Bow & Short Bow Balance Changes
Many classes haven't seen updates or changes for a long time. Some of these have outdated mechanics and don't feel as good as they could, and even perform worse than others and have a hard time adapting to the current meta.
We're planning on reworking some classes to some extent, focusing on skill setups, combat feeling and attack rhythm. We hope that these changes will revitalize the various classes!
This time around we've made changes to the Bow and Short Bow classes. These changes take effect on Jan 5, 2023.
[h2]Bow[/h2]
The bow's unique mechanic is how you can charge each attack for greater effect, however, that very same mechanic makes it difficult to really shine with it. Battles are fast-paced and ever-changing, making it difficult for Bow heroes to get the most out of charged attacks. Plus, they rely heavily on the [Marksman] skill to use their combos, something which doesn't give a good flow and is difficult to master. And even when mastered, the Bow has a hard time performing well.
So, while we want to retain its unique charging mechanic, we do want to improve upon it so that the Bow can combo attacks in more varied ways.
[h3]Skill Changes:[/h3]
[Lightning Bolt]
1. [Lightning Bolt] no longer deals increased damage based on charge level. [Lightning Bolt] now deals the following damage:
I: 125% base + 5,196 piercing damage.
II: 125% base + 5,529 piercing damage.
III: 125% base + 5,824 piercing damage.
2. Charge Effect: Deals 35% extra base piercing damage on Full-Charge and penetrates 5-12 enemies based on charge level.
[Bodkin-Tipped]
1. [Bodkin-Tipped] no longer deals increased damage based on charge level. [Bodkin-Tipped] now deals the following damage:
I: 61% base + 1,060 piercing damage.
II: 61% base + 1,212 piercing damage.
III: 61% base + 1,333 piercing damage.
2. Charge Effect: [Bodkin-Tipped] inflicts Concussed for 0.3-1.1 seconds based on charge level.
3. [Bodkin-Tipped]'s cooldown increased to 18 seconds (was 15) and no longer causes high block break.
[Flaming Arrow]
1. [Flaming Arrow] no longer deals increased damage based on charge level. [Flaming Arrow] now deals the following damage:
I: 71% base + 752 piercing damage.
II: 71% base + 902 piercing damage.
III: 71% base + 1,003 piercing damage.
2. Charge Effect: [Flaming Arrow] fires 1-3 fire arrows based on charge level.
[Rain of Arrows]
1. [Rain of Arrows] no longer deals increased damage based on charge level. Each [Rain of Arrows] arrow now deals the following damage:
I: 21% base + 270 piercing damage.
II: 21% base + 291 piercing damage.
III: 21% base + 321 piercing damage.
2. Charge Effect: Each arrow that hits replenishes the cooldown of [Rain of Arrows] by 0.3-0.6 seconds based on charge level.
[Marksman]
1. [Marksman] now enables your next basic attack and all skills used within 2 seconds to attack as if they were fully charged. The skill previously enabled your next attack within 15 seconds to attack as if it was fully charged.
2. Cooldown Change:
I: Cooldown increased to 19 seconds (was 16).
II: Cooldown increased to 17 seconds (was 14).
III: Cooldown increased to 15 seconds (was 12).
Combat Improvements:
1. You can now chain basic attacks after skills’ ending animation.
2. You can now use other skills after [Bodkin-Tipped] and [Flaming Arrow] to quicker interrupt the animation.
3. [Rain of Arrows], [Bodkin-Tipped], [Flaming Arrow] and [Lightning Bolt] now have a fairly straight trajectory and high initial rate of fire even at no charge. Full-charging increases projectile speed by 18%.
[h2]Short Bow[/h2]
The Short Bow has fast basic attacks that penetrate enemies and can use skills in quick succession. However, its attacks and skills don't really depend on one another and the Short Bow relies heavily on the burst damage of some skills to deal high continuous damage.
We want to make the Short Bow's gameplay experience and burst combos smoother, while also reducing reliance on some skills with long cooldowns. This should hopefully bring for better basic attack and skill combos and for a more compact attack pacing.
[Basic Attack]
Basic attacks grant [Armor Piercing] upon hit, increasing piercing damage by 1.5% and movement speed by 1.5% for 2.5 seconds, stacking up to 20 times. You drop 3 stacks whenever the duration runs out.
[Roll]
Roll no longer grants [Armor Piercing].
[Poison Arrow]
1. New Effect: Hits mark the enemy for 3 seconds. Basic attacks make the mark explode, dealing 200 Bleed damage plus 4.5% of the enemy's remaining HP over 2 seconds.
2. [Poison Arrow] reduces paragon skill cooldown by 2 seconds when hitting an enemy.
3. [Poison Arrow]'s base poison duration reduced to 3 seconds (was 8).
[Steel-tipped Arrow]
1. Steel-tipped Arrow's damage changed to:
I: 108% base + 595 piercing damage (was 100% + 942).
II: 110% base + 680 piercing damage (was 100% + 1,156).
III: 112% base + 750 piercing damage (was 100% + 1,370).
2. New Effect: Hits mark the enemy for 3 seconds. Basic attacks make the mark explode, dealing 200 Bleed damage plus 4.5% of the enemy's remaining health over 2 seconds.
3. [Steel-tipped Arrow] reduces paragon skill cooldown by 1 second when hitting an enemy.
4. Removed the effects that reduced the enemy's defenses and greatly reduced their block.
[Angry Hornets]
1. Poison damage changed to:
I: Deals 50 damage per second + 0.3% of the enemy's remaining health (was 90 per second).
II: Deals 60 damage per second + 0.35% of the enemy's remaining health (was 105 per second).
III: Deals 70 damage per second + 0.4% of the enemy's remaining health (was 120 per second).
