[PTS] Patch Notes 23/07/2026 - RDPS Patch and New Scenario Mechanic

[Mishas]

I have been testing Magus Daemonology tree this morning and here are my comments:

Pink Daemon range increase buff does not seem to affect skills like Warpfire, Agonozing torrent or Chaotic Rift. I see how it might make sense but still, it gives the feeling that something might need more thought there.

Warpfire
- AP cost is higher than Sorcerer´s Disastrous Cascade (while being essentially the same skill). I personally would not mind the trade of if Magus could cast it on the move instead for example
- Is Warpfire remaining elemental damage intentional? Would not it be just simpler to make it spirit as well to keep up with the rest of the skills from the tree?

[FeelFreeToDie]

Yeah, there was no reason to destroy SWs like that. Skirmish SWs nuclear bombed, Scout SWs worse than before, Assault SWs clunky and gonna die in seconds.

Can you explain this "clunky" part? :> fyi asw also die in seconds at live server :>

[Orontes]

I never expected SW players to outwhine Slayer mains, yet here we are.

Nah it's only a handful... but boy are they squeaky.

As one Order main said in the WE feedback - adapt and l2play.

Most SW mains are happy or indifferent to the changes? This is not a serious view.

[rorswar]

I never expected SW players to outwhine Slayer mains, yet here we are.

Nah it's only a handful... but boy are they squeaky.

As one Order main said in the WE feedback - adapt and l2play.

Most SW mains are happy or indifferent to the changes? This is not a serious view.

Yeah, it's a bit of a stretch. As a RR85 SW main:

- I think the AOE Skirmish nerf is likely too much. They nerfed range AND damage AND armour pen AND crit chance.
- I think ST Skirmish got nerfed as an innocent bystander, and there was no need for that.
- I think Scout could work, but it'll require a 10s rotation which I feel you'll rarely complete in proper RvR settings (besides smallscale)
- I look forward to the Assault changes, and by and large they seem reasonable, but I think giving it weak defences compared to most mDPS is questionable.

I mean, I'll adapt either way and figure out new specs and gear setups, but I do not feel any of the devs plays a SW as a main.

[Akalukz]

I have been testing Magus Daemonology tree this morning and here are my comments:

Pink Daemon range increase buff does not seem to affect skills like Warpfire, Agonozing torrent or Chaotic Rift. I see how it might make sense but still, it gives the feeling that something might need more thought there.

Warpfire
- AP cost is higher than Sorcerer´s Disastrous Cascade (while being essentially the same skill). I personally would not mind the trade of if Magus could cast it on the move instead for example
- Is Warpfire remaining elemental damage intentional? Would not it be just simpler to make it spirit as well to keep up with the rest of the skills from the tree?

This needs to happen, you showed the need by making torrent mobile. Why not make this channel like almost all other mele channels. See WL / Mara / Choppa etc.

[Magusar]

Since a stroke of luck saved the forum from another of my patch-related rant about BW, Sorc, and Magus, and I have no desire to scribble this post a second time, I'll just give a brief review, focusing on BW, the rest is superficial.
Out of BW:
Close quorter - good, but not enough.

- Sleight of Hand: Reworked to: Reduce all your cooldowns by 2 seconds.
Top. Very good.

Burning Iron.
- Draining Burn: Reworked to: Burning Iron now applies a Hex to the enemy for 20 seconds, inflicting 352 Elemental damage each time they use a melee ability.
This is a bit weak for one of the main features of the Incineration path rework, designed to save st BW, and it's specifically designed for ST BW. It's too narrowly focused. If this worked for all abilities and worked when the target simply uses any ability, not just when it hits the target, it would be alright.

- Searing Vitality: Reworked into Burning Focus: Your Path of Incineration damaging abilities deal an additional (337 + 1.5*DB) Elemental damage. You have a 50% chance to deal the same damage to yourself. This effect can only occur once per 10 seconds.
Less control, less damage, less everything, and with FBB, the proc isn't on the main target. Weak. Especially considering that even Sorc doesn't have much use for it after the patch. Plus, there are much more powerfull tactics in the bottom of the paths for others, but whatever.

- Power From The Ashes: Reworked to: Meltdown will now heal you for 100% of the damage dealt to the target.
Regen BW?

