Albion Online is getting patch 8 following the Lands Awakened update. This patch is centered on combat balance changes, which are more in-depth than in prior patches, improvements in Arena matchmaking, controller improvements, and other changes.
When it comes to Arena matchmaking, the new process is intended to speed up forming teams in the queue. This should mean that solo queue DPS players will have reduced waiting time The system adjustments will also distribute premade healers efficiently among the solo queue DPS players. Effectively, this should be more balanced teams form faster.
The combat balance changes in this update make each class more effective but also to make them work better in groups, some in large-scale combat, and even making sure that some classes hit just the right amount. For example, damage from Daggers now has more front-loaded damage for Blood Ritual upon each hit. This means you should be able to pull it off in quick succession when needed, although the ability retains the DoT that each new hit overwrites, so if you are not in need of quick jabs, spacing out your activations for max damage should be key.
On the other hand, the resistance penetration of the glaive for those using Spears is reduced so that its sustained damage in group fights is downgraded from 50% to 30%. This should impact group play and not have an effect on solo players.
Most of the other combat changes are similar in scope, but there are a couple that definitely go beyond this, notably War Gloves, Nature Staffs, and Swords.
Some of the combat balance changes are more like significant overhauls. When it comes to War Gloves, the introduction of this weapon with Lands Awakened has had several tweaks since, but this time, it gets an overhaul that includes ability reworks. All of these changes include keeping the enemy in the air for longer duration that lets you follow up with an attack more easily. your last hit will also get rid of enemy Buffs on impact so that defense goes away before you deal the damage.
Other changes in the patch include controller beta function updates and bug fixes. You can read the full notes over at Albion Online.
