MLBB Patch 2.2.12 Preview: Argus Revamp, Aulus Buffs & More

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Patch 2.2.12 is now being tested on the Advance Server, with Argus and Aulus receiving the most substantial experimental changes in the current build. Argus is being reshaped around critical hits and a new version of Demonic Slash, while Aulus gets faster access to enhanced Basic Attacks, more sustain, and additional crowd control.

Several other heroes are also being adjusted, including Sun, Hayabusa, Kalea, Edith, Kagura, Bruno, Karina, Hanabi, Miya, Aldous, Atlas, Yi Sun-shin, and Hanzo.

The important caveat is that none of these changes should be treated as final Original Server balance yet. Advance Server adjustments can be revised, reverted, or retuned before reaching the live game.

Argus Is Getting Another Experimental Revamp

Argus is the headline change in Patch 2.2.12.

Rather than simply increasing his existing damage numbers, the current experiment changes how his passive and critical hits work.

Argus now gains initial Critical Chance, while landing a critical hit triggers an additional Demonic Slash. That extra strike can ignore part of the target's Physical Defense, deal damage, and restore Argus's HP.

This creates a noticeably different direction from simply waiting for a passive meter to fill.

Crit-oriented attacks now become part of his core combat loop, potentially making Basic Attack consistency much more important to how frequently Demonic Slash appears.

That does not automatically mean players should start rebuilding Argus around a final crit setup, however. Item interactions and final values still need to survive Advance Server testing before a reliable build can be recommended.

Skill 1 Becomes a More Direct Engage Tool

Argus's Skill 1 is also being adjusted.

The first cast extends his demonic hand forward, damaging and slowing enemies while pulling Argus toward the destination. Recasting it allows him to dash again and perform a wider strike.

The overall purpose remains familiar: Skill 1 is still his primary way to close distance.

What matters is how the revised kit connects that engage to the new passive.

If Argus can enter combat more consistently and immediately start generating crit-driven Demonic Slashes, his early and mid-game trades could feel less dependent on waiting for the perfect all-in window.

That is something worth watching during testing rather than assuming from the description alone.

Skill 2 Adds a Stun

The current version of Skill 2 gives Argus a more direct control option.

After attacking, Argus drives his Meteor Sword into the ground, damaging and stunning affected enemies. Hitting an enemy hero also grants additional Attack Speed.

That combination is significant for a Basic Attack-focused Fighter.

A short stun can provide the opening Argus needs to stay attached to a target, while the Attack Speed reward directly supports the revised passive and repeated Basic Attacks.

If this survives testing, Skill 2 may become less about damage alone and more about setting up the rest of his offensive sequence.

Argus' Ultimate Keeps the Four-Second Death Immunity

Argus still retains the mechanic that defines him: four seconds of death immunity.

In the current experimental version, manually casting the Ultimate removes negative effects, deals area damage around Argus, and prevents him from dying for four seconds.

Damage dealt to enemy heroes during the Ultimate can then contribute to HP recovery when the effect ends.

There is also an experimental emergency activation.

If the Ultimate is available and Argus receives lethal damage, the death-immunity effect can activate automatically. The automatic version does not provide the same offensive activation effect as a manual cast.

That is potentially a major usability change because it gives Argus a safety net against missed Ultimate timing.

It is also exactly the kind of mechanic that could change again after player feedback, so players should not assume this version is guaranteed for Original Server.

GameMarket has also covered Argus's upcoming cosmetic side separately through the September Exquisite Collection. His gameplay testing and his skin release are two different topics, so the balance changes here should be evaluated independently from the cosmetic launch.

Aulus Gets Faster Access to His Power

Aulus is the other major focus of Patch 2.2.12.

The stated problem with his current design is familiar to anyone who plays him: he often needs too much time to ramp up before he becomes threatening, can struggle to keep enemies within attack range, and depends heavily on staying alive long enough for sustained Basic Attacks to matter.

The new experimental passive attempts to shorten that setup.

After Aulus deals skill damage, he gains enhanced Basic Attacks for two seconds, with the duration able to extend up to four seconds.

During the enhanced state, Aulus:

• Strikes enemies in a line

• Restores HP

• Slows targets

• Gains additional attack range

• Gains additional Attack Speed

The base damage of each enhanced Basic Attack has also been increased in the current test build.

Instead of asking Aulus to spend a long period building toward his strongest state, Patch 2.2.12 is testing a much more immediate skill → enhanced Basic Attack loop.

Aulus Skill 2 Gets a Stun

Aulus's Skill 2 is also receiving extra control.

The first phase no longer provides Hybrid Lifesteal through its previous hit effect. Instead, it now stuns targets that are hit.

The second phase also no longer requires the first phase to connect before it can be used again.

This addresses one of the biggest practical problems for a sustained Basic Attack Fighter: reaching an enemy is only useful if that enemy cannot immediately disengage.

Combined with the slow built into his enhanced attacks, Aulus could have considerably more tools for staying on top of a target.

His Ultimate is also being tested with an added slow on each hit, reinforcing the same design direction.

For players who already use Aulus in the jungle, GameMarket's MLBB Jungle Objectives guide explains why sustained fighters approach Turtle and Lord fights differently from burst-oriented junglers.

Sun Gets Another Round of Buffs

Sun is receiving another set of improvements after previous changes did not raise his performance enough.

