The Tekken 8 train keeps on chugging along, with developer and publisher Bandai Namco pumping out new content and balance changes with Patch 1.03.01.
via Bandai Namco
Headlining the update is the capoeira master Eddy Gordo, who sports a slightly new look seemingly inspired by Michael B. Jordan’s portrayal of Erik “Killmonger” Stevens in Black Panther (2018). Eddy will be the first of six DLC characters arriving in Season 1 of Tekken 8, with others to come down the line.
Coming alongside him is a small balance patch, which addresses one problematic move in particular. Bandai Namco has stated that there will be a much larger, more comprehensive balance update in May, so this is just a taste of things to come for the competitive side of the game.
Eddy Returns Looking Badder than Before
As mentioned, Eddy Gordo will be the first DLC character this season. A seasoned practitioner of capoeira, Eddy is known for his “knowledge check”-heavy design, bringing tricky strings and evasive stances to the table. His Negativa stance (or “relaxed” stance) in particular allows him to slip under highs and even some mids, in a similar fashion to Xiaoyu’s Art of Phoenix stance.
Thus, Eddy truly rewards creative players that can make the most out of his stances and evasion. That said, Eddy still does sport a proper “solid” Tekken game, as evidenced by the work that pro player Jeon “Jeondding” Sang-hyun has put in over the years as an Eddy specialist. His backdash is likely to remain as the best in the game even in Tekken 8, which lends well to a classic whiff punish focused playstyle.
A new addition to the character is the existence of an “install” gauge, similar to what we see now with Bryan and Asuka in Tekken 8. Though it doesn’t have an official name as of yet, this new mechanic unlocks new, more powerful moves in Eddy’s arsenal, adding further to the fact that he can confuse players unfamiliar with the matchup.
To activate his install, Eddy players must land certain moves to charge the gauge, kind of like how Claudio’s Starburst mechanic works. Unlike Starburst, though, this install actually stacks, with the gauge counter going up each time you charge it. This is quite similar to Jamie’s drink mechanic from Street Fighter 6, where Jamie gains access to more of his movelist for every stack in his gauge.
What this means is that Eddy might just become a mixup monster in Tekken 8 — as if that weren’t already true in previous games. Time will tell just how impactful this new mechanic of his will be, but we can already see it wreaking havoc in the lower ranks of online play.
Azucena Dethroned in Balance Patch
As for the balance patch included in Tekken 8 1.03.01, nerfs to Azucena’s infamous Espresso Agresión (WR 3,2) are the highlight of the changelog. Once an oppressive mid-high string that gave her huge frame advantage on block, Espresso Agresión used to jail opponents when guarded after the first strike — which meant that there was no counterplay to it aside from anticipating it with a quick sidestep left and crouch.
The patch tones the move down quite a bit, first by reducing the first hit’s active frames by three and making it so that the second hit will not come out if the first one whiffs. This should make it easier for attentive players to sidestep the first hit then punish those that throw the move out recklessly, though it’s likely to still be extremely scary at the wall.
The full list of changes can be found on the official Tekken 8 website. The update itself drops on April 2nd, 2024.
