Illuvium Arena patch 1.18.13 lifts Fire, Mud and Earth weapons and gives Ophisto a slower start - eGamers.io

The update introduces substantial changes to the game's meta, with the studio explicitly stating its goal: "This patch gives Fire and Earth a reason to come back." Fire's team-wide damage has been increased across all levels, with the (3) bonus now providing 40% increased damage instead of 30%, making Fire teams "hit noticeably harder from (3) onward."

Mud synergy has also received significant improvements, with its ability to steal Attack Damage and Omega Power increasing from 25%/35% to 30%/40%. Additionally, when a Mud unit is defeated, it now provides 25% Attack Damage and Omega Power to the three nearest allies, up from 20%.

Ophisto Nerfed

The Stage 3 Squid, Ophisto, has been significantly nerfed, starting with only 10 Energy instead of the previous 30. According to the patch notes, "Ophisto's lightning often fired before the fight had properly started, and an early kill let it chain into extra casts." This change aims to prevent Ophisto from dominating the early game.

Earth Weapons Revamped

Three Earth weapons that had "fallen behind" have received significant buffs. Earthgrasp Sceptre's Energy Cost has been reduced from 200 to 180, with the studio acknowledging that "our last Energy Cost increase overshot." Quake Maulers now deals 140 Attack Damage, up from 125, and its attacks while shielded reduce Physical Resist by 12 instead of 10.

Vinebound Cleaver has seen its Omega Attack Speed increased from 25% to 30% and Omega Physical Attack Damage from 80 to 100. The studio clarified that "The Cleaver itself was underpowered, so we're buffing the weapon rather than its amplifiers." Several amplifiers for these weapons have also been adjusted, with some receiving increases and others being nerfed.

Augment Adjustments

The patch addresses overpowered and underused augments. Three Void Reactors have been scaled back: Immunis Void Reactor's immunity window is now 12 seconds instead of 15, Conduction Void Reactor provides less initial energy and shield, and Inversion Void Reactor drains slightly less energy. Meanwhile, several underused Legendary augments have been buffed, including Hyper Striker Protocol and Temporal Guard.

The studio noted that some augments "were taking over lobbies come down a notch, and a few that were sitting unused get buffs." This targeted approach aims to create a more diverse and balanced meta where multiple strategies can be viable.