Albion Online’s February combat pass tuned bows, maces, and more

Sandbox Interactive’s Albion Online combat balance update for February 23, 2026 arrived as version 30.040.1, and it touched a wide spread of builds from bows and crossbows to cloth robes, sandals, and shapeshifter staffs. If you want the earlier rundown we published on the same patch, you can also check our February balance coverage.

The main theme here was simple, trim down some overperforming tools, make a few neglected options feel better to use, and clean up several effects that had become awkward in real fights. Speed Shot, Snipe Shot, Dark Matter, and a handful of defensive effects all saw direct numbers changes, while Fury on Soldier Armor was walked back after the mini-update drew controversy.

Patch Notes: Albion Online Combat Balance Changes – Realm Divided Part II, Version 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 Tethershift’s 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 they’ve 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 hasn’t 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

It is a tidy balance pass that should be felt most by players who lean on bows, maces, or teleport-heavy footwear. Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us 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
• Age Rating: ESRB E10+ / PEGI 12
• IGDB Rating: 77.5/100

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