- Distracting Fires: Reworked to: Fire Cage hits up to 6 enemies and deals (187 + 1.0*DB) Elemental damage when applied and another 5 * (75 + 0.45*DB) Elemental damage over 5 seconds when broken.
This is better than the old tactic.

- Fueled From Within: No longer affects Flame Shield.
Suddenly considering the Flame Shield changes.

- Detonate: Damage of over time part replaced by: If the target is Ignited, you will apply Minor Ignite to all enemies within 20 ft.
- Minor Ignite: New "ability" that can be applied through Detonate: A Hex which causes your target to burst into flames, dealing 3 * (112 + 0.35*DB) Elemental damage to them over 9 seconds.
- Minor Slow Boil: New "ability" that can be applied through Detonate: For the next 5 seconds, the target is inflicted with a Hex which raises their temperature to a delirious fever, causing them to lose 3 Action Points every 1 seconds. When this effect ends, they will suffer (187 + 1.0*DB) Corporeal damage as the fever peaks.
- Ignition: Now Minor Ignite also reduces the Corporeal Resistance of its targets by 240.
- Fan The Flames: Now additionally has the following effect: If the enemy is affected by your Slow Boil, Detonate will also spread Minor Slow Boil to nearby enemies
An attempt to create another “range AoE dealer” playstyle is more good than bad.

- Fireball Barrage: Damage changed from (450 + 0.75*DB) to (300 + 1.5*DB) for its single-target damage and from (225 + 0.38*DB) to (150 + 0.75*DB) for its AoE damage.
Fireball Barrage change - based on what I read in the patch, ST will lag behind other's classes st in burst, which is clearly bad. In this context, it's a bad change because it will further widen the gap between other classes and BW in single target case. In the context of the new "ranged AoE dealer," it's good. In my opinion, it's bad because the aoe playstyle and already was more prefer than st and has already introduced new features, and in small-scale, where ST damage are primarily valued, BW was already an unwelcome guest even more.

- Playing With Fire: Now undefendable. Duration increased from 10 to 15 seconds.
Honestly, it's a good change, but I don't think it really fits the concept of the class—it's a heavy nuker. A long time ago, this ability dealt significant damage to healers, and that was touted as its main feature. I think it would be better to move in that direction.

- Annihilate: Damage changed from (187 + 0.67*DB) to (187 + 1.0*DB).
Increased AoE damage. Okay.

- Burning Iron: Base damage increased from 187 to 337.
Corporeal damage, which is upgraded by improved Ignite. Perhaps the most important change for ST BW in this patch.

- Flame Shield: Reworked to: Enchantment. - 30 AP. Self. Instant. 30s CD. - All groupmates within 100 feet are enchanted with a protective shield of flickering flames for 1 hour, giving them a 25% chance to reduce the attacker's damage over time abilities by 10% for 3 seconds when struck by a ranged or magical attack.


- Meltdown: Damage with 91-100 Combustion increased from 750 to 900.
Actually, a nice change. This will be used – undefeatable fixed damage.

- Heart of Fire: Reworked to: Self. Instant. - Removes all Hexes, Curses, and Ailments from group members within 100 feet.
Honestly, I don't think BW should have such things. It's a very strong morale, but it doesn't fit with the concept of an ultra-risky nuker in WB (melee without saves or escapes in light armor). It's the same as with the Playing With Fire issue. It would be better to give up SW and make M2 – let it support in WB.


The short conclusion is that the st BW rework will be weak. Others are getting much better things, and BW is a clear underdog. The new AoE playstyle needs to be tested.

I'd like to see more options for dealing with disruptions—the existing ones are weak, given that st BW (and Sorc too) aren't designed to deal with disruptions without special conditions(HTL, Cauldron/Magnus, Healers, who tali WP, m1 phys rdps etc...). For example, like with the Magus/Engineer tactics for Whitered Soul/Signal Flare, BB/WOP become undefendable with improved tactics. Pyroplastic Surge/Artic Blast also become undefendable—Pyroplastic Surge gets a 5-second cooldown under this condition.
Also, ST BW and Sorc are poorly suited to the 1.5-second GCD in combos with the "new" rangechecks. This poor adaptability is primarily due to the duration of Ignite/Chill Wind - make their duration 13-15 seconds and the problem is solved mostly.
It's also a sad that there hasn't been any progress toward returning to the "mix mdps and rdps" playstyle of the archetype that once existed, other than a small tweak to Close Quarter. Sad.