The current Patch 2.2.12 build increases his healing from clone attacks and raises the damage contribution of his clones on several skills.

His first and second skills receive higher base damage, while clone damage is also increased.

The Ultimate is being adjusted in both directions: its base damage is reduced, but the cooldown becomes shorter.

His additional clone-related skill receives a larger damage ratio as well.

The broader theme is clear: rather than simply putting more burst into one Ultimate, the test changes put additional value into frequent clone pressure and sustained combat.

Hayabusa, Kalea, Edith and Bruno Get Buffs

Several other heroes receive smaller but potentially useful improvements.

Hayabusa gets a wider Skill 2 shadow hitbox and targeting improvements. This is more of a reliability buff than a raw damage increase, but smoother shadow placement can matter significantly for one of MLBB's most mechanically demanding Assassins.

Kalea receives stronger healing from her passive, increasing both its base value and scaling.

Edith gains several new interactions around her Ultimate. She can generate Rage through skill damage while inside Phylax, receives additional movement during her transformation, and gains new movement options. One previous damage interaction is removed as part of the trade.

Kagura gets an improvement to how quickly her umbrella moves depending on travel distance.

Karina receives a lower Skill 1 cooldown and higher damage.

Bruno's Skill 2 once again gains a brief stun during his dash.

These changes are smaller than the Argus and Aulus experiments, but several directly improve consistency rather than simply adding more damage.

Hanabi, Miya and Aldous Are Being Pulled Back

Patch 2.2.12 also contains several nerfs.

For Hanabi, repeated bounces hitting the same target deal reduced damage after the first connection. This specifically limits situations where her bounce mechanic repeatedly concentrates damage onto one target.

Miya receives another reduction to the damage generated through her passive interaction, slightly lowering her single-target output.

Aldous gains fewer Soul Steal stacks from several sources, including minion kills, hero interactions, and nearby allied kills.

For Aldous, that means slower stack acceleration rather than a fundamental change to how Skill 1 works.

Atlas receives another Skill 2 cooldown increase, reducing how frequently he can threaten engages.

Yi Sun-shin also gets a longer Skill 1 cooldown.

None of these automatically removes a hero from the meta, especially while the changes remain on Advance Server.

Enhanced Basic Attacks Are Also Being Standardized

Patch 2.2.12 is not only about individual heroes.

The developers are also testing broader rules for enhanced Basic Attacks when hitting turrets.

Enhanced attacks created directly by hero skills can now interact with certain HP restoration effects against towers unless specifically excluded.

At the same time, enhanced Basic Attacks generated by external systems such as equipment, emblems, or Battle Spells follow separate restrictions.

This matters because turret interactions can quietly change how Fighters sustain during pushes and how certain heroes convert a won fight into structure pressure.

It is a system-level change worth watching even if Argus or Aulus is not part of your hero pool.

What Patch 2.2.12 Is Trying to Fix

The two biggest experiments share a common theme.

Argus needs more reliable impact before his late-game all-in.

Aulus needs faster access to the part of his kit that actually makes him dangerous.

Argus's crit-linked passive tries to make normal combat more rewarding, while his stun and automatic Ultimate activation reduce the punishment for failing to find a perfect engage.

Aulus is moving away from a slow ramp-up toward a much more immediate loop where skill contact activates his strongest Basic Attacks.

Neither direction guarantees that the heroes will become stronger on Original Server.

Numbers can be reduced. Mechanics can be removed. Entire experimental versions can be replaced.

That is why this patch is best read as a look at what the developers are trying to solve, not a final tier-list update.

What About Dori?

GameMarket recently covered the new Mage Dori separately.

Rather than repeating her full kit inside a general balance article, you can read the dedicated Mobile Legends Introduces Dori: New Poke/Control Mage for the current preview of her abilities and intended Mid Lane playstyle.

That keeps Patch 2.2.12 focused on the balance experiments rather than turning it into another hero-release article.

Should You Change Your Builds Yet?

No — not based on Advance Server 2.2.12 alone.

Argus players should wait before committing to a completely new crit build.

Aulus players should not assume his new enhanced-attack loop will reach Original Server unchanged.

And players considering newly buffed heroes such as Sun, Karina, or Bruno should remember that even relatively small numerical adjustments can change again before release.

The better approach is to watch the next Advance Server patch for three things:

• Whether Argus keeps the crit-based Demonic Slash system

• Whether Aulus keeps the instant enhanced Basic Attack activation

• Whether the new crowd-control effects survive further testing

If all three remain through multiple test patches, then it becomes much more useful to start discussing future builds and meta impact.

Patch 2.2.12 Is a Preview, Not the New Live Meta

The biggest takeaway from MLBB Patch 2.2.12 is not that Argus or Aulus is suddenly overpowered.

It is that both heroes are undergoing fundamental gameplay experiments rather than simple number tuning.

Argus is being pushed toward crit-driven sustained pressure with stronger control and a more forgiving Ultimate. Aulus is being redesigned to reach his enhanced Basic Attacks faster while gaining the tools needed to keep enemies close.

Those are substantial directions, but they remain Advance Server directions.

Until Moonton locks them for Original Server, treat every build, tier, and matchup conclusion as provisional.

Prepare for the Next MLBB Update

Players preparing for upcoming hero and balance changes can browse Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Accounts, keep routine progression moving through Mobile Legends Hourly Services, or work toward ranked goals with Mobile Legends Boosting.

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