The second phase of Project NEXT launches today in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang! Debuting a fresh new look, the popular mobile online battle arena hits its seventh anniversary this September, with an all new season experience and graphic upgrades for players to enjoy.

A whole new look befitting of the new lore

The new logo reflects a fresh and diversified image of the seven-year game still widely played by international gamers worldwide. Whether you're a hardcore MOBA fan or a casual player, there's something for everyone in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang with its various game modes, including Magic Chess, Brawl, Arcade, or Rank battles. The new logo reflects the many changes the game has undergone throughout the years, including the new Eruditio lore released this June, and is part of the graphics and art update.

Fresh changes to beloved heroes

Graphic and skill upgrades will be issued to the following Eruditio heroes - Layla, X.borg, Bruno, Johnson, Lolita, followed by Miya (non-Eruditio hero). For instance, Layla's steampunk look has been reflected in a brighter outline, complete with a school outfit in line with the Eruditio lore and her high-tech weapon. The same follows for Lolita's weapon, where her hammer showcases the Noumenon Energy Core at the center instead.

Lolita's skill revamp will take into effect in the upcoming patch, focused around the theme of "protection" - to make sacrifices for her team mates to ensure certain victory!

Her full skill revamp details are as follows (close to final):

• Guardian’s Bulwark (Skill 2) New effect: Reflects long-ranged attacks, granting invincibility.
• Noumenon Energy Core (Passive) New effect: Provides a shield for herself and all allied heroes within a set range, regardless of status.
• Noumenon Blast (Ultimate) New effect: No longer requires full channeling to stun enemies, but stun duration and damage output is based on channeling duration.

Apart from Lolita, Johnson players can also expect a skill revamp to be done in the upcoming patches. As S29's story unfolds at Eruditio, greater emphasis is given to the heroes that are based there, and hence, Johnson's skill revamp will take place in the upcoming patches to provide a consistent seasonal experience. Please refer to the near-final changes for Johnson's ultimate below:

• Rapid Touchdown (Ultimate) New effect: Johnson immediately gains acceleration upon activation of his Ultimate. Once Johnson starts driving and gets within 20 yards of his team mates, team mates will receive notification such as, "Johnson is [x] m away from you." When Johnson is within 6 yards from his team mates, the notification will turn into a button, and party members are required to tap the button to get into the car.

Refreshed UI changes to the game

The main screen UI enables players to interact with a seasonal hero of their choice (this season will feature the aforementioned Eruditio heroes only, e.g Layla), and learn a little about their characteristics, unique storylines, and even secrets! With this addition, there will be more hero voice lines (including Lolita and Johnson's upcoming skill revamps).

This doesn't just apply to the main screen but post-match, too: depending on the outcome of the battle mode, the selected character will issue out different kinds of praises or encouragement to players! Players can also unlock new voice lines or interactions as they continue to use their chosen hero, which will in turn, also unlock bonus scenes. There are four layers of bonus hero interactions - can you unlock them all?

New seasonal heroes will be featured in the main interface for upcoming patches. This season, Layla will be showcased as the first Mobile Legends: Bang Bang hero for novices. She acts as an instructor to help guide the newbies in their MLBB journey and to help familiarise them with some of the instructions and controls. This function serves to provide an immersive experience for all players and will not affect in-game performance. In the upcoming patch, players can expect reduced packaged resources to operate the game, streamlined multi-threading, and upgraded technical performance (dependent on the player phone model).