This Slap Battles Stalker Mastery Update brings some genuinely fun changes to the game, especially if you enjoy gloves that reward precision and clever play. The Stalker glove finally gets its own mastery, the Automaton glove joins the roster, and several popular gloves receive balancing adjustments that will definitely shift how people approach fights. Below, I’ll walk through everything added and changed, along with some practical insight so players on your second site know exactly what to expect.
The New Additions
Automaton Glove
A new glove enters the game, and although players are still exploring the best ways to use it, Automaton already feels like a glove built around setup and pressure. If you like gloves that reward planning rather than pure chaos, this one is worth trying the moment you unlock it.
Stalker Mastery
Stalker finally gets its mastery, and the mastery really leans into what made Stalker interesting in the first place. It rewards players who are patient, pick their moments, and use map control to create surprise attacks. If you’ve ever enjoyed catching people off-guard with perfect timing, this mastery plays directly into that strength.
Hitman’s Basement Changes
Hitman’s entire setup has been expanded into a proper office, which honestly makes the area feel more alive.
What’s new inside the office:
- Hitman’s desk now leads to a full room behind it.
- Eggdog (Eggler Teleport) has been moved to a shelf inside the office.
- Up to nine trophy displays can appear depending on how many Hitman-related badges you’ve earned.
If you’ve been chasing Hitman quests or badges, this room becomes your personal showcase. It’s a nice touch seeing your achievements displayed somewhere players actually walk past.
Leash Rework
Leash got a pretty meaningful behavior change:
- Jumping while leashed causes your character to flop, with a short cooldown.
- Enough flops will break you free.
- Slapping either yourself (movement slap) or other leashed players also breaks the leash.
This makes Leash less of a guaranteed capture tool. On the flip side, If you’re the one being dragged around, you now have ways to fight back instead of waiting helplessly.
Joust Adjustments
Two major nerfs:
- No more iframes during windup
- Ability power reduced by 10
This removes the safety blanket Joust players used to enjoy. The windup can now be punished if someone times their counter well, so players who relied on charging straight into people will need to slow down and think before committing.
Riftshot Restrictions
Riftshot can no longer be used for unfair teleports:
- No teleporting others to Moai island
- No teleporting players directly onto the Cube of Death
- No teleporting players to the side edges to force void falls
These changes close some of the most annoying grief strategies. Riftshot still has strong mobility value, but the abusive tele-kill setups are gone.
Mastery Adjustments
A few mastery changes tighten up cooldowns:
- Booster Mastery: 8-second spawn cooldown added
- Shard Mastery: Cooldown increases by 4 seconds if you slap the shards
- Blackhole: Cooldown increased by 5 seconds
These changes slow down some of the most spam-heavy builds. You’ll still get strong effects, but you’ll need to time everything instead of activating on pure muscle memory.
Dual Multiplier Rework
Dual now calculates slap multipliers differently:
- Instead of “added slap = 2 × multiplier,”
- It now becomes “added slap = 1 × multiplier + 1.”
It isn’t a complete nerf, but the change caps the extreme numbers players could create earlier. Dual still hits hard—just not at the out-of-control rate it once did.
Trialing Improvements
Two helpful quality-of-life changes:
- Error glove cannot be trialed anymore to prevent players from being tricked or scammed.
- Trial button is now yellow instead of green, making it clearer you’re selecting a test option and not the main equip button.
If you’ve ever seen new players accidentally trial something without realizing it, this small change prevents a lot of confusion.
Playing the New Stalker Mastery
Here’s where your readers will find the biggest value: how to actually use Stalker mastery effectively.
Focus on isolating targets
Stalker mastery shines when you pick enemies off one at a time. You don’t want to run straight into big group fights. Instead, watch movement, find players breaking away from the pack, and then strike.
Use corners and cover
Maps with corridors or environmental objects give you perfect hiding spots. Stalker mastery rewards players who vanish from sight for even a few seconds before striking again.
Convert a successful slap into repositioning
Stalker often gives you windows to escape or chain follow-up hits. Don’t stay still after you land a hit—use the mastery’s cooldown benefits to reposition immediately.
Stay unpredictable
Stalker becomes obvious if you stand in one place too long. Shift your approach patterns, move through less-used paths, and don’t stalk from the same angle twice.
This update reshapes the rhythm of several popular gloves and gives Stalker players something fresh to work toward. The new mastery makes Stalker far more rewarding for players who enjoy calculated plays, and the rest of the changes nudge the game toward cleaner, more skill-based interactions.