[agemennon675]

I never expected SW players to outwhine Slayer mains, yet here we are.

Nah it's only a handful... but boy are they squeaky.

As one Order main said in the WE feedback - adapt and l2play.

Most SW mains are happy or indifferent to the changes? This is not a serious view.

Most SW mains are happy or indifferent to the changes? Personally too burned out by nerfs the class received over the years, the class is a clunky mess going to be even worse after the patch, no point arguing about it, I will just shelf it and play something else that is easier and perform better with less effort

[Nameless]

Nah it's only a handful... but boy are they squeaky.

As one Order main said in the WE feedback - adapt and l2play.

Most SW mains are happy or indifferent to the changes? This is not a serious view.

Most SW mains are happy or indifferent to the changes? Personally too burned out by nerfs the class received over the years, the class is a clunky mess going to be even worse after the patch, no point arguing about it, I will just shelf it and play something else that is easier and perform better with less effort

Um it is quite op atm. The problem is that it will be overnerfed on all fronts and at the end order side lose thier aoe powerhouse which means weaker orvr. Best order combo will end up wl+bw which is lacking compare destro options. May be if bw could do some range aoe could fill sw spot but i doubt it

[Magusar]

About SW whine:
-Scout will be strong as range dps.
-MDPS SW have some good synergies.
-AOE skirmish nerfed - deservedly.
-ST skirmish nerfed - with AoE for company. Undeservedly.

WH/WE
Stealth duration nerf means nothing for balance - it was like original stealth and it played good. But i dont like this nerf - because it just a QoL decreasing duration of stealth is not balance changer. It looks like a public flogging.

"Stacks" for stealth is a good solution.

WE
- Shadow Leap: Cooldown now resets on Killing Blow instead of resetting on stealth.
Nerf for WE, which played with vanish. For others its buff, esp in pug environment.

- Witchbrew: Duration reduced from 60 to 30 seconds.
This will hit the WEs, who really liked to stack Witchbrew on mobs, then go and kill someone knockdown's duration or very close to a kill with a knockdown's duration.

- Sacrifices Rewarded: Internal cooldown increased from 3 to 6 seconds.
- Kiss of Doom: Now reduces the damage of your Kisses by 50%, but heals for 200% of the damage dealt.
Def WE nerf. OK.

- Sacrificial Stab: Armor Penetration now scales with Bloodlust from 20-40-60-80-100% with 1 to 5 Bloodlust. Now always snares the target for 40% for 5 seconds. Base damage reduced from 131-175-220-262-307 to 131-161-195-228-262 damage for 1-5 Blood Lust.
Not bad.

WH

- Sanctified Bullets: Now reduces the damage of your Blessed Bullets by 50%, but heals for 200% of the damage dealt.
Same as for Def WE. Good. Want to be strong? Go dps. Making mistakes? Run away without reward or die.

- Atonement: Critical hit chance bonus on Burn Away Lies reduced from 25% to 15%. Critical hit chance bonus remains 25% for Absolution.
I don't think something like this should exist, except for archetypes with major weaknesses. Bal didn't need a boost like this from the start, but it was the only thing that allowed it to compete with others. Giving one mega-op item and essentially nothing else, and then starting nerfing it, is a poor decision. WH simply needs to be reconsidered. In any case, "things like this shouldn't exist, except for archetypes with very major weaknesses", WH/WE not one of them.

[Keula]

Yeah, it's a bit of a stretch. As a RR85 SW main:

- I think the AOE Skirmish nerf is likely too much. They nerfed range AND damage AND armour pen AND crit chance.
- I think ST Skirmish got nerfed as an innocent bystander, and there was no need for that.

Pls explain how they nerfed specifically AOE SW range and crit CHANCE. Like do ppl even read the notes at all? Yea the spec is nerfed and ST skirmish is now mirrored to SH, but at least complain about things that are real and not imaginary stuff.