Combat Balance Changes - Abyssal Depths Update - Version 29.000.1 - June 30, 2025

These changes aim to address the power of highly repeatable Q mobility spells, alongside minor QoL adjustments to many abilities.

Arcane Staffs

Astral Staff has been hard to deal with in large group fights, so its resilience penetration has been reduced to keep its top-end damage potential comparable to alternatives.

• Starfall (Astral Staff)
  
  • Resilience Penetration: 50% → 35%
    

Time Freeze has continued to be a very powerful utility option for groups, so its Energy cost and cooldown at lower Item Powers have been increased in order for it to require a bit more investment for its impact (cooldown is reduced after 1466 IP).

• Time Freeze (Great Arcane Staff)
  
  • Energy Cost: 15 → 27
    
  • Cooldown: 50s → 72s
    
  • Cooldown reduction per 100 IP: 1s → 2.5s
    

Axes

Bloody Reap had fallen out of the meta after its previous nerfs, so some of those changes have been reverted to bring it back into contention.

• Bloody Reap (Infernal Scythe)
  
  • Cooldown: 25s → 20s
    

Razor Cut is a great option for players who want to brawl. As a bug has been fixed that resulted in lower healing than expected, its lifesteal strength has now been reduced to compensate.

• Razor Cut (Bear Paws)
  
  • Lifesteal strength: 20% → 15%
    

Bows

Following the previous buff that significantly reduced its cooldown, Deadly Shot has been highly effective. To keep its range in line with the rest of the field, a previous buff has been reverted to limit some of its low-cooldown offscreen poke.

• Deadly Shot (all Bows)
  
  • Range: 20m → 18m
    

Enchanted Quiver has struggled to find a place since its rework. Alongside a shorter cooldown, the number of enchanted arrows has been reduced, while their damage has been increased to make each shot more impactful.

• Enchanted Quiver (Bow)
  
  • Amount of initial arrows: 6 → 4
    
  • Additional arrows on recast: 4 → 3
    
  • Maximum arrows: 6 → 5
    
  • Physical attack bonus Strength: 230% → 280%
    
  • Physical attack bonus with enemy player within 6m: 185% → 235%
    
  • Cooldown: 12s → 10s
    
  • Energy cost: 19 → 11
    

In addition to a more generous hitbox, Multishot’s mini knockback has been removed and replaced by a slow, and its damage has been increased significantly to make it both more attractive to play with, and less frustrating to play against.

• Multishot (all Bows)
  
  • Removed knockback
    
  • Added: 30% slow for 1s
    
  • Cooldown: 5s → 3s
    
  • Damage: 115 → 127
    
  • Cast time: 0.3s → 0s (Stand time remains 0.2s)
    
  • Hit delay: 0s → 0.2s
    
  • Range: 12m → 13m
    

Raging Storm’s initial hit now counts as direct damage, which means Bloodlust (Mercenary Jacket) will now heal once per target hit, and Counter (all War Gloves) will be a working counter, among other new interactions. Its storm and DoT durations have been increased to improve its damage reliability, but the total damage dealt has not changed.

• Raging Storm (Bow of Badon)
  
  • Initial impact damage now counts as direct damage
    
  • Storm Duration: 4.8s → 5s
    
  • DoT duration: 1.8s → 2s
    
  • Projectile accuracy increased at max range
    

Crossbows

Divine Engine has picked up in play following its recent buffs. Its performance is being monitored but, in the meantime, an energy cost has been added.

• Divine Engine (Energy Shaper)
  
  • Energy cost: 0 → 29
    

Cursed Staffs

Armor Piercer has received an AoE escalation in addition to its resistance reduction debuff, but as it already performs well, its damage output has been reduced to compensate.

• Armor Piercer (all Cursed Staffs)
  
  • Damage: 130 → 110
    
  • Added missing AoE escalation to resistance reduction
    

Daggers

Deadly Swipe has had its range reduced to keep its mobility potential under control.

• Deadly Swipe (all Daggers)
  
  • Range: 5m → 4.5m
    

Frost Staffs

Avalanche has been picking up some play, but to give it another small push, its slow can no longer be cleansed while in the snowball’s trail.

