Pinned NDA Balance Playtests

These changes are intended to go live with the first patch of Beyond the Veil. This will not be a big balance patch but a couple of adjustments to react to the current meta on the game. The main goal is to tone down the biggest mobility outliers and have a few adjustments and buffs for currently underused abilities.

All these changes are still in testing and may vastly differ in the final patch.

Axes

• Razor Cut (Bearpaws)
  
  • Range: 12m -> 10m
    
  • Energycost: 20 -> 16
    

Bows

• Frost Shot (all Bows)
  
  • Cooldown: 15s -> 18s
    
• Ray of Light (all Bows)
  
  • Cooldown: 14s -> 12s
    
  • Hit Delay: 0.8s -> 0.6s
    
  • Standtime: 0.4s -> 0.3s
    

Crossbows

• Caltrops (all Crossbows)
  
  • Move Speed Increase: 20% -> 30%
    
  • Move Speed Duration: 2s -> 3s
    
  • Slow Strength: 40% -> 30%
    

Daggers

• Lunging Stabs (Bloodletter)
  
  • Hitting a player below 40% Health doesn't increase the cooldown rate anymore.
    
  • Instead hitting a player below 40% now reduces the ability cooldown by 40%. (other slot cooldowns are not affected anymore)
    

Wargloves

• Triple Kick (all War Gloves)
  
  • Cooldown: 15s -> 18s
    
• Falcon Smash (Battle Bracers)
  
  • Range: 15m -> 13m
    

Armors

• Bloodlust (Mercenary Jacket)
  
  • Heal per Tick: 42 -> 54
    
  • Number of Ticks: 9 -> 7
    

Helmets

• Force Field (all Cloth Helmets)
  
  • Knockback Distance: 12m -> 9m
    
• Poison (Mage Cowl)
  
  • First Damage Tick: 1s -> 0s
    
  • Total Ticks: 5 -> 3
    
  • Damage per Tick: 39.93 -> 60
    
• Retaliate (Hunter Hood)
  
  • Reflected Damage: 70% -> 100%
    

Mounts

• All non Battle Mounts now take 3s to mount up
  
  • Saddled Greywolf: 2s -> 3s
    
  • Elite Terrorbird: 2s -> 3s
    
  • Elite Winter Bear: 2s -> 3s
    
  • Elite Wild Boar: 2s -> 3s
    
  • Elite Bighorn Ram: 2s -> 3s
    
  • Elite Swamp Salamander: 2s -> 3s
    
  • Elite Greywolf: 2s -> 3s
    
  • Spring Cotton Tail: 2s -> 3s
    
• All Battle Mounts now take 10s to mount up
  
  • Siege Ballista: 15s -> 10s
    
  • Venom Basilisk: 15s -> 10s
    
  • Flame Basilisk: 15s -> 10s
    
  • Elder's Command Mammoth: 25s -> 10s
    
• increased the IP of the Avalonian Basilisk to 1000 to match other T7 mount
  
  • Mount Health: 1239 → 1254
    

Mists
In the Solo Mists staying on a mount next to players is currently very safe. This enables the strategy to stay close to two players in combat with each other. Then dismount once a player is low and get potentially a third party kill. Inside this environment it is a strategy with not much commitment upfront, but high reward potential.

To make it harder to engage players which are already in a PvP fight, we will extend the dismount cooldown IF you dismount next to a player that is currently fighting another player.

• Long Hostile Dismount
  
  • If you dismount next to a hostile player that attacked or has been attacked by another player in the last 20s, you get the long Hostile Dismount Cooldown
    
  • The Long Hostile Dismount cooldown is 10s instead of 5s. (this is displayed with a different color !-mark over your head)
    
  • Applies only in Solo Mists
    
• Mount Health Cap in Solo Mists: 1200 -> 900 (Health Cap in greater Mists stays unchanged)
  

We are working right now on balance changes which are intended to go live in the the Off Season after the CLC, between S17 and S18. The aim is to tone a few items down that are very dominant in certain content types, like Great Arcane. Further tone down some mobility outliers in the Mists, Royal Jacket and Claymore. While bringing some new options for the meta, like a new Holy Staff passive and a new effect for Gigantify Potions and some improvements for items that are currently underused or outshined by other items. The changes for the Long Hostile Dismount Cooldown are intended to already go live with Patch 1.

All these changes are still in testing and may vastly differ in the final patch.

