2026-04-12 · Tests & balance

Paladin balance iteration and combat rules

The Paladin showcase includes several comments on balance philosophy, unfinished mechanics, and combat-rule implementation. The class is presented as actively iterated, with multiple abilities and systems still under review.

Work-in-progress state

The Paladin's current implementation is explicitly not final. Abilities, balance values, visuals, and even some class-defining tools are still being tested. Several bugs are acknowledged during the demonstration, including cooldown issues, translation mismatches, placeholder visuals, and animation desynchronization.

The melee animation controller is singled out as an area needing improvement, particularly for strike timing and visual synchronization.

Threat and taunt

Threat generation is explained as a PvE-only system. Damage and certain abilities generate threat values against enemies, and different spells can be assigned different threat amounts.

Taunt works by taking the highest current threat value on a target and adding an additional amount on top, causing the enemy to switch to the tank. This is presented as a way for Paladins to secure aggro rather than merely matching the current leader.

Taunt is not intended to function as a PvP target-forcing mechanic, because forcibly changing player targets is considered too close to a stun-like control effect.

Blocking, hits, and mitigation

Combat is not described as a system where everything always lands without interaction. Blocking can fully negate projectile damage when used correctly. Dodge is mentioned as a mechanic under evaluation, but it is not expected to be part of the upcoming test build unless its implementation proves worthwhile.

The Paladin's block gameplay is intended to be active and timing-based. Successful blocks can trigger empowered follow-up effects, reinforcing the class's defensive identity.

Cooldowns, haste, and pacing

Cooldown reduction is discussed as an important lever for class feel, especially in interactions such as attacks reducing the cooldown of Healing Hand. Some cooldown-modifying talents are still bugged in the showcased build.

The discussion also references recent changes to how haste works, though the detailed explanation is unclear in the available captions because that section is partially missing (caption unclear).

AoE balance concerns

Area-of-effect abilities are treated as potentially problematic in both PvP and farming scenarios. Concerns raised include excessive visual clutter, overly strong area control, and the ability to pull large numbers of enemies for efficient grinding.

Possible balancing approaches mentioned include:

increasing resource costs,
limiting the number of targets affected,
reducing effectiveness across large groups,
and tuning control effects such as stuns or pulls.

The overall stance is that AoE is acceptable if balanced carefully rather than allowed to dominate all combat scenarios.

Talent-tree size and point economy

The Paladin tree shown during the stream has around 150 nodes, while other class trees had previously approached 300. The discussion frames tree size as a balance issue rather than a simple matter of scale.

Small stat nodes are defended as useful for pacing and milestone progression, but excessive filler is rejected. The class is not expected to receive enough talent points to make bloated trees harmless, so each node must justify its place.

The current plan is one talent point per level, though that may change based on testing and progression pacing.

Build guidance and community theorycrafting

Preset in-game builds are described as possible but not a current priority. The preferred direction leans toward community-driven theorycrafting, guides, and player experimentation, with the interface potentially providing enough clarity for players to follow chosen routes without fully automated build templates.

Playtest context

The upcoming test is described as a technical test rather than a polished beta. Its purpose is to expose crashes, networking issues, bugs, and other technical problems. Players are expected to encounter unfinished systems and are encouraged to stress the game rather than judge it as a final product.

Streaming and content creation are allowed during the test, provided the unfinished nature of the build is understood and communicated accurately.

Source

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