• Avalanche (Hoarfrost Staff)
  
  • Slow no longer cleansable
    

Glacial Prison did not have a clear range indicator for the size of its damage, so its damage size has been unified with its vfx for better readability, and its damage increased to compensate.

• Glacial Prison (Chillhowl)
  
  • Damage radius: 8m → 6m
    
  • Damage: 230 → 249
    

Hammers

Seismic Tremor’s final hit has been sped up to improve its gameplay feel.

• Seismic Tremor (all Hammers)
  
  • Channel time: 1.8s → 1.6s
    

Holy Staffs

Sacred Pulse’s heal has been changed to single target in order to help Holy Staff players feel more secure in PvE.

• Sacred Pulse (all Holy Staffs)
  
  • Heal: 40 → 94
    
  • No longer heals in a 5m radius around the target
    

Smite has had its cooldown and damage increased to help Holy Staff PvE.

• Smite (all Holy Staffs)
  
  • Cooldown: 2s → 3s
    
  • Direct damage: 100 → 151
    
  • Mark damage: 30 → 43
    

Sanctify’s area removal pool has been expanded slightly to include two spells that contain buffing components in addition to their hostile effects. This will give players additional valid removal targets and thus increase the potential value of an Exalted Staff support.

• Sanctify (Exalted Staff)
  
  • Now also removes negative enemy effects with buffing components:
    
    • Smokebomb (Hellion Hood)
      
    • Time Corridor (Occult Staff)
      

Maces

Gravitas has received a cooldown reduction to reduce Morning Star’s downtime.

• Gravitas (Morning Star)
  
  • Recast cooldown: 45s → 40s
    

Nature Staffs

Thorn Growth’s area now has a larger initial radius to make it easier to land in PvP against moving targets.

• Thorn Growth (all Nature Staffs)
  
  • Initial area radius: 0m → 1m
    

Well of Life’s cooldown has been reduced to give Wild Staff players a faster second cast if the initial cast didn’t provide sufficient healing.

• Well of Life (Wild Staff)
  
  • Cooldown: 25s → 20s
    

Quarterstaffs

Mystic Rocks’ aura radius has been increased slightly to help Staff of Balance players better control the battlefield.

• Mystic Rocks (Staff of Balance)
  
  • Healing reduction and slow aura radius: 6m → 6.5m
    

Shapeshifter Staffs

As Hellspawn Imp continued to dominate at the top end of 2v2s, a disruption factor has been added to Hellfire Barrage, which reduces the channel duration if hit to give opponents a clear option to fight back. If not under pressure, Hellfire Barrage’s output is unchanged.

• Hellfire Barrage (Hellspawn Staff)
  
  • Disruption factor: 0 → 5
    

Spears

Corrupting Steel’s area damage often felt like a tacked-on afterthought. It has therefore been reworked to offer additional magical resistance reduction, giving certain compositions a reason to choose a Spirithunter.

• Corrupting Steel (Spirithunter)
  
  • Area no longer deals damage over time
    
  • Area now decreased enemy magical resistance by an additional 0.04
    
  • Added AoE escalation to resistance reduction
    

Swords

Swords’ passive move speed has been reworked to preserve their high movement speed bonus in active combat while reducing their escape potential if there are no targets nearby.

• Heroic Charge (all Swords)
  
  • Removed: 9% Movement speed per stack
    
• Heroic Cleave (all Swords)
  
  • Added 20% movement speed buff for 5s on hit
    
• Heroic Strike (all Swords)
  
  • Added 20% movement speed buff for 3s on hit
    
• Iron Will (all Swords)
  
  • Movement speed buff: 10% → 30%
    

Limit Breaker had been taking over as a ZvZ powerhouse, offering high damage and utility. Its slow has now been removed, its cooldown increased, and its resilience penetration reduced. In turn, its damage buff duration has been increased.

• Limit Breaker (Infinity Blade)
  
  • Removed slow
    
  • Damage buff duration: 5s → 6s
    
  • Cooldown: 20s → 25s
    
  • Resilience Penetration: 30% → 25%
    

Majestic Smash has struggled to find consistent success since release. Its knock-up will now be applied faster and ignore existing diminishing returns, but will no longer be stackable.