Arcane Staffs

• Time Freeze (Great Arcane Staff)
  
  • Hit Delay: 0.5s -> 0s
    
  • Cast Time: 0s -> 0.6s
    
  • Standtime: 0.6s -> 0s
    

Axes

• Bloody Reap (Infernal Scythe)
  
  • Damage above 40%: 108 -> 126
    

Crossbows

• Sweeping Bolt (Heavy Crossbow)
  
  • Damage: 178.13 -> 192
    

Daggers

• Blood Ritual (Demonfang)
  
  • Damage: 112 -> 106
    

Fire Staffs

• Flame Tornado (Blazing Staff)
  
  • The Damage is not reflectable anymore
    

Holy Staffs

• Removed the Passive Aggressive Caster
  
• Added New Passive: Ascended
  
  • Condition: Activates when you cast your weapon's second-slot ability
    
  • Effect: Makes all your casts and channels uninterruptible for 1.5s
    

Maces

• Oathkeepers Base Stats
  
  • Additional Health Factor: 200 -> 150
    
  • Additional Ability Power Factor: 1.2 -> 1.05
    
  • Additional Auto Attack Factor: 1.2 -> 1.05
    

Spears

• Spear Throw (Heron Spear)
  
  • Cooldown: 25s -> 20s
    

Swords

• Iron Will (all Swords)
  
  • Move speed Increase: 20% -> 10%
    
• Splitting Slash (all Swords)
  
  • Hitdelay: 0.3s -> 0.2s
    
  • Standtime: 0.5s -> 0.3s
    
• Charge (Claymore)
  
  • Range: 13m -> 11m
    
• Crescent Slash (Clarent Blade)
  
  • Projectile Range: 18m -> 21m
    
  • Projectile Speed: 22m/s -> 28m/s
    

Helmets

• Spider's Thread (Duskweaver Helmet)
  
  • Hit Delay: 0.2s -> 0s
    
  • Standtime: 0.5s -> 0.1s
    

Armors

• Purging Shield (Mage Robe)
  
  • Increased Resistances: 0.24 -> 0.28
    
• Royal Banner (Royal Jacket)
  
  • Cooldown Rate for the Caster: 50% -> 30% (allies Cooldown Rate stays at 50%
    
  • Max Targets: 5 -> 10
    
• Mythical Web (Duskweaver Armor)
  
  • Casttime: 0.6s -> 0.4s
    
  • Other Webs Removal Radius: 20m -> 16m
    

Capes

• Mark of the Raven (Morgana Cape)
  
  • Base Cooldown: 140.3s -> 120s
    

Potions

• Gigantify Potions
  
  • Now also makes immune to Forced Movement Effects
    

Mists

• Long Hostile Dismount
  
  • Ability Cooldown: 10s -> 12s
    
  
  
  • Also fixed a bug where the Long Hostile Dismount would not apply anymore if a fighting player died
    

In the next patch we will improve some of the currently underperforming items and abilities like Dual Swords or Dagger Pair. And other adjustments aimed at the 5v5 Crystal League meta. Improving options to potentially break through very defensive strategies like Iron Breaker being able to break shields and blinks protecting against purges to pair with offensive builds like regular bows. While toning down some of the strongest defensive options like Iron-clads and Druid Staffs. In the next patch we will also change the map back to “5v5 Crystal Realm - Cross” for Crystal League and Crystal Arena for the duration of Season 18.

All these changes are still in testing and may vastly differ in the final patch.

Axes

• Raging Blades (all Axes)
  
  • Vastly Improved Hit Detection to be more reliable
    
  • Added an additional hit directly on activation
    
  • Inner Ring Radius: 2.5m -> 2m
    

Daggers

• Shadow Edge (all Daggers)
  
  • Improved Hit Detection at max range
    
• Slit Throat (Dagger Pair)
  
  • The cast is now uninterruptible
    
  • Cast Time: 0.4s -> 0.6s
    
  • Cast Range: 2m -> 3m
    
  • Castrange Tolerance: 5m -> 7m (the cast won’t be canceled as easily by running away anymore)
    

Hammers

• Iron Breaker (all Hammers)
  
  • Now also removes shields on enemies
    

Nature Staffs

• Rejuvenating Flower (all Nature Staffs)
  
  • The Flower on the ground is now activated by any ally stepping on it.
    
