC. Almost all comments will mention "Looks overpowered", "Pathetic", or "Well-balanced". Balance is hard to avoid. There is no avoiding conflict when it comes to balance so just keep an open mind and maybe one of you can be persuaded to change their opinion. Or just settle.

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Here's the reworked result considering all the comments above:


Considerable difference, I bet. Whether it's good or not, that would depend on you. Juggle between your own opinion and the critics. Ultimately, what you think about the character should determine your final result. But at the same time, you probably made this character for others to enjoy. So stay to what you think is the perfect balance of both worlds.