Summer 2020 Test Realm – Update #1 🌻

As many may already know, the summer test realm has been out and there are a few changes that have been implemented since the initial release last week. 

🐬 Character Models 🐬

This week, KI has made even more changes to the character models. 

Go take a look at the Magic Mirror for yourself. These look much more realistic and are not being seen by the community as ‘creepy’ or ‘unnatural’ like they were before. Characters also have more customization options in the magic mirror.

🦩 Spell Changes 🦩

Wow! There are a LOT of spell changes! Below is a comprehensive list of changes that are currently in test realm:

Ice:

-Frost Giant: 15 less damage

-Snowball Barrage: 10 less damage per pip

-Abominable Weaver: Buffed 200 damage from last test realm (but still -50 rather than -75 shield)

Fire:

-Fire Dragon: Buffed 160 damage on the first hit and 24 on the second hit (about 200 overall)

-Raging Bull: From the previous test realm, buffed 5 damage and -40 mantle rather than -30

-FFA: Buffed 240 damage from last test realm and gives a fuel rather than a single trap

Storm:

-Sirens: Nerfed 150 damage and removes one blade (rather than removing 2 and putting a -50 smokescreen)

-Storm Owl: Nerfed 175 damage

-Leviathan: Nerfed 55 damage and removes one blade rather than 2

-Bugs: Buffed about 200 damage and no longer removes blades

-Rusalka: Buffed about 200 damage from last test realm

Death:

-Scarecrow: Buffed almost 200 damage

-Khrulhu: Buffed about 100 damage from last test realm

Life:

-Forest lord: Buffed about 70 damage, 7 pips rather than 8

-Rebirth: 8 pips rather than 7 *Note: Although these spells switched pip values, they are still obtained at the same levels as before*

-Pillar: Buffed about 200 from last test realm

-Wings: Nerfed numbers slightly, initial 50 damage and initial 50 heal followed by 400 overtime of each

Myth:

-Witch’s House Call: Buffed about 100 damage

-Earthquake: Buffed 60 damage

-Mystic: Buffed 200 from last test

-Orthrus: 700 AOE damage rather than an initial 50 hit followed by 650 to a single target

Balance:

-Nested: Buffed about 200 damage (depending on what school it hits)

-Hydra: Buffed 40 damage each hit (120 overall)

-Chimera: Buffed 5 damage each hit (15 overall)

-Gaze: Buffed about 100 damage each hit from last test realm (200 overall) and second hit is slightly stronger than the first

Shadow:

-Dark Shepherd: Nerfed 100 damage

-Dark Fiend: Nerfed about 200 damage

-Dark Nova: Nerfed about 600 damage

KI has stated that they want each pip for a school to hold a certain damage value (DPP: Damage Per Pip), and any utilities a spell carries must be taken into account to calculate the damage of a spell. This is why some buffs are extremely minor (e.g. Chimera’s 15 damage buff) and others are more towards ~200. These changes are all balancing themselves out, and like anything else, will take getting used to. Please leave a comment below! We are looking forward to seeing your opinions on some of these changes. Again, polite feedback to devs is always welcomed by them and will be taken into consideration. Again, this is Test Realm and more changes are probably to come in the future. It is also confirmed that in PvP, the new shadow generation will be slower, but quicker in PvE (3-5 round average), which is closer to what was normal pre-test.

Note: There are also some nerfs to the Mirage shadow spells that I did not include because they are all generally 200-300 damage lower

Credit: Truman on Discord

This image shows exactly how much (and how good or bad) the nerfs are (don’t forget to consider utilities on spells).

🐚 Final Thoughts 🐚

Many people on Twitter and in the community believe that this is a lot better. These changes surely will affect PvP and PvE. Don’t forget that these are not final. Any comments submitted to devs are taken into consideration, so if you feel that you have an insightful comment, they make it clear that you are always welcomed to submit it to them (which can be anything from a calm tweet tagging Wizard101 / the devs or using #Wizard101, or using the top right bug icon in test realm and submitting a comment or feedback). GTP is working to provide quick updates to the community whenever a new test realm change is out. Here is a link to the previous test realm article that talks about some other changes coming soon. Everyone is encouraged to go on test realm and try some PvE as well as PvP to fully test out the changes.

Thank you all,

-Nate Era