  • Flower Area Radius: 3m -> 5m
    
  • Max Targets: 5 -> 10
    
  • Standtime: 0.4s -> 0s
    
• Spiritual Seed (Druid Staff)
  
  • Cooldown after Recast: 20s -> 30s (Casting once still has 20s cooldown)
    
• Spirit Animal (Rampant Staff)
  
  • Max Targets: 15 -> 20
    
  • Healing Increased per Ally: 30% -> 20%
    
  • Maximum Targets for Heal Increase: 10 -> 20
    

Quarter Staffs

• Hurricane (Iron-clad Staff)
  
  • Channel Duration: 3s -> 2s
    

Spears

• Breakthrough (Daybreaker)
  
  • Cast Time: 0.5s -> 0.35s
    
  • Dash Speed: 20m/s -> 24m/s
    

Swords

• Spinning Blades (Dual Swords)
  
  • The Caster is now immune all CC Effects during the Jump
    
  • Damage is now independent of Heroic Charges (it always does 2 Heroic Charges damage now)
    
  • Enemies are knocked up for 0.6s on impact
    
  • Auto Attack Buff Duration: 5s -> 3s
    
  • Auto Attack Buff Damage Increase: 50% -> 100%
    

Shoes

• Blink (Cleric Sandals)
  
  • Caster is now also immune to purges for 0.2s
    
• Raging Blink (Stalker Shoes)
  
  • Caster is now also immune to purges for 0.2s
    
• Evasive Jump (Royal Shoes)
  
  • Caster is now immune to purges during the jump
    

Mists

• Long Hostile Dismount
  
  • Ability Cooldown: 12s -> 15s
    

In the next patch we mainly focus on improving the feeling and audio- / visual feedback of many early game items. To improve the first impression of the game and bring some older items up to our modern standards. So many changes are not primarily intended to address the current end game meta, but rather meant to improve the foundation of our gameplay.

All these changes are still in testing and may vastly differ in the final patch.


Arcane Staffs
Time Freeze was a very dominant item across mid- and large scale fights. It was especially very decisive as a defensive tool to save allies. While it was great for the Arcane player to have that much impact on the fight, it essentially was too strong as a tool to make up for any positioning mistakes and most importantly helped larger groups more than smaller groups. To help smaller groups to capitalize on positioning mistakes of larger forces we will remove the ability to Freeze allies. Instead Great Arcane will now solely be used to stop enemies. To allow it to have more impact in this new role we buff it's player freezing capabilities, while taking its defensive option away.

• Time Freeze (Great Arcane)
  
  • Is now limited to affect maximum 5 enemy players and 5 ally players at once (mob target is still unlimited)
    
  • Can't freeze allies anymore
    
  • Base Cooldown: 60s -> 45s (Cooldown scaling stays the same, so it has 25s cooldown on 2000 IP)
    
  • Cast Time: 0.6s -> 0s
    
  • Hit Delay: 0s -> 0.5s
    
  • Enemy Player Freeze Duration: 2s -> 3s
    
  • Player Immunity after a Player Freeze: 15s -> 5s
    

Bows
Most changes are intended to make Bows feel better and more responsive to play. Ray of Light’s cooldown is further decreased but we also reduce the root duration. This way we want Ray of Light to be the more damage oriented kiting option on W. We are also making Ray of Light to be the first W spell, to make the early PvE experience more interesting, because right now player’s start with two self buffs in their kit (Explosive Arrows and Enchanted Quiver), which makes Bows feel not very dynamic in the early game.

• Auto Attacks
  
  • Standtime after each attack: 0.4s -> 0.3s
    
• Poisoned Arrow (all Bows)
  
  • Hit Delay: 0.2s -> 0.1s
    
• Ray of Light (all Bows)
  
  • Cooldown: 12s -> 10s
    
  • Root Duration: 1.99s -> 1.8s
    
• Adjusted Spell Unlock Order:
  
  • Level 3: Explosive Arrows -> Ray of Light
    
  • Level 70: Ray of Light -> Explosive Arrows
    

Crossbows
We are adjusting the auto attack timing for Crossbows to make the weapon line feel more responsive.

• Auto Attacks
  
  • Standtime after each attack: 0.4s -> 0.3s
    

Cursed Staffs
Demonic Staff has been a very dominant item across various content types. Its combination of high damage potential and a Fear allows for combo setups with too much burst damage and limited counter play. For example following up with Cursed Beam after the Fear, while the enemy has four Vile Curse Charges on them. To reduce the follow up damage potential, while the target is feared, the Anguished Soul will now consume the Vile Curse Charges on the enemy.