• Majestic Smash (Kingmaker)
  
  • Hit delay: 0.2s → 0.1s
    
  • Knock-up now ignores existing diminishing returns
    

War Gloves

Dragon Leap’s first cast’s range has been reduced, and a small stand time added to limit its mobility potential.

• Dragon Leap (all War Gloves)
  
  • Stand time: 0s → 0.1s (first cast only)
    
  • Range: 4.5m → 4m (first cast only)
    

Earth Crusher’s knock-up duration has been increased to further push this weapon towards a powerful utility role.

• Earth Crusher (Ravenstrike Cestus)
  
  • Knock-up duration: 1.2s → 1.4s
    

Fleet Footwork’s Roundhouse Kick stand time has been reduced slightly, but Cross Step’s cooldown and maximum range have been reduced to limit its overall mobility.

• Fleet Footwork (all War Gloves)
  
  • Standtime: 0.4s → 0.35s
    
  • Cooldown: 3s → 4s
    
  • Dash range: 7m → 6m
    

Gravitational Collapse’s slow had been too effective at preventing some targets, in particular plate targets, from escaping. Its base slow duration has therefore been significantly reduced, but it now benefits from AoE escalation to reward big claps.

• Gravitational Collapse (Spiked Gauntlets)
  
  • Slow duration: 4s → 2s
    
  • Slow duration now benefits from AoE escalation
    

Offhands

Following its previous nerf, Sacred Scepter hadn’t felt impactful. A portion of the power it lost has therefore been returned to make it an attractive option against CC.

• Sacred Scepter
  
  • Crowd control resistance factor: 1.2 → 1.8
    

Helmets

Nasty Wounds’ area duration has been increased to help it function more effectively as an area denial tool.

• Nasty Wounds (Hood of Tenacity)
  
  • Area duration: 2.5s → 4s
    

Energy Regain has been reworked into Energizing Shield to offer rewarding in-combat usage.

• Energy Regain (all Helmets)
  
  • Reworked into the new ability: Energizing Shield
    
    • Gain a shield absorbing up to 192 damage for 3s
      
    • Restores 25% of your missing energy
      
    • Cooldown: 20s
      

Shoes

Elbow Smash’s cooldown has been reduced to enable it to be used as an opener for more combos, but its maximum range has also been reduced to keep it in line.

• Elbow Smash (Judicator Boots)
  
  • Cooldown: 25s → 20s
    
  • Range: 11m → 10m
    

Battle Mounts

Lightning Storm’s interrupting DoT duration had been highly frustrating for opponents, especially against multiple Battle Eagles. To reduce the impact of failing to dodge or cleanse this effect, its total duration has been reduced.

• Lightning Storm (Battle Eagle)
  
  • DoT duration: 8s → 6s
    
• Earth Tornado (Juggernaut)
  
  • No longer able to pull mounted enemies
    

Miscellaneous

• Item Power for lower-tier equipment has been increased:
  
  • Tier 2: 300 → 500 IP
    
  • Tier 3: 500 → 600 IP
    
• Armor abilities below Tier 4 have been adjusted and reordered to unify spell selection across all lines
  
  • All Tier 2 armor has gained a second active and passive ability
    
  • All Tier 3 armor has gained a third active and passive ability
    
• Dodge is now the default first-slot ability for all combat shoes
  
• To maintain balance after fixing an issue with lifesteal returning less health than intended, the following foods have had their lifesteal values reduced by about 25%.
  
  • Roast Chicken, Roasted Whitefog Snapper, Roast Goose, Roasted Clearhaze Snapper, Roast Pork, and Roasted Puremist Snapper
    
• These abilities have had their skillshot indicators adjusted:
  
  • Vicious Barrage (Siegebow)
    
  • Spear Throw (Heron Spear)
    
  • Polymorph (all Shapeshifter Staffs)
    
  • Raging Storm (Bow of Badon)
    
• These abilities no longer require line of sight:
  
  • Caltrops (all Crossbows)
    
  • Ballista Support Fire (Royal Helmets)