Nimue Balance Patch: Updates to HP Pool, Move Speed, and Combat Meta

[Stratics News]

Hello all,

Nimue Patch 7, AKA the Nimue Balance Patch, is here. While the patch includes a broad range of updates and fixes to weapons and armor, the most noteworthy changes are those to overall Hitpoints, Energy, and Movement Speed:

• The Hitpoint pool has been increased by 20% across the board to increase the time needed to kill an enemy. Along with other adjustments, this should prevent one-shot builds.
  
• To complement the higher Hitpoint pool, the overall Energy pool has also been raised by 20%.
  
• Movement speed has also been increased, which will make combat more fluid. It will also allow faster travel across zones, improving the overall game feel.

We've made a couple of ability reworks to further increase the variety in builds: swords can temporarily become purge immune, Fire Staffs have a zoning tool on the Q slot, and the Guardian Helmet now can remove DoTs, for example.
In general, we are looking forward to a new and exciting meta and are excited to see what builds you will come up with. The complete patch notes can be found below, as well as on our Updates page.

Nimue Balance Patch (Patch #7) - Ver. 1.13.369 / REV 136513 - 20 February 2019

Starting with this patch, Albion Online will now include Easy Anti-Cheat. This program is used by numerous well-known online games, and will offer an extra layer of protection against the most egregious forms of cheating. For more information about Easy Anti-Cheat, please see this forum post.

Improvements

• Performance improvements for aura spells to make spell detection more accurate and improve combat performance
  
• Improved visual feedback for all sword skills - impacts now include a brief white glow for improved visibility
  
• Improved audio effects for various combat abilities
  
• [Android/iOS] Optimized audio load settings to improve audio stability for mobile devices

Balance Changes

General Balance Changes

• Base Max Hitpoints: 1000 → 1200 (bonus HP from melee weapons remains unchanged)
  • This increases the general Hitpoint pool by 20%
• Base Max Energy: 100 → 120
  • This increases the general Energy pool by 20%
• Base Movement Speed: 4.8 m/s → 5.5 m/s
  
• In-Combat Duration: 30s → 20s
  
• Cap for Auto Attack Max Damage Increase: 200% → 300%

Arcane Staffs

• Frazzle (all Arcane Staffs)
  • Damage Taken Increased: 40% → 30%
• Time Freeze (Great Arcane Staff)
  • The freeze can't be cleansed anymore
    
  • Duration: 3.5s → 3s

Axes

• Rending Strike (all Axes)
  • Energy Cost: 3 → 2
    
  • Healing Reduction per stack: 7% → 5%
    
  • Hit Delay: 0.4s → 0.2s
    
  • Standtime: 0.4s → 0.3s
• Rending Swing (all Axes)
  • Hit Delay: 0.2s → 0.3s
    
  • Energy Cost: 2 → 3
    
  • Healing Reduction per stack: 7% → 5%
• Deadly Chop (all Axes)
  • Damage: 174.04 → 152.00
• Adrenaline Boost (all Axes)
  • Movement Speed Increase: 40% → 50%
    
  • Damage Increase: 20% → 25%
• Removed the ability Battle Frenzy (all Axes)
  
• Added the new ability: Battle Rush
  • Charge toward a target (ally or enemy). Enemy Healing Received is reduced 20% for 4s in a 5m radius. Ally Healing Received is increased by 20% for 4s in a 5m radius.

Bows

• Enchanted Quiver (Bow)
  • Auto Attack Damage Increase per stack: 25% → 35%
• Explosive Arrows (Bow)
  • Capped the number of potential triggered effects at 25: each Rain of Arrows hit can now activate up to 5 Explosive Arrows, each of which can hit up to 5 targets
• Magic Arrow (Warbow)
  • Projectile Speed: 15.33 m/s → 16.08 m/s

Cursed Staffs

• Cursed Sickle (all Cursed Staffs)
  • The ability is reworked to a skillshot with a boomerang-like trajectory.
    
  • Cooldown: 3.5s → 5s
    
  • Hit Delay: 0.5s → 0.2s
    
  • Standtime: 0.3s → 0.4s
    
  • Range: 21m → 16m

Daggers

• Sunder Armor (all Daggers)
  • Hit Delay: 0.2s → 0.1s
    
  • Standtime: 0.4s → 0.2s
• Slit Throat (Dagger Pair)
  • Damage: 430.74 → 443.05
• Lunging Stabs (Bloodletter)
  • Damage for targets below 40%: 306.63 → 330.00

Fire Staffs

• Replaced the spell Fire Bomb (Q-Slot)
  
• Added new spell Burning Field (Q-Slot)
  • Sets the ground in a 3m radius for 4s on Fire. Dealing magic damage on ignition and additional damage for enemies inside the area. This is a ranged spell, which you can cast on the ground.
    
