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

[M0rw47h]

I think all PvE gear should be avalible to buy with War Crests.

[kholmatman]

Amazing work!

For the BW, I think you've introduced a whole new way of playing the class without making people angry by simply removing the Explosion/Fire Breath one-button meta. You could have completely gutted it, but instead you chose to give players an incentive to try something different.

* The rework of Flame Shield feels only half-finished. I think your intention was to make the BW stronger against ranged classes and in 1v1 situations, but since the ability affects the whole party, you only ended up giving it a 10% damage reduction, and only against DoTs. Because of that, I think it'll be pretty irrelevant if the goal was to help BWs survive longer against Squig Herders or Magus pressure. The fact that you had to remove it from Fueled From Within also makes it feel like you're not entirely happy with the balance yet. Will it scale in tree spe? Meaning full power in roam party. I can see how making it stronger could become a bit *too* powerful in RvR. and it could already be.

* About the Heart of Flame M3 rework. It's my go-to survivability M3 in RvR whenever I get punted away or separated from my group. Personally, I don't think a BW should have a support-oriented M3 for the party. There are very few situations—if any—where you'd actually use it for your teammates, because supporting the group simply isn't the role of a DPS class. All it really needed was a buff to the self-healing, considering it's an M3 after all.
It could impact PVE / dungeons too...

* The big buffs to single-target and close-range combat (not melee), while leaving the core ranged combo mostly untouched—except for Playing With Fire, which I think is a justified change—look really good.

It's khool. Can't wait to test it!

[Panzer80]

Mostly interesting stuff. The only things that stand out are the stealth nerf and SW stance buffs both being 100 initiative. Incorporating the WH/WE incognito/prowler tactic into the ability itself would go a long way if 30 secs is the new max stealth. 30 secs will just make WH/WE's get blobeb more and hang around blobs more, nearly eliminating the premise of the class. They still won't be in WBs. They'll just be hanging around.

On SW. Generally, you need both an evasion stat (parry/dodge/disrupt + ini) + a type of mitigation to last in an AOE hotspot (outside of WB play). Without having tried it, I can't be sure. On paper it doesn't read Assault SW will have the sustainability to get in and out fast enough. Assault stance + 100 toughness would seem more apt.

Thanks for putting in the time and effort once again.

[lumpi33]

Looking at SW vs SH this is a classic patch again. SW hammered into pieces while SH only got a little slap on their back and got good compensation for it.

SH is doing crazy auto attack damage. How has it been nerfed?
https://killboard.returnofreckoning.com/kill/67833452
https://killboard.returnofreckoning.com/kill/67833428

Nothing has been done about it. The 50% AA removal for the pet from tactic was long overdue since WL also doesn't have it but as you can see in the kills above the spiked squig auto attacks barely mattered.

And then they got buffs like:
- What Blocka?: AP cost reduced from 40 to 35 AP. Duration increased from 10 to 15 seconds.
- Goop Shootin': Cast time reduced from 2.0 to 1.0 seconds. Old Frenzied effect removed. Now applies 1 stack of Goop for 10 seconds, stacking 2 times. Your Big Shootin' hits will consume one stack of Goop to deal an additional (150+1.5DB) Corporeal damage. While frenzied, Goop Shootin' applies two stacks of Goop.

Teefz playstyle hasn't been nerfed in any way. He will keep running a Quick Shooting AA build with high AA damage, lots of instant abilities and the new Goop Shootin procs together with Lots o' Arrers to machine gun everyone down in seconds. Now that someone mentioned that he is on the balance team it suddenly makes all sense... Hammer on the SW, velvet gloves with the SH.

[M0rw47h]

Because SW was better than SH, thats why.

[lumpi33]

That you haven't touched dps Shamans is also kind of crazy.

[lemao]

Looking at SW vs SH this is a classic patch again. SW hammered into pieces while SH only got a little slap on their back and got good compensation for it.

SH is doing crazy auto attack damage. How has it been nerfed?
https://killboard.returnofreckoning.com/kill/67833452
https://killboard.returnofreckoning.com/kill/67833428

Nothing has been done about it. The 50% AA removal for the pet from tactic was long overdue since WL also doesn't have it but as you can see in the kills above the spiked squig auto attacks barely mattered.

And then they got buffs like:
- What Blocka?: AP cost reduced from 40 to 35 AP. Duration increased from 10 to 15 seconds.
- Goop Shootin': Cast time reduced from 2.0 to 1.0 seconds. Old Frenzied effect removed. Now applies 1 stack of Goop for 10 seconds, stacking 2 times. Your Big Shootin' hits will consume one stack of Goop to deal an additional (150+1.5DB) Corporeal damage. While frenzied, Goop Shootin' applies two stacks of Goop.

Teefz playstyle hasn't been nerfed in any way. He will keep running a Quick Shooting AA build with high AA damage, lots of instant abilities and the new Goop Shootin procs together with Lots o' Arrers to machine gun everyone down in seconds. Now that someone mentioned that he is on the balance team it suddenly makes all sense... Hammer on the SW, velvet gloves with the SH.

Why are you spreading misinformation ? He´s not even on the balance team.
Also your your order bias just shows again, like in almost everything your commentating.
PTS is not even yet up to acually test changes.

[lumpi33]

Because SW was better than SH, thats why.

only in AOE. SH is one of the best single target rdps classes if not the best. Beside the damage they have a much better toolkit with run away, kaboom, bubble remove, lots of instants that let them max their AA hits and a pet they can frenzy and buff with m1 that can hit you while they run away.

[lumpi33]

Why are you spreading misinformation ? He´s not even on the balance team.
Also your your order bias just shows again, like in almost everything your commentating.
PTS is not even yet up to acually test changes.

Someone else said that. Order bias? Well, look at the changes... SW got for sure wrecked while SH got away with slight changes again... It's not hard to tell how this will play out... I can tell from Teefz kills on the killboard and the abilities he was using that his play style has barely been nerfed. So...

[M0rw47h]

Because SW was better than SH, thats why.

only in AOE. SH is one of the best single target rdps classes if not the best. Beside the damage they have a much better toolkit with run away, kaboom, bubble remove, lots of instants that let them max their AA hits and a pet they can frenzy and buff with m1 that can hit you while they run away.

Have you ever played with proper fester bomb squad?

/exSW main