Sandbox Interactive released Combat Balance Changes Realm Divided Part II as version 30.040.1 on February 23, 2026. The patch targets bows, crossbows, cursed staffs, hammers, maces, shapeshifter staffs, offhands, armors, and shoes.
The update reshapes mobility and cooldowns for bows, shortens Snipe Shot cast time while adding a resistance reduction, lowers Dark Matter bounces and redistributes its damage, adjusts Polehammer hitbox behavior, adds a mob auto-attack damage debuff to Battle Howl, increases Threatening Smash damage, changes Sinister Swipes timing and damage, splits Tethershift shields between enemies and allies, trims Blueflame Torch bonuses, boosts Frost Shield slow, reverts the Soldier Armor Fury mini-update, and removes line of sight requirements from Blink and Delayed Teleport.
Albion Online Patch Notes 30.040.1
Bows
Speed Shot has not been very popular or interesting, so it has received a small rework to make its gameplay more engaging while preserving its core identity.
- Speed Shot (all Bows)
- Move speed increase: 20% for 5s 30% for 2s
- Cooldown: 15s 10s
- Casting now resets Q cooldown
- Removed attack speed buff
Players using Enchanted Quiver can no longer be distracted by invisible enemies.
- Enchanted Quiver (all Bows)
- No longer deals decreased damage if the only player(s) within 6m are invisible
Crossbows
As the first Crossbow ability, Snipe Shot had a cast time that felt too long to be practical in solo PvE. Additionally, its long-duration, high-damage cast felt too similar in its function to Bolt Casters. To address this, its cast time has been reduced and an armor reduction effect added, giving it a clearer role as a single-target burst support option.
- Snipe Shot (Crossbow)
- Cast time: 2.5s 2s
- Damage: 418 386
- Added resistance reduction: 0.15 for 4 seconds
Cursed Staffs
Dark Matter has felt unreliable, so its damage has been redistributed across fewer total bounces.
- Dark Matter (all Cursed Staffs)
- Bounces: 8 7
- Dmg vs players: 98 112
- Damage vs mobs: 49 56
Hammers
With its enhanced range, Polehammer has found success as a non-committal long-range stun option. That being said, in smaller-scale PvP its max range stun has often felt unavoidable. Its hitbox now grows, matching the visuals and giving opponents an additional 0.3s to dodge (at max range).
- Groundbreaker (Polehammer)
- Hitbox now matches VFX more closely
Maces
In PvE, silencing mobs can feel like a trap, as it causes them to auto-attack instead of casting dodgeable abilities, increasing the damage they deal. To combat that, Battle Howl now also reduces mobs auto-attack damage.
- Battle Howl (Heavy Mace)
- Added: 40% auto-attack damage debuff (vs mobs) for 4s
Threatening Smash has had its damage increased to help all Maces in PvE and PvP.
- Threatening Smash (all Maces)
- Damage: 135 142
Shapeshifter Staffs
Sinister Swipes has received more damage but has a longer cooldown, allowing Prowling players to weave auto-attacks between Q casts. At the same time, its increased cooldown forces them to stay in form longer to complete a full combo, making them more vulnerable.
- Sinister Swipes (Prowling Staff)
- Damage: 76 90
- Multicast cooldown: 0.5s (global cooldown) 0.8s
- Time window: 2s 3s
Dashing onto enemies on cooldown with Tethershifts large shield was difficult to deal with, while the shield applied to allies felt too small to have a real impact. As a result, these values have been separated and adjusted differently.
- Tethershift (all Shapeshifter Staffs)
- Enemy-targeted self-shield: 200 100
- Ally shield: 200 300
Offhands
While the Paladin healer builds that have popped up with the new Blueflame Torch are undoubtedly cool, the damage and healing bonus was slightly too high, so theyve been reduced. These values can be understood as a reduction from 25% to 22%.
- Blueflame Torch
- Damage & healing bonus: 0.201 0.177
Armors
Frost Shield hasnt been very popular compared to its alternatives, so its slow has been made more powerful.
- Frost Shield (all Cloth Robes)
- Slow: 30% 40%
As the Soldier Armor mini-update was very controversial and led to unhealthy gameplay, it has been reverted.
- Fury (Soldier Armor)
- No longer heals
- No longer a toggle
Shoes
Blink and Delayed Teleport no longer require line-of-sight, meaning you can now freely faceplant into trees, rocks, and walls.
- Blink (Cleric Sandals)
- No longer requires line of sight
- Delayed Teleport (Mage Sandals)
- No longer requires line of sight
Tell which specific change you want to try in a comment, and follow for updates on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram.
Albion Online
Developed by Sandbox Interactive
Albion Online is a sandbox MMORPG set in an open medieval fantasy world. The game features a player-driven economy where nearly every item is player-crafted. Combine armor pieces and weapons suited to your playstyle in a unique, classless "you are what you wear" system. Explore the world, take on other adventurers in thrilling battles, conquer territories, and build a home.
- Genre: Role-playing (RPG)
- Platforms: Linux, Android, PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, Mac
- Modes: Multiplayer, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
- Release: 2017-07-17
- Publisher: Sandbox Interactive
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Age Rating:
ESRB E10+ / PEGI 12
- IGDB Rating: 77.5/100