  • Cooldown: 0s → 4s

Hammers

• Power Geyser (all Hammers)
  • Hit Delay: 0.6s → 0.5s
• Grasp of the Undead (Tomb Hammer)
  • Reworked the ability: A giant Undead Hand comes out of the ground, hitting enemies in a 2.5m radius. Dealing 110 physical damage and stunning for 2.9s.
    
  • Cooldown: 15s → 14s
    
  • Hit Delay: 0.4s → 0.5s

Holy Staffs

• Desperate Prayer (Holy Staff)
  • Max Heal Value: 177.69 → 200.00
    
  • Cooldown: 20s → 15s
• Salvation (Fallen Staff)
  • Radius: 6m → 5.5m
• Celestial Sphere (Redemption Staff)
  • Max Number of Jumps: 14 → 10
    
  • Heal per Jump: 51.5 → 80.00

Nature Staffs

• Rejuvenation (all Nature Staffs)
  • Heal per tick: 7.75 → 7.9
• Revitalize (all Nature Staffs)
  • Instant Heal: 57.59 → 75.00
    
  • Removed the Heal Over Time effect, instead it now instantly restores 15 energy of the target
    
  • Cooldown: 7s → 10s
    
  • Energy Cost: 9 → 10
• Circle of Life (Nature Staff)
  • Zero Charge Heal: 56.62 → 91.00
    
  • One Charge Heal: 90.60 → 114.00
    
  • Two Charge Heal: 135.89 → 148.00
    
  • Three Charge Heal: 192.52 → 193.00
• Ruthless Nature (Blight Staff)
  • Cooldown: 30s → 25s
    
  • Heal per Tick: 29.50 → 33.00
    
  • Energy Cost: 18 → 15

Quarterstaffs

• Separator (Quarterstaff)
  • Cooldown: 20s → 15s
    
  • Energy Cost: 17 → 13
• Hurricane (Iron-Clad Staff)
  • Doesn't knock mobs away anymore
    
  • It interrupts Mob spell casts instead
    
  • Damage per tick: 23.20 → 32.00
    
  • Cooldown 100 IP: 23.8s → 36s
    
  • Cooldown 1700 IP: 19s → 20s
• Overpower (Double Bladed Staff)
  • The ability was renamed to Crescent Slash
    
  • Reworked the animation, it is now a jump with a fixed duration
    
  • Cast Range: 11m → 15m
    
  • Standtime: 0s → 0.3s
    
  • Damage: 69.64 → 80.00
    
  • Radius: 5m → 6m

Spears

• Inner Focus (all Spears)
  • Movement Speed Increase per stack: 6% → 8%
    
  • Buff Duration: 5s → 6s
• Reckless Charge (one handed Spear)
  • Range: 11m → 13m

Swords

• Heroic Strike (all Sword)
  • Heroic Charge now also gives a 10% Attack Speed Bonus per stack
    
  • Standtime: 0.4s → 0.3s
• Heroic Cleave (all Swords)
  • Reworked the ability:
    • Deals physical damage to all enemies in a 6m radius around you.
      
    • Creates one Heroic Charge if you hit at least one enemy.
      
    • Creates two Heroic Charges if you hit three enemies or more.
      
    • Each Heroic Charge increases your move and attack speed by 10% for 6s. (stacks up to 3 times)
      
    • Hit delay: 0.4s → 0.3s
      
    • Standtime: 0.3s → 0.2s
      
    • Radius 4m → 6m
      
    • Energy cost: 3 → 3.5
• Iron Will (all Swords)
  • While the buff is active the caster becomes now immune to purges
    
  • Activating this ability doesn't give an extra Heroic Charge stack anymore
    
  • Resistance Increase: 25% → 35%
    
  • Duration: 5s → 4s
• Mighty Blow (Broadsword)
  • The ability now jumps towards the target.
    
  • Range: 3m → 10m
    
  • Hitdelay: 0.4s → 0.3s
    
  • Standtime: 1s → 0.8s
    
  • Damage: 267.84 → 276.00
    
  • Resistance Increase: 0.36 → 0.24
    
  • Energy Cost: 14 → 11
• Spinning Blades (Dual Swords)
  • Max Hitpoint Damage: 5% → 8%
• Soulless Stream (Galatine Pair)
  • Max Hitpoint Reduction: 10% → 6%

Armors

• Purging Shield (Mage Robe)
  • Cooldown: 60s → 45s
    
  • Duration: 6s → 5s
    
  • Energy Cost: 12 → 10
• Life Steal Aura (Hellion Jacket)
  • Now also increases Healing Received by 10%
    
  • Duration: 10s → 8s
• Windwall (Knight Armor)
  • Cooldown: 40s → 30s
• Force Shield (Judicator Armor)
  • Resistance Increase Factor: 0.35 → 0.32