2. Hitting with Angry Hornets grants [Armor Piercing].
[Wrath of Artemis]
Hitting with Wrath of Artemis grants [Armor Piercing].
We're planning on reworking some classes to some extent, focusing on skill setups, combat feeling and attack rhythm. We hope that these changes will revitalize the various classes!
This time around we've made changes to the Bow and Short Bow classes. These changes take effect on Jan 5, 2023.
[h2]Bow[/h2]
The bow's unique mechanic is how you can charge each attack for greater effect, however, that very same mechanic makes it difficult to really shine with it. Battles are fast-paced and ever-changing, making it difficult for Bow heroes to get the most out of charged attacks. Plus, they rely heavily on the [Marksman] skill to use their combos, something which doesn't give a good flow and is difficult to master. And even when mastered, the Bow has a hard time performing well.
So, while we want to retain its unique charging mechanic, we do want to improve upon it so that the Bow can combo attacks in more varied ways.
[h3]Skill Changes:[/h3]
[Lightning Bolt]
1. [Lightning Bolt] no longer deals increased damage based on charge level. [Lightning Bolt] now deals the following damage:
I: 125% base + 5,196 piercing damage.
II: 125% base + 5,529 piercing damage.
III: 125% base + 5,824 piercing damage.
2. Charge Effect: Deals 35% extra base piercing damage on Full-Charge and penetrates 5-12 enemies based on charge level.
[Bodkin-Tipped]
1. [Bodkin-Tipped] no longer deals increased damage based on charge level. [Bodkin-Tipped] now deals the following damage:
I: 61% base + 1,060 piercing damage.
II: 61% base + 1,212 piercing damage.
III: 61% base + 1,333 piercing damage.
2. Charge Effect: [Bodkin-Tipped] inflicts Concussed for 0.3-1.1 seconds based on charge level.
3. [Bodkin-Tipped]'s cooldown increased to 18 seconds (was 15) and no longer causes high block break.
[Flaming Arrow]
1. [Flaming Arrow] no longer deals increased damage based on charge level. [Flaming Arrow] now deals the following damage:
I: 71% base + 752 piercing damage.
II: 71% base + 902 piercing damage.
III: 71% base + 1,003 piercing damage.
2. Charge Effect: [Flaming Arrow] fires 1-3 fire arrows based on charge level.
[Rain of Arrows]
1. [Rain of Arrows] no longer deals increased damage based on charge level. Each [Rain of Arrows] arrow now deals the following damage:
I: 21% base + 270 piercing damage.
II: 21% base + 291 piercing damage.
III: 21% base + 321 piercing damage.
2. Charge Effect: Each arrow that hits replenishes the cooldown of [Rain of Arrows] by 0.3-0.6 seconds based on charge level.
[Marksman]
1. [Marksman] now enables your next basic attack and all skills used within 2 seconds to attack as if they were fully charged. The skill previously enabled your next attack within 15 seconds to attack as if it was fully charged.
2. Cooldown Change:
I: Cooldown increased to 19 seconds (was 16).
II: Cooldown increased to 17 seconds (was 14).
III: Cooldown increased to 15 seconds (was 12).
Combat Improvements:
1. You can now chain basic attacks after skills’ ending animation.
2. You can now use other skills after [Bodkin-Tipped] and [Flaming Arrow] to quicker interrupt the animation.
3. [Rain of Arrows], [Bodkin-Tipped], [Flaming Arrow] and [Lightning Bolt] now have a fairly straight trajectory and high initial rate of fire even at no charge. Full-charging increases projectile speed by 18%.
[h2]Short Bow[/h2]
The Short Bow has fast basic attacks that penetrate enemies and can use skills in quick succession. However, its attacks and skills don't really depend on one another and the Short Bow relies heavily on the burst damage of some skills to deal high continuous damage.
We want to make the Short Bow's gameplay experience and burst combos smoother, while also reducing reliance on some skills with long cooldowns. This should hopefully bring for better basic attack and skill combos and for a more compact attack pacing.
[Basic Attack]
Basic attacks grant [Armor Piercing] upon hit, increasing piercing damage by 1.5% and movement speed by 1.5% for 2.5 seconds, stacking up to 20 times. You drop 3 stacks whenever the duration runs out.
[Roll]
Roll no longer grants [Armor Piercing].
[Poison Arrow]
1. New Effect: Hits mark the enemy for 3 seconds. Basic attacks make the mark explode, dealing 200 Bleed damage plus 4.5% of the enemy's remaining HP over 2 seconds.
2. [Poison Arrow] reduces paragon skill cooldown by 2 seconds when hitting an enemy.
3. [Poison Arrow]'s base poison duration reduced to 3 seconds (was 8).
[Steel-tipped Arrow]
1. Steel-tipped Arrow's damage changed to:
I: 108% base + 595 piercing damage (was 100% + 942).
II: 110% base + 680 piercing damage (was 100% + 1,156).
III: 112% base + 750 piercing damage (was 100% + 1,370).
2. New Effect: Hits mark the enemy for 3 seconds. Basic attacks make the mark explode, dealing 200 Bleed damage plus 4.5% of the enemy's remaining health over 2 seconds.
3. [Steel-tipped Arrow] reduces paragon skill cooldown by 1 second when hitting an enemy.
4. Removed the effects that reduced the enemy's defenses and greatly reduced their block.
[Angry Hornets]
1. Poison damage changed to:
I: Deals 50 damage per second + 0.3% of the enemy's remaining health (was 90 per second).
II: Deals 60 damage per second + 0.35% of the enemy's remaining health (was 105 per second).
III: Deals 70 damage per second + 0.4% of the enemy's remaining health (was 120 per second).
2. Hitting with Angry Hornets grants [Armor Piercing].
[Wrath of Artemis]
Hitting with Wrath of Artemis grants [Armor Piercing].