This patch follows up on previous combat balance changes, enhances some less prominent weapons and abilities, and introduces additional changes and fixes.
Wailing Bow has been underperforming in ZvZs despite being the only ability with custom AoE escalation. We have increased the damage escalation per target hit to bring Wailing Bow back to its glory days.
While Dark Matter has high damage potential, it has been too easy to counter. We have decreased its cooldown to improve reliability but have also increased the energy cost to keep the ability's spam potential in check.
Sanctify’s unique ability to remove hostile ground effects created by enemies has proven less impactful than anticipated. As a result, we have increased its value as a traditional healing weapon.
We have given Dreadstorm Monarch’s Eye of the Storm additional damage and resistance reduction to help it command the respect it deserves.
Vendetta’s cast time has been significantly reduced to help Camlann players hit their intended targets more accurately without requiring additional setup.
The previous changes to Soul Link have been a step in the right direction, giving Iron Root players a legitimate reason to use the Ally/Enemy effect. However, with the increase in power, the reduction to the Ally/Ally effect was too conservative. The intent is to maintain the Ally/Ally effect as the powerful and consistent option it has always been.
We have added more value to the 1st and 2nd casts of Phantom Twin to help the Phantom Twinblade perform more effectively as a DPS Quarterstaff.
Separator is emerging as an effective tool for singling out a target. To help it succeed in that role, we have increased its single-target damage.
Ravenstrikes have become a more viable option now that players are no longer at risk of dying without the ability to stop their own damage. Due to this increased consistency, their damage and speed while channeling have been reduced to give enemies more room to react and recover.
Following recent buffs, we are happy with the adoption of Armor of Valor as a powerful defensive option with unique utility. However, tank items should not provide high CC, strong defenses, and significant damage in a single ability. The amount of damage it could return, particularly in 1v1 fights, was too high.
Mage Sandals have fallen out of favor in modern Albion, so we have added a new resistance buff upon landing. Additionally, changes have been made to make it harder for enemies to predict the exact landing location.
Tanks have been using Morgana Ravens as an additional CC option, overwhelming large groups of players by chaining long-duration fears. We have made changes to Raven Scream to address these issues.
Reactive Scream has been removed as it had the potential to put the mount's rider into combat uncontrollably, hindering their ability to flee.
The recent change to potion swapping has made using Fish Bait inconvenient, so we have changed the way it is consumed.
This patch further refines the Horizons update with tweaks and fixes. We are also reintroducing developer notes for Combat Balance changes to provide more context for these adjustments.
Note for Android users: With this patch, we are rolling back the recent platform migration introduced with the Horizons Update. This will again require a larger-than-normal installation. If you experience space issues, please uninstall the Albion Online app before performing a clean install.
Frazzle has been outshined by Enigma Blade in DPS arcane builds, even in smaller group fights. We’ve increased its burst damage to make it more competitive, even if allies don’t take advantage of the powerful damage-amplifying component.
Bridled Fury players have struggled to find success in ZvZs, so we’ve reintroduced some resilience penetration to make Merciless Finish live up to its name.
Ice Storm hasn’t been very popular, despite its high damage potential. We've reduced its travel distance to boost area denial and threat to keep chokes covered longer. We've also reduced its cast and stand times to make its use smoother.
We’ve smoothed out Sacred Pulse’s animation and stand time for a better experience in both PvE and PvP.
Counter is outshined by other War Gloves’ W abilities in most contexts. Extending the powerful defense buff should provide more flexibility, allowing players to either disengage more safely or follow up confidently after a successful counter.
Ravenstrikes haven’t been performing well in ZvZs, despite recent buffs. A big downside is that while the damage can be reflected, the caster can't cancel the channel once the ability has started. So we’ve made the ability non-reflectable to make it less likely to die to Demon Armor in ZvZ. Since this makes it significantly more valuable, we’ve reduced its damage slightly.
Royal Helmet is currently only used by niche one-shot combo builds. To encourage tank and support use, we’ve significantly reduced its cooldown.
Dynamic Defense is strong and popular in ZvZs as both an offensive and defensive tool. Due to the prevalence of reflect, Dynamic Defense has been putting pressure on DPS players to strongly consider only magic damage weapons, as Jacket of Tenacity would do double duty as a strong defense against enemy reflect while also providing a damage boost that brings magic damage users close to the damage levels of cloth armor. We’ve reduced the maximum damage potential, but allowed players to choose the optimal defensive buff without losing access to the bonus damage.
Scholar Sandals have fallen short of their promise to be a complete energy solution, so we’ve significantly increased their mana regeneration.
Demon Boots' movement speed was previously reduced to prevent them from being a guaranteed ‘get out of jail free card’. However, since they are now a fairly underused item, we believe they deserve a cooldown in line with other sprints in their class.
Underutilized potions have been given significant buffs to make them more competitive with their alternatives.