Helmets

• Ice Block (Cleric Cowl)
  • Cooldown: 60s → 40s
• Inner Corruption (Cultist Cowl)
  • Cooldown: 50s → 30s
• Meditation (Assassin Hood)
  • Channel Duration: 2s → 3s
    
  • Max Cooldown Reduction: 10s → 15s
• Growing Rage (Royal Hood)
  • Damage Increase per stack: 10% → 8%
• Stoneskin (now available on all Plate Helmets)
  • Removed the damage and healing penalty. It is now a straight resistance increase
    
  • Resistance Increase: 60% → 50%
• Emergency Heal (Now only available on Guardian Helmets)
  • Reworked the ability:
    
  • Instantly heals 10% of your max health and removes any damage over time effects.
    
  • Cooldown: 60s → 40s
    
  • Instant Heal: 5% → 10%
• Electric Discharge (Judicator Helmet)
  • Cooldown: 60s → 45s
    
  • You can now keep moving during the activation of this skill

Shoes

• Vengeful Sprint (Hellion Boots)
  • Damage Increase per stack: 5% → 4%
• Defensive Sprint
  • Removed from Graveguard Boots
    
  • Added new ability Battle Frenzy instead:
    • Increases your movement speed by 80% and makes you immune to any movement-impairing effects for 5s. Does not make you immune to forced movement effects like knockbacks.
  
  
  

Passives

• Efficiency (Cloth Armors)
  • Energy Cost Reduction: 8% → 12%
• Efficiency (Cloth Helmets & Shoes)
  • Energy Cost Reduction: 3.5% → 6%

Offhands

• Normal Shields:
  • Crowd Control Resistance Factor: 0.36 → 0.60
• Mistcaller:
  • Cooldown Reduction: 15% → 14% (on 1700 IP)
• Leering Cane:
  • Cooldown Reduction: 0% → 6% (on 1700 IP)
• Eye of Secrets:
  • Max Energy Factor: 0.4 → 0.5
• Muisak:
  • Now increases Damage and Healing significantly, but also increases energy costs.
    
  • Bonus Damage: 20% (on 1700 IP)
    
  • Bonus Healing: 20% (on 1700 IP)
    
  • Energy Cost Increase: 25% (on 1700 IP)
• Taproot
  • Max Health Factor: 0.5 → 0.42

Capes

• Heretic Cape
  • Root Duration: 4s → 6s
• Keeper Cape
  • Health Threshold for activation: 60% → 70%
    
  • Cooldown: 100s → 80s (on 1300 IP)
• Lymhurst Cape
  • Cooldown: 120s → 130s (on 1300 IP)
• Martlock Cape
  • Cooldown: 140s → 160s (on 1300 IP)
    
  • Bonus Defense: 66.66% → 50%
• Thetford Cape
  • Damage (80.44 → 92.00)
• Undead Cape
  • Health Threshold for activation: 20% → 25%

Mounts

• Ox:
  • Base Speed: 35% → 40%
• Pest Lizard:
  • Base Speed: 120% → 110%
• Morgana Nightmare / Spectral Bonehorse:
  • Gallop Bonus: 125% → 123%
• Direwolf Mounts (includes special mounts with the same stats)
  • Gallop Bonus: 140% → 130%
• Spectral Bat / Husky:
  • Gallop Bonus: 140% → 132%
• Moabird Mounts:
  • Gallop Bonus: 135% → 127%
• Cougar Mounts:
  • Gallop Bonus: 130% → 125%
• Rageclaw:
  • Gallop Bonus: 145% → 132%
• Husky Sled:
  • Gallop Bonus: 125% → 123%

Fixes

• Spell and buff fixes:
  • The Hellgate buff can no longer be purged
    
  • Fixed an issue where Empowering Beam buff stacks would drop briefly - they should now be more stable for the duration of the spell
    
  • Battle Frenzy is no longer resistant to silencing
    
  • Fixed an issue where Tackle and Reckless Charge could be resisted by the target after the initial hit
    
  • Fixed an issue where the displacement effect of Reckless Charge was incorrectly resisted
    
  • Mortal Agony now reveals stealthed characters as intended
    
  • Field of Death now reveals invisible characters under Mark of Sacrifice as intended
    
  • Battle Frenzy no longer offers immunity to Wind Wall
    
  • Royal Banner now increases normal attack speed and reduces cooldowns as intended
• Improved tooltips for various abilities, clarifying spell behavior and/or adding missing information
  
• Corrected jump and roll animations for male characters - offhand weapons now stay attached to hand
  
• Fixed an issue where the tooltip for Silver costs in the crafting UI was not displayed correctly
  
• Regional production bonus UI now displays only valid items
  
• Additional minor graphical, UI, animation, texture, terrain, audio, and localization fixes

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