• Anguished Soul (Demonic Staff)
  
  • Now consumes all Vile Curse Charges on the enemy
    
  • Fear Duration is not fixed anymore, instead it scales with item power, bonus cc duration factors and target CC resistance
    

Hammers
Forge Hammers has recently been buffed to have more impact on its attacks, which made it very powerful in Crystal League and Hell Gates. The combination of a frontline Bruiser with good damage and disruption and the very high tankiness makes it too hard to counter. We want to keep the high impact of Forge Hammers in the front, but reduce their survivability, so they don’t outperform other weapons in this role.

• Giant Steps (Forge Hammers)
  
  • Armor Factor: 0.35 -> 0.2
    
  • Magic Resistance Factor: 0.59 -> 0.35
    

Quarter Staffs
Concussive Blow is reworked into a multicast ability that plays very similar to the current iteration but feels much better to use and communicates what is happening more clearly. Additionally we reduce the Standtime after Vault Leap, allowing the caster to combo while the enemy is still in the air at the cost of some of the cast range.

• Concussive Blow (all Quarterstaffs)
  
  • Reworked into a Multicast ability
    
  • Combine up to two abilities. The combo resets after 6s
    
  • 1st and 2nd: Flowing Blow
    
    • Land a Flowing Blow on the targeted enemy, dealing physical damage in a cone in front of you.
      
  • 3rd Concussive Blow
    
    • Land an overhead Concussive Blow on the target, dealing physical damage and stuns.
      
  • 1st and 2nd Hit Damage: 80 -> 75
    
  • 3rd Hit Damage: 125 -> 120
    
  • Renamed to Concussive Combo
    
• Vault Leap (regular Quarterstaff)
  
  • Standtime: 0.6s -> 0.25s
    
  • Range 15m -> 12m
    

Swords
We are adding the new W-ability Blade Cyclone. An fun and engaging ability, which deals damage and also offers some mobility and repositioning. Since Swords already have a lot of mobility in their kit, we wanted to keep the additional move speed it offers under control by limiting its distance and move speed. And as an additional check it also always consumes a Heroic Charge. For pure unconditional mobility Iron Will will still be the superior choice. Blade will now become the Swords first W ability, to vastly improve the first experience with the weapon tree. We also improved various Sword ability visual effects to make them more satisfying to use.

• Added new W-ability: Blade Cyclone
  
  • Swirl into target direction, dealing 40 physical damage up to 3 times.
    
    • Move Speed: 11m/s
      
    • Range: 7m
      
    • Standtime: 0.25s
      
  • If you have at least 1 Heroic Charge active, it will be consumed and enemies take 60 physical damage every hit instead.
    
• Crescent Slash (Clarent Blade)
  
  • Projectile Speed: 28m/s -> 29.3m/s
    
  • Improved Projectile Hit Detection
    
• Adjusted Spell Unlock Order:
  
  • Always Unlocked:
    
    • Heroic Strike
      
    • Heroic Cleave
      
    • Blade Cyclone
      
  • Level 3: Interrupt
    
  • Level 15: Splitting Slash
    
  • Level 40: Hamstring
    
  • Level 70: Parry Strike
    
  • Level 85: Iron Will
    

Shoes
Ethereal Form’s downsides are currently making it not used much. To make it more reliable to use we make the channel at the start uninterruptible. Additionally we are also removing the self damage reduction effect to open the ability up to be more useful in various content types.

• Ethereal Form (Feyscale Sandals)
  
  • Delay to turn into Ethereal Form: 1s -> 0.5s
    
  • The channel is now uninterruptible
    
  • Removed the self damage reduction
    

Visual Improvements
Overhauled visuals and audio for these abilities to make them more satisfying to use and improve readability

• Bows
  
  • Auto Attacks
    
  • Poisoned Arrow (all Bows)
    
  • Enchanted Quiver (Regular Bow)
    
  • Undead Arrows (Whispering Bow)
    
• Crossbows
  
  • Auto Attacks (including Energy Shaper)
    
• Quarter Staffs
  
  • Concussive Blow (all Quarter Staffs)
    
• Maces
  
  • Sacred Ground (all Maces)
    
• Swords
  
  • Splitting Slash (all Swords)
    
  • Mighty Blow (Broadsword)
    
  • Charge (Claymore)
    
  • Spinning Blades (Dual Swords)
    
  • Crescent Slash (Clarent Blade)
    
• Armors
  
  • Speed Caster (Scholar Robe)